The Burchard Scholars Program 
Expand your horizons at dinner seminars with distinguished MIT faculty
 



 

The Student Application deadline will be announced in Fall 2023.
Program open to MIT sophomores and juniors.
 

Expand Your Horizons at Dinner Seminars with Distinguished Faculty

The Burchard Scholars Program brings together distinguished members of the faculty and promising MIT sophomores and juniors who have demonstrated excellence in some aspect of the humanities, arts, or social sciences. About 35 MIT undergraduates are selected each year for the competitive program. Each cohort of "Burchards" participates for one calendar year, from February through December.

The format is a series of dinner seminars that reflect the vast range of inquiry and research in the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Science. The Burchard Program consists of eight events throughout a calendar year. Seminars are held monthly, on Wednesday evenings from 5-7pm, during the school year. 

 

Application Information

 

The Burchard Scholars application must include the following materials:

  • Curriculum Vitae or résumé
  • List of HASS classes you have taken at MIT
  • A letter of recommendation from a Faculty member who has taught you in a HASS course (to be submitted no later than the application deadline)
  • An essay on one of three essay topics in less than 500 words:
    • If you could require every incoming MIT student to read one book, or contemplate one work of art, or listen to one piece of music, what would it be and why?
    • "Great ideas change the world.” In your essay, personalize the SHASS motto by addressing the following question: How have one or two “great ideas” changed you and your views of “the world”?
    • Write about an experience in which you encountered a tension between personal freedom and community standards. Discuss the experience and the underlying issues, how you dealt with the tension, and whether or not there was a satisfactory resolution.

Students submit applications online here. You are expected to contact your HASS Faculty referee for a letter of reference via the application form. The system will then prompt faculty referees to upload their letters. You should supply them copies of your résumé and your list of HASS subjects. Applicants must have a confidential letter of recommendation from a HASS Faculty Member.  Please allow your referees time to do their job!


If you have a question about the program or how to apply, please email hernanac@mit.edu.

 

Information on the Burchard Program

Burchard Events
Past Burchard Scholars

 

 


Congratulations to the 2023 Burchard Scholars!

Jennifer Ai 
Antti Eero Asikainen 
Elizabeth Athaide 
Stephen Alexander Brennan 
Matthew Caren 
Anushree Chaudhuri 
Diana Degnan 
Diego Delarue 
Katherine Ellison 
Iana Ferguson 
Ishan Ganguly 
Willow Huang 
Selena Liu 
Rachel Loh 
Benjamin Lou 
Joy Ma 
Grace McMillan 
Raj Mehta 
Emmi Mills 
Laker Newhouse 
Katherine Reisig 
Ananda Santos Figueiredo 
Teddy Schoenfeld 
Alexis Spinetta 
Olivia Steger
Pedro Suarez 
Amber Velez 
Daisy Wang 
Felicia Xiao 
Yi Jun Yang 
Alexis Zitzmann