Massachusetts Institute of Technology Top Questions

What is the stereotype of students at your school?

Rebecca

Everyone seems to think that MIT students are geniuses, socially awkward and can fix any computer problem you come up with.

Harper

There is no partying; there is only studying. There is no liberal arts opprotunities, and no athletes. That only Asian kids end up there.

Piper

Nerds with no social skills

Gina

People seem to think MIT students are reclusive, boring, nerdy and have no fun because they study all the time.

Nico

MIT students don't step outside of their rooms/caves to do anything more than remind themselves that the sun does exists and that, therefore, the equations they are working on are accurate. Students are stereotyped as antisocial, hermetic creatures with weird laughs and far-fetched ideas who all have pocket protectors and carry around TI-89s. They have not time to step outside of the MIT bubble and know whether Bush is still president or if Osama has been caught. Extracurriculars may often be just that, extra, because all MIT students do is work, work, work, on p-sets.

Chris

nerds, not social, uptight

Carrie

There are too many to count. We're also supposed to be ridiculously smart. We're also supposed to be total nerds. People like to say that MIT students aren't attractive, don't get out much, don't dress well, and are constantly stressed. Also we're "eccentric".

KC

That we are nerdy, we make math/science jokes, we work all night, we don't have any fun.

Lisa

That were all geeks and nerds.

Jessica

We are nerdy, smart, open

Ash

All geeks, lack of social skills, very smart, all experts on computers, math, and sciences.

Casey

There's the stereotype that MIT means tons of homework, and the students are nerds and spend most of their time studying.

Andy

NERDS

Michael

We are all dorks with no life.

Ashley

We're boring, nerdy people. We hug our calculators more than we talk to people. We don't have any atheletes because we spend all our time studying.

ari

workaholics extreme social outliers

Gene

I'm not that aware of stereotypes about MIT made by the outside world. I know that there is a strong stereotype that MIT students are all really smart / engineering/science-type / motivated, which mostly tends to be true.

Jenn

That we're all nerds, we lack social skills, we're weird, etc. Stereotypes about MIT are that it is way too hard, students never get sleep, students are ugly, no one plays sports.

Wally

They are GOOD in numbers.

Emmerson

no social capability

Lee

Nerds, anti-social, no communication skills.

KJ

we are all nerds/dorks

ameliabr

They're nerds, they're super smart, or they can fix everything you want, regardless of whether it has anything to do with their major. They're socially inept. As for boys, "the odds are good, but the goods are odd." For girls, "Simmons to bed, Wellesly to wed, and MIT for someone to talk to."

Anna

MIT kids are stereotypically socially-awkward, super smart, and play video games all day.

Lisa

"Geeky" covers everyone. But we're segregated into East and West campus, and each has its own stereotypes. West side dorms are considered "the normal college dorm experience." East side dorms are supposed to be anything but. The east side is associated with hacking (such as sneaking around underground or putting automobiles on top of the great dome, not breaking into other people's computers). Also, the east side is generally considered a bit more eccentric; the residents are more likely to dress differently and wear their hair differently than "normal" people, and to organize crazy activities like a mustache-growing competition or building a wooden bicycle.

Terry

That we're nerdy and work all the time. That we're socially inadequate. That we're all crazy computer hackers. That we're all amazing geniuses.

Nora

Lots of Asians. Workaholics. Anti-social nerds obsessed with grades.

Charlie

They are the Uber-geeks, the socially inept science geniuses that can do square roots in their head, but can't go on a date to save their life.

Anna

Scary smart, but complete geeks. People who know nothing about MIT seem to think that we are all complete tools, coding twenty-four seven, people who have no interest in cultural or social aspects of life, probably suck at sports. Everyone wears glasses, the girls are hideous. Only talk about crazy math. I've heard that in some places we are known for being arrogant assholes, but that is not a stereotype that existed where I grew up. In Lexington, the general impression was just that MIT students were brilliant and masochistic, and often killed themselves.

Alex

MIT students are smart and geeky.

Kaitlin

MIT students are known as being socially awkward or geeky.

Hunter

Everyone thinks that MIT students are ugly. People also think we are losers with nothing better to do than homework.

Elise

Stereotypical MIT students are pretty nerdy; they do things most people would consider weird, but other MIT students find quite entertaining. Hackers I think provide a pretty accurate description of the typical MIT student.

Hannah

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 :)

Alex

That we're all anti-social nerds with no fashion sense or conversational skills. Crazy kids who explode stuff, design new chemicals and will drop out to start a company.

Elli

that we're super smart and know everything, that everyone is Asian, that we have no communication skills or that we're not personable at all, all we do is study and work, that there are no parties at all, that we all don't shower and wear glasses

Amanda

The main stereotype of students at MIT is that all we do is study and stay in our rooms 24/7. There is another stereotype that MIT students are ugly and socially awkward. This feeds into the last widely-held stereotype that I know of, which is that MIT students don’t have relationships. The only other stereotype I can think of, which is really only held by students in the immediate area, is that MIT students drink large quantities of alcohol.

Alex

MIT students are said to be nerdy, mostly male, socially inept, computer-obsessed, and smart. MIT as a school is said to be very hard, prestigious, and innovative with an ugly campus and a very strong community.

Kent

The typical MIT student wears a pocket protector and spends more time worrying about work than believed to be possible. A typical MIT student has a hard time speaking, communicating, and articulating thoughts. He/she is far from athletic and has no passions except engineering.

Jesse

Nerdy, Very socially awkward, unathletic, geeky.

America

Nerds, socially inept, dirty, wear glasses

Sasha

Intense, Rigorous, Science/Engineering focused, not athletic, not social, heavy drinking

Cathy

-NERDDDDDDSSS -no social skills/socially awkward -study study study, no fun -very innocent -cheap

Torry

There are some pretty common stereotypes about MIT students that portray us as the socially awkward, myopic, mathematical geniuses bent on world domination (Well, maybe not all of those things).

Rachel

MIT is full of short geeky boys who spend all their time studying, playing role-playing-games online, or watching science fiction channel. The MIT student population is primarily male.

Clinton

Competitive. Nerdy. Get no sleep. Smart. High-tech. Inventive.

Devin

The stereotypes about MIT are that it is an extremely selective school and that it is the best for engineering. The stereotypes about its students are that we are all reclusive nerds that are only interested in school.

Rachael

There are many stereotypes associated with people at MIT. Some of which I have found to be accurate in general and others that aren't. The stereotype that everyone who comes here is geeks, is far from the truth. Geeks walk around with pocket protectors staring at computer parts and being awkward all of the time, at least from my understanding. I have yet to see anyone like that. MIT is home to many different personalities and there is somewhere for everyone to fit in. We have frats, sororities, independent living groups, cultural houses and regular dorms. Another stereotype is that everyone here is obsessed with computers. Although there are plenty of people who are interested in computers and in fact Electrical Engineering/ Computer Science (aka Course 6)is very popular, people major in a variety of other subjects. I am majoring in biological engineering. The stereotype that everyone is Asian at MIT is not true. MIT does have a diverse campus and you are sure to have friends of many different races and ethnicities. One stereotype I have found to be true is that people at MIT are very smart. While people have their weaknesses and few are good at everything, MIT is a place where you truly recognize the potential of the human brain including your own.

Ryan

Nerdy, no social skills, stink, weird,

Carolina

Nerds who study all the time. Severely antisocial. Don't know how to lighten up and have a good time. Not "normal" students.