Undergraduate Practice Opportunities Program

About UPOP

The Undergraduate Practice Opportunities Program (UPOP) is a yearlong program exclusively for MIT sophomores that helps them develop the relevant and critical professional skills necessary to thrive in their chosen career path, whether in industry, research, or academia.

The Undergraduate Practice Opportunities Program (UPOP) is a yearlong program exclusively for MIT sophomores that helps them develop the relevant and critical professional skills necessary to thrive in their chosen career path, whether in industry, research, or academia.

The program features one-on-one advising, interactive workshops, and support from UPOP’s dedicated community of mentors, program alumni, employer network members, and staff. UPOP students learn the nuts and bolts of acquiring a summer experience, such as internship or the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP), while honing their communication, problem-solving, and teamwork skills. Participants emerge from UPOP with the confidence and resilience needed to thrive in an ever-changing workplace.

Photo: Mitali Chowdhury

UPOP helped me gain confidence in myself as a leader and teammate, and helped me connect with a lot of amazing people. These connections and conversations have shown me that it's okay to not know exactly where my career will go, and that what I do in college or even at a job doesn't define me or my ability to try new things! ”

Mitali Chowdhury ’24