<p>I am currently a freshman in undergraduate and I was wondering what were some things I could do help me get into MIT for graduate school. Other than get high grades, what else can I do to help me get in?</p>
<p>First, you need to have a specific area in which you want to get a particular graduate degree. Each graduate program at MIT (and elsewhere) admits separately, so the specific criteria and competitiveness of application are different between a PhD in chemistry and a master’s in aerospace engineering.</p>
<p>For most science and engineering graduate programs, your background in research and/or engineering design and your letters of recommendation from faculty members will be the most important components of your application, so it’s useful to start research and to cultivate relationships with professors starting as early as possible. Doing research will also hopefully help you narrow your professional interests, so you can apply to graduate programs which best fit your interests. </p>
<p>Obviously, GPA and GRE scores are also important, but given the choice between perfect stats and no research and fabulous research but less-stellar stats, grad programs tend to prefer the latter.</p>
<p>Finally, as a freshman, it’s too early to restrict your graduate school aspirations to a single school. Graduate work is mostly about doing research on a particular subject, so it’s best to apply to departments that have professors doing work that interests you. School-wide prestige and school-wide community are of very little consequence for graduate students.</p>
<p>Alright thanks. I know I shouldn’t just be thinking about MIT but its been my dream school and I didn’t get in for undergrad so I want to start preparing early so if it works out, maybe I can go there later. Thanks again</p>
<p>Just wondering, if you are in MIT, will you be automatically transferred to the Grad school if you want, or do you have to apply again and do everything again?</p>
<p>Course VI has a program where if you meet a certain GPA in EECS classes, you can automatically continue in their Master’s program. Other than that, though, you’ll have to apply again :D</p>
<p>Strictly speaking, you have to apply to graduate school. But MIT is the most common graduate school destination of MIT undergrads, and MIT undergrads are the most common undergraduate origin of MIT graduate students – it’s a huge advantage in graduate school admissions to have a faculty member or several who know your capabilities and are willing to pull for you.</p>