Senior Ben Neal was privileged to visit Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) under the Minority Introduction to Engineering and Science (MITES) pre-college summer program for six weeks and returned with two awards under his belt. Students and staff familiar with Neal know that he is a talented computer programmer, evident through his self-published app, Fall Freely, available on the App Store, Google Play Store, and Windows App Store. With a strong interest in the computer sciences, he applied to the MITES program with his eyes set on MIT as his dream school.App Store. With a strong interest in the computer sciences, he applied to the MITES program with his eyes set on MIT as his dream school. Similar to that of a real college application process, students interested in the MITES program apply online with qualifying GPA, SAT scores, and teacher recommendations, while MIT admissions officers review and accept the strongest of applications―accepting less than one hundred students with a devastating acceptance rate of roughly 4%. Aside from the flight cost, all expenses were cared for by the university. Under the pre-college summer program, Neal and other students attended five courses: Physics, Calculus, Life Science (Chemistry/Biology), Humanities, and a project-based elective, which Neal chose as Digital Design. Students took diagnostic tests as a prerequisite in order to be evaluated and placed in a class that is deemed worthy of a challenge for each student. To help the students get accustomed to the college life, each course has one professor and two teacher assistants from reputable backgrounds including students of Harvard and Stanford. Despite the rigor of the program, students still had time to interact with their peers in Cambridge and nearby Boston during the weekends. Most of the bonding stemmed from late-night homework sessions. “I did not sleep before 2AM and Sundays were the only days where I was allowed over 6 hours of sleep… I was faced with challenging material, extensive problem sets (homework), and competition that I had never seen before,” said Neal. All that hard work paid off when he was acknowledged as the Best Student of Digital Design and was awarded the Leon and Edna Trilling Award for the best overall academic performance. “After attending MITES, I feel I am prepared for any challenge that comes my way,” said Neal. “Whether it was ordering pizza at 1AM while finishing problem sets with my classmates, viewing the bright city of Boston from the roof of MIT or playing in and winning a football tournament on the 4th of July, MITES certainly had its share of fun times.”
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