If you are a high school student who is interested in STEM fields, you have probably heard of MIT, one of the most prestigious schools for these areas of study.

A lot of world-changing research has come out of this institution.

Given the opportunity, it would then make sense to consider pursuing summer opportunities there, as these can be great opportunities to further your knowledge and pursue your passion.

Additionally, these summers are a pivotal time where every move counts when it comes to impressing college admissions officers.

You will be able to show how you spend your time to make progress towards your goals.

Many of these programs are completely free, which makes them a level playing field that does not create barriers for talented students.

I will share a list of these programs, as well as tips to help you get accepted.

The Programs Beaver Works Summer Institute (BWSI) Hosting institution: MIT Lincoln Laboratory Acceptance rate: Unavailable, 40 students are accepted   Cost: Free Format: Online and in-person (Cambridge, MA) Application deadline: March 31st This is a one month project-based learning program that is run by MIT.

All of the courses in this program involve engineering of some kind, which can range from building a racecar to testing ideas on a quantum computing simulator.

This program has both virtual and in-person components.

Every year, 40 students are accepted into this program.

Minority Introduction to Engineering and Science (MITES) Summer Hosting institution: MIT Cost: Free Format: In-person (Cambridge, MA) Application deadline: February 1st MITES is a challenging 6-week, residential summer program for rising high school seniors at MIT.

It is geared toward historically underrepresented and underserved students.

Housing is completely covered by MIT for this program.

Many students who participate in this program go on to study at top schools.

Program for Research in Mathematics, Engineering and Science for High School Students (MIT PRIMES and PRIMES USA) Hosting institution: MIT (MIT PRIMES | PRIMES USA) Cost: Free Format: Online (for PRIMES USA) and in-person (Cambridge, MA) Application deadline: November 30th MIT PRIMES is a year-long research mentorship for students in the fields of mathematics and computer science.

PRIMES is for commuting students in the Greater Boston area, while PRIMES USA is an online program for students all across the country.

You will be able to work on an advanced project and collaborate with faculty and grad students, eventually giving an oral presentation.

Some students also publish their work. 45% of PRIMES alumni go on to become college students at MIT.

Research Science Institute (RSI) Hosting institution: Center for Excellence in Education Acceptance rate: <5% Cost: Free Format: In-person (Cambridge, MA) Application deadline: January 14th This is one of the most rigorous and prestigious summer programs around.

RSI only admits about 100 high school juniors each year from a pool of thousands of applicants.

RSI is hosted at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and includes a five week research internship and development of written and oral presentation about the research project, which you will give in the final week of the program.

Students are selected based on their academic achievements, research potential, and personal qualities such as creativity, leadership, and motivation.

The program is free with all expenses paid, including travel, room and board, and research supplies.

Women’s Technology Program (WTP) Hosting institution: MIT Acceptance rate: 3% Cost: Free Format: In-person (Cambridge, MA) Application deadline: January 15th WTP is a rigorous 4-week commuter program for the summer after your junior year.

Full-time residence in the U.

S. is an eligibility requirement and enrollment is limited to 20 students.

WTP classes are designed and taught by MIT graduate students, with support from undergraduates.

In past years, the focus has been on electrical engineering, computer science, and mechanical engineering.

In addition to attending the in-person classes and activities, participants will need to complete assignments at home in the evening.

The program provides loaner laptops for this purpose.

Apply to WTP if you like problem-solving and are rather new to, but very interested in, engineering.

Financial assistance is available for public transportation to and from the MIT campus if those commuting costs will be a hardship for the student’s family.

Tips Each of these applications will be slightly different in the way that they ask for information, but I will provide a breakdown of what you should consider when putting together an application.

These will be the main factors that will cause your application to be accepted.

High School Academic Record: You should maintain a competitive GPA and be skilled in math, science, and engineering courses.

You must submit proof of your academic excellence in the form of a high school transcript.

You can request this from your counselor or academic supervisor.

Standardized Testing Scores: Along with your academic record, many programs look at all of your standardized testing scores.

This includes the PSAT, SAT, ACT, and any AP tests.

They strongly recommend that you take the PSAT.

To remain a competitive applicant, you must score well on these tests, though this is not a sufficient condition for acceptance.

Extracurricular Activities/Awards: Many programs require you to concisely outline your major activities or awards.

These can range from winning math olympiads, to science journal publications.

Even leadership in STEM clubs or hackathons can count.

They want to see that you have taken an initiative towards your passions in STEM.

In addition to these extracurriculars, they also want to see that you do more than just STEM.

Some applications include a section dedicated to non-STEM extracurriculars, from sports teams to poetry clubs.

Letters of Recommendation: Most programs require recommendations from teachers or research supervisors.

While you can go on and on about how good you are, it helps that you have other people to vouch for you as well.

This is why it’s important to build strong relationships with your teachers and anyone else whom you may work with.

Essays: Essays allow you to showcase who you truly are.

Your essays are also an assessment of your writing abilities: scientists must be effective at communicating their results to the scientific community.

These are certainly not something to sleep on, as they are the last thing within your control when it comes time to apply.

Conclusions If you have looked through this list of programs, it is clear that you are interested in continuing to enrich yourself academically.

Since you are interested in STEM subjects, I would suggest that you learn about other options through Rishab’s Ultimate STEM Student Guide, which is available to anyone completely for free.

It has 50+ competitions for you to consider, as well as research opportunities, a guide to internships and research, and cold email templates.