MIT Engineering Major

People think we are all super smart geniuses who wear thick glasses and pocket protectors and have no social skills to speak of. We scribble calculations on any scrap of paper we can find and lock ourselves in our room, emerging only to turn in our homework. Of course, in the movies, we end up saving the world anyway :)

Fortunately for all of us, none of them are. I've only seen one person actually wearing a pocket protector and no one with those horrid glasses. More importantly, we do actually have social skills and great friends! Yes we work hard, and yes we are smart, but we are REAL PEOPLE! There are all sorts of people too, people addicted to anything from Rubic's cubes and Starcraft to Project Runway and Gray's Anatomy. And believe it or not, there are people here who don't like math . Though you better be careful , we may end up saving the world while you're not looking...

The best thing about MIT is definitely the people. Don't let anyone ever tell you that MIT is cutthroat! Yes we work hard, yes we struggle, yes we compete, but just against out own standards and endurance. Everyone is always there to help. I can't count the number of times I've worked long and hard on a pset with friends and our laughter interspersed with triple integrals making it bearable.

Be prepared for a reaction when people here you go to MIT. But the severity is directly proportional to the distance away from MIT. In Boston people take it in stride, but at home "MIT???? You must be really smart!!!!" is the norm. It's nice for the first few weeks…

Boston is an amazing college town, though I would consider it far to big to be ever associated with the word town! There is always something going on, plenty of college students, and never a need for a car.

MIT has its own brand of school pride. We don't have big attendance at sports games or huge cheering sections, our pride is all our own. MIT gear is ubiquitous and we love our school and revel in our work, and our reputation, sometimes…It's all summarized by IHTFP. This phrase describes the quintessential MIT experience, an alternating feeling of "I Have truly Found Paradise" and "I Hate This F* Place" You never can tell exactly which one you feel.

Academics are what MIT is known for around the world, and for the most part we deserve it. The first year is full of GIRS (MIT speak for "General Institute Requirements") Many of these classes are large, too large for my comfort. I am in a lecture class of over 600 students. However we have amazing Tas who lead our small recitation sections who know all our names and are willing to help. If you absolutely hate these big classes, there are alternatives. A few freshmen programs allow you to take these requirements in a small setting, one even has classes of 5 students! It's up to you what size class you would like. And after freshmen year, the classes become much more specialized and shrink rapidly.

Students study a lot. During the week most students can be guaranteed to be working on something. But that isn't all we do. Many organizations hold study breaks to help us distress and we take breaks. After all, studying is why we're here. But all that work doesn't prevent us from being involved. I have friends in varsity sports, theatre, debate team, and all sorts of activities.

We talk about intellectual things outside of class a lot. We do talk about other things, but it is not uncommon at all to discuss the implications of what we learned in class or the newest technology. It's one of the things I love about the people here. We can go from small talk to discussing the launch of the new shuttle in no time at all.

I am very involved in the religious groups on campus. There are over 13 Christian groups alone, and well as many Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, and other groups. I haven't felt discrimination or anything like that, just great respectful discussions between people of different ideas.

I don't think there is any person that would feel out of place at MIT. We have so many different kinds, and dorms geared toward each one. There are plenty of people from every background, people from outside the US, people from small town Midwest, and those from Manhattan that think Boston is a small city and everything in between. The financial backgrounds are just as diverse. The number of languages spoken in a sample of MIT students is staggering. Don't worry about finding your group, there will be someone like you in our diverse mix.

The dorm atmosphere varies widely. We have quiet halls, quiet dorms, party halls, hacking dorms, and everything in between. The MIT housing system lets you choose the personality you like and so you're sure to find a place with the atmosphere you imagine for your perfect dorm.

If I'm awake at 2am on a Tuesday, I will most definitely be studying, no doubt about it. I try not to stay up that late working, but sometimes, psets just happen….

MIT is full of traditions. There are entire books written on it, if you’re interest definitely check them out. The culture of MIT is part of what makes MIT so endearing.

Last weekend I went to Harvard with Campus Crusade for Christ, had a homemade brunch with my advising group, went to a planning meeting for IM sports, went to the Cheesecake Factory with a friend, went to the Spring Formal, attended Church, helped interview for Graduate Tutors for my dorm, and some homework. As you can tell, it was nothing like staying in my room working all weekend.

There is plenty to do on campus that doesn't involve drinking. I don’t drink or party or any of that, and I never have a dull weekend. You can go into Boston, borrow a movie from the front desk of the dorm or go to one of the numerous events around campus. If you just look up from your desk, there's never a shortage of things to do.