is anyone still waiting on decisions for the paper submissions??? what is going on...

(our paper is track 1)

MIT currently seems to be treating pre-completion OPT as the main fallback after the new CPT guidance. I posted the argument below to EECS because 6-A is a formal co-op program and the actual regulatory/guidance language may leave more room than that interpretation suggests.

I’m mainly looking for thoughts on two questions: (1) Does this interpretation have reasonable legal/administrative grounding? (2) If so, how can students encourage EECS/6-A to have ISO and outside counsel seriously investigate it, rather than concluding too quickly that CPT is no longer an option?

EDIT: The response on 6.AcAd is as follows. "Please direct this question to the 6A team at 6a@mit.edu. I don't think they're generally on this Piazza and while we work closely together, they will be navigating these changes in CPT where 6A is concerned."

Could the undergraduate office please carefully explore with ISO and MIT’s outside experts whether undergraduate 6-A and MEng 6-A can each separately qualify as an “established curriculum” for CPT? The regulation requires CPT to be “an integral part of an established curriculum” (8 C.F.R. § 214.2(f)(10)(i)), and the more detailed SEVP Broadcast Message 2608-02 repeatedly refers to “all students participating in that curriculum” and “all students enrolled in the same established curriculum” (Qs. 3–5).

I realize the first broadcast (2608-01) says CPT should be necessary for “attainment of a degree” and required for “all students pursuing that degree.” But it does not define the scope of “that degree,” or say that it means everyone in the same major. At the other extreme, reading it as every student pursuing any bachelor’s or master’s degree seems implausibly broad. It therefore seems worth asking whether “attaining the degree under this established curriculum” is a permissible reading, particularly given the regulation and 2608-02’s more specific curriculum-based wording.

6-A seems especially worth examining under that framework. It is explicitly a longstanding cooperative program with a structured curriculum; undergraduate 6-A has also been established since 2022–23. For students enrolled in either undergraduate or MEng 6-A, practical training is part of the 6-A pathway rather than simply an optional internship. ISO’s own email also specifically recognizes training established through a “cooperative agreement” between the school and employer as part of the new framework.

I know pre-completion OPT has been discussed as a fallback, but it is itself exposed to possible upcoming federal changes. Given the seemingly favorable framework for genuine cooperative programs with established curricula, I hope EECS will actively investigate whether CPT can be preserved rather than assuming there are no remaining options.

Hello. I am a relatively quiet person who would have like to (quietly) work in ML evaluation and interpretability. I have chosen that field a long time ago before the hype, before even the NN comeback of the early 2010s, what I was not anticipating back then is the startupification of it all and the need to self promote. If anyone can give their thoughts on what to do with it all and how to find a job that allows you to do just that (work quietly that is), I would welcome the feedback (I am a mit grad, so it is on topic in this sense - There have to be alumni going through the same thing out there and I would love to get some feedback)

I know Julia has not reached escape velocity in many other academic institutions and industries as these organizations still will reach to Python, R, or MATLAB as their first choice tools to tackle their research questions, but I'm wondering if someone has an estimate about what percentage of labs in MIT are using Julia as a major part of their research?

Has anyone not yet received their decision for a paper submission to MIT URTC? Thoughts?

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]

when is this coming out bro

Plea: It would be very helpful if EECS UG and ISO could clarify, ideally before Fall registration, whether 6.9820 remains usable and how 6-A/6.9850 and MEng/6.9830 are treated, including the relevant unit-count methodology. Recruiting is already underway, including for international offices, so affected students also need to know soon whether they should preserve non-U.S. options while those processes remain open.

If anyone receives clarification that may generalize to others, it would also be very helpful to share the findings in this thread.

Summary: SEVP Broadcast Message 2608-02 appears to tighten CPT substantially. Several universities are interpreting it to require practical training itself to be a required, integral part of the curriculum, rather than an optional internship course used to obtain CPT. This may put 6.9820 at risk.

This post mainly concerns junior-year internships, where students may want to preserve both undergraduate 6-A/6.9850 and MEng/6.9830 as possible CPT paths; for sophomore- or senior-year internships, usually only one is relevant. The two routes may require very different credit positions, so juniors near the relevant thresholds may need to preserve flexibility until MIT clarifies the rules. This is based on my independent research; EECS UG/ISO will have the definitive answer.

Pre-completion OPT. EECS already points students toward pre-OPT when CPT is unavailable under the 180-unit rule, and the new CPT guidance should not directly affect it because OPT need not be curricular. The existing drawbacks are USCIS/EAD timing and using some OPT eligibility. The larger uncertainty is a separate economically significant OPT-fee rule (RIN 1653-AB01), which entered OIRA review on August 20; reporting has discussed possible fees as high as $100,000, though the amount, applicability to pre-OPT, effective date, and any grandfathering remain unknown. The NPRM should provide much more information, perhaps around late September or early October. If pre-OPT remains near current cost, it is probably the simplest fallback; if a very large fee applies, CPT or non-U.S. alternatives become much more important.

Undergraduate 6-A / 6.9850. This seems like the strongest CPT alternative. 6-A is a formal co-op curriculum, 6.9850 is a 12-unit internship subject, and EECS says a company new to 6-A can work with the program to route an existing MIT intern through it. The unit treatment is unresolved. Assuming all GIRs are complete, if the co-op credits themselves must fit within the remaining 180 beyond-GIR SB units, a rough conservative target is about 164–167 units before summer, depending on the separate 3-unit requirement. It is not clear that a bona fide co-op must satisfy the unit test in exactly this way, or how 6-A should be treated under the broadcast's focus on the relevant “curriculum.” These figures are only rough planning estimates.

MEng / 6.9830. This appears weaker than 6-A but better positioned than 6.9820. The MEng has a required Professional Perspectives Requirement, and EECS instructs international students using an internship for it to enroll concurrently in 6.9830 for CPT. The main weakness is that an internship is only one way to satisfy the PPR, so a strict interpretation of the new guidance could still create an issue. Assuming all GIRs are complete, current MEng entry rules very roughly imply about 198 beyond-GIR units at entry. First-term CPT and SB-to-MEng change-of-level timing also need clarification. Graduate 6-A separately provides a CPT route for longer, roughly six-month MEng industry experiences.

wondering if anyone has done upop and recommends, for course 6 especially? I applied and got in but now looking at my schedule, giving up an hour a week for the next year seems like a lot. I wanted it as a safeguard to help me network and find internships for next summer, but mit has so many other resources I'm wondering if it is worth it. I already have good soft skills it's really my technical experience that needs to grow... so wondering if my time is better spent elsewhere.

has anyone done upop and liked it? what did you get out of it?

I'm an incoming EECS PhD student, and I am trying to figure out what to register for. How time-consuming are courses at MIT? Would you advise against taking two courses in one semester?

Also, what is it like listening to (I believe this is what you all call auditing a class here) a course? Do you simply have free will regarding how much time you spend on that class?

If someone finds it, please please let me know. It’s blue and made of metal

first yr, planning 6-5 with a 20 minor and econ HASS concentration. would love to see any 6-5 upperclassmen's four year schedules.

This fall I'm set on 8.01 and 5.111, not sure about the rest. I have credit for 18.01, 18.02, 18.06, 7.01x, and 6.100A, and I'm taking the 18.03 ASE during orientation. I'd like to take 6.1210 first semester but don't know if it's better to wait. Also considering 6.1200 now. Long term I'm looking at SWE/quant/biotech but still exploring. Any recs appreciated!!

Is it coming out today or no?

I was wondering if anybody has taken these courses and can speak on their experience. I'm not too concerned about "practicality of the course" but just more interested in how it shaped your thinking and how cool/interesting the classes were! I know this is a pretty broad stroke of classes, but would love to hear people's thoughts!

title

Hello. Are MIT students given a window for dorm move-in? My son says he didn’t get one. But our friends with college kids at other schools say they only got a narrow 2-3 hour window for move in. Just want to make sure our kid isn’t missing anything. Thank you!

I went on campus today bc im on vacation and its just so beautiful and cool. Hopefully mit 2031 ✌️

does anyone have any course recommendations? I’m looking at 14.36 and 14.19 right now (I have the pre recs for both). Are either of those good or are there any good courses I should also consider?

Hi everyone! I’m a huge fan of Good Will Hunting and was hoping someone here might be able to help me with a filming-location question.

Does anyone know if the actual chalkboard from the famous scene in Good Will Hunting is still on campus? If it is, I’d love to know the exact building and location where it can be found today.

I’m also trying to confirm whether the chalkboard scene was originally filmed at that location, or if the scene was filmed somewhere else and the location was simply made to look like the campus. The film used a mix of locations, including MIT in Cambridge and the University of Toronto, so I’m having trouble finding a definitive answer.

If anyone has visited the location, remembers the chalkboard, or has any firsthand information/photos, I’d really appreciate your help!
Thank you in advance!

I’m an incoming freshman and want to know what would be better for note-taking: an iPad or pencil/paper. I know that it really depends on the individual, but I want to know so that I know what to invest in. Thanks!

Hello!

I'm a recent Course 2 grad currently job searching, and I wanted to hear other alums' thoughts on how to network, what your first roles out of college were, and how you got connected to them.

I feel like there's this hidden curriculum around making connections and getting referrals, but honestly, it's not really something I was exposed to during my time at MIT. Like, I would hear Course 6s in the dining halls talk about reneging multiple offers or being a part of specific programs, and I would feel so envious. For a long time, I wondered if my resume just wasn't good enough to hear back from places, but now I'm wondering if having connections played a larger role, or if there's something else about the process that I'm missing.

Lately, I've also heard people say that the MIT alumni network isn't quite as strong as networks at some other schools, and that the school name alone doesn't carry as much weight, especially in this job market. I'm curious if others have found that to be true, or if it's just a matter of knowing how to tap into it properly.

I have a lot of questions, but honestly would just love to hear any thoughts/advice people have to offer:

• How did you navigate your first job search?
• Was there a specific strategy you used? Did you mess apply to places, or look at roles where you already knew someone working there?
• How do you go about making connections that don't feel transactional (especially when job hunting—I don't want people to assume I'm only in the conversation to try and get a referral or job)?
• How do you know if you're being too picky with what you're applying to?
• Are there specific MIT-centric resources or alumni directories you wish you had known about sooner? Or professional societies you would have joined?
• How do you get more comfortable with material/skills you weren't taught in class, things meant to be more intuition or experience based?

Hey! I am interested in edge compute and would like to hear yall's thoughts on TinyML running this fall. I've heard the labs are essentially just changing one line of python and the prior lectures are available online so it there any worth in signing up for it or should I just take it on my own time.

P.S. Reddit Mods - This info is not available online I already checked + I want to garner more informaiton.

URTC paper submissions already 400+?

Does anyone know how many paper submissions/total submissions there were last year?

Thanks