current_mit_student

TL;DR: MIT Physics graduate students have made available several resources to assist prospective applicants in the graduate school application process. We offer webinars (the first one will be held on September 29, 10:00am EDT; register here), a mentoring program (applications open on September 29), and a Q&A service (ongoing). Please notify potentially interested students within your department. Talented undergraduate science majors have many career options to consider. For those who would like to know more about graduate school opportunities, the MIT Department of Physics offers several programs led by current graduate students where undergraduates can learn about graduate student life, research, funding, and the application process. We highlight several initiatives, under the Physics Graduate Application Assistance Program (PhysGAAP) umbrella, designed to provide application guidance for students interested in our program. We will be holding two 2-hour application webinars for prospective applicants before the MIT Physics PhD application deadline on December 15. These (recorded) Zoom webinars will be hosted by current MIT graduate students, including at least one graduate student representative who serves on the Admissions Committee. The first webinar will be on September 29, 10.00am - 12.00pm EDT and will include a brief ~15-minute presentation about what the Admissions Committee is looking for. The second webinar will be on December 1, 10.00am - 12.00pm EST (topic TBD). After the presentations, there will be an interactive, extended Q&A session with the graduate student panel. Register for both webinars here! All registered participants will receive the Zoom link and a Slido link to submit questions beforehand (approximately a week prior). Prospective applicants can also sign up for our mentoring program, which is designed to pair graduate school applicants with current graduate students who can provide feedback on their application and insight into graduate school and the MIT Physics Department. We will give preferential consideration for participation in the mentorship program to those who demonstrate that they are a good fit for mentoring; for example, if prospective applicants feel like they lack other resources to navigate the graduate school application process. Mentorship applications will be open from Sep. 29 through Nov. 6 — please keep an eye on the MIT Physics admissions website for further details. Current graduate students collaborate with staff members to answer questions about culture, life as a graduate student, and coursework/research. Please reach out to physics-grad@mit.edu and clearly indicate in the subject line or in the first sentence that you’d like a current graduate student to reply to your question. Early inquiries are encouraged! Staff will continue to field questions throughout the application season. More details can be found on our website. Please contact us at physgaap@mit.edu if you would like any further information. Best, MIT Physics Grads Advising Graduate Admissions (GAGA) Team