Applying for Junction

What is Junction? To learn more about the program, visit our Program Details page. For information about applying, see below. We anticipate the student application for Junction 2015 will become available in April 2015 .

Applying for Junction

Students apply for the specific core classes they are interested in taking at Junction. We use the applications to learn about students' backgrounds and their interest in the classes, and to let teachers assess whether students seem adequately prepared. Financial aid is available and generously awarded through a 100% need-based process. Financial aid and admissions decisions are made by separate committees, so admission to Junction is need-blind.

The application consists of free-response questions. We do not ask for transcripts, test scores or teacher recommendations.

Application Deadlines

Junction usually has two deadlines in the spring before the program starts: one deadline for equal consideration of all applications, and one final deadline for any and all applications.

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Application Process

Interested in applying for Junction? Here's how:

  1. Create an account. If you already have an ESP account, log in. Otherwise, register an account and fill out a student profile. Note: you must use a student account, not a parent account, to apply for Junction.

  2. Browse core classes. Before you begin the application, you should select a first choice and optionally (but strongly recommended) a second choice core class from this year's list of available classes, which will become available in March 2015.

  3. Apply. Once you're logged in and you've picked out the classes you're applying for, you'll be able to fill out our online application form.

  4. After you submit your application, you will be given the option to apply for financial aid.

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Financial Aid

Junction offers both partial and complete scholarships based on need only. We believe that no student should be prevented from participating Junction by financial circumstances. If the $600 cost of Junction is difficult for you and your family to afford, please apply for financial aid and we will do our best to accommodate you. On surveys taken in previous years, the vast majority of families who applied for financial aid reported they were very satisfied with the amount of aid they received. No families reported being unsatisfied.

When applying for aid, please give us as much information as is needed for us to understand your situation. We will review your situation and notify you of your financial aid decision when you receive your admission decision. Please note that before filling out the financial aid application, you need to have submitted a regular application for admission to the Junction program.

See also: Why can't I find the financial aid application?

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After Applying

Submitting an application is NOT a commitment to attend Junction. If you are accepted into the program, you will receive an email from us informing you of which core class you are accepted into and more about the following:

  • Deciding to Attend: You will be asked to respond to our email in order to RSVP to Junction and save your spot at the program. If you will not be able to confirm that you will be attending Junction by the stated deadline to RSVP, please email junction@mit.edu.
  • Paying for Junction: Junction accepts cash or check made out to "MIT ESP" on the first day of the program. We do not accept credit card payments.
  • Financial Aid Awarded: If you applied for financial aid, you will be notified of your adjusted tuition amount upon your acceptance into the program. You will pay this amount on the first day of the program.
  • Submitting Medical Forms: You are required to completely fill out and sign important legal documents that we will collect on the first day of Junction. You will not be able to attend until these have been submitted.

Equal-consideration admissions decisions are all sent out at the same time following the first admissions deadline. If you apply for equal consideration admissions and do not receive a decision, you should email junction@mit.edu ASAP. Afterward, rolling admissions decisions will be sent out on an individual basis.

Please e-mail junction@mit.edu if you have any questions about applying for Junction!

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Application and Admissions FAQ

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Q: I think I am missing an e-mail from Junction about an admissions decision, financial aid, or something else. What should I do?

A: Check your spam folder as sometimes our emails are improperly filtered and do not show up in your inbox. If you see nothing, send an email to junction@mit.edu. We often respond to simple questions in as little as a day.

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Q: How are applications judged?

A: After the equal-consideration deadline, teachers read over applications for their classes and select the applicants whom they believe will be the best fit for the class they plan to teach. Parts C/D of the application (the questions specific to the core classes) are the most important parts, though Part B is also weighed in. We consider applicants for their first choice core class, and then for their second choice only if their first choice does not admit them. Students may be denied admission if they are too advanced or overprepared for a course as well as if they are underprepared -- neither we nor you want you to end up in a class that would be too easy or too hard for you! Nonetheless, a rejection should not necessarily be taken to mean anything was wrong with your application; some classes simply receive many more good applicants than they have space to admit.

See also: Guide to the Student Application and Tips for Free-Response Questions

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Q: Do former Junction students, MIT prefrosh, or applicants who have relatives who work or study at MIT receive any advantage in the admissions process?

A: Admission is based solely on the quality of the application responses. Former Junction students, admitted MIT pre-freshmen, children of MIT faculty or staff, and siblings of MIT students are treated identically to other applicants.

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Q: Why can't I find the Junction financial aid application?

A: You cannot apply for financial aid until you submit the program application. Once you submit the regular Junction application, you receive a confirmation e-mail that contains a link to the financial aid app.

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See Also



Last modified on April 08, 2015 at 08:48 p.m.