mitblogs
Apr 24 2008
Adventures of a Prefrosh: My ‘Year On’
Posted in: Freshman Applicants
[by Vicky Thomas '12]
Like most of you reading this, I stalk these blogs pretty frequently. Unhealthily frequently, actually. So, last week, when I was sitting at work... er... my room... and I noticed Matt's entry "On taking a 'Gap Year'", I remembered that I've been meaning to write my own entry about the same subject for a while now. I have also been follow-up stalking (I like to think of this as "scanning for comments by my fellow '12s in an effort to get to know them better") Matt's entry to see if anyone has made an interesting comment, and I've noticed that some people really seem to hate the deferral idea. Their reasoning seems fair enough, considering it aligns pretty much exactly with the hesitations I had last year when deciding to defer. Now that I'm almost done with my gap year, though, I can assure you that ignoring those hesitations was one of the best decisions I've made in a while.
Before I dive into what could potentially be a very over-excited description of what... read the post »
Apr 4 2008
Leadership Training Institute
Posted in: Life & Culture
[by YeSeul Kim '10 and Anne Shen '11]
Hello there MIT hopefuls and acceptees!
YeSeul Last year, I founded a really cool organization called the Leadership Training Institute (LTI). In high school, I was involved in a similar leadership program. What I appreciated the most was the opportunity to receive guidance and support from great role models, and I wanted to show the same generosity and kindness to others in helping them overcome their obstacles and accomplish their dreams. Humbled, I made it my mission to return the favor but knew that I could not do it alone. I wished to create a program to educate students on the significance of leadership in all aspects of life - be it social, academic, technological - and relay the concepts of leadership through an interactive curriculum. LTI was thus uniquely designed to empower students to cascade this act of giving.
Anne It's true. Of all the leadership roles I took in high school, few ever entailed passing my own experiences on and... read the post »
Mar 19 2008
What Do You DO All Day?
Posted in: MIT Facts
[by Joan Horvath '81]
"What do you DO all day?" There's a certain furtiveness when someone asks a scientist or engineer this question: perhaps it is nervousness about how thorough and multi-syllabic the response is likely to be, or perhaps a sense that maybe it's best not to know. As for me, I'm trying to get everyone so familiar with what scientists and engineers do that they won't have to ask!
I graduated from MIT in aeronautics and astronautics a thousand "internet years" ago, when those of us who lived over on the Boston side had to hike over the Harvard Bridge to this place called a library to get information. It was, of course, uphill both ways in the snow to get to the Institute back then.
After a stint in grad school someplace with palm trees, I spent 16 years at the Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) in Pasadena, California. JPL is the place that sends out robots to explore other planets. The high point for me was when I was on the flight team for the Magellan spacecraft, which... read the post »
Jan 21 2008
Faculty Luncheon for Local* Admitted Students
Posted in: Miscellaneous
Hello, everyone. This is probably the first time anyone has heard of me (maybe that's a good thing?), but I come to you today with important news!
Our faculty, an amazing group of folks, asked how they could help us in addition to the many activities they're planning for Campus Preview Weekend in April. We brainstormed, made charts and graphs, and after drawing some Venn diagrams, finally came up with the brand-spanking-new Faculty/Admitted Student Luncheon. This is going to be an awesome, low-key, informal event, where you can sit down for a delicious lunch and chat with our Professors about cutting-edge research, cool discoveries, and all of the fantastic things you can do as an MIT student.
(NB: Since this thing is about 2.5 hours in length, and not quite as life-changing as the 4-day Campus Preview Weekend Extravaganza in April, only admitted students in New England and New York got the invite. But if you just happen to be in Boston that weekend, and want to stop by, we'd love... read the post »
Oct 24 2006
A Day at the Beach: Quick Trips From MIT
Posted in: Visit
Growing up in the Midwest, my "beach" experiences consisted of the sands of Lake Michigan or small lakes in Wisconsin and Michigan. Living (or going to college) in the Boston area is a real luxury because the ocean is only a short train ride or drive away. In fact, many of Massachusetts' beautiful beaches require travel times of only an hour or slightly longer. Even better, many of them are accessible via the commuter rail train or a ferry.
This means that the trips wind up being really affordable and you don't need a car. If you want to stay closer to MIT, though, there are some good beaches right in Boston or its neighboring cities. I took one of those very quick trips this past weekend when my friend and I brought our dogs to Revere Beach (the beach has its own stop on the subway's Blue Line). Besides it being a little windy, it was a perfect fall day. As you'll see from the photos, Willie (my dog) and Sarah (my friend's dog) had a grand time.
