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Program Description
The MIT Women's Technology Program (WTP) is a rigorous four-week summer academic experience to introduce high school students to engineering through hands-on classes, labs, and team-based projects in the summer after 11th grade.
WTP is designed for students who are excited about learning, have demonstrated their ability to excel at math and science in their high school classes, and who have no prior background (or very little) in engineering, with few opportunities to explore these fields.
WTP is a women-focused, collaborative community aimed at empowering students from groups historically underrepresented and underserved in engineering. We especially encourage students to apply who will be the first family member to attend college, who come from high schools with limited access to STEM classes and activities, or who are African American, Hispanic, or Native American.
Requirements
Open to high school students in grade 11. All WTP applicants must live in the U.S. year round (your permanent family home address is in the U.S.). See the FAQ about residency for more details.
The primary criteria for acceptance are a strong curiosity about engineering and/or computer science and a demonstrated ability to excel in math and science. Students should be able to handle college-level material at a rapid pace, but should not have completed prior coursework or summer programs in the WTP curriculum.
Physics and calculus are not prerequisites (we realize that in many school systems students do not take these courses until Grade 12) but students should be taking the most advanced math and science classes available in their grade level at their high school. Having taken physics of any level (including AP C) does not constitute too much experience for either track.
We encourage students to apply who are not yet certain about their future college majors, who may have felt discouraged from participation in STEM activities, and who would like to explore engineering and computer science to determine whether these fields might be of interest.
Acceptance decisions are based on several criteria:
Your responses in an online application which includes multiple choice and short answer questions as well as three personal essays.
High school grades (predominantly A's, especially in math and science). Applicants should be taking the most advanced classes in science and math appropriate for their grade level at their schools.
Teacher References: Online Forms completed by one math and one science teacher.
We request standardized test scores in the application to provide additional information on your academic preparedness, but they are not a requirement. See the FAQ on standardized tests.