Interphase EDGE/x students enjoy a gathering on campus this past summer as part of their introduction to MIT.
PHOTO: SIMON SIMARD
One recent first-year student described the experience as “going from zero to 60 in a nanosecond.” For students hoping to soften that initial jolt, as well as students who want a running start into the rigors of their first year at MIT, there is Interphase EDGE/x (Empowering Discovery Gateway to Excellence).
Founded in 1969, Interphase EDGE/x is a holistic experience that combines academics, community building, and individual development. Beginning in late June, incoming EDGE/x students spend eight weeks on campus (a smaller cohort participates in the program remotely and joins the main group on campus in week six). Students attend classes, workshops, and team-building exercises, mastering a series of skills that include oral and written communication and problem-solving.
“Interphase EDGE/x gives incoming students an opportunity to explore the campus, to develop friendships, to ramp up in certain subjects, and even a chance to earn physical education points and take their required swimming test ahead of time,” says Krissy Robinson, staff associate for academic success at the Office of Minority Education, which oversees the program. “When classes start in September, EDGE/x students have already moved into their dorms, met faculty and administrators, and formed friendships and community. MIT feels familiar instead of disorienting. They know where to look for opportunities and support. And students have a much better chance of succeeding.”
Students in the Interphase EDGE/x program call themselves “Interphasers.” They come from all backgrounds and origins. “The program was created to support students from diverse backgrounds,” explains Robinson. “We still actively seek scholars from varied ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic origins, as well as those with unique life experiences. But all incoming students are invited to apply and take part in the EDGE/x program.”
While the eight-week summer session forms the main part of EDGE/x, students remain in the program through the end of the second semester of their second year. Many EDGE/x alumni sign on to work in the program during their junior and senior years on campus. “I started working with EDGE/x at the end of my sophomore year,” says Michaela Purvis ’24, an EDGE/x alumna. “I was a residential facilitator, helping incoming students adapt to dorm life, and then a residential advisor and a teaching assistant in chemistry class. A lot of us who did the program have come back to teach or mentor incoming EDGE/x students, because of what the program has done for us. We know the value of seeing friendly faces on campus during the first semester.”
PHOTO: SIMON SIMARD
Purvis, who participated in EDGE/x remotely during the Covid-19 pandemic, says the program definitely helped her academically. “Right after I was admitted, an MIT student called to tell me about the EDGE/x program,” she recalls. “He said it was a good opportunity to smooth my transition on campus and to fill some holes in my knowledge and skill set. That call, and the EDGE/x program, were among the reasons I chose MIT. He was right about filling those holes. If I hadn’t taken physics with EDGE/x over the summer, I don’t think I would have passed fall course 8.01—the introductory course on classical mechanics.”
But she notes that the social and emotional benefits of EDGE/x were even more valuable: “I attended a demanding boarding school for high school. There weren’t a lot of people who looked like me there, and I was already suffering from imposter syndrome. Now I was coming to MIT. But the EDGE/x program was really affirming. It helped me be more in touch with my identity and with how I interact with the world. Just sitting in with my cohort in a Zoom session—and later meetings in person—was enough to remind me that I do have a place here.”
While diversity remains a cornerstone of the EDGE/x program, incoming students experience that diversity in new and surprising forms. “Diversity isn’t just limited to one’s ethnicity or culture or language,” says Meli Nabage ’27, a rising sophomore student studying computer science and neuroscience. “People at MIT have diverse academic backgrounds and interests as well. Some members of my EDGE/x cohort were wild about chemistry. Others were interested in electronics and built computers in their spare time. These were new worlds for me. It made me appreciate the type of person who is admitted to MIT, a person who does things because they are passionate about them, not just because it might look good on a college application.”
Nabage, who learned about EDGE/x during Campus Preview Weekend, says the summer program classes she attended gave her more confidence when she started regular classes in the fall. “I didn’t feel I had a solid base in physics. EDGE/x gave me a head start on the material and gave me a sneak peek into life on campus.”
In addition to making friends at EDGE/x, Nabage also learned how to work in a group. “In high school, I tended to do my work alone,” she recalls. “I think a lot of incoming students did as well. But they tell you that at MIT collaboration is everything. That no one can do physics alone. I was a little nervous about how I might integrate into a group. It was so useful to have practice solving problems as a group before the fall semester.”
Most of all, says Nabage, the EDGE/x program helped her overcome her doubts and fears about succeeding at MIT, not because these were unfounded, but because she learned that so many other incoming students had the same doubts and fears. “I was nervous about coming to such a notoriously rigorous school,” she recalls. “Of course, I expected everyone I met at MIT to be perfect and excel at everything. Instead, I met students who shared my apprehensions, students who might be great at calculus but struggle with chemistry. It was reassuring to learn that everyone had their strengths and weaknesses, their doubts. It made me feel seen and reassured me that I wasn’t alone.”
Give now: Support the Office of Minority Education and Interphase EDGE/x