Welcome to HST!

Admitted MEMP candidates are invited to join us in Cambridge on February 27 and February 28 for a variety of events designed to help you explore HST as you consider your options and select a graduate program. 

Continue to check back for updates or changes. Changes designated with *

Friday, February 27: Overview

Morning:

  • Continental breakfast (8:30 am - 9:20 am) - E25-519
  • Faculty Lightning Talks (9:30 am - 11:30 am) - E25-401

 Afternoon:

  • Lunch (11:30 pm - 12:30 pm) - E25-519
  • Faculty Research Discussions (12:30 pm - 2:30 pm) - various locations
    • Sign-up here before 5pm on Tuesday, February 24*.
      • During your visit, you will have many opportunities to interact with members of the HST community. While gaining a sense of the breadth of the program is important, we would also like to ensure that you meet faculty and students whose research interests align with your own.
      • Additionally, you can independently arrange your own meetings with other faculty of interest, in-person or via zoom, at a mutually agreed upon time.  When you send an email, we advise you to identify yourself as a newly admitted HST PhD student and cc the faculty member's administrative assistant when possible.
      • HST students are not restricted to working with faculty in IMES and HST, rather, you are permitted to join the lab of any MIT or Harvard faculty member, including laboratories at MIT, Harvard, affiliated hospitals, and research institutes.
  • Lab Tours (3:00 pm - 4:30 pm) - various locations
    • Sign-up to attend any lab tour, here* before 5pm on Tuesday, February 24*.
    • A few faculty have opened their labs to visiting admitted MEMP students. If you have a specific faculty of interest you can also independently reach out to ask if someone from their lab would be willing to give you a tour during this time. Again, we advise you to identify yourself as a new admitted HST MEMP PhD student.*

 Evening:

Saturday, February 28: Overview

Daytime:

  • Brunches (9:30 am - 11:00 am) 
    Visitors are welcome to attend either brunch, regardless of gender identity.
    • HST Women's Group Brunch - E25-519 
      Continental breakfast with female HST students and faculty.
    • Alternate Brunch - Meet in the Lobby of E25
      Current students will escort a group to a local restaurant for breakfast.
  • Campus and City Tours (11:30 am - 2:00 pm) - Meet in the Lobby of E25
  • MEMP Mosaic Mixer (2:30 pm - 3:30 pm) - E25-519
    • Stop in to visit with current HST students and MIT Program for Exemplary Mentoring (PEM) Scholars to learn about HST's inclusive and expansive activities. Make vibrant connections with current students, learn about MIT resources for grad student support, and discover how MEMP students are involved in local efforts to engage those historically underserved in STEMM.
  • MEMP Info Session (3:30 pm - 4:30 pm) - E25-117
    • Staff and students will answer your questions about all things HST. Topics may include the MEMP curriculum, academic milestones, funding, lab search, dual citizenship privileges, and anything else you want to bring up.
  • MEMP Student Journeys (4:30 pm - 5:30 pm) - E25-117
    • Several current MEMP students will discuss why they chose to join HST and their individual paths thru the MEMP curriculum. They will share specifics related to their lab searches, concentration areas, class selection, and ongoing thesis research.

Evening:

  • Small group dinners with current students - Meet in the Lobby of E25
    (depart from Kendall Square following the end of the MEMP Student Journeys)
    • Join a handful of other visiting candidates and MEMP student hosts for dinner - on us - at a local restaurant! This is another chance to learn more about life as a grad student, an insider's view of HST classes, and how students balance classes, research, extracurriculars and their personal lives.

Information for Out-of-Town-Guests

Transportation

Please contact our travel agent, Susan McGonagle (susan [at] travelcoll.com (susan[at]travelcoll[dot]com)), to book your economy travel at HST's expense. We regret that we are not able to cover the cost of premium seats or business class.

When you email Susan, please include: 

  • Subject line: HST PhD Admissions Visit 2026
  • Your full name as it appears on your government-issued ID
    • First:
    • Middle:
    • Last:
  • Your date of birth
  • Point of departure - airport or train station
  • Travel dates - must be in Thursday, February 26-Sunday, March 1 timeframe
  • Preferred times to travel
  • Your cell phone number

Hotel

We will provide up to three nights' accommodations (arriving February 26 and departing March 1) at the Boston Marriott Cambridge in Kendall Square, Two Cambridge Center, 50 Broadway, Cambridge, MA. 

Rooms will be double occupancy, shared with one other visiting candidate of the same gender. We regret that we cannot provide hotel accommodations for local visitors.

February 27 and February 28 getting around

Other Resources

Explore below for additional links that will help you learn more about our unique program and vibrant community.

The Basics

If you can't find what you are looking for, try Ask MIT.

Local Environment

 

Belonging and Inclusion at MIT

 

MIT Community Resources & Handbooks

What Happens Next?

  • To accept or decline your offer of admission to HST's MEMP PhD Program via MIT:
    • Complete the Graduate Admissions Reply Form in your Slate portal as soon as possible, but no later than 11:59 pm EDT on April 15, 2026.
  • After you accept your offer to join MEMP:
    • After we receive and record your acceptance, you will receive instructions on how to set up your MIT Kerberos account, which establishes your online identity at MIT. To complete this process, you will need your MIT ID number, which is listed near the top of your acceptance letter.
    • Complete and submit the MIT Medical Report form for 2026-2027, noting the HST-specific instructions
    • Arrange to have official, final transcripts sent directly from your undergraduate degree (and any graduate degrees, if applicable) to hst-phd-admissions [at] mit.edu (hst-phd-admissions[at]mit[dot]edu) or by postal mail to the Cambridge address below, as soon as they are available and no later than July 15, 2026.
  • Important Dates
    • August 22-28: Move-In and Orientation
      • We recommend that incoming students arrive in the Cambridge/Boston area no later than Saturday, August 22.
      • MIT’s Graduate Student Orientation  -  will begin on Sunday, August 23. You will receive more information as plans are solidified for MIT’s extensive, mostly optional, orientation activities during the last week of August.
      • HST will organize a formal orientation session sometime during the week of August 24; we will let you know when that date is confirmed.
    • September 1: MIT Registration Day and anticipated first day of HMS classes
    • September 2: First Day of Classes at MIT

 

Questions?

HST logo

Contact us at wehst [at] mit.edu or stop by our office in E25-518!

HST in Action

Students at the 2025 HST Winter Formal

Students at the 2025 HST Winter Formal

Students at a Summer 2025 Cohort Event

Students at a Summer 2025 Cohort Event

 

Group of faculty and students in semi-circle in white jumpers in hospital surgical room

Neuroimaging Training Program field trip, November 2024 to Brigham & Women's Hospital MRI facility.