Frequently Asked Questions: Life and culture

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• FAQ / Life and culture

  Who was the first woman graduate?

  In 1873, shortly after MIT’s opening in 1865, Ellen Swallow Richards became MIT’s first woman graduate (and later its first woman instructor). Richards’ work testing drinking water supplies and water contaminants…
• FAQ / Life and culture

  What’s the Infinite Corridor?

  The Infinite Corridor is MIT’s spinal cord. Many of our departments, classrooms, and labs radiate from here. Whatever you do, stay to the right when traveling the corridor and note…
• FAQ / Life and culture

  Is MIT a diverse community?

  At MIT diversity isn’t simply a word, it is an integral part of the MIT experience. MIT Admissions is committed to reaching students from all backgrounds. We know that while…
• FAQ / Life and culture

  What programs does Office of Minority Education offer?

  The MIT Office of Minority Education (OME) provides a home base for many of MIT’s underrepresented minority students. OME’s mission is to promote academic excellence, build strong communities, and develop professional mindsets among…
• FAQ / Life and culture

  Are the Arts active on campus?

  More than 50 percent of incoming first-years have prior training in the arts, and more than half of all MIT undergrads enroll in arts courses each year—with nearly half of…
• FAQ / Life and culture

  What is Battlecode?

  The 6.9610 Battlecode programming competition is a unique challenge that combines battle strategy, software engineering, and artificial intelligence. Student teams aim to write the best player program for the Battlecode…
• FAQ / Life and culture

  What does “drinking from a fire hose” mean?

  Getting an education from MIT has been likened to taking a drink from a fire hose—the sheer number of opportunities and rigor of our coursework can leave students feeling hosed. So…
• FAQ / Life and culture

  What are the residence halls/housing like?

  More than 70% of our undergrads live on campus, including all first-year students. Housing differs across campus and we want each student to live where they feel best. Detailed descriptions…
• FAQ / Life and culture

  What career services are available?

  MIT Career Advising & Professional Development guides all students—current and alumni—as they explore and prepare for careers. Whether you are planning for a career, searching for an internship or job, or…
• FAQ / Life and culture

  Does MIT offer club sports?

  There are more than 30 different club sports at MIT. Each club is either instructional or competition focused by nature. Many of the competition focused clubs have excelled at both regional and…
• FAQ / Life and culture

  What is Concourse?

  Concourse is a unique community of first-year students committed to learning in a small interactive group environment with dedicated teachers. Concourse offers small classes in the math and science GIRs…
• FAQ / Life and culture

  Are volunteer opportunities available?

  At the Priscilla King Gray Public Service Center (PKG Center), you can connect with a variety of public service projects in local, national, and global communities. The PKG Center can also…
• FAQ / Life and culture

  What student disabilities services are available?

  MIT is committed to the principle of equal opportunity for students with disabilities. Our objective is to ensure that qualified students with disabilities receive equal access to all of the…
• FAQ / Life and culture

  Is campus safe?

  MIT has its own police department on campus to ensure the safety and well-being of the entire MIT community. “The MIT Police mission is to deliver total quality service to…
• FAQ / Life and culture

  Is there an MIT Flying Club?

  The MIT Flying Club, headquartered in AeroAstro, motivates, encourages and facilitates affordable, hands-on experiences in full-scale flying for the MIT community. Open to pilots and non-pilots, the club offers regular…
• FAQ / Life and culture

  Can I join the Design/Build/Fly Team?

  The MIT Design/Build/Fly team is composed mostly of undergraduate students, but is also open to graduate students, who compete in the annual AIAA Design/Build/Fly competition. The competition involves designing, manufacturing,…
• FAQ / Life and culture

  Is there a medical facility on campus?

  MIT has its own on-campus medical facilities providing a complete healthcare center serving the health and wellness needs of the entire MIT community. Our on-campus resources provide personalized care for…
• FAQ / Life and culture

  What other student resources are available?

  MIT offers a myriad of health and well-being support resources for students. See the DoingWell site for more info.
• FAQ / Life and culture

  What other student activities can I do?

  You can do anything we already offer on campus, or you can start your own “thing” at MIT! Check out Campus & Student Activities to see what’s going on around campus, or…
• FAQ / Life and culture

  Who is the President of MIT?

  Sally A. Kornbluth is the 18th President of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Kornbluth follows L. Rafael Reif, who led MIT for a decade and stepped down as president at the end…