Where is ESP?

Please feel free to view MIT's interactive campus map.

Parking

The most convenient parking lot that is always open during ESP programs is the N10 lot, between Vassar and Albany streets on the east (main group) side of Mass. Ave. Further away, there is the Hayward St. Lot. For large programs like Splash and Spark, we will often open up larger parking lots, which will be posted to that program's information page.

Due to the scarcity of parking on our urban campus, we strongly encourage parents to drop off their students in the morning and pick them up at the end of the day.

Safety

MIT's campus is open and urban, located just across the river from a major city and just down the street from a major commercial district. As a result, we can't control who is wandering around during our programs. Thus, if students aren't comfortable on their own at MIT, they are probably not ready for ESP.

However, we do our best to make our programs safe. For large programs like Splash, we have Security volunteers roaming the hallways to help lost students and keep order. The MIT Police are aware of our programs and render assistance when necessary.

Every student in every program gets a list of important phone numbers including the directors of the program and the MIT Police. In case of emergency, always call the MIT Police first (617-253-1212), since they respond faster for emergency services than 911.

Getting to MIT

For those who live further away, we encourage you to use the Commuter Rail and other public transportation options when possible. Most south and west Commuter Rail lines terminate at South Station, which is on MBTA's Red Line five stops away from Central (or four stops from Kendall/MIT).

Finding your way around

The most important street in the area is Massachusetts Ave., often called Mass. Ave. If you can orient yourself to Mass Ave., you've often won half the battle. Similarly, the Charles River runs perpendicular to Mass Ave., so if you know your orientation relative to Mass Ave. and the river, you should be able to find your way on a map.

MIT's campus has mostly numbered, rather than named, buildings. This allows any room to be specified by its building number and room number, as (building #)-(room #). You can tell where a building is by its prefix:

• No letter: main campus, east of Mass. Ave., between Memorial Drive and Vassar St.

• W (as in W20): west of Mass. Ave., between Memorial Drive and Vassar St.

• NW: west of Mass. Ave., north of Vassar St.

• E: east of Ames St. (usually along Memorial Drive)

Once you find a building (a helpful reference is http://whereis.mit.edu), you can locate a room by noting that the first number is the floor, and the last two numbers the room number. For example, room 4-144 is building 4, room 144 (on the first floor), and W20-467 (ESP's office) is in building W20 (west of Mass. Ave.), room 467 (on the fourh floor).

There are several important locations on campus that can help you get oriented, as well:

• Lobby 7, which is the large high-ceilinged atrium just inside 77 Mass. Ave, is at the west end of the Infinite Corridor.

• The Infinite Corridor is the long hallway from building 7 (at 77 Mass Ave.) to building 8. The buildings along the Infinite are known as the "main group", and are buildings 1-10. Almost all ESP classes are in the main group.

• Lobby 10 is the midpoint of the Infinite Corridor. It looks out on Killian Court and the Charles River. Directly upstairs from Lobby 10 is MIT's central lecture hall, 10-250. Check-in for ESP programs is frequently in Lobby 10, and anyone you run into on the MIT campus will be able to tell you how to get to Lobby 10.

Pickup/dropoff:

Though 77 Mass. Ave. is a popular pickup/dropoff location because it's centrally located, it is often congested. Here are some other suggestions for dropping off or picking up students:

• Vassar St., east of Mass. Ave. This is a wide, pedestrian-friendly street "behind" the main group, and can generally be found (from the main group) by exiting the north end of a building and wending your way north through other buildings.

• Kendall Square. Since there is a T stop at Kendall Square, it is often easy to get directions or follow a crowd to get there. It can also be found by following Vassar St. east to Main St., and then turning right (south) on Main St.

• duPont turnaround. Between the Student Center (W20) and duPont (W32) on the western side of Mass. Ave. is a turnaround for quick pickups and dropoffs.

Where to stay?

For short programs like Splash, it is often a good idea to stay in a hotel for the Saturday night between days, and even the Friday night before (since Saturday morning check-in is at 8 am). MIT has prepared a list of nearby or easily accessible hotels.

For longer programs, you should probably live within commuting or easy driving distance of MIT (though we certainly won't hold you to that!). Please note that none of our programs are residential, and we can never arrange accommodations for our students.