\input /mit/htg/TeX/htg94
\chapter{Academics}

This chapter attempts to provide answers to a variety of questions
dealing with Institute academics.  For more information, use the
cross-reference to MIT Publications in the {\it Publications} chapter.
The most helpful publications include the {\it Class of 1998 Handbook}, the
{\it MIT Course Catalogue}, the {\it Guide for Undergraduates and
Faculty Advisors,} and the {\it Graduate School Manual}.  Entries in
this chapter are in alphabetical order.

\entry{Advanced Standing}
\index{Credit, advanced standing}
\index{Placement, credit}
\index{Advanced Placement}
Getting credit for course material you already know is not difficult.
For many subjects all that is needed is a passing grade on an Advanced
Standing exam; for others, additional work may be required.  See the
instructor and your advisor for details.  Incoming students should
contact the Admissions Office (3-108, x3-4791).

Advanced Standing exams are offered in February, May, September, and
December.  You must file a petition with the Registrar three weeks
before the exam period begins and get the course instructor's
approval.  Freshmen are graded pass/no credit; upperclassmen are given
letter grades.  A freshman failing an Advanced Standing exam will not
have a fail recorded on the permanent transcript.  Advanced Standing
exam grades are never computed into your cumulative average.

If you are considering advance-placing a course, {\it don't} register
for it---not even as a listener.  Registration in a subject
automatically makes you ineligible to take the Advanced Standing exam,
regardless of whether you remain registered for it or actually attend
classes for the course.  If you accidentally do this, a petition will
be necessary to resolve the problem.

Grad students seeking advanced-placement credit generally make
informal arrangements with the instructor and department rather than
take an exam.  Most departments allow you to use some subjects taken
at other schools to fulfill graduate degree course requirements or the
minor requirement.

\entry{Advisors}
\index{Freshman advisors}
\index{Associate advisors}
Freshman Advisors can help you with many of your problems during your
first year at MIT{}.  Get to know your advisor.  Associate Advisors
are upperclassmen who have volunteered their time to help advise
freshmen in conjunction with freshman advisors.  If you're interested
in becoming an associate advisor, talk to someone in the UAAO.

\index{Designating a major}
All freshmen who designate a major at the end of the first year will
then be assigned an advisor in that department.  If you know a
particular faculty member in your department, you can request him or
her as an advisor.  Students who do not designate a major before
their sophomore year will be assigned a faculty advisor by the
Undergraduate Academic Affairs Office (7-104).

Your faculty advisor can be very helpful.  Remember: She is your link
to your department and to the faculty committees (CAP, etc.).  If you
are not doing well, her intervention can be very helpful.  Keep in
touch, especially since many advisors are busy with their own work.
It is possible to use your advisor as a rubber-stamp signature on
various forms, but you'll have a much better and easier time if you
take the initiative and actually discuss your plans and problems with
your advisor on a regular basis.  This will also qualify her to write
your grad-school recommendations.

\subentry{Changing Advisors}
If you're having trouble with your advisor or have met another member
of the faculty you would like to have as your advisor, you can change
advisors.  It is usually not too difficult.  Freshmen and undesignated
sophomores should talk to the people in the {\it Undergraduate
Academic Affairs Office} (7-104).  They are very helpful. Upperclass
students with majors should speak to their department undergraduate
headquarters.

\entry{Co-op, with industry}
\index{Industry co-op}
Most engineering majors have organized cooperative study plans with
industry, some of which allow you to complete both your bachelor's and
master's degree together.  Check with your advisor or look in the
Course Bulletin for details. The tuition differs from the regular
tuition in some departments.  Check at department headquarters and the
Registrar's Office for more information.

\entry{Committees}
Faculty committees make many decisions on academic policy.  Committee
membership lists are available in the MIT Directory under ``Standing
Committees of the Faculty,'' and can be obtained in 4-237.

\index{CAP}
\index{Committees, Academic Performance}
\index{Academic Performance, Committee on}
1. {\bf Committee on Academic Performance} (CAP) handles most
petitions, including those concerning pass/fail, dropping a course
after the drop date, and deadlines for finishing incompletes.  They
also decide whether to place a student on academic probation.  (7-104,
x3-4164)

\index{Faculty Policy Committee}
\index{FPC}
\index{Committees, Faculty Policy}
\index{Policies, Faculty}
2. {\bf Faculty Policy Committee} (FPC) maintains a broad overview of
the Institute's academic programs, deals with a wide range of policy
issues of concern to the Faculty, and coordinates the work of Faculty
committees.  (4-237, x3-1706)

\index{CUP}
\index{Undergraduate Program, Committee on}
\index{Committees, Undergraduate Program}
\index{Interdepartmental Programs}
3. {\bf Committee on the Undergraduate Program} (CUP) is responsible
for encouraging experimental innovation in undergraduate education and
formulating proposals for changes in undergraduate educational policy.
It exercises oversight responsibility for undergraduate education,
including the freshman year and interdepartmental programs,
giving special attention to long-term directions.  The Committee
exercises authority to approve and supervise limited educational
experiments.
%%% there is no definite office for this committee right now.

\index{CGSP}
\index{Committees, Graduate School Policy}
\index{Graduate School Policy, Committee on}
4. {\bf Committee on the Graduate School Policy} (CGSP) is concerned
with academic performance, degree candidacies, fellowships, and
scholarships, etc.  It is composed of students and representatives of
the graduate committee from each department and program.  See your
department representative or the Office of the Dean of the Graduate
School (3-138, x3-4860) for more information.

\index{COC}
\index{Committees, Curricula}
\index{Curriculum Committee}
5. {\bf Committee on Curricula} (COC) handles requests for exemptions
and substitutions in general Institute requirements.  It also handles
proposals for changing requirements.  (E19-341, x3-4781)

These committees are always looking for potential active student
members.  Although these committees require a very serious commitment,
being on one of them is one of the best ways of leaving your mark on
MIT.  Student members are nominated by the graduate and undergraduate
student governments.  For more information call the GSC (x3-2195) or
the UA (x3-2696).

\entry{Complaints/Suggestions}
\index{Suggestions, Institute}
Your advisor is the first person to turn to.  Other natural choices
are the department head and other professors within the department.
The department's feedback committee, if it exists, can also prove
useful.  Other resources include the local Course society, the
Executive Officer, or even the secretaries at Headquarters.  (These
last offer information rather than brute-force pull.  However, that
information may prove invaluable and is unavailable elsewhere.)  The
UAAO (7-104, x3-6771) has no formal departmental connections but can
give good advice.

\index{Wellesley, cross-registration}
\index{Harvard, cross-registration}
\entry{Cross-Registration} 
Sometimes a course that you want to take is
not offered at MIT.  But not to worry---cross-registration programs
with Harvard and Wellesley open the door to many fields not available
at the Institute.

\noindex\subentry{Harvard}
Cross-registration at Harvard is now open to all MIT students.
Freshmen, however, are restricted to foreign language courses not
offered at MIT (such as Arabic or Korean).  Generally, you cannot take
an MIT-equivalent subject at Harvard unless you have a serious
schedule conflict between the MIT version of the course and another
MIT course.  See Bette Davis (14N-408, x3-4443) for Harvard catalog
listings and other information.  You can also check with the Harvard
University Information Center at Holyoke Center in Harvard Square.

Harvard's deadline for registration falls shortly after MIT's
registration day, and the calendar is different from MIT's; first term
finals are in January, and second term finals are in late May, often
after MIT's finals.  Be sure you will be around during their finals
week. 

\noindex\subentry{Wellesley}
In the Wellesley Exchange office (7-103, x3-1668) you will find
information sheets on cross-registration, bus schedules, Wellesley
catalogs, course evaluations by MIT students, and more.  Information
about the exchange is also posted on the exchange bulletin board near
the Admissions Office.

Wellesley classes begin about a week before MIT classes do, so it is
important to begin attending Wellesley classes no later than the first
week of MIT classes.  You must cross-register at Wellesley during the
first week of classes.  MIT needs you to list the Wellesley subject on
your original registration form or fill out an add card.

A free bus service is run between MIT and Wellesley Monday through
Friday afternoon.  The cross registration bus schedule is based on a
combination of MIT and Wellesley class schedules.  Be sure to allow
enough time for transportation between classes.  Note that some
Wellesley classes are taught at MIT.

Policies concerning use of Wellesley subjects to meet general
Institute and departmental requirements are described on the
information sheets.  Information about course prerequisites, the
meaning of ``limited enrollment,'' or anything else can be gotten from
the Wellesley instructor.

For more information see {\it Wellesley} in {\it Colleges Around
Boston}.

\noindex\entry{Degree requirements} 
See {\it Graduation and Degrees}.

\entry{Domestic Year Away}
\index{Year Away, Domestic}
\index{Cross-registration, year away}
You can spend a year studying at another college in the United States
provided that certain conditions are met.  The school you want to
attend must accept you and be of ``established merit,'' and your
department must certify that the school has unique resources
unavailable at MIT, Wellesley, or Harvard.  Your program of study
there should involve a workload comparable to MIT's, and its
objectives must be consistent with your overall MIT degree program.
You won't have to reapply to MIT to get back in.

\index{Financial Aid, Year away}
Financial aid is available for those who would normally be eligible.
The Student Financial Aid Office will determine your need at the other
school and what your need would have been at MIT and will give you the
{\it smaller} award.  You can get more information from the Foreign
Study Office within the Career Services office (12-185, x3-4733).

\entry{End-of-Term Regulations}
\index{Final exams, rules}
\index{Last week of classes}
In a course with a final exam, no written exams may be given during
the six days before the reading period before final exams.  Also, no
assignments or term papers may be due.  In courses without finals,
either one in-class exam {\it or} one assignment may be due during the
six days precding the reading period.  No term papers or assignments
are allowed to have due dates after the last scheduled class meeting
of any class.

It is not uncommon for professors, especially those new to MIT, to be
unaware of this policy or to accidentally violate it.  (It also
happens, but is rare, that a professor will intentionally violate the
policy.)  If you think there is a problem, first talk to the professor
(possibly with other members of the class).  If you are not satisfied
with the result, call the UAAO (x3-4164) to complain to the chairman
of the faculty.

\entry{Finals}
\index{Final exams}
\index{Schedule, Final exams}
\index{Conflicts, Final exams}
Final exam schedules come out in midterm, and are available at the
UAAO and the Information Center (7-121).  If you have conflicting
finals, follow the instructions on the Conflict Form on the back of
the schedule.  (See the section on {\it End-of-Term Regulations} to
see what is permissible during the last week of a class with a final.)

Call the UAAO (7-104, x3-6771) if you forgot (or never found out)
where your final is supposed to be.  The Schedules Office (E19-339,
x3-4788) has the most up-to-date information, and they handle
conflicts.  If you will be more than 45 minutes late, you must get
permission from the SAS (Student Assistance Services) office (5-106,
x3-4861) to enter the exam room.

If you cannot take a final at the scheduled time, all is not lost.
Undergrads should go to the SAS Office (beforehand if possible) and
explain the circumstances which prevent you from taking the exam (a
personal visit is strongly preferred to a call).  If your reason is
accepted, and the instructor has issued an ``O''(absent from final or
last two weeks of class up to that time), the Dean's Office will issue
a grade of OX. It is {\it your} responsibility to make up that final.
If you had been doing failing work throughout much of the term, the
instructor still has the right to give you an F instead of an O.

If you are sick, be sure to go to the Medical Department before the
exam.  If your reason is not accepted, the O remains as such on your
record---it is equivalent to an F and is averaged into your GPA.

A postponed final is normally taken early in the next semester.  This
means that if you missed a second-term final, you must retain all of
your knowledge of the course through the summer and part of the fall
term.  So it might be better to take the final on time if you are not
too sick.  Be realistic about your capabilities though, because if you
do badly, it is nearly impossible to have the grade changed.

Graduate students who need to reschedule a final should talk with
their instructor.  Also, you can check with the Graduate Office
(3-138, x3-4860).

If you have a tendency to go to pieces or otherwise fail to perform
maximally on finals, talk with your instructor beforehand; afterwards
pleading for an incomplete may be your best option.

\entry{Foreign Study}
\index{Year Away, International}
\index{International Year Away}
\index{Term abroad}
\index{Junior Year Abroad}
If you are interested in studying abroad you should start to plan as
soon as possible.  Junior Year Abroad is generally the easiest way to
go.  Student status and dorm priority are generally unaffected.
Financial aid is available as for {\it Domestic Year Away.} Contact
the Career Services Office (12-185, x3-4733) for more information.

\index{Graduate study abroad}
The opportunities for foreign graduate study are greater.  The Office
of Career Services and Preprofessional Advising (12-170) has some
reference materials.  The Graduate School Office (3-138, x3-4860) also
has information on DAAD, Churchill, Fulbright-Hays, Marshall, and
other foreign scholarships.

\entry{Freshman Troubles}  Not everyone's freshman year is a non-stop
joyride.  You may encounter one or more of the following difficulties:

\subentry{Advisor problems}  If you don't like your advisor,
you can ask to change advisors at the Undergraduate Academic Affairs
Office (7-104, x3-6771).  Tell the UAAO people what you want in an
advisor.  Don't hesitate to request a change if you feel one is
necessary.  You {\it can} change advisors more than once as well. (See
{\it Advisors} above.)

\subentry{Evaluation forms}  If you haven't gotten them in the mail,
you can get them from the UAAO (7-104).  If you don't get the
completed forms back, bother your instructor.  These forms may feel
silly, but they help give you a good gauge of how you're doing.

\index{Pass/Fail, Freshman}
\subentry{Failure (not passing)}  Don't panic.  Normally you will merely
have to repeat the course if you want to get credit for it.  Pleading
sometimes helps.  Possibly your evaluation forms did not give you a
clear idea of where you stood.  Talk to your professor.  Remember that
freshman failing grades are not recorded on your external transcript
(but they will influence the CAP at the end of the term if you fail
enough classes to be put on academic probation).

\noindex\subentry{Seminar problems}
\index{Seminars, problems}
If you don't like---or think you won't do well in---your seminar, you
can drop it. However, since most seminars are oversubscribed, give
your seminar a chance.  You probably won't be able to switch to
another.  However much these seminars have been advertised as ``fun''
courses, they are sometimes treated as an indicator of your creativity
and research potential.  Beware that a few ``freshman'' seminars have,
on occasion, assumed background beyond that of the average freshman.
(One year, a number-theory seminar assumed substantial familiarity
with group theory.)  If that's the case, talk to your seminar leader.
Probably everyone else is floudering, too. You can obtain a listing of
the seminars for the next term at the Undergraduate Acacdemic Support
Office in 7-104 (x3-6771).

\subentry{Course Problems}
\index{Problems, course}
If you really don't like your professor, go to the undergraduate
department office or to the departmental headquarters and explain why
you would rather be in another section. Don't use the negative
approach; instead, explain why another section would be better for
you.  If there is only one section, you can drop the course (and wait
for next term) or grin and bear it.

If you have any problems at all, whether they concern problem set
difficulties or room temperature, talk to the instructor.  She wants
feedback (in most cases) and will react favorably to the simple fact
that you have gotten off your tail and said something---even if it is
critical.  Just do things tactfully, and you will be surprised at how
well received you'll be.

If that doesn't work, try your advisor or other faculty members in the
appropriate department.  Go straight to the department head if
necessary.  Try the deans, especially the UAAO (7-104, 3-6771), and
then the counseling staff (5-106, x3-4861); they are all experienced
in dealing with classroom complaints.

Don't worry that your comments might be too trivial to waste someone's
time with.  If something bothers you, it probably bothers other
people, too.  If you're really unsure, sound out another
student, a dean, or a random faculty member and see what happens.
Normally, all you have to do is ask.

If your problems involve the course material, you have several paths
available to you.  Tutorials (if they exist) provide personalized
help---it's best to attend them throughout the term and avoid the
crowded cram sessions on the day before the exam.  Your TA might also
be able to arrange a help session.  Faculty and students in your
living group may have taken the course in question; they might have
old quizzes and homework as well as an understanding of the material.
Undergraduate offices also often have facilities to help out.  The
Office of Minority Education (7-143, x3-5010) offers tutoring for all
students.

\subentry{Schedule Conflicts}
\index{Conflicts, Schedule}
\index{Conflicts, Classes}
\index{Class (schedule) conflicts}
If you have two or more conflicting subjects scheduled, check with the
Schedules Office (E19-338, x3-4788).  If you can't get into a
different section, you'll have to go to half of the classes in each
subject.  Dropping one of the courses and waiting until the next term
may be the best solution.  Discuss the problem with each one of the
instuctors.

The schedule given on your schedule card is taken from the master list
given in your registration booklet.  During the first week of classes,
many courses will not pay attention to the section assignments and you
can simply show up at the most convenient section.  However, this is
not true for all courses; many have special procedures to change
sections.  If you're not sure, it's generally best to ask the
instructor of the section you want to attend what you should do to
remain in the section.  After the first week, you may need
departmental approval to change your section.

\entry{Grade Challenging}
\index{Challenging a grade}
Problem sets, quizzes, and exams are often marked by TA's or graders.
If you have any questions about the accuracy of a mark, ask the grader
or TA; if you cannot resolve the problem, talk with the instructor.
Normally he will be quite willing to look at your side of it.

If you feel a course grade is unfair, first talk to the instructor,
and then, if necessary, to the department head. The CAP is willing to
act as an intermediary in case of disagreements but cannot override a
department's decision.  The instructor must fill out a Special Report
Sheet and send it to the Registrar before the grade change can
officially take place.  All such changes, including making up I's and
OX's, must be done before you get your degree.

\entry{Graduate Schools}
\index{GRE's}
\index{GMAT's}
\index{LSAT's}
\index{MCAT's}
Reasonably thorough collections of graduate school catalogs can be
found in the Humanities Library (in 14S) and the Career Planning and
Placement Office (12-170, x3-4733).  The latter also has independent
references on school reputations, financial aid, and degrees awarded.
In addition, the office has some applications for the GMAT, LSAT, MCAT
and GRE.  With regard to the GRE, the Graduate School office (3-138,
x3-4860) has application forms and information.  Reference copies of
test bulletins are kept in the Career Office (12-170).  Register to
take the GRE's and other such exams spring term your Junior year.

Frank Perkins, Dean of the Graduate School, can be helpful to talk to
if you want to come to MIT for graduate study.  When applying to grad
schools, it's usually best to specify the doctoral degree as the
``degree to be studied for.''  This and other rules of thumb may be
gleaned from your advisor and other faculty if you ask for help.

\subentry{Getting A Recommendation}
\index{Recommendations, for grad school}
Recommendations may be at least as important as your average.  You
should have a good working relationship with at least one faculty
member and ask for recommendations early.  Make sure that you ask
people for their approval before using them as a reference.  It helps
to know that you'll get a good recommendation.  (Unlike many people in
the ``real world,'' MIT people tend to be brutally honest in their
recommendations.)

\subentry{Admission to MIT Graduate School}
\index{Graduate School, Admission}
For some departments (particularly Chemistry and Biology) it will be
harder for MIT undergrads to get into MIT than for grads from other
institutions of comparable quality.  The reason is that departments
want to avoid ``inbreeding.''  Consult the department, the Admissions
Office, and the Graduate School Manual for more information and help.

\index{Graduate student, interdisciplinary}
\index{Interdisciplinary graduate student}
It is possible to be admitted as an interdisciplinary graduate
student.  You still have to find a department that will admit you, but
some flexibility is allowed.  It will take a lot of talking to get you
what you want and at least one professional ally.  Don't delay.

\noindex\subentry{Prelaw, Premed, and Educational Counseling}
\index{Prelaw}
\index{Premed}
\index{Pre-education}
The Committee on Preprofessional Advising and Education serves the
special needs of students interested in entering the medical, legal,
and teaching professions (and related areas in public administration).
The Committee itself consists of three advisory councils, one in each
field.  If you are wondering what it feels like to be a professional
in one of these areas, the members of the advisory councils will be
glad to tell you.

\index{Office of Career Services}
\index{Preprofessional Advising}
The Office of Career Services and Preprofessional Advising (12-170,
x3-4737) publishes special handbooks for the fields mentioned above.It
also provides graduate school catalogs, applications for entrance
exams (MCAT, LSAT, etc.), and academic counseling and sponsors
seminars given by professionals and representatives of graduate
schools.  Students interested in teaching should contact the Wellesley
Education Department.  MIT students can gain teaching certification
through Wellesley.  See the Exchange Office for details (7-103,
x3-1668).

%%% You can also gain teaching certification to teach biology,
%%% chemistry, math, or physics through MIT.  See ??? for information.
%%% (couldn't get enough info. this is just a comment, not in the guide.)
\entry{Graduate cross-registration}
\index{Cross-registration, Graduate students}
MIT has cross registration programs with a number of schools.  Most of
these programs are very limited ({\it e.g.,} at Brandeis only course
XI grad students may cross register), but don't let these restrictions
stop you.  Build a good case for yourself, convince your advisor of
its merit, and you at least have a chance.  With perserverence and
careful planning, things can go the way you want them to.  More
information is available in the Graduate Student Manual and from your
registration officer, or from the appropriate coordinator:

\medskip
\def\dottwo#1#2{\hbox to \hsize{#1\dotfill#2}}
\dottwo{\it School}{\it MIT Coordinator}
\dottwo{Harvard}{Registrar's Office, E19-339}
\dottwo{Wellesley}{Wellesley Exchange Office, 7-108, x3-1668}
\line{Woods Hole Oceanographic\hfill Biology; Ocean Eng.; Earth,\qquad}
\dottwo{\qquad Institution}{Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences}
\dottwo{Brandeis (Social Welfare)}{Prof. John Howard, x3-7333, x3-4408}
\dottwo{Tufts (Dental School)}{Departmant of Applied Biology}
\dottwo{Boston University (African Studies)}{Economics and Political Science}
\index{Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution}
\index{WHOI}
\index{Brandeis, cross-registration}
\index{Tufts, cross-registration}
\index{BU, cross-registration}

\index{Degree requirements}
\index{Graduation requirements}
\noindex\entry{Graduation and Degrees}
You must submit an application to be a degree candidate in order to
graduate.  The application is included in your registration material.
MIT does not automatically grant your degree as soon as all your
requirements have been met.  It is possible to graduate with one
deficiency if it occurred in a departmental subject for which you were
registered in the final term and you made an honest effort to complete
the course.  Even then, graduation is not automatic.  Your department
will have to petition the Committee on Academic Performance (CAP) and
make a well-informed plea.  Double-majors may {\it not} graduate with
a deficiency.

Before you receive your diploma, all library books must be returned,
all keys to rooms and labs must be returned to the Office of the
Superintendent of Physical Plant or to the appropriate professor, and
all financial matters must be cleared.  The Student Accounts office
will notify you of the deadline dates for all the formalities.

Prior to graduation, any student employed by the Institute must file a
Termination Clearance form with the Payroll Office, with signatures
certifying that she has returned all keys, books, supplies, etc.
Some labs have their own special termination procedures for teaching
assistants.

\index{Double degrees}
\index{Degrees, Double}
\index{Bachelors degrees, two}
\index{Buy one, get one free}
{\bf Two Bachelors Degrees:} You must fulfill requirements in two
departments while accumulating an additional 90 units (about one
year's worth).  You may petition the Committee on Curricula (through
the Registrar's Office) for a double major only after completing two
semesters on grades.  They say that you must petition at least two
terms before graduating; but they have been known to relax this
requirement if you have been making a demonstrable effort towards
the second degree.  The petition must list the two degrees and the
expected graduation date.  Consult your advisors in both departments
to find out about the deadline for application and to obtain approval
of your entire program.

Make sure you contact both departments about your joint thesis if you
plan to present one.

{\bf Bachelor's and Master's Degrees:}  Some departments will award an SB
and an SM simultaneously.  You must be accepted for graduate study at
least one term before the degree is awarded; that requires a petition.
Check with your advisor for details.  If you want a Bachelor's degree
in one department and a Master's in another, you are on your own.
Don't worry, though---it has been done.

\index{Master's degrees, two}
{\bf Two Master's Degrees:}  You do not necessarily have to take
additional credit units for two Master's degrees.  However, there are
requirements about splitting up the units between the two departments.
You can do a joint thesis for two Master's degrees; a petition must be
filed at least two terms before graduation.

\index{Interdepartmental degrees}
\subentry{Degrees, Interdepartmental}
Many departments have concentrations which allow much work in another
area (II-A, VI-1 Bio option, etc.). Check with your advisor.

\subentry{Degrees, Unspecified}
\index{Unspecified degrees}
Several courses (I, II, III, IV, VII, IX, X, XII, XIII, XV) sponsor
very flexible programs that can be adjusted to suit your personal
preferences up to a certain limit.  Since all departments have the
option of offering unspecified degrees, your advisor or department
head can help you set up a program.  But remember that you still must
fulfill the general Institute requirements, even if they don't seem to
fit into your personalized educational program.

\subentry{How to Get Around Requirements}
\index{Requirements, getting around}
\index{Getting around requirements}
\index{Substitutions, for requirements}
If you want to be exempt from making substitutions for Institute
requirements, you have to petition the COC.  Getting out of a
departmental requirement will require working things out with your
advisor and the departmental head.  Talk to the people involved before
writing your petition.  Your advisor and the deans can be of help.
Try to find out about policies and precedents, and build up a
believable case, which may take a major creative effort in borderline
cases.

Don't be afraid to try; the results can be worth it.  Petition forms
are available from your advisor, the Registrar's Office, the UAAO, and
the Information Office.  Your petition will be more effective if you
justify yourself in two sentences on the petition itself.  Items which
are petitioned for most frequently are substitutions for humanities
and lab requirements.  Often other subjects may be substituted for
certain requirements in the department.  Make sure you have the
approval of the instructor in the subject you want to substitute.  If
your petition is refused, you can appeal to the same committee and
they may change their minds if you are persuasive enough.

\entry{IAP}
\index{Independent Activities Period}
\index{Teaching a course (over IAP)}
IAP is a unique MIT experience. It is the time in between fall and
spring terms---about 4 weeks in January.  During this time there
are many activites, seminars, and yes, even a few accelerated courses.
It is a time to explore some of the things which have always
interested you but that you haven't had time for.  If you have some
skill or knowledge that you would like to share with others, you can
teach your own course or sponsor your own activity.  Past topics
taught by professors and students alike include wine tasting,
machining, algebraic topology, sightseeing, and a real-time
roleplaying game. There is no real limit to what you can do.

Information about organization, registration, and funding (it exists!)
is available in October from the stacks of forms in Lobby 7 or the IAP
office (7-103, x3-1668).  If you have any questions, ask Alice
LaPierre, who is very friendly and helpful.  The IAP Preview,
published in September, contains major activities planned by academic
departments, but a complete list of the 600-plus IAP activities is not
available until early December in the IAP Guide.

\subentry{Credit for IAP}
You are generally limited to twelve units of credit for IAP.  Some 12-
and 6-unit classes which meet departmental requirements for some
majors are available during IAP.  Taking over twelve units over IAP
requires a petition to the COC or CGSP.  The freshman credit limit
does not apply to IAP credit.

\entry{Incompletes}
Incompletes must be completed by the end of the fifth week of the
succeeding term, unless the instructor explicitly grants you an
extension (which at most extends to the last day of classes of that
term).  Any further extension requires the approval of the CAP,
which is given only in special circumstances (for instance, if the lab
equipment you need is not available during the appropriate term).  If you
withdraw from MIT before making up the incomplete, talk to the CAP about
when to make it up; if the incomplete requires scarce MIT equipment,
remember that you are not officially allowed to use such equipment
when not registered. The CAP encourages readmitted students to make up
incompletes.

Incompletes not completed remain Incompletes; they are not computed
into your average.  {\it However}, they are often treated by graduate
schools as ``F''s.  Departments and the CAP will consider the number of
incompletes in your record if your academic performance is being
reviewed.

It is a good idea to ask your professor ahead of time for an
Incomplete (but don't ask if you haven't already done two thirds of
the course work), explain the reasons for it, and tell him when you
plan to finish the subject.  (If he is not going to give you an
Incomplete, better to know before the term ends.)  Many professors
will go out of their way to be accommodating, even to the point of
calling you up to see if you are still working on the Incomplete;
others will screw you to the wall.

\entry{Inventing Your Own Course}
\index{Teaching a course}
New courses have been invented in the past.  A strong commitment and
faculty backing are essential.  The Educational Studies Program (ESP,
W20-467, x3-4882) provides an organization for teaching Saturday
courses to high school students.  Starting an IAP course is much
easier and can be done through a department or independently.  Contact
the IAP office (7-103, x3-1668).

\entry{Light Load}
Regular students planning to register for a light load (fewer than 33
units) must get approval from their advisors and a counseling dean
(5-106).  If the forms are signed by add date, the CAP will take this
into account at its end-of-term meeting and will not take
action because of a low registration.  There is also the possibility
of saving money by paying tuition on a per-unit basis while still
being considered a regular student.  Taking more than two terms of
light load is discouraged and requires a CAP petition.

\entry{Listener Status}
There are two ways to sit in on a subject: the first is getting
permission to sit in on a class and learn informally; the second is
registering officially to listen to a class.  If you do register to
listen, you will not be allowed to advance-place the course later on.
For the summer term, or whenever you pay tuition on a per-unit basis,
the listening rates are the same as for regular students' tuition.  It
is possible to change status to a regular student during the term (up
to the add date).  See your advisor for the necessary paperwork.  

\entry{Pass/Fail}
Pass/Fail grading is generally available only to freshmen, to students
in seminars or UROP programs, and to juniors and seniors exercising
their pass-fail option (see below).  An instructor may petition the
COC to have his/her entire subject made pass/fail but cannot allow
individual students to take the course pass/fail unless one of the
above options applies to them.

Freshmen will receive only pass/D/F grading on their grade reports,
but their hidden grades from the second term will be sent to their
sophomore advisors on a separate sheet.  (Be aware that the Math,
Physics, and Chemistry departments keep records of how first-term
freshmen do on quizzes, problem sets, etc.)  Your external transcript
will not show ``no-record'' grades, or D or F.

\index{Pass/Fail, Junior/Senior option}
\index{Junior/Senior Pass/Fail option}
\index{Seniors, Pass/Fail option}
The junior-senior option allows you to designate two subjects in your
last four terms as pass/fail.  The subjects cannot be Institute or
departmental requirements, but you may take both in the same term.
You can change a class to or from pass/fail until add date.  Failing
grades under junior/senior pass/fail are not recorded.

\noindex\entry{Problems}
If something is wrong and you can't find adequate help from your
advisor, the UAAO, the deans in 5-106 (x3-4891), or anywhere else, go
to the psychiatrists (E23-376, x3-2916).  These people specialize in
helping when you're in trouble.

\entry{Registration and Course Selection}
\index{Registration}
\index{Course selection}
The first time you register you will be given registration material by
your advisor.  After that, you pick it up in Lobby 10 on certain
pre-announced dates.  Spring term registration forms are given out in
early December, fall term forms in early May.  If you miss the
scheduled dates, you can get the material at the Registrar's Office
(E19-335).

You {\it must} return the forms on time, even if the information is
incomplete; otherwise, you'll be stuck with a \$20.00 fine.  You can
always make changes on Registration Day.  (If you really have no idea
what to sign up for, just register for {\it anything} and change it
later.)

The Registrar will send you notification of your registration status
periodically throughout the term (more-or-less after Reg Day and
before and after Add and Drop Dates).  Check these carefully and be
sure to have them corrected immediately if necessary.  Be sure to keep
a copy of {\it everything} you can whenever you deal with these
people, especially end-of-term grade reports.  The Registrar's
computer has been known to ``forget'' you registered for a 24-unit
lab, etc.  Don't count on the experience of others to prepare you for
what may come---this office is also very innovative.

To add or drop a subject before the applicable deadline, submit a
correction card (``add/drop card'') to the Registrar's Office
(E19-335) or the Registrar's Annex Office (7-108).  Cards are
available at the Undergraduate Academic Affairs Office (7-104), the
Information Office (7-121), and some departmental offices; deans and
advisors can sometimes supply them.  The card needs your advisor's
signature.  If you are adding a course after the first week, you also
need the instructor's signature.  If your advisor is not available, a
signature from your department office (or the UAAO for freshmen and
undesignated sophomores) may be obtained.  A course dropped within the
first five weeks of the term will be entirely erased from your
records; a drop after five weeks will appear on the internal
transcript.
\index{Adding a course} \index{Dropping a course}
\index{Drop Date} \index{Add Date}

Keep in mind that some faculty members consider a drop after the fifth
week to be automatic proof that you were failing the course at the
time.

After Drop Date (eleven weeks from the start of the term), you must
petition the Committee on Academic Performance if you want to drop a
subject.  The CAP has outlined adequate reasons for dropping a subject
late as unforeseen circumstances beyond the student's control.  The
fact that you are failing, by itself, is not enough to get you off the
hook.  As a whole, the committee is very strict about drop date, but
exceptions have been made in the past; check with the staff working 
with the CAP (7-104, x3-4164) to see what your chances are.

If you have an exam on drop date, don't wait until the next week to see
your score and then petition to drop the course.  If you have an exam
the day before drop date, you can often obtain your scores early by
calling the professor or a TA for the course.  If you're not sure
whether to drop or not, visit your professor or recitation instructor
during office hours or make an appointment with them.  They will tell
you whether you should stick with it, get an Incomplete, or drop now
while you still can.

\entry{Special Projects}
If you have an idea you want to work on or something you want to
study, it is possible to get Institute backing.  You may even be able
to get credit or satisfy Institute requirements while doing your own
thing.  Petitions for fulfillment of Institute requirements go to the
COC. \index{Independent Study}

First, dig up an idea.  (Example: writing a guidebook for the MIT
community; that's how this book got started.)  Several established
ways of doing so are:

1. Check with the UROP office (20B-141, x3-7306) or check their
bulletin board in the main corridor for current research offerings.
Although most projects take place on campus, it is also possible to
have an off-campus project at hospitals, corporations, non-profit
organizations, or government agencies.  See the UROP booklet for more
ideas and for the rules and regulations regarding project work.  Also,
see the {\it UROP} section of this chapter. \index{UROP}

2. Ask at department headquarters/graduate offices for references on
current research.

3. Find a professor you want to work with and ask her for project
ideas.  Most faculty members have lots of ideas which they themselves
don't have time to work on.

4. Drop in at a lab you're interested in and ask someone about what's
going on.  In most cases, you'll get an enormously thorough
description; people are very willing to talk about their work.

Second, find a way to do your own thing.  A few suggestions are:

1. Register for a ``projects'' or ``special problems'' subject in your
(or any other) department.  The best types are those with credit ``to
be arranged.''  You must find a faculty sponsor. If the project works
out well, you can do a careful write-up and petition to make it your
thesis.

2. Try to make your project a part-time job with a professor or try to
make it a summer job, possibly by getting hold of grant money.
Consult your advisor or department head for suggestions on how to go
about it.

3.  Check with the interdepartmental labs.  A fairly thorough listing
is in the Catalog.

Whatever your idea, if you're really interested in pursuing it you
should be able to find help and sponsorship somewhere in the
Institute.  If at first you don't succeed, keep trying; there are
plenty of places to go for advice.  The person who turned you down may
change his mind and offer his services the next month.

\entry{Special Students}
Special students, by definition, are not considered to be working
toward a degree.  Special students pay tuition based upon the number
of units they register for; they must be readmitted each term.  They
usually are not eligible for financial aid, campus housing, or
cross-registration.  Subjects taken by a special student can be used
toward a degree if the student is subsequently admitted as a regular
student.  Contact the counseling deans (5-106, x3-4891) if you're
thinking of changing your status or the Admissions Office if you've
never been a regular student.

\entry{Summer Session}
The summer session is open to all students.  The summer catalogue is
issued in March and is available at the Information Office (7-121) and
at the UAAO (7-104).  Tuition is paid on a per-unit basis although
minimum and maximum rates do exist.  Regular students should check
with the Registrar's Office (E19-335); Special Students should contact
the Admissions Office (3-108).

Non-MIT students cannot register for MIT summer session without being
admitted to the Institute under the same admission standards as those
for the regular school year.

The number of courses offered in the summer is limited, but it usually
includes some large freshman and sophomore courses such as 8.02 and
18.03.

\index{Summer research}
Summer is a good time to do research.  It can be done for credit or
pay.  If you do it for credit, however, you will have to pay for it,
depending on how many units you register for.  The research must be
started at least halfway through the spring term, especially if you
want to be paid for it.  If you want to do research for pay, funding
either from your department or UROP may be difficult to obtain.  Check
with the UROP Office (20B-141, x3-7306) for more information and help,
and check with your department about ongoing projects which you might
find attractive.

\entry{Theses}
Copies of {\it Specifications for Thesis Preparation}, published by
the Libraries, are available from your department, the UAAO (7-104),
and the Institute Archives (14N-118).  Your advisor or department
should be able to answer most questions.

\entry{Transcripts}
The Registrar's Office will make copies of your transcript for \$2.00
each.  Keep in mind that it will take a while to get them prepared.
Payment is made at the Cashier's Office (10-180).  Requests for
transcripts must be made by the student in writing; no request from a
graduate school or anyone else is honored without the student's
approval.

\entry{Transferring Credit}
\index{Credit, transferring}
It is possible to receive MIT credit for work done at other
institutions.  If an exact MIT equivalent exists, fill out a Request
for Additional Credit form with a recorded grade of ``S.''  If you
want a real letter grade, consider taking an advance-standing test
rather than transferring the credit.  (Make sure you look at the
MIT problem sets and exams first!) 

There are transfer credit examiners in each department and Humanities
sections.  The UAAO has a list of them.  You should check with them
{\it before} taking a course to make sure you will get the credit you
want.  If no equivalent exists here, see the most closely related MIT
department.  Any questions about the granting of credit for work done
before you entered MIT as a freshman should be directed to the Director 
of Advanced Placement in the Admissions Office.

Graduate level subjects completed satisfactorily at other universities
may be accepted toward requirements for an advanced degree but do not
contribute to the residency requirement.  If the subject has an MIT
equivalent, submit an Additional Credit sheet; if not, you must
petition the COC.  Courses previously taken by a Special Student may
be used later in partial fulfillment of requirements for a graduate
degree.  In either case, the Registration Officer should indicate the
amount of (A) or other credit accepted.

\entry{UROP}
The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) is rooted in
ideas presented in a lecture by Edwin Land in 1959, when he argued
that every student should have a faculty guide to help the student
explore his/her own connections to learning and inventing.  Land, the
founder of Polaroid Corporation, used to sneak into New York
University labs at night to try out his ideas about the polarization
of light, because he didn't have anything like UROP to help him.

These days a lot of students think about UROP simply as a way to get
an interesting research job, and the program works quite well for
this.  Many students find that UROP leads to thesis work, to graduate
school, and to careers.  In fact, the people at UROP say they will let
you do ``anything you want, as long as you can get a faculty member to
supervise you (and the department to approve).''

Thus, while there are hundreds of undergraduates building their
research skills while working on projects for high-powered MIT
faculty, there are also a goodly number developing their own projects
in science, technology, and the humanities.

\index{Student Research Partners}
You can start a UROP any time during your four years at MIT.  If you
are a first-year student, UROP has a program called Student Research
Partners, which will match you up with an experienced upper-classman
on a UROP project during the Independent Activities Period in January.

UROP makes it possible for you to get either academic credit, or pay,
for projects done through the program.  The bright yellow UROP
directory is a useful tool, and so are the bulletin boards in the
Infinite Corridor and the Undergraduate Education Office over in
building 20.  See the staff in 20B-141, x3-7909.  They are very
friendly and very helpful.

\subentry{Credit for UROP}
First, you need to arrange with a faculty supervisor such details as
the nature of the project and the number of units to be awarded.
Next, you need to compose a Letter of Intent and have it signed by
your supervisor and submitted to the UROP coordinator in your faculty
supervisor's department.

Register for UROP credit as you would for any class.  If you want to
receive pass/fail credit, register for the UR subject number (e.g.,
1~U.R., 2~U.R.).  If you wish to receive a grade, register under the
suitable subject number for undergraduate research (e.g., 7.90,
17.901, etc.).  A UROP may be added after Add Date if it really starts
after Add Date.  And don't forget to remind your faculty supervisor to
submit a grade at the end of the term---if your research isn't
finished, a grade of ``J'' may be awarded to indicate satisfactory
research activity continuing beyond one semester.

\entry{Undesignated Sophomore Status}
\index{Sophomore, Undesignated}
The Undergraduate Academic Affairs Office (7-104, x3-6771) works with
students who have not designated a major.  The people there will talk
to you about selecting a major and choosing or changing advisors. They
can often help with problems of course and career selection.

If you choose a major and then change your mind, don't worry.
It {\it is} possible for sophomores to un-designate.

\entry{Warning}
The description of Warning below is quoted from a publication of the
Committee on Academic Performance.

{\sl\leftskip=1em
``Warning'': This action would be appropriate in the case of a
student whose performance is considered below standard, and whose
status at the Institute may be jeopardized if his/her performance does
not improve in the coming term.  We feel that this action ought not to
be viewed as punitive, but rather as a helping mechanism that will
encourage such students to plan constructive action to improve their
performance.\par}

\noindex\subentry{Undergraduates}
\index{Undergraduates, warning}
If you have a problem or are facing a warning, talk to some of the
Committee members or to the staff of the CAP (7-104, x3-4164).
Most of these people are quite reasonable individuals.

There is no set cut-off point for getting a warning or escaping it.
CAP always will look at you if your term GPA is 3.0 or less, if you
were registered for less than 36 units at the end of that term, or if
you have received more than 15 units of Incomplete.  The normal
procedure for each department is to have a grades meeting at the end
of each term, at which they will consider each student and make
recommendations to the CAP.  Therefore, if you think there is
something the faculty of your department should know, tell them via
your advisor or favorite professor before the end of the term.

Your advisor is your representative and advocate at these meetings and
before the CAP.  If you are having problems, make sure that she knows
the full situation {\it before} you get into trouble.  If it's too
late for that, call her as soon as possible to provide your side of
the story.

If you have been ill, be sure you have thorough medical records to
show the CAP, as you will not be believed otherwise.  If you are
claiming you have had ``emotional problems,'' you may have to get
verification from a psychiatrist.

If you are on warning, your registration is limited to a maximum of 48
units (51 units if you're taking a 15-unit course).  In some
instances, the CAP may vote to restrict a person's unit load to 39 or
36 units.

If you leave the Institute for academic reasons, you should consider
yourself on academic warning the first term after you return---the CAP
does.  

If you have any questions, go to the UAAO (7-104, x3-4164).  They
can also refer you to a member of the committee.  In general,
the committee is quite reasonable and tries to help students.

\noindex\subentry{Graduate Students}
\index{Graduate Students, Warning}
Graduate students may receive a warning from the Committee on Graduate
Student Policy if their cumulative GPA is somewhere below the
3.5-to-4.0 range.  However, the Committee is not required to warn you.
If your poor performance continues, your department will probably
recommend kicking you out---it is vital that both the CGSP and your
advisor clearly understand the circumstances which are causing your
problems.

\entry{Withdrawal}
If you have been on warning at some point and are now doing poorly,
the Committee on Academic Performance may, after consulting your
advisor, require you to withdraw.  Virtually no one flunks out due to
lack of intelligence; if you're having trouble, there's probably some
other factor at work.

If you're headed for a withdrawal, {\it don't panic}.  Visit the
counseling deans (5-106) or the psychiatrists (E23-376).  Feel free to
ask any questions in the CAP office (7-104).  The Placement Office
(12-170, x3-4733) can help you find a permanent job (or a temporary
one if you intend to reapply for admission).

\index{Transferring, out of MIT}
If you plan to transfer to another school, remember that most
universities require a minimum 4.0 GPA (on the MIT scale) for transfer
students.  If yours is substantially below that, don't be surprised if
you are told to go to junior college or night school.  Some schools
will allow you to ``prove yourself'' as a special student and then
transfer in, but many will only care about your MIT GPA and won't let
you in even if you have five terms of straight A's as a special
student.  If you really think you can't do MIT work, transfer out
before the end of your sophomore year; in that case your high school
grades will be the major basis for the admissions decision, and your
MIT GPA won't hurt you that much.  Northeastern University in Boston
has accepted quite a number of people who have flunked out of MIT, but
this school does not provide a particularly good undergraduate
education in technical areas.

\subentry{Readmission after Required Withdrawal}
Normally students seeking readmission after one required withdrawal
apply through the Counseling Deans (5-106).  Students with more than 
one required withdrawal must apply for readmission through the CAP.

The character of the CAP can change quite a bit.  Note that the CAP's
membership changes partially every year and the committee that can
readmit you may have very different attitudes than the one that kicked
you out.

When applying for readmission through the CAP, you should submit every
existing piece of evidence showing you are no longer a ``person with
problems'' and will be a productive, disciplined, and enthusiastic
student.  This includes job recommendations, transcripts, and a
medical report if you think your past problems were medical in origin.
See the UAAO (7-104, x3-4164) for help in writing an effective
application.

If applying for readmission through the Counseling Deans, talk to other
students who have gone through Dean's Office readmission before
selecting any particular dean.  (In the past, some deans have
tried to restrict a student's choice of major without much
investigation into the student's strengths and weaknesses.  Be aware
that many people regard pure mathematics and physics as unsuitable for
someone who has had academic problems.)

\subentry{Voluntary Withdrawal and Leave of Absence}
If you want to leave school, even if only temporarily, you should
contact the counseling deans (5-106) for advice and help with all the
procedural hassles.  If you're not sure whether to take a term or so
off, try talking to one of the deans, your advisor, friends, your
personal physician, or members of the Psychiatric Service.  Also, 
the Placement Office can help you in finding a temporary or permanent 
job.  When you request a leave of absence, you will be asked to 
indicate when you plan to return, but you can change your return 
date later. \index{Voluntary Withdrawal} \index{Leave of Absence}

Readmission of undergraduates who have withdrawn in good standing is
not hard and is done through the DSA.  You won't lose financial aid,
and housing spaces are often available.

Readmission of graduate students is done through the department.  If
you're gone more than five years you'll also need the approval of the
CGSP.

\bye


