Women's Technology Program

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Summer 2008 admissions decisions have been mailed. If you applied and have not yet received a letter, please send us an email and we will tell you your status.

here were 219 applications this year, from highly qualified candidates, making it extremely difficult to chose just 60. Students who were not admitted -- please understand that WTP has very different acceptance criteria than MIT Admissions. In many cases you were not accepted because you have already covered some or all of the WTP curriculum, so spending four weeks at WTP would not have exposed you to new material or opportunities.

Non-acceptance to WTP has no bearing whatsoever on your chances of future acceptance by MIT, and we do not share any information about you with MIT admissions. If you were planning to apply to MIT or other engineering colleges before, you should continue on that path.

Who should apply to WTP?

Female high school students currently in grade 11 who:

• love and excel at math and science,
  but have very little or no prior experience in engineering or computer science
  
  
• think engineering or computer science might possibly be of interest, and need more information to decide

• enjoy problem solving and collaboration and working in teams
  
  
• would like to experience hands-on activities where they design and build
  
  
• want to spend four weeks in the summer before 12th grade challenging their minds and working hard at fast-paced academics in engineering and math, making friends with girls from around the U.S. who share their math and science interests
  

Admissions Criteria

We are looking for students who are not yet certain about their interest in engineering or their future college majors, and who would like to explore engineering and computer science to determine whether these fields might be of interest.

Applicants are selected to attend only ONE of the two separate WTP curriculum tracks: Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (EECS) or Mechanical Engineering (ME). We do not expect applicants to know enough yet about engineering disciplines to have a preference, so the admissions committee will choose the track we feel best suits each applicant. However, if applicants do have a preference, they may indicate it on the application form.

For more information about the differences between the WTP-EECS track and WTP-ME track, read the curriculum descriptions on the application form or click on the links to the left.

All applicants must reside in the U.S., or be U.S. citizens currently living outside the U.S.

Applicants must currently be in grade 11 -- they will attend WTP in the summer between 11th and 12th grade. We do not accept applications from students in earlier grades (even if they have completed advanced coursework) and we do not accept applications from students who are currently in grade 12 or who have graduated high school.

Admitted WTP students have excellent course grades in advanced high school math and science and 80th percentile (or higher) PSAT, ACT, or SAT math test scores. In 2007, our admitted students had the following scores:

We ask for Evaluation Letters from a math and a science teacher. Students should be able to handle college-level material at a rapid pace, but prior coursework in computer programming, physics, calculus, or engineering is not expected or required.

Admissions are very competitive. We received 229 applications for summer 2007; only 60 participants (40 for EECS and 20 for ME) are selected from a nationwide applicant pool of the top female 11th grade math and science students. We also select a short waiting list from the applicant pool, in case any admitted students cannot attend.

Program Fees

There is no fee to apply to WTP.

Admitted students: the fee is $3,000, due in early May. This fee covers classes, books, lab materials, food, housing, and field trips for the four-week program. Students are responsible for their own transportation to and from MIT.

Financial assistance is available. We often waive or discount tuition (and sometimes reimburse transportation costs) to admitted students who demonstrate financial need. To request financial assistance, complete the financial aid request page of the WTP application form.

We do not consider financial need when making admissions decisions. That information is kept separate from the admissions process.

How to Apply: Application Form

The application submission deadline was February 1, 2008. We are no longer accepting new applications.

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