Mission Log 3042007
It's 6 o clock in the morning, and I ask myself. Bryan, what are you doing today? I'm going to GRAD SCHOOL! I surreptitiously jump out of my lofted bed trying to land with a gymnast's dismount onto the floor below without awaking my roommate. I put my contacts in, and stroll down the stairs and ask myself the second big question for the day. Subway or Taxi? Realizing I'd filled out a survey online that had a $30 payout, I decided to be a high-roller and take a cab to the airport.
After a short ride to the airport, I board transcontinental flight #1 to LAX. Not Lacrosse City, folks but Los Angeles. After a 5 hour nap, I awaken to the sounds of wheels skidding on the landing strip. Woo hoo, I'm "early". Yay for airlines padding flight times so we're always early these days. Anyone else notice that? Looking at the flight departures, I realize that I can make an earlier flight, so I do the "My plane is leaving" hustle.
"STOP!" yells the TSA officer.
Everyone stops in place. Anybody remember "Saved by the Bell" when Zach would say freeze and then the whole scene would freeze except for him? Yea, I experienced that first hand as I stood in place as the TSA officers wandered through the garden of temporary statues.
"Hammer Time."
The scene resumes.
I skidaddle over to my gate and I'm off to Oakland. Take Bart from OAK to Downtown Berkeley, and here I am.
I call Mitra who is also in the Berkeley area.
*Commence really exciting part of my story*
This was my first time to the Berkeley area, so it was all new to me.
First Stop: Cafe Gratitude
Mitra blogged about Cafe Gratitude here.
I ordered an "I Am Treasured" smoothie which included avocado, pineapple, lime, and hazelnut milk. Don't knock it until you try it. Although, I also acknowledge that if I tried to recreate this in my room, it would probably have too much avocado and would just be gross.
Other sampled items include: "I Am Adored," ...
At the end of the meal, the waitress asks us, "What is your gift to life?" (This explains the little placeholder I had while I recovered from the sleepless trip I had to Berkeley.)
Second Stop: Intermezzo
Byline: A four dollar salad feeds four people and stuffs them. =)
Monday and Tuesday were pretty similar days. Four interviews each day with faculty member from both the UCSF and Berkeley campuses. The rest of the time is spent with walking around the campus and the city to get an idea of who the people are.
Now to reconnect this to you and your college admissions process. I will expand on this topic in a later blog entry, but here are a few things to think about as you visit colleges before making your decision:
1. What are the people like? Both your incoming class and the current students?
2. Ask TOUGH questions to the current students, and if you don't think you've received an adequate answer, ask the question a different way or ask someone else. You're making a decision that will likely affect the next four years of your life. Make sure you don't have *too many* lingering questions. There will always be some, and it's normal.
3. Walk around the campus. How do you feel after the tour? What are people doing? Do you feel like you could be one of them?
Comments (Closed after 30 days to reduce spam)
to meet my best best best............... friend GOD
Posted by: bhushan on March 6, 2007
Posted by: Anonymous on March 6, 2007
Posted by: arihant k jain on March 6, 2007
Before that nobody had shown what love is, I had no clue!!
But I came to know what love was, and had some clues,
Alas, I have lost it in the blackhole of time!
Posted by: The madman who makes people fly on March 6, 2007
what for?
well, we can just talk there and waste time lol. i mean we are gonna post comments here at mit blogs and there at the group wasting double the time, and that's what we want. i guess we all want to waste our time at least 'till march 17th
Posted by: amjad on March 6, 2007
what is it?
Posted by: Amjad on March 6, 2007
Posted by: Basant on March 6, 2007
Posted by: bhushan on March 6, 2007
Posted by: 0 on March 6, 2007
A timer counting down to decisions.
The unofficial MIT admissions chat - resurrected! Current MIT students are absolutely welcome!
Enjoy.
Posted by: Adam S. on March 6, 2007
This one uses the roman numbers on the MIT dome to give (days:hours) left
Posted by: Aditya on March 6, 2007
Posted by: Anonymous on March 6, 2007
go take a look at it.
Posted by: Amjad on March 6, 2007
In A.R Rehman's Pray for me Brother (which I coincidentally heard today for the first time), there is a beautiful line which goes like:
Life is a blessing, not just a show
The greatest gift anyone can give to their lives is to make good use out of it, whether for oneself or for someone else. You wouldn't want to remain, as my dad says, dead pieces of meat. And what my personal gift is will only be known when my life is over.
Mark Twain says Live life so that when you die, even the undertaker feels sorry
AJ
Posted by: AJ Singh on March 6, 2007
I love this Navy SEAL saying; "You just change to perfect - minor adjustments".
Posted by: Ormen on March 6, 2007
Am one of those people who believe that we are here on earth to make a difference (not money). I want to offer something to life, something everlasting......And guess what?
You will know if you live long enough to see me shine!!
Posted by: Thuita Maina on March 6, 2007
Posted by: Anurag on March 6, 2007
And I'll think about your question after I program this handman game thingie...
Posted by: Someone who should be studying for 14.01... on March 6, 2007
I just made one... Please let your comments come... tell me how you liked it.
M.I.T. =
<ol>
<li>Madness in mind.</li>
<li>Innovation, as a result of madness.</li>
<li>Tempest in the world of science.</li></ol>
or,
M.I.T. =
Madman's
Institution
(Truly!)
Posted by: The madman who makes people fly on March 6, 2007
go take a look at it.
Join it. it'll be fun
here
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2250308853
Posted by: Amjad on March 6, 2007
Ankit Chandra
Gaborone, Botswana
Posted by: Ankit Chandra on March 6, 2007
Posted by: milena on March 6, 2007
Posted by: Anthony Vila on March 6, 2007
Posted by: Meng on March 7, 2007
-Pradeep.
Posted by: Pradeep on March 7, 2007
Posted by: 0 on March 7, 2007
hmm...to me, the best gift is to live my life to full extent,achieve my dream to be a biologist and to help others as much as i can
Posted by: Ying Wei on March 7, 2007
Posted by: Hanna on March 7, 2007
Posted by: Hanna on March 7, 2007
Posted by: Solomon on March 7, 2007
the lives of others.
Posted by: Solomon on March 7, 2007
Posted by: Sarab on March 7, 2007
I know some of you might find this disturbing but I can't help it........I like being religious
Best of luck to all the applicants!
Posted by: Hopeful on March 7, 2007
read mine too for religous one
Posted by: bhushan on March 7, 2007
Really sorry.
Posted by: Hanna on March 7, 2007
I will save human lives in anywhere of the world. (Go Doctors Without Borders!)
So far, I hope by being an environmentalist I am making life and our world happy (especially after all the recent theories about the end of the world). In the mean time, volunteering is in my opinion one of the best ways for a gift to life. I try to do it whenever I find time. And lastly, my smile.
Posted by: turnef on March 7, 2007
any two infinitely differentiable functions agreeing on z in a subset of C of the form z = z_1 +/- k(z_2) for ANY k > 0 are equivalent on z_1 + K(z_2) for ALL K in R, such that even if k TENDS to 0 the theorem still holds! [It seems obvious, but certain universality theorems about holomorphics would have one thinkng otherwise.]
Posted by: Chandresh on March 7, 2007
Posted by: Chandresh on March 7, 2007
Posted by: Guyomar on March 8, 2007
My real gift is my optimism and all my attempts to make peolple smile : )
Posted by: bonbon on March 8, 2007
what was your answer to the waitress's question??
Posted by: Pradeep on March 9, 2007
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