Information for Students

1. How do I get information about the programs?
2. How much do programs cost?
3. How can I help?
4. Can Splash come to my school?
5. How can I join the mailing list?
6. Can students younger than middle school age participate?
7. If I attend an ESP program at MIT, will I definitely get into MIT?
8. Does ESP offer tutoring?

1. How do I get information about the programs?

Information about the programs is regularly sent to our mailing list. General information is also available from browsing this Web site!

2. How much do programs cost?

ESP is constantly working to make its programs as cheap as possible. We are a non-profit organization; teachers in most programs are volunteers, and our facilities are provided by MIT at no cost. Thus our enrichment programs (such as Splash and HSSP) cost around $20-$40. Programs like SATPrep and Delve are more expensive; SATPrep runs about $100 and Delve about $200. If it would cause a financial hardship to pay the fee for any of our programs, simply tell us, and we will happily waive it.

If you have signed up for one of our programs and for some reason are unable to complete it, you may be eligible for a refund. For HSSP, SATPrep and Delve: if you submit a reimbursement request prior to the end of the third week of the program, you will be refunded in full. For Splash: we are unable to offer refunds. Sorry!

To request a refund, e-mail the Treasurer at esp-treasurer@mit.edu. Include your name, your ESP username, the program for which you would like to be refunded, and, if you paid by check, an image of the check (this is not necessary but will speed up the refund process considerably).

3. How can I help?

We have a student representative program for which we’d love more members! Student reps are invited to come to meetings and help out with administration, and are also sent special packets with promotional material from our program to distribute at their schools. Contact our Student Reps Coordinator for more information.

4. Can Splash come to my school?

Splash On Wheels is a program that takes Splash “on the road” to a high school for a weekend. If your school might be interested in hosting our program and is within driving distance of Boston, have a school teacher or administrator get in touch with us. We can’t make any promises, but we’re hoping to expand this program.

5. How can I join the mailing list?

See our page on joining the mailing list.

6. Can students younger than middle school age participate?

ESP requires that all student participants be in at least sixth grade. Some programs, such as SATPrep and Delve require that students be in high school. In addition, we absolutely are unable to accept students younger than nine years of age (for liability reasons). If you are in doubt about your situation, contact us.

To participate, all students must have their parents sign a liability waiver. Parents should keep in mind the nature of our program, and should keep in mind that we expect a high school level of maturity from our students. Students are unsupervised between classes and during time off and are free to wander the MIT campus. Parents should be comfortable that their children are mature enough for this level of freedom.

7. If I attend an ESP program at MIT, will I definitely get into MIT?

The short answer: No.

The long answer: You might. Then again, you might not. Remember, just being in our are on-campus programs at MIT does not automatically get you a spot as an MIT freshman.

Some of our past student participants have been accepted by MIT, but only because they also did other things that looked good to MIT admissions. These students also got good grades in science and math subjects while in high school, got good scores on their SAT (or TOEFL) tests, participated in extracurricular activities that emphasized an interest in science or math (this means clubs, academic competitions, other science and math summer programs, and even hobbies).

Take our advice: Do anything now that shows your interest in science and math and that you can put onto the MIT application. You do not have to actually be here at MIT as a high school student to get into MIT as a college student. In addition, don’t participate in a club or activity simply for the purpose of putting it on your college application, participate in them because they’re exciting to you (not your parents, teachers, siblings, etc). Ideally, the college that’s right for you will want you to have participated in those activities that you yourself found interesting.

8. Does ESP offer tutoring?

Short answer: No.

Long answer: While sometimes our members may privately tutor students, the best way to look for tutors is usually by asking your own high school or middle school counselors. If you are specifically interested in having an MIT student tutoring you, the best place to try is the MIT Student Employment Page; they publish job listings to MIT undergraduate and graduate students. If you are representing a school looking for low-cost or free tutors, the best place to look is the MIT Public Service Center.