Happy haloween everyone ! Who would think that some teenagers in Paris celebrate it !

Posted by: Isshak on October 31, 2007

Hey Jess Is there any way to avoid having chemistry class at all costs if I want to be a course 6 for example? I deeply hope that I lost all connection with that science after my junior year
Happy Halloween

Posted by: Sanja on October 31, 2007

@Sanja - you have to take at least one semester of either 3.091, 5.111, or 5.112. It could be worse though - you could be like me and physics. I had to take TWO semesters.. ugh :(

Posted by: Jess on October 31, 2007

I'm currently taking organic chem at my school, and today we had an amazing lab where we took glue, water and borax powder and changed the glue polymer into a silly putty-like substance. It was cool, except that mine was too watery and kept dripping all over the place. Happy Halloween!

p.s. Why is taking two semesters of physics bad?

Posted by: Alex on October 31, 2007

really? that's Stephen Buchwald? really? I always loved that his athena username was sbuchwal at mit. Seriously, dude, the 8 character limit sucks, but just make it buchwald at mit! But it looks like he had the last laugh.

Posted by: Sam on October 31, 2007

@Alex: Probably because she doesn't like it

I spy M&Ms;! Yummy! That costume is pretty rad. And that is an impressively large blackboard(s?).

Did he hand those notes out to you or did you doodle on them yourself?

Posted by: SI on October 31, 2007

Oooh! I'm really looking forward to organic chem. in college, because my only experience with it at this point is organic naming which was awful and I'm waiting for something better than that.

Happy Halloween!

Posted by: Taylor on October 31, 2007

@Sanja

That's ok, in high school I hated chemistry with a passion. Now, in 3.091 (which is non-squishy chemistry, as opposed to 5.111 and 5.112), I've discovered that it's really not that bad. Plus, it's really easy to learn chemistry here.

Physics, well, sucks. You're either in TEAL (Technology Enhanced Active Learning), which sucks, or you're in 8.012 (physics for people who love physics too much and still end up failing), which sucks (average test grade on the first 8.012 test was below failing).

Chemistry is fine, worry about a lot of other things before you worry about chemistry at MIT.

Posted by: Snively on October 31, 2007

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

My chemistry in high school was a lie. I can't wait until next semester to take REAL chemistry! (I'm in 7.012 right now - LANDER ROCKS!)

ESG is non-TEAL, non-Mastering Physics. Concourse isn't either, I don't think...

Posted by: Hunter '11 on October 31, 2007

Concourse... ha. yeaaaa not such a good choice if you suck at physics, people!

In other, unrelated notes, 54-100 sucks. The seats make too much noise when I readjust myself.

Posted by: milena '11 on October 31, 2007

"8.012 - physics for people who love physics too much and still end up failing." Yep, that pretty much defines my relationship with physics. I wouldn't go quite so far to say that the subject of physics sucks...But I'll readily agree that the physics classes here are probably the ones that give incoming freshmen the most trouble. Not only are the classes themselves pretty hard, most of us have only had one year (or less) of actual physics in high school, so the learning curve is pretty steep.

As for chemistry, 5.111/5.112 are actually pretty awesome classes, in my humble opinion. I'm taking 5.112 right now and I'm really enjoying it - it's a lot like AP Chemistry in high school, but on a much deeper and thorough level. Plus, later in the course, we're going to be discussing topics I've never even thought about before (like why the d-block elements matter).

As a final comment, even if it is October 31st, don't forget to enjoy yourselves. Deep breaths.

Posted by: Paul on November 1, 2007

Sam -

According to one of Buchwald's lectures last week, someone stole buchwald before he could make it his username.

This entry is proof that I should really carry my camera around all the time. In one of those pictures, Professor Buchwald is bringing the axe down on me.

Posted by: Keri on November 1, 2007

I am also taking an organic chem class and we made slime yesterday! elmer's glue + water + food coloring + borax = messy fun!

Posted by: jules on November 1, 2007

Heh, in 6.001 lecture, half the people showed up dressed as various Scheme/Lisp procedures. It was quite amusing. What was even more amusing, though, was that half the people who came dressed up were not even currently in the class; they just wanted to dress as lambda, delays, etc.

Yay for MIT classes recognizing Halloween.

Posted by: Shawn '11 on November 1, 2007

"Die Ethyl!", " Die Ethyl!" , indeed, very appropriate for holiday greetings. Methyl Esther however is the bio-wave of the future. Fuel with a heart.... or from the heartland? well i don't know... whatever.

Posted by: silverSurfer on November 2, 2007

Here is a haiku
but I can not remember
how they are written?

Posted by: Angela on November 4, 2007

Organic chemistry is fun =) in the lab atleast! especially when you have lab partners who believe in setting their table on fire and when the tollens test works like a charm. i walked all over school and barged into classes with my silver mirrored test tube, ranting to anyone who would listen :D

and i went as a mad scientist for halloween :D

Posted by: Aditi on November 10, 2007