AIRES reviews applications holistically, valuing students’ diverse academic, cultural, and extracurricular backgrounds. We understand that opportunities vary across schools, so your activity list and short responses play a key role in helping us get to know you.

All applicants must submit the following materials through the online application portal:

• Academic record (highest levels of courses taken)
• Activities List (academic, extracurricular, or community involvement)
• Unofficial School Transcript (required only after acceptance)
• Contact Information for One Recommender (teacher, counselor, or mentor, used only if clarification is needed)
• Three short responses of 150-200 words
• OPTIONAL: English Proficiency Scores (TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo), recommended for students whose primary language of instruction is not English
• OPTIONAL: Need-Based Financial Aid Application

Essay Prompts:

1. Describe a moment when a new technology – AI or otherwise – forced you to revise an assumption you previously held. What evidence or experience changed your mind, and how did that shift influence your subsequent actions or thinking? (150 words)
2. Describe a problem or project you pursued independently. What hypothesis or objective guided your work, how did your initial approach fall short, and how did you refine your strategy? Reflect on what you learned from the experience. (200 words)
3. Identify an area where AI’s expansion creates both promise and risk in a field you care about – science, arts, business, or society. How would you approach solving a challenge in that space responsibly, and what perspectives outside your primary field would you draw on? (200 words)