MITES Semester and MITES Summer FAQs

Find answers to frequently asked questions on the MITES Semester and MITES Summer programs, eligibility, application, and recommendations below. Or, use the search bar to search specific keywords.

About MITES

MITES Summer is a six-week residential program for rising high school seniors where students engage with peers from across the country who are dedicated and motivated to pursue STEM. During the program, students take five courses, receive admissions and financial aid advice, and meet with a small group of peers to receive mentorship from a current undergraduate student. The end of the program culminates in a Final Symposium where students present their hands-on projects to the broader MIT community.

MITES Semester is a six-month online program for rising high school seniors where students engage with peers from across the country who are dedicated and motivated to pursue STEM. During the program, students discuss research, receive admissions and financial aid advice, attend webinars and networking sessions featuring STEM professionals, and meet weekly with a small group of peers to receive mentorship from a current undergraduate student. During the summer component, students complete two online STEM courses which culminate in a Final Symposium where they present their projects to the broader MIT community.

MITES Semester: June 20, 2023–December 10, 2023 (2024 Dates TBD)

MITES Summer: June 17, 2023–July 28, 2023 (2024 Dates TBD)

Note: In the event an applicant’s school calendar conflicts with the program dates, we ask students to notify us if they are accepted, and we will attempt to work with the school system and student to find a solution. We encourage students to apply even if their school year overlaps with MITES program dates.

MITES Semester is a 6-month immersive online experience, consisting of synchronous and asynchronous components. It is broken into two phases: the STEM Immersion phase in the summer, and the College and Career Prep phase in the fall.

  • STEM Immersion Phase (June–August): Requires a time commitment of 25-30 hours per week which includes time spent attending courses, office hours, webinars, and cluster meetings, as well as time spent working independently or collaboratively on weekly course assignments and engaging with the community via slack. MITES Semester students tune in from different time zones across the US, and we understand that many students are juggling jobs and additional commitments. Therefore, all synchronous components of MITES Semester occur between the hours of 5 and 10 pm ET, with no classes on Fridays or Saturdays.
  • College and Career Prep Phase (August–December): Requires a time commitment of 3-5 hours per week which includes time spent attending cluster meetings and webinars, as well as time spent writing blog posts and engaging with the community via slack. MITES Semester students tune in from different time zones across the US, and we understand that this phase occurs during the school year, when students are juggling homework, jobs, and additional commitments. Therefore, all synchronous components of MITES Semester’s College and Career Prep Phase occur between the hours of 8 and 10 pm ET, no more than 3 days per week.

MITES Summer is a six-week in-person residential experience that takes place on campus at MIT. While in the program, students are immersed in college life, take a full courseload of classes, receive support from TAs, build community with fellow participants and explore Boston on the weekends! Students find this program to be more challenging than high school. You can plan to spend roughly seven hours per weekday (9 am-5 pm with a break for lunch) in classes and other planned activities. Students have reported spending an average of 6 hours per weekday and 4-6 hours per weekend day doing homework. You will have midterms (Week 3) and finals (Week 6) as well as final projects and presentations (Week 5 and Week 6).

During MITES Summer, students are required to stay in dormitories on MIT’s campus for the entire program, even if the student is local to the Boston area. Food and housing are provided free of cost to participants.

During MITES Semester, students participate remotely for much of the program. If there is a residential conference component for MITES Semester (this has not run for the last several years), students will stay in MIT dorms during the week long conference. Food and housing during the conference is provided free of cost to participants.

Although there will be homework and students take rigorous classes, students do not receive formal grades, nor do they receive high school or college credits.

All students who participate in MITES Summer or MITES Semester will receive qualitative final evaluations from each instructor. We encourage students to submit these evaluations as supplemental material for college applications.

MITES Semester students can expect to spend 15-20 hours per week on asynchronous assignments. Students will have access to office hours and slack for additional support.

MITES Summer homework will vary by course. Students will have access to office hours, TAs, and weekly recitations for additional support.

All program-related costs are covered by our funders, students only pay for transportation to and from MIT.

Eligibility and application

The MITES Summer and MITES Semester application is open to 11th graders. Public, private, and homeschooled students are eligible.

In order to be eligible for a MITES program, you must be a United States citizen or permanent resident with a current US green card. Visas of any type are not substitutes for US citizenship or US Permanent Residency. If you are admitted to MITES, we may ask you to verify your citizenship or permanent residency via one of the following options: (1) Official US Birth Certificate, (2) Valid US Passport, (3) Official Permanent Resident (Green) Card.

All applicants who meet the eligibility requirements will be considered, regardless of race or ethnicity.

MITES Semester and MITES Summer share an application. To apply, visit mitesapp.mit.edu to create an account. The application opens in November. Applications are due on February 1 at 11:59 pm PST.

Yes. In fact, we strongly encourage students to apply for both MITES Semester and MITES Summer. You will have an option on the application to indicate which program(s) you’re applying to. If offered acceptance, you will only be offered a spot in one program and cannot switch to a different program.

The deadline for the MITES Semester and MITES Summer application is February 1 at 11:59 PM PST. All sections of the application (including the academic information section and requests for recommendations) must be completed in order to be considered. Recommenders have until February 15 at 11:59 PM PST to submit their recommendations.

Decisions are released in mid-April. Applicants will receive an email when decisions have been posted. Applicants should view decisions by logging into their account. Decisions will not be shared via phone or mailed out to applicants. We encourage any applicants who are deciding between multiple programs to carefully consider their offers and to determine what is in their best interest. If you do decide to accept your spot in another program and it is a binding decision (meaning that you are obligated to attend after accepting the offer), please let us know by emailing mitesapp@mit.edu.

The MITES Semester and MITES Summer application does have a waitlist. Any applicants placed on our waitlist will be notified when they receive their initial decision. We are unable to add applicants to the waitlist who were not assigned to the waitlist through the selection process.

GPA and Test Scores

Test scores are not required in order to apply for our programs. However, we do strongly encourage students to submit test scores if they have them. In order to submit your test scores, you will be asked to input your scores in your application and upload an unofficial copy of your test score report. For test scores to be considered, they must be uploaded by the application deadline. We do not accept emailed test scores after the deadline.

The MITES application and selection process is holistic, meaning that we consider a variety of factors when determining which students are best fit for our programs. We look for students with demonstrated interest in science and engineering and a strong academic record who are motivated, hard-working, and focused on growth and improvement. There is no minimum GPA required to apply.

If available, please have your school counselor upload your first quarter grades when completing their recommendation. If your first quarter grades are not available, your counselor should submit your most recent grades.

Your school calculates your GPA, and this is listed on your transcript. Not all schools have the same GPA scale, and some schools provide weighted GPAs, while others provide unweighted GPAs. Our application asks for both. Here’s how you can make sure you’re inputting the correct information:

  • Your GPA scale is something determined by your school. The GPA scale is the same for every student at your school, regardless of their GPA.
  • Your unweighted GPA will NEVER be higher than your school’s GPA scale. For example, if your school’s GPA scale is out of 4.0, the highest possible unweighted GPA a student could have is 4.0. Similarly, if your school’s GPA scale is out of 100, the highest possible unweighted GPA a student could have is 100.
  • Your weighted GPA takes into consideration course rigor. Therefore, your weighted GPA may be higher than the GPA scale. For example: 4.2 out of 4.0.
  • Your unweighted GPA will not be higher than your weighted GPA. In some cases your unweighted and weighted GPAs may be the same.

If your school collects grades in a totally different way and you are unsure how to complete the GPA section, please use the open response in the academic information section to describe in detail how you have been graded. Also, ensure your counselor uploads your transcript and official documentation that explains how you have been graded. These materials should be translated by a school official.

Recommendations

For your application to be considered, contact information (name and email address) for 3 recommenders must be uploaded to your application by February 1, 11:59 pm PST. As soon as you submit your recommenders’ information, they are sent an automated email from our application portal containing a unique link to the recommendation form. The deadline for recommenders to submit the unique recommendation form is February 15, 11:59 pm PST. The only way for a recommender to complete your recommendation is by completing the online form; we do not accept recommendation letters.

For more information about required recommendations, visit our Apply to MITES Semester and MITES Summer page.

The recommendation request email is automated and is sometimes blocked by school spam filters. If your recommenders have not received the email containing the link, double check your application to ensure you typed in the correct email address. Then, ask your recommenders to check their spam folder.

If you are sure that your recommender has checked their spam and that their email address was correct in your application, then your recommender may need help accessing their account. Please have your recommender email the MITES team at mitesapp@mit.edu.

To ensure that we can resolve your issue as quickly as possible, please limit the amount of emails you send. If following up on a prior issue, please respond to the same ticket.

If your recommender’s email address changed, or you made an error and mistyped the address, OR if you need to change your recommender altogether, follow these steps:

You may change your recommender or update their contact information by logging into your account. Note: Regardless of when you update this information, the recommendation deadline will stay the same.

In the rare case you must change your recommender, first reach out to your old recommender to let them know. Once the recommender is changed in the system, any work that the initial recommender completed will be lost. This means you should make sure your recommender has not already started their recommendation before you make any changes.

The MITES Semester and MITES Summer application requires three recommendations that must be submitted via our online portal.

Applicants should identify recommenders from each of the three categories below:*

  • One Math or Science teacher (from courses such as Algebra, Calculus, Trigonometry, Geometry, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Anatomy & Physiology, Engineering, Earth Science, Computer Science, etc.)
  • One Humanities teacher (from courses such as History, English/Literature, Art, Foreign language, Classics, Economics, Government, Music, Psychology, Sociology, Geography, etc.)
  • One School counselor or administrator Note: this recommender will be asked to upload a school profile (document that overviews the school’s demographics, curriculum, and grading scheme), and unofficial transcript, including 11th grade first semester grades on behalf of the student.
    • If you do not have a school counselor, please request this recommendation from someone in your school administration who has access to your transcript and academic record (e.g., your school assistant principal or principal.) The counselor recommendation cannot be completed by a teacher.

MITES recommendations must be submitted by the recommender via our online portal. We do not accept recommendation letters. Due to the high volume of applications, we cannot accept any additional recommendations beyond the required number and type.

*Homeschooled students should request recommendations from individuals other than family members. We suggest they reach out to a representative of a local community group to which they belong or an instructor from a class they took at a local college, school, or online. The “school counselor recommendation” should be filled out by whomever can best speak to the student’s academic program. If a student plans to submit a recommendation from someone other than a teacher or counselor, they should mention why in the optional 6th essay question and describe the recommender’s relationship to the student. Homeschooled students are encouraged to contact us with questions/concerns regarding recommendations.