Bryan O. '09
Sep 8 2009
Whoa…You’re Old
Posted in: Life & Culture
So I realized that despite not having left MIT, I haven't written on this thing in a really long time. Part of it came from my own thinking that the life of a graduate student is not as exciting as an undergraduate, and the other part came from me forgetting my password, but fortunately, I remembered my password today and given the start of a new school year, I decided I'd stream some consciousness.
First off, an update on my life: I am now a tenured graduate student (passed both halves of my qualifying exams), became a vegetarian, and started training for triathlons. Aside from that, I still live at ZBT as the resident advisor (GRT in disguise...kind of) and still have managed not to pull an all-nighter (for academic reasons). The past two years have been full of excitement from studying, switching from mechanical engineering to a completely different discipline, biking around Boston, traveling, and research.
About an hour ago, I registered for my last class at MIT. Actually, I... read the post »
May 1 2009
The Other CPW
Posted in: Visit
Of all the numerous documents bestowed upon prefrosh checking in for Campus Preview Weekend, none is more important than the CPW booklet, a 96-page tome emblazoned "MIT CPW" in bright tangerine and maroon block type. Far from decorational, the gaudy colors make this softcover the ideal test for prefrosh identification - more useful than phenolphtalein or even the flame test.
No CPW-goer would set out for a day's adventures without the booklet as it contains, in addition to useful maps of campus and the Cambridge area, the dates, times, locations, and descriptions for all 620 officially-recognized CPW events. That's enough for one to begin every 7 minutes or - more closely resembling reality - for 8 to begin on every hour of the weekend, causing even the most fervent Course 8 disciples to curse the physical laws restricting them to a single location at a given time. Of course, the most hardcore physics geeks attempt to channel the powers of quantum mechanics to transform themselves... read the post »
Apr 21 2008
A Parent’s Perspective (Guest Entry)
Posted in: Visit
by Donald Guy’s Mom
Almost exactly one year ago, on a Junior year college tour trip during Spring Break, we were strolling the gloomy length of the Infinite Corridor, admiring the cracked Terazzo floor and the pipes hanging from the ceiling, when my son looked over with a smile and said “this feels right.” My aesthetic sensibilities were honed amid the mellow brick and expansive green lawns of my and William Barton Rogers’ alma mater (10 points to anyone who knows without looking at the link), so I was somewhat skeptical. But I am nothing if not supportive of my children’s right to choose, so I bought him a “Nerd Pride” shirt at the Coop, went to the MIT Admissions Road Show featuring Bryan Nance when it rolled through town during the summer and, as promised, celebrated his admission in December by running around the yard waving sparklers (thankfully, this hasn't found its way to YouTube). I was impressed by the effort made by the MIT admissions staff: the personal notes, the long... read the post »
Apr 21 2008
Short, Sweet, and to the Point: MIT in five senses or less (Guest Entry)
Posted in: Visit
We are, we are, we are, we are, we are the Engineers,
We can, we can, we can, we can, demolish forty beers,
Drink rum, drink rum, drink rum all day, and come along with us,
'Cause we don't give a damn for any old man who don't give a damn for us!
1. Hearing
While at MIT CPW, I had the wonderful opportunity to sample all sorts of auditory goodness. I’m a musician myself, and met several awesome members of the MIT Marching Band and MIT’s vocal groups.
As it turns out, MIT has an active and talented a cappella scene, with many different kinds of music represented. The Chorallaries wow’d the crowd (yeah unintentional rhyme!) with the Engineers’ Drinking Song (see below). The Toons’ (I am biased towards them because they let me sing with them in Lobby 7) Boston was astounding. All other groups were also simply awesome beyond all reason (koodos to Cross Products, muy bueno Muses, first rate Resonance, and of course gotta love the ladie killin’ Logarhythms).
2.... read the post »
Apr 20 2008
Take Me Back to Tech (Guest Entry)
Posted in: Visit
by Donald Guy
Oh I wish that I were back again at Tech..
Well, we all heard the Chorollaries’ beautiful renditions of the Engineers Drinking Song, but there is another traditional MIT song (this one in the Logs standard repertoire) that (at least in bits) more accurately expresses a lot of prefrosh’s current feelings.
This is quite seriously how I am feeling at the moment. Like a lot of prefrosh, I am dealing with a lot of senioritis (yes, there is a wikipedia article on it) and I’m ready to head back to the ‘tvte. Though I have some great friends here at home (many whom I will miss dearly), I feel like I have friend’s at (and soon to be at) MIT who I already miss.
Since this is ostensibly a CPW entry, I guess I should talk about my CPW. Overall, my CPW was pretty tame. Keep in mind this is saying tame for CPW - this is a lot like saying west campus people are normal (they are, for MIT).
In any case, for a trip to my new favorite place, the beginning was less than... read the post »