Welcome Class of 2027! ✨

First-Year Students

Illustration of a snail

Get to know ELOs! There are many ELO programs designed with beginners in mind and countless more that help you deepen and expand your skills. Through these hands-on experiences, you can explore issues that you care about in the world; make connections with new friends; get to know faculty members, departments, and majors; and participate in training, mentoring, and professional development activities.

Find Your ELO

First-Year students are eligible for lots of ELOs. Search for those in ELx and filter based on your interests, skills, and schedule. There are many ELOs open to and suitable for first-years on the platform. Just check whether the posting specifies student class years or prerequisites. If nothing is listed, everyone should feel free to apply!

Need help finding positions, crafting a resume, or writing an application? MIT Career Advising & Professional Development (CAPD) has great resources on their website, or you can schedule an appointment with a career advisor (they love meeting with first-year students!).

Have a particular program or position in mind? You can also reach out to the program staff with any questions about the position or application before you apply.

Related Courses

First-Year Discovery subjects (Fall, IAP, and Spring)

Browse a list of subjects created specifically to help first-year students discover majors, minors, concentrations, and topics of interest. All first-year students are encouraged to take one or more of these subjects even if they feel that they already know their intended major.

Momentum (IAP)

A class designed to prepare students for a future in science and engineering. Students are placed in teams and are challenged to use an engineering approach to solve a problem faced by the world today. Throughout the course, students receive assistance with resume building, oral presentations, and interviewing, and participate in a networking event with industry representatives.

MISTI: Language and Culture Courses (All terms, requirements vary by country/program)

Check out course requirements to be eligible for a MISTI internship. Most programs require four semesters of the appropriate language courses (or equivalent proficiency) and/or one course in the host country’s history, politics, or culture.

D-Lab Course Offerings (All terms)

Become an effective agent of global change in one of D-Lab’s courses. Students gain competency in the participatory design process, understand and apply principles of engineering and design, engage in hands-on shop work, learn to think critically about theories of development, and obtain meaningful experiences in the field – all preparing them to continue socially and environmentally conscious work that addresses issues of global poverty.

21W.03x Science Writing Subjects (Fall and Spring)

First-year writing subjects provide a foundation for future communication-intensive subjects and also function as a starting point for concentrating, minoring, or majoring in Writing. While the topical focus of writing assignments varies across these subjects, all first-year writing subjects develop students’ understanding of genre, audience, argument, discourse, source use, and writing process.