Name: Mikey Yang
Job title: Admissions Counselor
Hometown: Troy, MI
High school: Troy High School
College: MIT '05, Biology
Favorite thing about MIT: The people. Hands down. The people at MIT are not what I expected them to be at all! Everyone works hard and studies, but they hang out, party, have fun...the people here are so down to earth. Everyone's got a nerdy side, and we embrace and accept that. Someone can tell a nerdy joke and people will actually laugh and won't shun them to the library. The community here is so open, friendly, and accessible. I love being able to stay up until 5am talking to friends instead of doing problem sets. I never thought I could do that here. Honestly, I wouldn't trade the friends I made here for anything in the world.
Favorite things about Boston: The Charles River is awesome, and the fact that MIT is right on the riverfront - couldn't be a better location. Also the fact that Boston is such a young college town and a walking town - you can walk or take public transportation anywhere and there's so much stuff to do for college kids. I love that the city is so diverse and you can find almost any kind of food all over the place - fooood is gooood. And, of course, THE SOX.
Favorite movies: The Usual Suspects, Clue, The Game, The Matrix Trilogy, Zoolander, Anchorman, Primal Fear, LOTR Trilogy
Favorite food: Everything Italian. I <3 food!
Favorite music: I love everything. All music is so awesome. If I had to choose, my favorite bands would be: Coldplay, Ben Folds, Guster, Maroon5, Switchfoot, Jump Little Children, Remy Zero. The Garden State Soundtrack is also pretty sweet.
Favorite book: The Ender series (Ender's Game especially), Dan Brown books (esp Da Vinci Code), The Great Gatsby, Tennessee Williams plays...unfortunately I don't read all that much, but I'm trying to take it up! Throw some good suggestions my way.
Favorite cartoon character: Loved watching X-Men and Captain Planet (yeah I'm a dork). But I think I'd have to go with Calvin and Hobbes.
Advice about applying to college/MIT: Be yourself! Show us your personality and uniqueness through your application. We want to know what makes you tick. Tons of people have great scores and academics--we want to know much more than just the numbers.
Fun fact about yourself: I am horrible at activities that require balance. I didn't learn to ride a bike til I was past 10, and I still don't know how to rollerblade or ice skate.
Anything else? I love sleeping, eating, and singing. I played the cello for 10 years. I gots tons of Michigan pride. So if you're from Michigan or love music, we should talk!