News & Events

The additional information below will help you make a smooth transition into your life and studies at MIT.

Department Orientation
Institute Orientation
Airport Shuttle
International Students
Computing at MIT
MIT ID Card
Housing
Registration
Teaching Assistantships
Frequently Asked Questions


Department Orientation

The Department of Architecture will have a welcome desk in the Wolk Gallery, Room 7-338, across the hall from Architecture Headquarters. Knowledgeable current students and staff will be available during orientation week on the following days:

      Monday and Tuesday, August 25th and 26th, 12 to 4 pm
      Wednesday and Thursday, August 27th  and 28 th, 2 to 4 pm
      Friday, August 29th, 9 am to 4 pm
 
Please stop by with your list of questions and to pick up your orientation handbook and helpful brochures, maps, schedules, etc.

You are invited to attend two Department of Architecture orientation meetings.

•    Wednesday, August 27th, 9:30 – 11:50 am, faculty will make presentations about Department academic programs and offerings.
•    Thursday, August 28th, 9:30 – 11:50 am, the Department staff will cover essential information to help you navigate the Department and Institute academic policies and procedures.

A variety of other Department orientation activities are being planned for the week of August 25th. A more detailed Department orientation schedule is posted here and will continue to be updated over the summer.

Institute Orientation

You are encouraged to attend the Institute orientation programs offered by the MIT Graduate Student Council, a student-run organization.  Orientation begins on Sunday, August 24th.  Orientation events offer a wonderful opportunity to meet your fellow students and to begin to learn your way around MIT.

For more information about the GSC orientation, visit the GSC web site. This web site will be updated July 3.

Airport Shuttle

The Graduate Student Council, an MIT student organization, is organizing for an airport shuttle for incoming graduate students who will be arriving at Boston’s Logan Airport.  For more details and a schedule, consult the GSC web site. The web site will be updated July 3.

International Students

All new MIT International students must fill out a Financial Certification Form, and return it to the International Students Office. The ISO also handles the visa process.  Details are on the ISO web site.

All international graduate students must attend a mandatory immigration orientation session with an ISO advisor before they are permitted to register for classes.  ISO orientation sessions will be held daily from August 15th through September 2nd. Sign up for an ISO orientation session as soon as you arrive on campus.

All international graduates students whose first language is not English (regardless of TOEFL score) must take the English Evaluation Test on Tuesday, August 26, from 9:00 a.m. to 12 noon, in Room 26-100. You should bring an English dictionary, pencils, and a pen. ahwill@mit.edu.

You will also need to download MIT certificates for your computer to access certain secure areas of the MIT web site. For other general MIT computer information, visit MIT's Information Services and Technology's web site.

Once you have created your Athena user account and obtained web certificates, you should access your records on WebSIS prior to the start of the term and enter your current address information, emergency contact information, and verify biographic information. We suggest you do this prior to your arrival on campus, or as soon as you have secured housing.

Information about the Department of Architecture computers will be provided during the Department Computing Orientation on Tuesday, August 26th, from 3:30 to 5 pm in the Kirsh Auditorium (Room 32-123). There will be a computing clinic on Friday, August 29th, from 3 to 5 pm, in Room 9-551.

MIT ID Card

On or after August 15th , you should visit the MIT Card Office in the basement of the Stratton Student Center (W20-021) to receive an MIT ID card. The Card Office's hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. You will need to present a valid picture ID (a driver's license, passport, etc.).

Housing

There is plenty of housing in Cambridge and the surrounding areas, but very few bargains.

On-Campus Housing — Full-time, registered MIT students are eligible to apply for on-campus housing in single and student family housing. Lotteries are held in May and in March for the fall and spring term respectively. If you have not secured MIT housing and are interested, contact the MIT Graduate Housing Office immediately for information on the waiting list. The new MIT Graduate Housing Guide, which explains policies and procedures associated with graduate housing, is available at web.mit.edu/housing/grad/ghg.

Off-Campus Housing — At the MIT Off-Campus Housing Service you will find short and long-term listings of apartments, houses, rooms for rent in private residences, and roommate situations in Boston, Cambridge, and other nearby areas. Since only MIT students and staff are allowed to look at the listings, when you visit the Housing Office, bring your letter of acceptance or a letter from the Department, and an ID such as a driver's license. You may then browse through the listings, which contain names and telephone numbers of landlords and descriptions of the rental units, and telephone those that appeal to you. Rental postings are also on the Off-Campus website. Only the MIT community may access.

General information on housing in Boston is available through the MIT housing service. It includes information on local realtors and temporary housing, such as hotels and rooming houses. The Housing Office recommends that you begin your apartment search well in advance of registration and coordinates evening "Roommate Get-Togethers," which provide newcomers the opportunity to contact potential roommates in an informal atmosphere.

There is also the possibility of exchanging childcare or housework for room, and sometimes board, for a set number of hours per week of work. The Housing Service has some listings of this kind.

The Boston area newspaper The Phoenix has a classified housing section that is considered a respectable way to find roommates. The Cambridge Chronicle carries both Cambridge and Somerville listings. Check the bulletin boards around MIT and Harvard.

Registration

Registration Day is Tuesday, September 2nd, the day before classes begin. There is no pre-registration for incoming graduate students. The name of your Department advisor will be confirmed during orientation, and you will meet with him or her individually on Registration Day. A list of advisors (called Registration Officers) with their office hours and locations will be posted on the board outside of Architecture Headquarters, Room 7-337, and on the Department web site. You Registration Officer will have your registration form (unless you have not yet submitted your medical forms or are an international student who has not been cleared by the ISO). For more information on registration procedures, go to the Department registration site or the MIT Registrar's site.

View the Department of Architecture subject offerings for the fall term and download a class schedule.


Teaching Assistantships

If your award package does not already include a teaching or research assistantship, and you wish to sign up for Department work in the form of a teaching assistantship (TA) or hourly work, you may do so during orientation week in Department Headquarters, Room 7-337. Ask for the TA book and sign up for the jobs you are interested in. You will be contacted if you are being considered for a position. For more information, go to the Elements of Financial Aid web site.

Frequently Asked Questions

When do I need to arrive on campus?
Orientation begins the week of August 24th. Allow extra time if you need to find off-campus housing.   Single students or couples without children should allow 3 to 5 days to find housing; students with children under 6 years of age should allow up to 2 weeks to find off-campus housing.

Do I really need to take the English Evaluation Test?
The Institute requires all entering international students whose primary language of instruction from the age of six through high school has not been English to take the EET. If you were required to take the TOEFL or IELTS for admission, you need to take the EET.

When and where can I pick up my portfolio that was part of my admissions application?
Contact Darren Bennett, Graduate Admissions Coordinator (darrenb@mit.edu), to arrange to pick up your portfolio after you arrive in town. We will dispose of portfolios remaining in the Department after September 30, 2008. Our thanks to the many of you have donated your portfolio for use in the Department.

How do I get credit for a subject I’ve previously taken that is a requirement for the MArch Program?
MArch students who have successfully completed the equivalent of one or more required architecture subjects outside MIT (or within MIT as undergraduates) may be given advanced credit for those subjects by submitting a Petition for Curriculum Adjustment.

Students admitted to Level II received two semesters of studio credit with the letter of admission, and will receive credit for up to 6 additional subjects roughly equivalent to the MIT Level 1 curriculum. There is no need to submit a Petition for Curriculum Adjustment. The students and faculty advisors are notified of the advanced standing credit before Registration Day.

Details about credit for previous academic work and a downloadable Petition for Curriculum Adjustment form are available on the MArch degree requirements web site

When can I begin applying for Department Teaching Assistantships and hourly jobs?
Rebecca Chamberlain, Administrative Officer, will send out an email during the summer notifying students when they can begin applying for fall Department Teaching Assistantships (TAs). There will be an online form for applicants to complete if they are interested in a position.

I’ve been admitted with a Department of Architecture tuition scholarship.  When will the scholarship be credited to my Bursar’s bill?
MIT sends out the first tuition bill for fall before the Department processes scholarship appointments. Scholarships will be credited directly to your student account in early August.  You will not have to pay a late fee for the tuition covered by the Department scholarship.  Check your WebSIS periodically to confirm posting of tuition award after August. If a late fee is applied to your student account for any fees covered by your Department scholarship, please contact your Student Account Representative directly and ask him/her to remove your late fee:

A-G, Mary Murray, 617-253-3339, maryjo@mit.edu
H-O, Dwayne Daughtry, 617-253-4131, daughtry@mit.edu
P-Z, Jason Marsala, 617-253-3335, jmarsala@mit.edu

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