is it true that knowing someone there helps? i notice the difference bw media lab and other schools.
so someone who knows how to show off might have a better chance than someone really good at it?
I don't think knowing how to show off is necessarily more important than being a good artist/innovator/engineer, but it's at least as important. The Media Lab wants to show off too, after all, and they need people who are good at it.
I'm not sure how you see the Media Lab as different than other art/design schools in that respect. It's definitely different than engineering schools, yes, but it's not an engineering school.