I go to college.
Yay!
Here's the thing about college, every single college has books. Books come from one of three places: Internet, Library, or Bookstore. Which of these three am I going to talk about? Well, I can't very well talk about the ENTIRE INTERNET because you'd be here for the rest of your life, which for a lot of people, is perfectly acceptable. Don't look at me like that, I know you're one of them! ;)
Libraries are cool and all, and I may blog about one ore two later, but today I want to talk about the MIT bookstore. Almost every college out there has a bookstore, most named something like this:
~> The Cornell Store
~> Columbia University Bookstore
~> University of Kansas Bookstore
~> The UCI Bookstore
Our bookstore doesn't actually have the word "Book" or "Store" in its name. In fact, it's not even just our bookstore, we share it with Harvard. What's it called?
The Coop.
The Coop is an enigma wrapped in a riddle. For one, it's housed in multiple buildings (I know of at least 3). The Harvard Coop sells Harvard stuff, the MIT Coop sells MIT stuff. That makes sense, what doesn't make sense is the pronunciation. How would you pronounce it? I, forever, thought it was pronounced Co-op (rhymes with low hop). I got to MIT and all of a sudden everybody was pronouncing it Coop (rhymes with hoop).
I've never told anybody this, but I spent the better part of 3 months agonizing in my head why it would be pronounced Coop instead of Co-op. Co-op just made so much sense! MIT and Harvard work together for their bookstore, joining in for a cooperative effort. Also, The Coop is based off of a cooperative business model. Each student gets a Coop Card and essentially buys into the bookstore, getting a refund at the end of the year equal to 7% of everything they buy. Why is it pronounced Coop!?
Well, at Harvard, it isn't. It's pronounced Co-op. You know what that means? That means we have a bookstore that doesn't have the word "book" or "store" in its name, is located in 3 different places around Cambridge, sells different merchandise at each store, and is pronounced two different ways depending on where you go to school. It makes one wonder . . .
But enough of that, on to the important stuff. The Coop at MIT is one of my favorite stores. If you ever need anything MIT related, The Coop is the place to go. The store can be divided into three main sections: Books, clothes, and dorm stuff. Check out how many jackets and sweatshirts they have!
They also sell a ton of shirts
hats
and socks
Oh, um, I should probably mention, I forgot to take pictures of the actual books at The Coop.
What else is there to spend all of your hard earned TechCash on? How about a leather portfolio?
or binders?
They also have some neat presents for friends and family, like this spiffy IHTFP pennant.
or an entire display of stuffed beavers!
They sell all the software staples like Adobe and Mathematica, board games, puzzles, food, and other goodies like that as well. It's also air-conditioned, which is a definite plus (and not always a luxury students get to enjoy). I've been known to spend an hour in The Coop and walk out with an armful of new toys and a guilty conscious due to my compulsory need to spend TechCash on neat stuff! I remember one day I walked out with a Scrabble board, 2 Rubik's cubes (Revolution and greyscale), a dog bone, and Christmas ornament.
Luckily, if you're interested in buying a bunch of MIT gear and you don't have access to campus, they have a website that you can peruse. What's your favorite thing on there? What would you buy?
Comments (Closed after 30 days to reduce spam)
Posted by: Star on January 13, 2008
By the way, I now know why MIT gives so much financial aid, they make theur money from the MIT accessories and apparel ! Oh that's smart ^^ .
Isn't coop that rhymes with hoop the correct prononciation ? I thought it was, since "oo" is suppose to rhyme with "hoop". Or maybe I'm just weird.
Lol are you advertising ? ^^' (and how could have you forgotten the books!)
Posted by: Isshak on January 13, 2008
Posted by: have to disagree with star on January 13, 2008
Best wishes!
Posted by: Cody Dean on January 13, 2008
I think its great!
Posted by: Libin Daniel on January 13, 2008
Hey Michael! any idea whether The Coop offers international shipping of items??(at whatever extra cost!)??
Great post!
Posted by: Nihar on January 13, 2008
Posted by: Isshak on January 13, 2008
Their website is quite fun - I spent about 45 mins on there the day before EA decisions came out picking out a sweatshirt for my mom to buy. I guess we were both equally disappointed ^^;
Posted by: Karen on January 13, 2008
Posted by: 0 on January 13, 2008
They do provide International shipping! I just bought three awesome shirts!!
But the thing is...they havent mentioned the shipping cost anywhere in the bill.I guess it just turns up when the credit card is charged.....anyway..m all psyched to receieve my first ever MIT apparell!!
**Are you making fun of us obsessed prefrosh Michael?
Posted by: Nihar on January 13, 2008
Posted by: Hawkins on January 13, 2008
When I visited in November and bought myself a MIT sweater, they asked if I was a student there. My response was a slightly embarrassed "no." At which they wished me good luck with the applications.
...and I always thought it was pronounced coop because it had something to do with birds...
Posted by: Hyun Jin on January 13, 2008
Posted by: Lauren on January 13, 2008
Posted by: Kes on January 13, 2008
After getting my acceptance, I wanted to get MIT <PARENT> shirts as a token of thanks for everything they did to help me along the way. I couldn't find any online, I emailed a Coop employee and was told there was none .. I didn't believe them.. so I called a friend who is a current frosh and had her buy these things from the Coop in the Student Center and bring them home with her on Christmas break. So, they do exist!
In Short: if you can't find something you'd expect online, you'll just have to wait until you are on campus..
the end.
Peace,
~Donald
Posted by: donaldGuy '12 on January 13, 2008
Posted by: dan on January 13, 2008
Posted by: 0 on January 13, 2008
Posted by: archimedes on January 13, 2008
I won't comment about Coop before receive the response. Really
Posted by: PS on January 13, 2008
Posted by: 0 on January 13, 2008
Thanks for shedding some light on da 'coop' versus co-op thing. I have myself wondered about it for a while now. I used to call it da 'Co-Op' until my child started attending MIT and started to redicule me for mispronouncing it.
By the way, I love the Coop. I make it a point to spend some time there every time I visit MIT. I just wish they had a better selection of winter coats and T-Shirts. The Cornell store has some awesome collection of jackets/coats. In fact I bought one during my last visit to Cornell even though no one from my family goes to school at Cornell.
A Parent
Posted by: Ram - a parent on January 13, 2008
Posted by: Mark on January 13, 2008
Posted by: 0 on January 13, 2008
Posted by: Tong on January 13, 2008
This is not the case.
This is also why I don't own one.
Posted by: Keri on January 13, 2008
Posted by: Piper on January 13, 2008
My high school's mascot is also the beaver (her name is Bev!) so ya I have a thing for beavers.... =D
Also, I'm sure that there are apparel that make fun of Caltech at COOP, right? If so, which do y'all recommend? (My friend has one of those "MIT; because not everyone can go to caltech" shirts so I wanna counter that shirt =D)
Posted by: Jing Jing on January 13, 2008
Posted by: 0 on January 13, 2008
If I get in, the first thing I'm going to do is get myself some MIT gear! An MIT shirt would be pretty sweet...
Posted by: asm on January 13, 2008
Overall, AWESOME POST. It's definitely one of those tidbits of MIT life only a student can tell!
Posted by: Kevin X on January 13, 2008
the beaver!!!!
pennant!!!!!!!!!
i want!
NOW :(
great post snively
and yeah i'd never have thought it was anything but coop (not co-op coop , regular cooop , oh well
Posted by: Aditi on January 13, 2008
For ultimate confirmation of this, I checked with my dormmates:
"Of course we call it the Coop."
"But I heard MIT calls it the Co-op..." So I guess it goes both ways
Posted by: Heidi on January 13, 2008
People here wear MIT gear all the time, no worries. I think I speak for many freshmen when I say that one of our favorite shirts are the DAPER “I Passed My Swim Test!” shirts that say “Because there’s more to life than being really really ridiculously smart.”
@archimedes
As for how scandalous it is, I always do a silent “wtf” when I see a shirt or sweatshirt from another college here, but that’s just me. I’m not sure how others react.
@ 7:04 Anonymous
I’m sorry, although I like programming, I’m not actually EECS, I’m MechE.
@Tong
I even have a hard time finding bumper stickers here. I ended up having to buy window clings, but I’ve seen bumper stickers around so maybe only special people can buy them.
Posted by: Snively on January 13, 2008
btw there are 5 coop stores
Posted by: Sh1fty on January 13, 2008
-sam r.
Posted by: Sam R. '12 on January 13, 2008
It's pronounced as "KOH op"
Co-op is short for Co-operative store.
Posted by: Javie on January 14, 2008
A very interesting post. Besides studies you need to buy books and all stuff for yourself. So sharing something like The Coop is definitely a new information about MIT's way of doing things and the name just suggests that.
I would like to buy an MIT sweatshirt. And a portfolio as it looks very elegant in the pic.
LOL
Posted by: Akshay on January 14, 2008
honestly I'm saving up money so i can go shopping at the coop during CPW
thanks for the post!
Posted by: 0 on January 14, 2008
BTW; tell me they have MIT bottle openers offline. Only for those who are of legal drinking age, of course.
Posted by: AwayfromHome on January 14, 2008
E/c^2 (-1)^1/2 (PV)/(nR)
Every time I wear it I get puzzled looks, extremely focused expressions, and then laughter when I finally explain it =]
Posted by: Carolina on January 14, 2008
Posted by: Twilight Bob on January 14, 2008
FYI it is hard making those off the top of your head
Posted by: Nick on January 14, 2008
Posted by: Jorge on January 14, 2008
Posted by: MITDad on January 14, 2008
Posted by: Tanmay on January 15, 2008
@Nick: Lol, I'd panic if I got a letter in scrambled English. Getting accepted or rejected is just one of those things that makes it hard to read plain English XD
Posted by: Muz on January 15, 2008
@Jing Jing - I haven't seen any about Caltech, but the shirt does exist (in the reverse) for Harvard. No offense, Heidi ^.^
Posted by: Piper on January 15, 2008
Posted by: confused on January 16, 2008
Posted by: confused on January 16, 2008
Posted by: Corey McDonald on January 16, 2008
When I visited the Coop with my daughter (applying for Fall 2008 admission) over the summer we visited the Coop. A bit smaller with no LP's, but still extremely cool compared to on-campus stores at other schools in our travels.
Posted by: WTBSAlumni on January 16, 2008
Posted by: donaldzmom on January 16, 2008
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