Application Assistance Program
The BCS Application Assistance Program (AAP) is a volunteer-based, student-run initiative to help applicants get on to their PhD career by providing feedback on their application materials and answering questions related to the BCS program. We particularly encourage groups that have been underrepresented in STEM to use this resource. They include, but are not limited to, ethnic minorities (e.g. African Americans, American Indians, Hispanics, Native Alaskans and Pacific Islanders), applicants of non-traditional academic backgrounds, and graduates from institutions that sent few students to MIT in the past.
The AAP is actively recruiting current students as mentors to URM applicants and/or speakers at virtual panel discussions. Becoming a mentor/speaker is simple: just fill out the Mentor Entry Form:
As mentors, you will be paired with prospective students to mentor through their application process. Through email, calling or video-chatting, you will review application materials (CV and statement of objective) and answer questions about our program. How you choose to mentor will be up to your judgment, and will take an estimated 1-3 hours per mentee (although this can vary). AAP mentors also may choose to volunteer their time in 15- or 30-minute slots to help unpaired mentees in a one-off office hours session. Mentors will also be invited to sit on panels about BCS and graduate student life for an audience of prospective students. All of this is optional, and you may volunteer for one of these pillars (1-on-1 mentorship, office hours or panel discussions) without volunteering for the others.