The academic community prospers when talents from diverse backgrounds come together to solve scientific problems. Since 2019, the BCS Application Assistance Program (AAP) has been striving to narrow the information gap and share social capital in STEM.

The AAP is a volunteer-based, independent student-run initiative that enables current graduate students to offer support to and share personal experiences with prospective students during the graduate application process. AAP volunteers are happy to answer questions related to student life, career planning and graduate application. 

Our volunteers are enrolled in the BCS PhD program and work in labs in computational, molecular, systems, and cognitive research domains of the department. Each volunteer has a unique personal trajectory, training experience and cultural background, and therefore represents their own views rather than the stance of BCS as a department. Personal information shared with the AAP volunteers will not be shared outside of the group, or with the BCS faculty. 

Applicants may sign up for the AAP here starting September 1, 2024. Enrollment in the AAP closes on November 20, 2024 (i.e. a few days before the PhD program’s application deadline). Current or former members of the BCS Grad community may sign up as volunteers at any time by emailing bcs-aap@mit.edu.