1,016 admitted students attend Campus Preview Weekend 2026
Events included Tetris on the Green Building and a wedding between the Caltech and MIT mascots
Levy Le–The Tech
1,016 admitted students visited campus from April 16 to 19 for Campus Preview Weekend (CPW) 2026, according to Admissions Department communications director Chris Peterson SM ’13.
CPW, MIT’s signature admitted students event spanning 3.14 days, is when many admitted high school seniors decide if they want to call Cambridge home for the next four years. Since 2007, around 1,000 prospective students have attended CPW each year.
Throughout the weekend, prefrosh were able to attend performances, activities, and workshops from a selection of around 700 events run by volunteers from clubs, dorms, and Fraternities, Sororities, and Independent Living Groups (FSILGs).
Prospective students were each paired with a current student host, and were housed on and off campus in residence halls and FSILGs.
Events during this CPW included a “wedding” between the Caltech and MIT beaver mascots at East Campus, chemistry jeopardy, hair dyeing, around a dozen separate “Grill and Chills,” as well as the usual opening and closing shows and Midway club fair. A bouncy castle was also set up in front of Kresge Auditorium for the annual Greek Carnival.
While this year’s CPW remained similar in structure to prior years, it notably marked the revival of the Green Building Tetris “hack,” where prefrosh and students were able to play Tetris on the 21-story Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences building. The LEDs were also used to play a pixelated version of the “Bad Apple” music video. Dubbed the “holy grail of hacks,” this unofficial event was last organized at CPW 2012.
Other hacks at past CPWs include a banner draped over the engraved “Massachusetts” outside Lobby 7 so the inscription read “The Only Institute of Technology” in 2005, and a display of the stolen Caltech Fleming Cannon in 2006.
Lauren Rodriguez, senior assistant director for outreach in the Admissions Department and lead CPW coordinator, said that for prefrosh, the most valuable part of CPW is gaining a “fresh” perspective of the MIT community.
“There is a lot of information out there that tells admits who they think we are,” Rodriguez said. “When they come to CPW, they learn who we actually are: a vibrant, collaborative, welcoming group of people who want to make this a fun experience for everyone.”
Admitted students must commit to a school by May 1.