Intellectual abilities are a huge part of what makes our community special. But ideals are just as important. People come here to fulfill their dreams about what they want to build, learn, and achieve. Ultimately, MIT isn't about the diploma you earn, or the paycheck you receive later on, although those are incredibly important factors in making decisions about your education. Part of what will bond you with your fellow travelers is the intensity of your experience.
Students arrive with an unbelievable amount of energy and focus.
They're pleasantly shocked to discover that there are other people in the world who actually like to study physics. From that point, they plunge into an initiation that's exhilarating, exhausting, and as challenging as anything they will ever encounter in life. While there's a tremendous amount of information you can review and digest before you apply to MIT, there are also fundamental questions we ask of the people who come here. Throughout the application process, we do our best to learn as much as we can about who you really are. Here are a few things we want you to know about us.