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| MIT's Plan for Spring 2022 semester |
| Announced January 18, 2022 |
- The Omicron wave challenged MIT, but is now receding both on campus and locally.
- Most employees are expected to return to their fall semester work arrangements on January 31.
- The new semester is expected to begin with in-person learning.
- Ninety percent of students and employees accessing campus have received booster shots.
- Current restrictions on events and visitors remain in effect, but will be reassessed soon.
- Regular COVID testing continues for now, but may soon transition to optional testing.
- Due to ongoing uncertainty, all DLCs and instructors should develop continuity plans.
- MIT Now has updated guidance for those who are exposed to COVID or test positive.
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| Life After Practical Training: Employment Immigration Options |
SAVE THE DATE
Wednesday, February 9 from 5pm to 7pm
Via Zoom
Presentation by immigration law firm Iandoli Desai & Cronin P.C.
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Listen to immigration attorneys discuss work visas and permanent residence options for life beyond your F or J student visa status.
Email will be sent soon with Zoom link details |
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| Check Your I-20/DS-2019 has a Travel Signature to Return to U.S. |
- *Note: You can leave the US without a travel signature; however, you will need a valid signature to re-enter (signed within the last 12 months)
- Request new immigration form on iMIT
- Go to "F-1 or J-1 Student Services"
- Choose "Request Replacement Form" (Reason: Travel signature)
- Form I-20s will be emailed; Form DS-2019s will be mailed
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Please check your Form I-20 on Page 2 (F visa holders) or Form DS-2019 (J visa holders) on Page 1 to be sure you have a travel validation signature signed within 12 months of your planned date of return to the U.S. If you do not yet have a travel validation signature, or it will be older than 12 months, you can request in iMIT a new Form I-20/DS-2019 with travel signature. Instructions are available on the ISO “Visas and Travel” webpage.
Please note, you can leave the U.S. without a travel signature, but you will need one to re-enter the U.S. All Form I-20s will be emailed electronically to students; Form DS-2019s will be physically mailed. |
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| ISO Travel Guidance |
Before traveling and re-entering the US, please review the ISO “Visas and Travel” webpage and
ISO Travel Guidance for Fall/Winter Break 2021-2022 |
We recommend that all students be sure to consult the ISO “Visas and Travel” webpage as we will continue to post links to important guidance on travel restrictions or protocols for entry to the U.S., obtaining a new travel validation signature on your Form I-20 or Form DS-2019, as well as guidance on documentation that must be carried in order to re-enter the U.S.
The following links are also accessible from the “Visas and Travel” page, but also can be linked directly at the following:
Please contact your ISO Advisor if you have any questions about traveling and returning to the U.S. after review of this documentation. |
| READ MORE |
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| Reminder: Beware of Scams |
| NEVER give out any personal or financial information |
An MIT student recently informed the ISO they received a scam email from Paypal, requesting they confirm their identity and financial information.
We cannot stress this enough. PLEASE be careful if you receive an email, phone call, text message or in-person visit from someone claiming to be a U.S. or foreign government official or law enforcement. Unfortunately, MIT International Students are victims of scams and fraud every semester. So what should you do?
- First, do NOT provide any personal or financial information, for identity-protection purposes.
- Second, remain calm and ask the person for as many details as possible. For example, request their name, their phone number, the reason why they are contacting you, as well as their government ID number or badge number and what branch of the government they work for (if applicable). Tell them you will get back to them after you speak to the ISO.
- Third, contact the ISO immediately, by phone, email, or in person. We can help you determine if the official is legitimate or if it's a scam, including recommending calling the MIT Police. If the official or request is legitimate, we can help you navigate the process.
How to Recognize a Phone Scam
Current Scam Alerts
List of Common Scams |
| ISO SCAMS WEBSITE |
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| ISO SPONSORED EVENTS - IAP |
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| IAP: Declutter Your Mind and Tidy Up Your Job Search |
Thursday, January 27
12 pm to 1pm via Zoom
Registration required on Handshake |
"Marie Kondo" your upcoming US or international job search!
It’s no secret that job searching can be a long, and sometimes demoralizing slog. In this workshop, we will share tools* & best practices for the efficient and effective job search, so that you can finish the academic year strong while making serious progress on your goal of landing a job you love. By participating, you’ll effectively de-clutter your mental load while tidying up your career goals to-do list.
Following our tips & tricks, we'll turn on some music and build in time and support for you to start on the right foot.
*We will be sharing resources using Airtable. If you do not already have an Airtable account, it might help you to get a free account before joining this event.
This event is a collaboration between the International Students Office & Career Advising and Professional Development. |
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| LCE: Conversation Groups |
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Join a small group for language practice and conversation exchange!
Our enthusiastic volunteers are leading small groups for Japanese, Chinese, Korean, French, Portuguese/Spanish, and German!
Find dates and times in our LCE Community Slack Space and by subscribing to our newsletter. Interested in starting a group for another language? Reach out to the LCE team at lce@mit.edu.
If you are interested in another language, please fill out the form. We are also looking for new group leaders.
Link to interest Form here |
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| MIT EVENTS & PROGRAMS - IAP |
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| Guide to Food @MIT |
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| The Food Security Action Team has shared guides to food @ MIT. Click on the flyers to access. |
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| Free Hot Meals |
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Tuesdays in January 2022
6:30pm to 7:30pm
W11 Main Dining Room
Looking for food over IAP? Pick up a FREE hot meal in W11. Food prepared and served by MIT Origins Club, co-sponsored by MIT ORSEL. Questions? contact sdasa@mit.edu.
Serving all MIT students; COVID Pass required
MIT CALENDAR LISTING |
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| Ballroom Dance Classes |
Sundays at 3:00pm to 5:00pm from January 9 to January 30
W20: Stratton Student Center, Lobdell
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Come for some fun, energetic and free ballroom dancing classes this IAP, to practise social dancing with the MIT Ballroom Dance Club! We will go over the steps we have learned last semester, but we welcome attendees with all levels of ballroom dancing experience! No partner or special attire needed! We will cover Cha-Cha and Waltz the first two weeks, followed by Samba and Tango the following two weeks! MIT Covid Pass required for participation.
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Free West Coast Swing Classes
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Thursdays at 7:30pm to 9:30pm from Jan 20 – Jan 27
The Coffeehouse Lounge - W20 (Student Center)
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The MIT Ballroom Dance Club is offering free West Coast Swing classes during IAP. Come and have fun practicing some new dance steps with us! No prior experience, special attire or partner needed. MIT Covid Pass required for participation
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| I am a LEADer Virtual Diversity Leadership Conference |
| January 24 - 28th |
| SOLE and SPXCE are proud to present the 2nd annual virtual I am a LEADer Conference (LEAD - Learning Equity And Diversity) diversity leadership conference. Last year we had 161 students participate and gave out 30+ LEADer badges to students who completed at least 8 of the 21 workshops over the last 2 weeks of IAP. This leadership conference is open to all current MIT undergraduate and graduate students. Over 50 students have RSVP’d so far and there’s still time to sign up.
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| "You" Screening with FREE viewing kits |
Wednesday, Jan 26 from 7 PM – 9 PM
Via Zoom
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This year for Stalker Awareness Month we will be screening "You" on Netflix. On January 26th at 7pm the remote screening of "You" and brief discussion about stalking awareness will be covered. Students can RSVP here in order to get zoom access and sign up for FREE screening kits.
Screening kits include: candies, popcorn, cozy socks and some fidgets.
This event is hosted by LBGTQ+, @mit_vpr & @mitwgs!
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| Workshop for UROP Funding Proposal Writing |
Tuesday, January 25th
10:00-11:00AM via Zoom
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| tl;dr: here’s a workshop to help you get your UROP funding for energy-related research.
Did you know that the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI) has funding for UROPs who work on energy-related projects, and that we offer funding every term? In fact, our deadline for spring is coming up: February 15.
If this information sounds useful to you, we’d love to tell you more about our application process, specifically, what we look for in the undergrads’ proposals.
Details below:
In this brief virtual event, we’ll go over the building blocks of an effective research proposal, and how you can mentor your UROPs when they sit down to write one.
Who: You! (If you supervise UROPs on energy-related research)
What: A workshop that will teach you about successful UROP proposals at MITEI
When: Tuesday, January 25th, 10:00-11:00AM.
Why: Because writing proposals isn’t intuitive, and if you already knew how to help your undergrad write an amazing proposal, you wouldn’t be here.
RSVP: It would be nice if you RSVP’d to us ( rshulman@mit.edu), but just showing up is also ok!
Additional Information:
We're actually looking for grad students to act as readers for our proposals, especially because YOU are content experts in ways that we’re not (energy is highly interdisciplinary, and no one can have disciplinary expertise in everything!). At most, you’d read 10 proposals per term, but in reality, the number is probably closer to 5 for large departments (e.g., Course 2) and as few as 1 for smaller departments.
Don’t hesitate to reach out to Rachel Shulman, MITEI Academic Coordinator, with any questions: rshulman@mit.edu. |
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| MIT ESL Call For Volunteers |
| CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS |
The MIT English as a Second Language Program for Service Employees is looking for volunteers to connect with day and night shift service employees over the phone for one hour/week, helping them improve their English skills through informal conversations or ESL coursework via virtual learning (there may be instances where in-person classes may take place). No experience is required, just a good command of English, a smartphone, and an interest in helping individuals whose first language is not English. The goals of the program are to build students' confidence, to help them become more productive in their jobs, and to open up further opportunities for advancement. These classes take place at various times during the day and from 11:00 – midnight either virtually or in-person.
This is an opportunity to make a real and positive difference.
Please contact esl-admins@mit.edu |
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| Introducing: Flipping Failure |
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Flipping Failure is a collection of stories told by MIT students about their path towards resilience when faced with a wide variety of challenges at MIT. Whether you are struggling to adjust to the culture in the United States or at MIT, bracing yourself for your first Boston winter, or stressed about final exams, know that you are not alone.
You may find many of the Flipping Failure stories valuable, and we especially encourage you to check out stories and coping strategies from Annie and Jessica, who share challenges they faced as international students at MIT.
Learn more here |
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| ELS Classes for Spring |
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21W.219 Foundations of Academic and Professional Writing (ELS)
Designed for high-intermediate ELS students to review and practice accurate grammar, effective sentence and paragraph structure, punctuation, and word choice. Short weekly writing assignments utilizing students’ own research and other course work, with extensive revision required. May be repeated for credit. Limited to 18. No listeners.
MW 5-6:30 p.m. (Graduate only) Irene Maksymjuk (imaksym@mit.edu)
21W.222 Expository Writing for Bilingual Students (ELS)
Formulating, organizing, and presenting ideas clearly in writing. Reviews basic principles of rhetoric. Focuses on development of a topic, thesis, appropriate vocabulary choices, and sentence structure to achieve purpose. Develops idiomatic prose style. Gives attention to grammar and vocabulary usage. Special focus on strengthening skills of bilingual students. Intended to be taken during the student's first year at MIT. Limited to 15.
TR 3:30-5 p.m. (Undergraduate only) Olivia Szabo (oliviasz@mit.edu)
21W.224 Listening, Speaking, and Pronunciation (ELS)
Designed for high-intermediate ELS students who wish or need to increase listening comprehension and speaking skills. Short speaking and listening assignments with extensive exercises in comprehension, pronunciation, stress and intonation, and expression of ideas. Frequent video and audio recording for analysis and feedback. Enrollment limited to 18 per section. No listeners. May be repeated for credit with permission of the instructor.
TR 5-6:30 p.m. (Graduate only.) Olivia Szabo (oliviasz@mit.edu)
21W.225/226 Advanced Workshop in Writing for Science and Engineering (ELS)
Designed for advanced ELS or bilingual students. Analysis and practice of various forms of scientific and technical writing for academic and professional contexts. Strategies for conveying technical information to specialist and non-specialist audiences. Students use their own disciplinary research as content for assignments, e.g., a journal article, thesis proposal, or dissertation chapter. Enrollment limited to 18. No listeners. May be repeated for credit with permission of the instructor.
TR 9-10:30 Eric Grunwald egrunwal@mit.edu
21W.227/228 Advanced Workshop in Writing for Social Sciences and Architecture (ELS)
Focuses on techniques, formats, and prose used in academic and professional life with emphasis on fields such as economics, political science, and architecture. Short assignments include business letters, memos, and proposals that lead toward a written term project. Methods are designed to accommodate those whose first language is not English. Models, materials, topics, and assignments vary from term to term. Placement test or permission of instructor required. May be repeated for credit with permission of instructor. Enrollment limited to 18. No listeners.
MW 9-10:30 a.m., MW 12:30-2 p.m. AC Kemp (ackemp@mit.edu)
21W.232/233 Advanced Speaking & Critical Listening Skills (ELS)
Designed for advanced ESL and bilingual students who wish to build confidence and skills in presenting and understanding material in a variety of professional contexts: group discussions, classroom teaching and interactions, and conference talks. Frequent video and audio recording for analysis and feedback. May be repeated for credit with permission of the instructor. Limited to 15 per section.
MW 3:30-5 p.m. Irene Maksymjuk (imaksym@mit.edu)
21G.237 MIT Out Loud: Public Speaking for Bilingual Students
Develops oral communication skills for bilingual students through the lens of the MIT experience. Speaking assignments in informative and persuasive speech forms draw on examples of popular culture and MIT touchstones such as “alternative” campus tours, MIT 100K pitches and TED talks. Explores the role of voice and body language through improvisation and impromptus. Focuses on spoken accuracy and vocabulary through oral exercises designed for bilingual students. Frequent video-recording will be used for self-evaluation. No listeners.
TR 3-4:30 (u.g. credit only) A. C. Kemp ackemp@mit.edu
21W.240 Imagining English: Creative Writing for Bilingual Students (ELS)
Instruction for bilingual students in writing short stories and poems in English. Study of skills, revision, and creativity, and close reading of important works by American, British, and non-native writers writing in English. Analysis of “the limits of English” through group discussions of students’ writing to distinguish linguistic freshness from grammatical incorrectness, with review of relevant rules. Includes academic and non-academic vocabulary building, a formal writing process, literary analysis essays, short translations to and from students’ native languages, and the workshopping of creative work. Enrollment limited to 18. HASS-A.
TR 1-2:30 p.m. (u.g. credit only) Eric Grunwald egrunwal@mit.edu
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Concentration in English Language Studies (ELS)
Two options exist for completing a concentration in ELS:
- Complete any three ELS subjects (one of which may be 21W.222)
- Complete two ELS subjects and a third class in a closely related subject area, for example,
- MIT Out Loud: Public Speaking for Bilingual Students (21W.237),
- The Linguistic Study of Bilingualism (21W.024), and
- Other subject, with approval by the concentration advisor.
For more information on concentrating in English Language Studies, contact ELS Interim Director Eric Grunwald at egrunwal@mit.edu. |
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| Wellness Events & Resources |
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| Know Your Resources! |
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- ask.mit - https://ask.mit.edu/ You shouldn’t have to think about where to turn for help. Just ask. Leave a question and a Student Support and Wellbeing team member will get back to you within 1 business day.
DoingWell was developed to empower students to prioritize their wellbeing. Prioritizing your wellbeing is a journey that looks different for everyone and what works for you one day might need to change another day. What’s most important is that it’s what YOU need. Sometimes, DoingWell means reaching out for support because you’re not feeling good or need help. Other times, DoingWell means going for your weekly run or writing in your journal. This website serves as a place for all MIT students – undergraduate and graduate – to access resources that help you prioritize your wellbeing and get support. |
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| Boston Symphony Orchestra MIT Discount |
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| Subsidized $5 BSO College Cards are now available for MIT students! This program is supported by the Bobko BSO Ticket Fund. With a BSO College Card, students can reserve free tickets to Boston Symphony Orchestra concerts each week during the entire 2021-22 season. Proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 test required—make sure to review the BSO public health policy: Safe in Sound. |
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MIT International Students Office
77 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139
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Office Hours:
9:00-16:00 (M-F)
Closed (W) 10:00-11:30
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