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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

ELIGIBILITY

1. Who can apply to the SEED Program?
The SEED program is open to 7th, 8th, 9th, or 10th-grade public school students from Boston, Cambridge, or Lawrence.
Students from all racial and ethnic backgrounds are encouraged to apply; however, you must be a U.S. citizen or permanent residents with a current U.S. green card to participate in SEED.

2. I am not in the 7th grade, but I am currently doing the work of a 7th-grade student. Can I still apply?
You must be registered as a student in 7th, 8th, 9th or 10th-grade when you apply for SEED. Students in other grades are ineligible.

3. I live in Boston, Cambridge, or Lawrence and am homeschooled or attend a private school. Can I apply?
You must be a registered public school student from Boston, Cambridge or Lawrence to be eligible for SEED.

4. I have a U.S. visa. Am I eligible for SEED?
Visas of any type (work, student, J-1, etc.) are not substitutes for U.S. citizenship or U.S Permanent Residents holding a valid green card. You are not eligible for SEED if you only have a visa.

5. I am in the process of obtaining my citizenship and will be a U.S. citizen by the start of the program. Can I apply?
You must have your U.S. citizenship or permanent resident card when you apply for SEED.
If you are eligible to obtain citizenship or permanent residence status or are in the process of obtaining your U.S. citizenship or permanent resident card when the application is open, you are ineligible for the program.

6. Can I apply to SEED if I do not have my permanent residency card at the time I submit my application?
You must be in possession of your permanent residency green card at the time you submit your application. Students who are not citizens or permanent residents are ineligible to apply.

7. What are acceptable ways to verify my U.S. Citizenship or Permanent Residency?
If you are admitted to SEED, we may ask you to verify your citizenship or permanent residency via one of the following options: (1) Official U.S. Birth Certificate, (2) Valid U.S. Passport, (3) Official Permanent Resident (Green) Card.

8. I have a lot of extracurriculars that take place over the weekend. Should I even apply?
SEED Academy hosts students on campus eight times per semester. Each session starts promptly at 10 am and ends at 3 pm.
It’s important for students to attend all sessions because the material for each class builds over the course of the semester, and absences can hinder a student’s ability to complete coursework and contribute to class discussions and group projects.
We expect students to be proactive in arranging their schedules to minimize conflicts on SEED Saturdays. Excessive absences or tardiness may lead to ineligibility to re-enroll in SEED going forward.

APPLICATION & TIME LINE

1. When will the SEED application open and how do I apply?
The SEED application opens in late October/earlyNovember. To apply, you will need to register for an account with seedapp.mit.edu and submit your application.

2. I have a question about the programs or the application process. How do I contact the SEED team?
Due to the very large volume of requests we receive, we suggest you first thoroughly review the following resources to learn more:

If you still have questions after reviewing the resources above, please contact us at seedapp@mit.edu.

3. What happens after I apply?
After recommendations are submitted, students will be asked to attend an online info-session to learn more about the program. Afterwards, students must confirm they attended the info-session and understanding the expectations of SEED, and students must confirm they are still interested in SEED and describe why. 

4. When and how will acceptance decisions be released?
We will plan to extend offers of admission to selected students at the end of January/early February. Applicants will receive an email with their decision status. Decisions will not be given via phone or mailed out to applicants.

5. Is there a waitlist?
Depending on the applicant pool, the SEED program may place students on a waitlist.

6. I was not able to submit my application by the deadline. Can I still turn it in?
To be considered, you must complete all required sections of your application AND click the "Submit" button by the deadline. If your application is not submitted by the deadline, it will not be reviewed.

7. The dates/times associated with my submitted material seem to be a few hours off. Why is this?
This happens when the local timezone on your application is not set. Please set your timezone in your account settings page.

8. When is the application deadline?
Final details regarding application deadlines will be shared upon application launch. Students must submit their application and request for recommendations as a first step (typically by early December). Teachers then two weeks to submit recommendations.
In order to be considered, all sections of the application (including test scores and requests for recommendations) must be completed by the deadline.
 

TEST SCORES

1. The application is requiring me to upload scores for a test I didn't take or for which I do not have a score report. What do I do?
Please note, if you indicate that you will enter scores for a particular test, you will be REQUIRED to enter test scores and upload a score report for that test. You will not be able to submit your application until you enter your scores and upload your score report. If you do not have scores to upload, you MUST indicate that you will not submit scores for that test.
 

PROGRAM DETAILS

1. What is SEED?
SEED is an academic enrichment and career exploration program for public high school students from Boston, Cambridge, and Lawrence, Massachusetts who have a strong academic record and interest in science and engineering. Upon acceptance to the program, students have the opportunity to re-enroll and continue participating in SEED until they’ve graduated high school.
Through a hands-on instructional approach, students increase their mastery of academic subjects, strengthen their understanding of the practical applications of math and science concepts, discover new academic and professional opportunities and gain exposure to a college environment.

2. How much does it cost to participate in SEED?
The SEED program is free for all participants. The only monetary cost is for travel to and from MIT. Please note, bus transportation is provided for Lawrence students.

3. How much homework are students given?
The amount of homework is determined by the instructor of each course. On average, SEED students can expect 1 hour of homework each week.

4. Will I receive school credit or grades if I participate in SEED?
Although students take classes and there will be homework, students do not receive school credit. Students do receive final evaluations each semester, which can be submitted with college and scholarship applications.

GRADES

1. My first semester grades will not be released by the application deadline. What should I submit?
If available, please upload your first quarter grades. If your first quarter grades are not available, you should submit your most recent grades. Add something about where to get this information: from a guidance counselor

ESSSAYS

1. Are the essay questions marked as optional really optional?
Yes, the final essay question is optional. It is an opportunity for students to provide more context on special circumstances and their application. We understand that no application can meet the needs of every individual that applies, and this essay can be used to provide us with additional information that may give us a more complete understanding of your application.

2.  What is the word limit on the essays?
The essays have strict word limits of 300 words per question for high school applicants, and 150 words per question for middle school applicants.

RECOMMENDATIONS

1. My recommender has not received the recommendation request email with the link and instructions to fill out my recommendation. What do I do?
As soon as you submit your recommender's email address, they should receive an email with a link to the application portal and information about completing the recommendation form. This request email is sometimes blocked by school spam filters.

If your teachers have not received the email containing the link, please first ask them to check their spam folder. Also, please check to make sure there were no typos in the recommender's email address in your application.

If you are sure that your recommender has checked their spam and that their email address was correct in your application, then your recommender may need help accessing their account. Please email seedapp@mit.edu to let us know.

2. I accidentally entered the wrong contact information for my recommender/my recommender can no longer complete the recommendation and I need to request a different teacher. What do I do?
You may change/update your recommender; however please note that the recommendation will still be due on January 13. If you need to update the name and/or email address of your recommenders, you can make this change yourself in your seedapp account.
If you must change your recommender, first reach out to your old recommender to let them know. Once the recommender is changed in the system, any work that the initial recommender completed will be lost. This means you should make sure your recommender has not already started their recommendation before you make any changes.
 

3. Who should complete my recommendation forms, and how should they be submitted?
This application requires two recommendations that must be completed using a unique online form. You should let your recommenders know that the recommendation includes both an evaluation form and a narrative section that must be completed on the online application platform. One recommendation must be completed by a math or science teacher (ex. Algebra, Biology, Computer Science). The second recommendation can be from any other academic course (ex. English/Language Arts, Social Studies, Spanish, different Math/Science course). Once you have identified these recommenders, you must request recommendations using the online application.


4. Can I send in extra letters of recommendation that I feel will make my application stronger?
Due to the high volume of applications, we cannot accept any additional recommendations beyond the required number and the required type (math teacher, and science teacher).