Massachusetts Institute of Technology Top Questions

What are the most popular student activities/groups?

Rebecca

Most people's social lives revolve around where they live. This may be a dorm, an ILG or a fraternity or sorority. MIT is the place where the parties in Boston happen, but there are also people who have never been to a frat party. The campus is divided between East Campus and West Campus, with two very different cultures that attract very different types of people. West Campus is considered a more 'normal' college experience, while East Campus is very MIT.

Harper

My life was dominated by theater. I went to an incredible amount of parties, and remember being proud that in 1988, MIT was one of Playboy's top part schools. Don't ask me why that mattered, but ever since I graduated, people can only imagine a super dork. Things like hacking (ie - finding new ways to break and enter into parts of campus and perform nerdy pranks) and the sodium drop were very important on the east side.

Shawn

Where most student groups table, advertise, etc.

Shawn

Student art displayed.

Piper

I'm not certain what groups are more popular than others - people are into absolutely everything. I know people into musical theater, part of our movie screening club, medical lecture groups, etc. And as for the stereotype that we can't do sports, our pistol team has beat the army consistently over the past years. We're not physically unskilled (you're even required to take PE's here - I've taken pistol, archery, fencing, and sailing). Dorms have a lot of tradition, each unique to the dorm's personality. Some dorms drop pianos or monitors off roofs every year, others drop thousands of bouncy balls. We have "Bad Taste" every year, too, which is a show that is everything... in bad taste. People party often enough for me - my dorm usually has a party on one hall or another every weekend, and we're not the only ones. Frats and sororities are important to many people on campus, but you're not going to feel left out if you're not part of one.

Gina

Contrary to what most people think, MIT has a thriving social and activities scene. We have about 40 varsity sports team, which gives athletes of abilities and levels to participate. We also have numerous theater groups, dance groups, just about a group for any activity you can think of. In addition, MIT has a strong Greek system, although it's very different from the typical Greek system at any other college. We have 27 fraternities and 5 sororities. Fraternities hold events every weekend, including dry events. About 25{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the female student body belongs to a sorority. I've found that there is never a shortage of things to do. People are always around in the dorms, always ready to go out and have some fun.

Nico

Greek life is popular on campus, with so many students belonging to sororities and fraternities. Sports aren't big on campus, except maybe for notorious rowing, or Crew. Guest speakers are pretty common, although I find little time to go to events I feel I would thoroughly enjoy. Awake at 2am on a Tuesday can only be a sign of me working to complete a Problem Set or studying for an exam.

Chris

Fraternities are very important; things to go on a Saturday night (without drinking) include hanging out with friends, going into Boston, watching a movie at a theater, going to Boston Commons, eating at a number of restaurants close to MIT. People are commonly awake in the early morning, either working or hanging out after working on homework.

Carrie

Last weekend I played a show in the Senior House basement with four other bands, all from MIT! Concerts like this are reasonably well attended and awesome. One thing that will amaze you here is how much talent your friends have, and what they can manage to create, even when they're so busy all the time.

Lisa

There's a lot of them every day all day (from midnight to midnight). Each dorm has it's own culture so what happens and when depends on the dorm your in, but there's always something going on. MIT students are very social and will usually have their doors open while their studying so friends can pop their heads in and chat. We have student run group (LSC - Lecture Series Committee) that brings recent movies (two per weekend usually) and sneak peeks of up coming movies to MIT plus a lot of guest lectures. I assume athletic events are somewhat popular since I think we have sports teams, but I'm not really into that scene so I wouldn't know. This weekend me and my best friend are tsking the bus up to New York to see Wicked on Broadway. So yeah. Lots to do here.

Casey

There are clubs for almost everything here. And if there is no group for something you want to do, you can just start one! There are seminars on every topic you could possibly think of, from CPR to traditional Indian dance. There's definitely a chance to try every activity here.

Michael

If you can dream of the group it is here.

Ashley

Every person is different. They show movies on Friday, Sat, and Sunday nights but you can go out to frat parties if you like. Often, you can find a group of people going out for dinner or ice cream or getting really drunk somehwere. At 2AM, you find people drinking, studying, making out with people, anything. Most of the study sessions end up as something else - like people playing Rock Band. MIT has pre-orientation programs right before freshman year starts. That is where I met my close friends. I joined a sorority in the spring and that's where I met my closest friends. Now, I still look forward to meeting people.

Gene

GPI is a really strong group on campus (global poverty initiative). MIT has a really strong focus with international development and eliminating poverty. There are a lot of fellowships sponsored by the MIT Public Service Center which students take advantage of to travel and work in other countries for free. People tend to be really stressed out, all the time, from work. So many psets, tests, etc. It's really stressful. On top of that students tend to overschedule themselves with a million other jobs and research projects and clubs outside of classes. Towards the beginning of this semester I was pulling all nighters like every three nights on average, but I started managing my time better now and I'm doing like one a week. But that's because I'm pretty lazy.

Emmerson

The Thirsty Ear = a great place to hang out with friends on a Thursday night

Jenn

Despite what people think, life at MIT consists of more than just school. Most students participate in research and at least some form of physical activity. Sports range from PE classes to Intramural sports, to Division I level varsity sports (crew team). We even have a football team. As far as the social life goes, a lot of it revolves around the Greek scene, with many frats offering great weekly parties. You can pretty much do whatever you want socially and be involved as much as you want. Plenty of students opt out of the drinking scene, and for them there are many groups devoted to offering alcohol-free activities. Similarly all of Boston is nearby and there is never a lack of things to do in the city.

Emmerson

It's difficult to arrange purely socializing times here, due to the insanely busy schedules of everyone.

Lee

We do work a lot, but I, along with my friends, have a great social life. We work hard to earn our weekends, but then play hard on the weekends. MIT's location is one of its biggest strengths as we have a great campus, but it is right on the Charles River so you can walk to Boston in minutes. There are hundreds of student groups on campus and they are extremely active at MIT and in the Greater Boston Area. There is truly something for everyone. MIT also has a very large and strong Greek Community that is unlike any other school as well. Here too, there is a place for everyone.

KJ

100 times better than anyone might expect. MIT throws the best parties in Boston (no joke). Work hard, party hard is the school motto. With 27 fraternities, its no wonder people from wellesley, simmons, bu, and harvard come to OUR parties.

Anna

What are the most popular groups/organizations/clubs/teams on campus? There isn't any one group that dominates. I have friends involved in all sorts of organizations. There are 43 varsity sports, many religious organizations, activist groups, sororities and fraternities, and science/engineering interest groups. Do students in dorms leave their doors open? This depends on the dorm. One of the most unique things about MIT is that each dorm has its own personality. Students pick their residence and usually stay there for all 4 years. Some dorms are known for being quiet, others social, others more offbeat. How popular are athletic events? Guest speakers? Theater? Athletic events vary. Women's volleyball is very big. Football is not. Friends support their athlete friends. But people don't usually go to games for fun. There seem to be guest speakers on campus every day, so they don't usually draw huge crowds. But people interested in that particular topic will show up. Theater and dance groups are pretty popular, and will draw a lot of students. Tell us about the dating scene. There isn't much of a casual dating scene. Students either are in fairly serious relationships where they are attached to their SO by the hip, or hook up at parties. How did you meet your closest friends? I met my closest friends through my dorm, my church, and my sorority. If you’re awake at 2am on a Tuesday, what are you doing? I usually get to bed by 1am, but if I'm up late it's to finish a paper or problem set. What traditions/events happen each year? How often do people party? This depends on the person. Some people never party. But for those who do, it's limited to the weekends. Most people go out one weekend night but not both. How important are fraternities/sororities? Frats and sororities are pretty big. 50{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of men and 25{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of women are affilitated. Frats hold parties and house all their members. While frats do usually have alcohol at their parties, sororities are dry (no alcohol allowed). Sororities are much bigger and don't house all their members. What did you do last weekend? On Friday night I stayed in (I live in a sorority) and watched TV with friends. Saturday during the day I did some homework and watched one of my friends do a martial arts test. Then in the evening my sorority was hosting a social event. After that, I went out dancing in a Boston club with some friends. Sunday I went to church, stopped by my lab, and had a sorority meeting. What can you do on a Saturday night that doesn’t involve drinking? People go out to see, watch movies, play board games, play video games, go to concerts, go to theatre shows (especially those put on by student groups)... What do you do off campus? I live off campus, shop, eat out, and exercise off campus.

Lisa

If I'm awake on a Tuesday, I'm doing homework. If I don't have homework at 2am, I should be sleeping. I like to get enough sleep. Of course, as I'm coming home from the library late at night, I see that other people are up late playing video games. To each his own.

Nora

There are over 330 different student groups on campus, so it's hard to say what's most popular. There are lots of sports, although only a few are Division I, religious groups, cultural groups, singing and theater groups, literary groups, a yearbook, and so many others. There are twenty-seven fraternities and five fraternities (with another joining campus next fall) with about 40{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of males in fraternities and about 30{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of females in sororities. I'm in a start-up a Capella group called the Remainders. We just got started last semester, and after a rough semester, during which we lost all but one male, we just had auditions and will be resuming with four males and four females. We are low key compared to other a Capella groups on campus. We don't compete or perform, although we might randomly show up in Lobby 7 to sing one day. We sing mainly old pop/rock, Disney songs and musical stuff. Some people leave their doors open, some don't, sometimes it doesn't matter. People are generally friendly and upperclassmen are usually available to help other students on psets. If you're interested in something, you'll attend, like at any other school. Crew is one of our Div I sports and the Head of the Charles is well attended. There are lots of theatrical productions and they are well attended, as are the musical concerts like those of the Wind Ensemble, Symphony Orchestra, Concert Choir, etc. Dating scene, I assume, is like that of any other school. Dorm-cest, floor-cest, hall-cest and wing-cest (dating someone you meet through where you live) are all frowned upon. A lot of the time you'll spend with your significant other will be doing work, so it's helpful to have similar schedules. Unfortunately, weekends are frequently spent catching up on missed sleep, but there are always things to do, so going out is definitely possible. One of my closest friends, I met through a pre-orientation program we both did. Another was in all my classes this past semester, but I met him on a CCC retreat about two months into the semester. We were both in Concourse, an alternative method of teacher freshman, where all your classes are in one room and there's a lounge next to that for doing work and having tutors come help. Another I met randomly in the dining hall of my dorm during an orientation meet and greet, and another I met through her (they'd been in a pre-orientation program together as well). 2am Tuesday night, I'm up doing my 8.02 pset with my boyfriend and friends in the lounge below where I live and working on 6.01 (CS) online homework, plus possibly editing an essay for my writing class. Hacking is a big part of MIT culture. "The word hack at MIT usually refers to a clever, benign, and "ethical" prank or practical joke, which is both challenging for the perpetrators and amusing to the MIT community (and sometimes even the rest of the world!)." Walking around campus and seeing candles on top of the dome on Building 7, or seeing Guy Fawkes masks covering the faces of statues and on posters down the Infinite on November 5 or giant scrabble game on the side of the MIT List Visual Arts Studio is just a part of life at MIT. Ring Premiere, when the sophomore class Ring Committee presents their year's Brass Rat (class ring) is something you don't want to miss (if it's your class). "Work hard, play harder." is one of our mottoes...also "Play, Work, Sleep, pick two." Since there are so many fraternities and other student groups, weekends, and even weekday nights, are packed with different things to do, including party. On any given weekend night, there might be at least three different parties, plus movies presented by the Lecture Series Committee, speakers, and other events. Last weekend, I watched a movie with some friends on Friday, Saturday I woke up early and went to Shaws with a friend to buy groceries, came back and ate breakfast at a dorm study break, held auditions for my a Capella group for five hours, went back to my dorm and tried to get some work done, then hung out with my boyfriend. Sunday, slept in really really late, then went to a Capella rehearsal, came back and did work until about 4am. Saturday nights, you can go watch a movie, you can go into Boston and wander around, you can see a concert or recital or performance by some group, you can chill with people in your dorm, play video games, or get sleep (always a good choice).

Charlie

The Sport Tae Kwon Do club is really good about advancing students very quickly. It is not uncommon for someone who has never done any martial arts the freshman year to have a black belt by junior year. Also, it does very well at competitions, including national level. The students in my dorm leave their doors open. Random Hall is actually a very close community and very few people even lock their doors because the security to get into the building at all is very good and the people who live there are very close. This is fairly unique to Random Hall though. I have never gone to an athletic event for any reason besides one of my friends being involved in it. I have actually never even been aware of anything athletic going on that did not include someone that I now personally. The social situation is centered around the dorms. See all of the other descriptions that are riddled in my responses. 2 am is not late. If I am not awake at 2 am, it is probably because I pulled an all nighter the day before. There are cookies at midnight (or later) on Tuesdays, so it is likely that I am eating cookies, or discussing random philosophy with friends, or exploring campus, or finishing some homework, or playing poker, or playing a video game, or playing piano, or making some project, leaning a new game, making a new game. If I am awake at 6 am it is either because I got lost in a really good conversation or I have a something due the next day that needs to get done. I will never be up at 6 am because I woke up early, it is always because I have not yet gone to bed, or I am not going to go to bed that night. Last weekend, I was conducting auditions for a student a Capella group that a group of friends are trying to start. (this illustrates the independence that students are allowed). Yearly events= CPW, REX, IAP, pi Day, There are impromptu parties all the time, with people just blasting their music into one of the lounges. Boston is awesome, full of restaurants, cultural events, museums, parks. If you can find time to fill, then you can fill it easily. Boredom is far from the prime adversary.

Anna

Argentine Tango Club is awesome... I dance for three hours at the free practica every week, attend workshops organized and subsidized by the club, take classes. It's been a great pleasure over the three years I've been at MIT. Salsa club and swing club are also very active and open. It's wonderful to dance and meet people while enjoying music. People in my dorm always leave their doors open; it is a very tight floor and people trust each other. Plays and musicals occur frequently and I have taken part in three of them myself. It is very exciting to act or sing, but it is also a lot of fun to just watch a production, not to mention less time consuming. "the goods are odd but the odds are good" as some people like to say. Students are on average geekier, but as I said before, MIT has all sorts of people and you can find what you like. Some people hook up at parties, some people prefer casual dating. As for myself, I prefer committed relationships and have been involved in a few (about one a year) since arriving. You just need to know what you want and choose from the people who want the same thing. I met some of my closest friends just by living on the same hall, I met another because he often visited my living group, another by taking a discrete math class together. My dorm has strong traditions but I probably shouldn't talk about them. We also have parties every week or two, hosted by one of the ten halls. The dancing is usually a lot of fun and people talk drink and generally unwind. A lot of people join frats or sororities, but most people who live on the east side of campus do not, and as a result greek life plays little role. Last weekend, my boyfriend and I went to my friend Mark's MIT Symphony Orchestra concert. There was a cello concerto with an amazing soloist and the Berlios Symphonie Fantastique. Both of us really enjoyed the music and it reminded me of the ten years of violin I left behind. On Saturday, I ate in Chinatown with a friend and we bought some groceries at C-mart. Persimmons are so good! Then, I went to Delihaus, an eastside dorm tradition complete with surly and scantily clad waitresses, smoke, clamor, absurdly long waits, and greasy and unsatisfying food. My friends and I decided to cook some of our own food when we got back to the dorm. On Sunday, I figured I had better buckle down and make a good start on the problem sets and labs due in the coming week. To that end, I woke at around ten, met a friend at the gym, did a half hour on the elliptical and then some strength training, before returning to my dorm, cooking lunch, and then settling down to study algorithms with one of my good friends.

Alex

I'm involved with the MIT Literary Society; we read one book every month and then meet twice a month to have a discussion on that book. Students in my dorm, at least, leave their doors open. Within my floor, we are very social. Some of my closest friends here are the people that I live with, on my floor. If I'm awake at 2 am on a Tuesday, I'm probably working on a problem set. On a Saturday evening, I often go out to eat, and later watch a movie.

Kaitlin

Sports teams are a complete waste of time. I played freshman year for varsity teams- no one goes to the game and the schoolwork is extremely difficult. I had to give it up, because there was no school spirit for athletics and the school doesnt put money towards it. It was a let down to give up somethign I loved but the program was really poorly run and we lost almost every game. The major activity is Science research here. Undergraduate research opportunities program- almost everyone is involved in one or has been at some point

Elise

There aren't really most popular groups on campus, there are so many people that lots of different people are involved in lots of different things. I'm involved a lot with music groups, the orchestra and a wind quintet. Students in my dorm, McCormick, sometimes leave their doors open (I always do) but that varies by student. I've personally never been to an athletic event, but guest speakers are quite popular. I don't know much about the dating scene, my boyfriend is at school in a different state, but I think it's a bit larger in the coed dorms. I met my closest friends in my dorm. Last night we were up late, I didn't have much work to do but a couple of my friends did. We ordered pizza around 1am, were up until 3am, and weren't too worried about our classes the next morning. One nice thing about MIT is that most classes start as late as 9:30 or 10am. There are a lot of traditions at MIT, one memorable one was the pumpkin drop. Some students dropped frozen pumpkins off the Green building (tallest in Cambridge) which was quite entertaining. I think most of the partying happens at the frats and sororities, which are important to the large number of people involved in them, but really there are a lot of people who aren't as well, so it's completely up to what you want to do, or who you want to interact with. I have friends in sororities, but I'm not in one, it's not essential but it's an option for those who want that experience. My friends and I usually work together in the kitchen on the weekends and take breaks to go to the mall or to get a coffee. My Saturday nights never involve drinking, they usually involve a movie with friends on someone's laptop, or just talking, or (we're true nerds) work, especially if we went into Boston during the day. Off campus there's the Boston Symphony (my favorite!) or the entire city to explore. Public transportation can get you anywhere pretty cheaply. There's a lot of history in Boston to check out, there's shopping, there's pretty much everything.

Hannah

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.

Alex

Social life varies hugely from dorm to dorm: in some places, doors are always open, and residents do most of their working, eating and socializing in common areas and hallways. In other dorms, everyone works behind closed doors. There's never pressure either way. If you need to close the door and work quietly, your friends will drop by every couple hours and make sure you're alright, but will leave you alone to finish that problem set. But aside from final papers and research assignments, we usually study and complete problem sets in groups. Last weekend I slept until noon, bought groceries, cooked dinner, and watched a movie with my boyfriend. Most weekends, I spend five or six hours on homework, and a few doing laundry or cleaning my room.

Elli

Sororities and Fraternities are really popular. There isn't really one group that EVERYONE is a part of but like everyone has their niche. A cappella groups are really popular too. I'm involved mainly with my sorority, the Global Poverty Initiative, and Society of Women Engineers, all which are really fun and really cool. Open-door policy depends on which dorm you live in and then even what floor of the dorm you live on. My dorm generally is known as being the quite dorm, but my friend's floor is super loud whereas mine is one of the quieter ones. Athletic events are not really that popular unless you have a friend in something. The volleyball team draws somewhat large crowds. Guest speakers are really popular but it kinda depends on who exactly is speaking. Theater draws a pretty good crowd but again it depends on what is showing. Like we just had the Vagina Monologues on campus and those went sold out for all three nights as did Pippin earlier, but not so much with the smaller plays. Dating is hard here - lots of people have bf or gf but there really isn't a lot of time. I met my closest friends through the pre-orientation program i did (i highly, highly recommend it). 2am on a Tuesday - you're working on psets or studying for a test. umm one of the best traditions is that the upperclassmen shower the freshman before the first 8.01 (physics) test, but I guess that's getting labeled as "hazing" now which sucks cause it's totally not. Another event is the sodium drop at the beginning of the year right after orientation where they drop a chunk of sodium in the Charles River and it goes boom. Another "secret" tradition is east campus leads orange tours during orientation and tangerine tours during CPW that lead you around the roofs and tunnels of mit - you actually get to go on top of the big dome. If you want, you can find a party whenever you want. Most frats have pub nights one day during the week and then there are always parties on the weeks - either at frats or at dorms. Most people don't usually go during the week though unless they have ties with the frat. Frats and sororities aren't that important - if you choose to be in one, great - if not, no worries. You need to find some kind of community somewhere - it doesn't matter where. A lot of dorms are really tight, some student groups are really bonded, sports teams, etc. Last weekend was an anomaly for me because usually I don't do this but the week was really hard. On Friday I went to a fun dance party at a frat. On Saturday I volunteered at this event held at MIT, then I had a meeting for GPI, then I went to my friend's surprise birthday party, then I went to this charity talent show held by one frat, then i went back to my room to get ready for a East Campus party. The party was called article 2 party where you could only wear 2 articles of clothes or less - it was a very interesting party and very fun (that shows you a little bit about what east campus is like). Then I went back and changed and headed over to a frat where I got really drunk and don't remember a lot from the night. Most saturday nights I don't drink at all. People either work, watch movies, go out to dinner in boston, go to different events on campus, hang out, play games - don't worry if you don't drink - there is A LOT of people here that don't. Normally people go off campus to eat.

Amanda

Sports and extracurricular activities are a big deal on campus. They are not only places that give a student a legitimate reason for not doing homework, but they provide communities and friends for whoever is joining. The most prevalent sport on campus is our Division I Varsity Crew Team. These are guys and ladies who wake up at the crack of the down to work their bodies past the point of exhaustion. MIT has a huge number of sports teams (second most in the country I believe), and people like coming to any of them. They don’t have the attendance that other schools and their football teams might get, but people enjoy being on the teams. There are also intramural teams (I am on the intramural hockey team), which are either for people who don’t want to put the time into a varsity sport or don’t have the skill for one. They are fun without the pressure. Other students activities seem to be divided into Greek and not Greek. Non-Greek actives range from the Society of Women Engineers to the Assassins Guild. All are fun if they are what you are into. You can only get out of it what you put into it. The Greek life on campus is very strong. I am in a sorority, and I am glad I went through with recruitment. This is largely due to the fact, however, that MIT sororities (and fraternities to some extent) are very different at MIT. MIT sororities (not fraternities) are dry. There is also absolutely no hazing at MIT sororities (I promise this having gone through initiation myself). While I can only really speak for my sorority, I feel comfortable saying that any Greek group is all about the social and support network as well as a group of instant friends. Within my sorority are girls that I hope to be in three years. Girls within my major, girls who are involved in everything, and girls who are amazing to be around.

Alex

MIT is great if you are awake late on a week night, there are so many people to talk to. I am a night owl, and my night owl friends who went to other colleges say that MIT sounds far more night-owl-friendly. It is also very easy to start conversations at MIT, perhaps because people are a little less socially aware here (this cuts down on feelings of embarrassment, exclusive devotion to one group of friends, elitism, and exclusionary practices). The easy conversations and the night life are the most special aspects of MIT social life. MIT also has an ample number of events, parties, movies, game nights, clubs, and so on, but almost every college has more entertaining activities than you can shake a stick at.

Kent

Lots of options, many of which I don't have time for.

America

People party pretty regularly, and different frats/sororities are pretty good at being inclusive.

Cathy

fraternities/sororities and in dorms, floors/entries are all the big social groups. my floor is my social group. BURTON One!!! we are pretty much the shit. i love my floor more than anything! the open door policy varies per dorm, per floor. my floor is very open, you are best friends with the 40 other people whom you live with, so doors are almost always open to inspire friends to stop by/visit. WOOOOO MIT ATHLETICS!!! events in general, though, are usually only attended by friends of the athletes/performers, but some teams/groups (the volleyball team, for instance) have fans that will stop by one event and become permanent fans throughout the year. it is sooo cool. the fans that do show up though, are amazinggg. i met everybody really really randomly. orientation was a great time for meeting my good friends. hmm, 2 a.m. on a tuesday...i'm probably just getting started... too many to count. my favorite traditions are probably: the pumpkin drop, CPW!!, logs concerts, spring weekend, etc. people party more than you would think. many frats have parties weekly (different ones have parties every Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday) and most will have a big one on a Friday or Saturday night every few weeks! frats keep MIT socially active and definitely help the community on campus in many different ways. sororities kinda do the same. they are a social outlet for girls on campus to bond. oo, last weekend was a really really sad long weekend for me and i had to study the whole time. lame, i know. the world is yours on saturday nights. you can 1) go to a party and not drink; 2) start a dance party; 3) tool and do work; 4) work out; 5) go hacking; 6) sleep, b/c after the weeks at MIT, the weekends are ALWAYS needed to catch up on sleep.

Torry

I really enjoyed the social scene at MIT. I spent most of my time with my friends from my living group and my extracurriculars. Being involved in theater, I spent a lot of time going to plays on campus and working on plays on campus. But if I didn't have a show going up, chances are you could find me at a party at one of the dormitories on a Friday or Saturday night, and (almost) never spent them doing homework.

Clinton

At Chocolate City, students leave doors open. If I were awake at 2 AM on Tuesday I could be studying, typing an email, praying, chatting with bros at my house.

Devin

Whether or not students leave their doors open depends on the dormitory and the section of the dormitory. However, for the most part, people do leave their doors open. Athletic events are not really popular. Theater is somewhat popular. The dating scene exists and there are several MIT couples. I met my closest friends through preview weekend before I came here and through classes. If I am awake at 2am on a Tuesday, I'm trying to finish a problem set that is due later that day. Since people work so hard, they party hard. I do not drink and I find several things to do on Saturday nights that do not involve drinking. Off campus I go to events at other colleges, a lounge, or the movies.

Rachael

Students in dorms do leave their doors open when they're in. The part of the dorm I live is very social. We go into and out of people's rooms and enjoy each others company. Athletic events at MIT are not very popular. People will go out to see a play or other events in the auditorium sometimes though. I just went to see a dance show by one of our dance groups this weekend and it was really good. People date, of course. There is dating within the school as well as with students from other campuses. That's a great thing about Boston. There are plenty of other campuses around. I met my closest friends by being roommates with them. If I'm awake at 2AM on a Tuesday, I am studying for an exam, doing a pset, or both. Sometimes, I may just be talking to friends. As far as traditions/events every year, there are too many to list. My favorite is Campus Preview Weekend (CPW), which is when accepted students come for four days to experience life on MIT's campus. Even though, I have yet to experience this as an MIT student, I am very excited and really enjoyed taking part in it last year. People party every weekend or so. There's usually plenty going on over the weekend and everyone is ready to relax a little bit. Last weekend, I went to a dance show and a comedy show. They were really good. Since I don't drink, I find plenty to do over the weekend that doesn't involve drinking. Admittedly, I prefer a calm, relaxed weekend to one spent partying. I usually hang out with friends, go to a movie, or play games. There is plenty of stuff in Boston to do off campus from visiting other campuses to shopping to going to dinner.

Shawn

Every type of club that you imagine exists at MIT. We have a Juggling Club, A Beef Lover's Club, and a Carribean Club. I am currently social chair of the Black Women's Alliance. As social chair, I have planned many events. MY favorite on was a mangeant that was held last semester. This was our first event of this kind. Each dorm has a separate culture. In some dorms, people leave their dorms open. In my dorm, people generally leave their dorms open and are very social. Athletic events are generally not popular at MIT. MIT is a Division III school. Needless to say, most people do not go to MIT for athletics. Guest speakers are popular within the various fields. Theatre is not too big, but there are definitely opportunities to participate in drama and the theatre arts. Since I have been at MIT, I was in two plays, "Imperceptible Mutabilities in the Third Kingdom" and " The Vagina Monologues." Dating in general is not a big thing at MIT. Some people do it, but being single is definitely accepted here. I met my closest friends in a pre-college program that I did at MIT, called Project Interphase. If I am awake at 2AM on Tuesday, I am most likely working to finish my problem set. Each year during Campus Preview Weekend, there is an exchange of hacks between MIT and CalTech. The best hack happended during my CPW when MIT captured CalTech's cannon and brought it back to MIT. People party fairly often. The frats generally have parties every weekend. Last weekend I performed in the Vagina Monologues. On a Saturday Night, you can go bowling out to karaoke, watch a movie, or go to a dancing party on or off campus.