For Parents: An Introduction To MIT
This section offers an overview of the MIT experience. For a more detailed picture, we hope you will explore the website further, talk to recent graduates and parents, attend our information sessions and if at all possible visit the campus yourself.
The Basics
MIT stands among the world's preeminent research universities. Our formal mission is to advance knowledge and educate students in science, technology and other areas of scholarship that will best serve the nation and the world in the 21st century. We seek to develop in each member of the MIT community the ability and passion to work wisely, creatively and effectively for the betterment of humankind.
An MIT education combines rigorous academic study and the excitement of discovery with the support and intellectual stimulation of a diverse campus community.
Coeducational and privately endowed, MIT includes more than 1,000 faculty and approximately 4,000 undergraduate and 6,000 graduate students. Our 27 degree-granting departments are organized into five Schools:
Our 154-acre campus stretches more than a mile along the leafy Cambridge banks of the Charles River, just a bridge away from the lively heart of Boston, one of America's most historic and culturally inspiring cities. MIT is home to one of the broadest and most advanced arrays of technical facilities anywhere in the world. It also offers a welcoming and vibrant residential community with first-class athletic facilities. Our research, residential and athletic facilities have all been dramatically enhanced through a recent, very ambitious building campaign.
What's the "feel" of MIT?
The MIT community exudes a kind of crackling energy - the passion, curiosity, playfulness, creativity and drive of thousands of bright minds working together on the great problems of the world. It is an immensely international place, too, drawing students and faculty from all over the world. Overall, MIT is a community open to new approaches and ideas, deeply committed to collaboration and unimpressed with social credentials -- a place where people take great pleasure in tackling hard problems, together.
Some parents experience conflicting emotions when their child is interested in MIT. They may be pleased that their child has the intellectual curiosity and competitive spirit to apply to a school that is so prestigious and can lead to such a bright career. At the same time, parents sometimes have reservations about MIT. We find these reservations are often based on out-of-date information or just plain stereotypes. Your son or daughter may well have more current information than you do. Taking the time to explore our website, speak to recent graduates and parents, or better yet, visit the campus, can provide a wonderful new perspective.
Will my child feel at home in the MIT community?
Almost certainly, because the admissions process is designed to bring together a group of young people who will find MIT congenial, stimulating, inspiring and fun. If your son or daughter is admitted, there is a welcoming spot for him or her at MIT. What's more, Boston and Cambridge themselves are very manageable cities -- culturally vibrant but compact and easy to navigate.
Most students make their first and strongest social connections with their living group. Because all freshman live on campus and students are encouraged to work collaboratively, entering students get to know each other quickly and well. And because all our residences include students from every class, freshman through seniors, there is nearly always a friendly upperclassman to turn to for advice and encouragement, as well as housemasters and graduate resident advisors.
The larger MIT community contains a huge number of thriving sub-communities as well - people united by a shared culture, background or interest, who often create a kind of "second home" for one another. And in recent years, MIT has placed a strong new emphasis on building community, investing considerable attention and resources in enriching dorm life and bringing the community together as a whole.
Isn't the academic pressure intense?
MIT is a demanding intellectual environment, and most students wouldn't have it any other way. But we recognize that freshman year is a time of major adjustment, as students who are accustomed to being at the head of the class encounter an incredibly talented group of peers. To ease that transition, in their first semester all freshmen are graded on a pass/no record basis. The pass grade is the equivalent of C or better and appears on a student's permanent transcript. If a student receives the equivalent of a D or an F, no record appears on his or her transcript.
What's the student body like?
At MIT, we value and celebrate the incredible diversity of our community. Students come from all 50 states and more than 100 foreign countries; our diversity is reflected in our long roster of ethnically and culturally oriented clubs and organizations. Underrepresented minority students will find a lively community here, as well as a range of support services. Likewise, MIT's unmistakably international atmosphere makes it a welcoming place for students from around the globe.
In recent years, MIT has undergone major demographic changes. Most notable is the marked increase in the number of young women who apply and are admitted -- women with top qualifications who achieve great success on campus and in the world beyond. Women now make up 45% of the undergraduate population.
MIT considers each applicant as an individual, with no limit on the number of students admitted from any given background, secondary school, state or region of the country. We do have one quota: we limit enrollment of international applicants (non US-citizens) to between six and eight percent of the entering class. This, of course, does not apply to US permanent residents.
Click here to view a demographic snapshot of the most recently admitted class.
Where will my child live?
All freshmen are required to live in one of MIT's 11 on-campus residence halls, unless they commute daily from the home of their parents or other close relatives. There are no all-freshman dormitories at MIT. Upperclassmen may choose whether to live in a residence hall; an MIT-recognized fraternity, sorority or independent living group; or an off-campus apartment. The vast majority of upperclassmen remain in MIT housing. For more information, click here.
What will my child study?
MIT is a research university committed to world-class inquiry in math, science and technology - but you may be surprised to learn that we require more liberal arts courses than many liberal arts institutions.
All MIT undergraduates, regardless of major, must complete the following requirements in order to graduate:
9 subjects in Math, Science & Technology:
| Mathematics | 2 subjects | ||
| Physics | 2 subjects | ||
| Biology | 1 subject | ||
| Chemistry | 1 subject | ||
| Lab Requirement | 1 subject | ||
| Restricted Electives | 2 subjects |
8 subjects in Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences:
| Distribution Requirement | 3 subjects | ||
| Concentration Requirement | 3-4 subjects | ||
| Electives | 1-3 subjects |
In addition, students must satisfy the requirements of their major, the Communication Requirement, and the Physical Education Requirement.
What is MIT's approach to teaching?
MIT believes passionately in the power of learning-by-doing, the value of working collaboratively and the importance of continually reassessing the effectiveness of our own teaching strategies. Whenever possible, our courses include hands-on engagement with the subject, and students tackle new material in teams. The latest and most effective techniques and learning technologies are transforming the way many subjects are taught at MIT.
We're justifiably proud of the seven Nobel laureates, 19 MacArthur Fellows, and numerous other national and international honorees on the MIT faculty. We're even prouder that these top scholars and thinkers teach and advise undergraduates. In addition, our Freshman Learning Communities (each with a different focus and limited enrollment) stress particularly close contact with the faculty.
Our faculty-to-student ratio is 6.4 to 1. Naturally, class sizes vary, but some generalizations are possible: 64% of undergraduate classes have fewer than 20 students. Only 3% have more than 100 students. Very few MIT subjects are "closed" by overenrollment or stringent requirements; most MIT students are able to enroll in every course that they want every term.
What do MIT students do outside of class?
MIT students bring the same energy, creativity and curiosity they have in the classroom and lab to the rest of their lives too. Follow these links for more information:
