MIT Pi Day Admissions: Decisions Go Live On 3/14/15 At 9:26, But No Drone Delivery

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is taking its Pi Day celebrations to the next level this year. On Saturday -- 3/14/15 -- at exactly 9:26 a.m. EDT, the school will release its admissions decisions for the Class of 2019. As thousands of high school seniors check to see if they're accepted, the date and time will match up perfectly with the first seven digits of pi.

"We know that waiting for decisions can be a bit stressful for students, so we like to be a bit creative and lighten the mood," Dean of Admissions Stu Schmill told Fusion. In 2014, MIT produced a brief video of students getting pied in the face for decision day. This year, Schmill stars in a different video encouraging students to "keep your eyes to the skies this Pi Day."

Although he clarified that MIT won't actually use drones to deliver its decisions, the 9:26 a.m. release time is real -- and just for fun. "Pi Day is a fun day for those interested in math," Schmill told the Washington Post. "Pi is a mathematical constant that shows up in a lot of different applications."

Prospective, admittedly geeky students are excited. Anna Tiberi, who knows pi to 79 decimal points, told the Post she's going to take a picture of her phone at the exact moment the clock strikes 9:26 a.m. and 53 seconds. "I have a ‘Happy Pi Day!’ shirt that I’m going to wear," she said.

Pi, as everyone knows, is the ratio of any circle's circumference to diameter, and is usually approximated as 3.14159. That accounts for the excitement leading up to March 14, or 3/14/15.

MIT isn't the only college getting creative with its decisions this year. In January, University of Maryland admission staffers and the mascot, Testudo, piled into a bus to drive around and deliver acceptance letters in person.

No matter what the decision, MIT encouraged its applicants to keep calm. "Acknowledge it, embrace it, and then let it go," recommended its website. "This is your last semester of high school, and your primary responsibility is to enjoy every remaining minute of this journey before you embark on the next."