Written By: Santiago Mollard
Do you feel taking a Master’s degree at MIT and expecting baby don’t combine? I’ll prove you wrong!
Plan #1: expand your knowledge
It was late December when I got Justin Snow’s “MIT SCMr Program – Decision” e-mail. I believe it is not possible to describe what I felt: the many hours invested in the application were definitely worth it. My wife was the first person to know I was admitted; she was by far my biggest support and encouraged me to pursue this endeavor. Many of our plans for the following year were subject to this e-mail. We were now ready to complete the hundred million forms in order to get a visa, housing, health care, and many others. But there was one other bigger plan going on in parallel.
Plan #2: expand your family
It was late January when, after three pregnancy tests, we were completely sure that our family was growing; that’s another crazy feeling that I won’t be able to explain. The first thing we did was to take our calculators out, and effectively, there was a tight schedule with some (big) concerns:
‘January 30th + 40 weeks – 2 weeks = October 20th. OK, if the program starts on August 16th, then I would be 7 months pregnant! What about the doctors? Will health insurance cover the birth if I’m already pregnant? Will the airline allow me to fly from Chile to Boston? Will I be allowed to enter the US?’
The good news (spoiler alert) is that everything worked out. I will use the rest of this blog to share my experience, hoping to ease concerns of others in a similar situation.
First: ASK FOR HELP!
Our first concern was quite simple: we needed to understand how delivering in the US would be different than on our home town in Chile. We contacted a friend of a friend whose wife got pregnant and delivered her first child in 2018 while he was taking an MBA at MIT. I really can’t tell you how much they helped us by sharing their experience: it meant a lot to feel that we were taking the right decision.
We learnt that there are several clinics where you can choose to deliver, and that healthcare in Boston is known for its excellent quality. We also learned that the pre-natal and delivery processes were different than in Argentina, where you don’t actually have your own doctor that will deliver your baby, but you get to choose almost every detail of your delivery (do you want to deliver in a pool? With anesthesia or without? Would you like a midwife or doctor to lead your delivery? And many others).
Second: trust in MIT
Our other big concerns were related to MIT: health insurance and housing. As for health insurance, MIT Medical has many programs for the pregnant women and spouses — it is really awesome. Graduate students are automatically enrolled in the Extended Plan; I enrolled my wife in the same plan. My recommendation is to evaluate carefully the different options and rates to choose what fits you best. As information is not always completely clear, I encourage you to reach the Health Plans Office: they are really friendly and reply quickly.
As for housing, MIT offers a wide variety of options placed all around MIT campus, but only some of them are reserved for families. Of those, I would strongly recommend to choose Eastgate. Although the building is old and surrounded by constructions, Eastgate is literally 150 feet away from Sloan and CTL buildings, where you would take most subjects. This turns into a great advantage when you realize that you need to be near to your pregnant partner and, then, your newborn. You will also find a friendly and relaxed community of families that will help you with anything you might need, such as information, some sugar, or even just meet with neighbors to spend some time.
Living at Eastgate and choosing MIT Medical health insurance is also convenient. Most pre-natal and pediatric visits are done at MIT Medical facilities, which are 1,000 feet away from Eastgate. For more complex visits(ultrasounds, pediatric cardiology, labor, etc) you can choose from the in-network providers your plan supports with reduced cost.
Third (and last): other stuff
- Flights: you should talk to your doctor to agree on a travel plan. If the pregnancy goes along with no complications, there shouldn’t be any problem with flying, even at 8 months! Babies can fly soon after birth if the pediatrician approves. I also recommend checking with the airline, though some of them have stricter restrictions regarding infant and pregnant travel.
- Entering the US: the F2 visa is a good enough explanation of why are you attempting to enter the US. My 7-month pregnant wife came alone to Boston and didn’t have any issues at the border. MIT’s International Students Office (ISO) recommended that she have the same papers that we presented to obtain the visa and proof of healthcare insurance in case the immigration officer requested it. Contact the ISO office in case you are in a similar situation to get the most accurate recommendation.
- Life at MIT: you won’t probably be taking as many subjects as the rest of the class, nor going out for a beer every week with your partners. But you get to be at your house, with your child, far more than if you were working 45 hours a week. It’s definitely a good deal! Just for your reference, I got all A’s in fall semester… it’s simply a matter of organizing your agenda.
If you are reading this paragraph, I guess you are thinking about expanding your family. I invite you to follow your professional and personal plans in parallel; you should definitely apply to this master’s regardless of your personal plans!
I would be glad to help provide additional information; don’t hesitate to write me to my e-mail below.
smollard@mit.edu
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