Sometimes MIT feels like one intense workout on a treadmill. The treadmill just keeps going and going. You're trying to reach the controls to slow down, but they're just out of reach. You fall flat on your face or completely screw up and end up tearing apart the treadmill... You're only human after all.

Eventually a routine sets in. You have problem set after problem set, then a week of tests and projects, and then there's that whole thing about "living" (like eating, sleeping, and exercising?). MIT isn't all fun and games. There are times when you've just had enough. You give up. You break down. You're worn out, stretched thin, and feeling a little downhearted. IHTFP right?

Yet every time I feel like I'm in that situation, I keep running. I tell myself it's all worth it. I take it all in and try to just do it. Sometimes I fail. Sometimes I survive. The constant rollercoaster is exhausting. I keep thinking perhaps 5 classes and a UROP are too much... But heck, I've learned so much about myself in the process. After all, it's only when we're pushed to our limits, that we can understand where they fall.

Over this long and heart wrenching month, I've ultimately come to the realization that I'm just taking myself too seriously.

Which begs the question...

Honestly, it's so easy to get sucked into the MIT mindset (or as I like to think of it, the Jedi mind tricks). You start to feel like you need to do everything and plan every element of your four years out. But really, there's no rush to do it all now. It's okay to jog instead of run. Keep up at a steady pace. Punt a little more now and then. Tackle the issues as they arise. Enjoy the little things in life. Whether that be getting to the T stop right as the T pulls in, walking up to Mass Ave right as the crosswalk changes to walk, or taking in the occasionally beautiful weather on the green grass in Killian.

(Photo credit to the wonderful Preeti '15)

Most importantly though, remember the BIG picture. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter whether you didn't get an A on that test. It doesn't matter if you can't get the last 2-3 questions on the problem set. It doesn't matter if your project isn't 100% perfect. What does matter is what you take away from the experience. Be that a degree, a life lesson, a useful skill, or a new friend.

Remember: "We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand." -Randy Pausch
So no matter where life ends up taking you, make the most of it.

There are many incredible education institutions out there. True, your experience will not be the same everywhere. But this doesn't mean your experiences will not be enjoyable and meaningful. You're the only determinant of that.

Get involved. Get inspired. Make a difference.

Class of 2016, you're in for the journey of a lifetime. Get ready to embrace it.

Much love,

A reluctantly, soon-to-be sophomore

But it only gets better! For our second lecture, we played with toys! Of course, we played with toys to classify them on the play "pyramid" as a combination of fantasy, sensory, constructive, and/or challenge. This is, after all, an institution of learning!

 
My friend Noa '15 playing with our toy, the Etch A Sketch. Look at that beautiful 2.00b logo!

 
Some of my fellow classmates having fun with their toys!

Although 2.00b has definitely already claimed the title of "Favorite Class of the Semester", I'm also enjoying my other classes:

• 8.02: Electricity and Magnetism- Sparking an interest in subatomic physics
• 5.111: Principles of Chemical Science- Fun with molecules
  One neat thing we've done in this class is model Geiger-Marsden's gold foil experiment (also sometimes called Rutherford's gold foil experiment) with ping pong balls! We then used the data from our "experiment" to calculate the size of the ping pong ball "nuclei" in the golf foil. Check it out:
   
• 18.03: Differential Equations- Modeling the world, one equation at a time!
• CMS.376: History of Media and Technology- An insightful look back on how technology has influenced society over the course of history

:) Hope you're in love with MIT too now!

Floating in the center of Lobby 7's dome was a model of MIT's famous Green building.
Interestingly enough, this model was embellished with a QR code.
 

Now theoretically, if one were able to scan the code (unfortunately, the rippling surface of the fabric made the code hard to scan), one would have found this site: http://bad-ideas.mit.edu/

Bad Ideas Weekend is an annual event at East Campus every IAP where  people get the opportunity to implement all those bad ideas they've had over the course of the year. Some of the events this year are: The world's slowest game of Simon Says, running up the Green Building stairs for 4 hours, a Python Bee, a water war (in the middle of the snow), and a Nutella eating contest. Only at MIT.

My weekend was unfortunately engulfed by other plans (one of which I'll blog about soon!) but I did manage to make my way over to East Campus for two events: Chocolate Chess and the Nutella eating contest.
[Now that I think about it, this weekend was unintentionally chocolate themed. Awesome.]

As a freshmen, I feel that it's my personal responsibility to take advantage of every opportunity to get a full MIT experience. So Saturday afternoon, I wandered over to East Campus where I promptly got sucked into a Chocolate Chess tournament.
Yes, those are chess pieces are edible. Yummy.

Interestingly, the black set had a special Mermaid pawns. Not going to lie, I was a little jealous.

Anyways, the idea behind chocolate chess was that each player had 8 minutes to eat the King i.e. win chess. But you had to completely chew the chocolate pieces you captured before you could stop the clock. You might be thinking, well that's not a bad idea. But my friend, you would be very wrong. Although I ended up losing the game to my formidable opponent, I still ate enough chocolate to have a nice sugar induced coma for a hour after the game.

Nutella Eating Contest
Unfortunately, I arrived to the Nutella eating contest a little late... and only made it to the aftermath. But considering that I was only 10 minutes late and they'd already gotten rid of some of the containers, I'd say it was a pretty awesome competition to watch.

My photo of the aftermath:

More chocolate deliciousness coming soon!
 

Over my winter break, I was looking forward to escaping the bitter cold weather of Boston. So where did I head? Vancouver, BC, Canada. Because it was so much warmer! Haha. But skiing at Whistler with my family and eating endless 12 course Chinese dinners with my relatives for a week was great! Still, nothing compares to the comfort of being at home. It was nice to be around my family and friends again. I spent time with my awesome little brother beating this deathly level in Little Big Planet! I visited my high school AS AN ALUM. I ate delicious Chick-fil-a and Tex-Mex food. I played (and lost) way too many games of monopoly with my friends.

My friend Nikhil, celebrating the fact that he, and his partner Mateo, owned more money than the bank...

Yet despite my multiple losses, I'd say it was a successful break.

Although I don't want to talk too much about my break (let's be honest, all of you just want to hear about MIT), I do want to make a comment about how odd I felt to be a college student returning home. You definitely feel like you belong at home, but it doesn't feel the same way it felt before because it's not your day to day "normal" anymore. Seniors, the time you have left at home is precious. Make good use of it! Second semester will go by quickly and before you know it, you'll be headed to college. At the same time, take some time to thank your family for the little things. Cooking dinner for you. Buying you more toothpaste when you run out. Cheering you up when you're upset. And of course, LAUNDRY!! When you're in college, you'll really come to appreciate the things they did for you.

Now, for the moment everyone's been waiting for... A LOOK INTO IAP!
For those of you who aren't too familiar with MIT scheduling, IAP stands for Independent Activities Period. It's a month-long "semester" where students can take classes if they want, or just enjoy being at MIT by doing fun things like Mystery Hunt, glass blowing, break dancing, and exploring Boston.

This IAP, my schedule is pretty light. I'm taking 6.S189: Introduction to Python and a LineStorm Animation class.
So far, both these classes have been great. I'm enjoying learning more about Python since I feel I can always develop my Course 6 skills. Plus, LineStorm Animation has been an interesting look into animation. Essentially, once a week we work on how to convey motion through a series of drawings. Neat stuff.

This is MIT though. Outside of classes, there's always something cool going on around campus. IAP is no exception. Some  things that I've done so far...

1. Hummus 101
Guided by MIT Alum George Kirby '79, my friends and I were able to make some of this delicious chickpea dip and zhug,  a hot sauce that is used to flavor the hummus.

   
Mmmm. Vegetarian deliciousness.

2. HBV Plush workshop
Team HBV has made it way to MIT! Starting this year, the MIT chapter of Team HBV will work in the Boston/Cambridge Area to increase awareness about Hepatitis B (HBV). As one of their first events to increase awareness about HBV and recruit new members, the team hosted a workshop where people could make their own virus plush! Check them out!

3. Homemade Bread!
Over the past year, I've slowly amassed some really cool recipes online that I've always wanted to try to make. Well... what better time to do so than IAP!

I gathered up some of my friends, and together we made pull apart cinnamon bread. It was definitely a labor of love since it took 3 hours from start to finish, but in my opinion it was well worth it....

Don't you agree?

More IAP adventures coming soon!


 

Since it's the newest dorm on campus, I don't really think the world knows much about Maseeh, so I'm going to give an e-tour!
 

Yep. Maseeh's pretty right?
Aside from the amazing facilities, what are some reasons why I love Maseeh?

1. Location, Location, Location

Since it's started SNOWING already in November (what is this?!?), it's extremely convenient that I literally just have to cross the street to get to class.

2. Communication
Communication at Maseeh is easy.
We have corkboards on every floor so clubs can advertise about events and new opportunities. We also have white boards EVERYWHERE. Each dorm room has their own small whiteboard under their room number, and each hall in Maseeh has 2 large whiteboards. You can often find people using the white boards to pset (work on problem sets) which shows that the white boards really help people communicate and share here!

3. People
Yes, I know I say this so much that it's starting to get cliche, but I love the people here! I definitely feel that Maseehdonians are extremely friendly and open to meeting new people since we're a new dorm. The culture at Maseeh is also unique. Each dorm at MIT has a distinct culture and feel (which is why MIT allows the students to pick the dorm where they would like to live). But since the upperclassmen are from different dorms on campus, we have a culture that is a blend of the other dorms' cultures here. The diversity is definitely why I love living here!

And that concludes our short tour of Maseeh. Hope you've enjoyed it!

 

1. Break down to-do items into more manageable tasks, and recognize when you accomplish each task.
MIT "homework" isn't like high school homework. I always feel like I'm never really finished. Now one could think, "Okay, on to the next one." But instead I think, "Win! I'm done with one! You're awesome for finishing this!"

2. Keep things in the right perspective.
MIT definitely changed my perspective. The bar here is so much higher than back in high school. The other day when some of my friends and I checked our 7.012 (Intro Bio) test scores...

      Friend 1: YES I GOT A 65!
      Friend 2: I GOT A 64!! CLOSE TO AVERAGE!!
      Friend 1: Man... in high school when I got a 95, I used to think, "Dang, what did I do wrong?
                      Oh the irony."

MIT is hard. I'm not going to get As on every test, and that's a) being human, b) being around amazingly smart people, and c) having harder tests. Keeping things in perspective is probably the most important thing I consider when evaluating my abilities. At MIT, a 69 could be an amazing grade. I also recognize that whatever is bothering me at the moment likely won't be my biggest problem in the future. There's no need to be too stressed.

3. Remember that a life exists outside whatever you're stressing about.
I've already touched on this, but the people that I've surround myself with make my life a million times better. Whether it's making a funny joke during a serious pset session, randomly stopping by our room to serenade my roommate and I, or distracting me with some awesome song that they just found, friends make the bad times bearable. Friendships are one of the most valuable things that you can have. Grades (like SAT scores) will be forgotten after time, but friendships and memories last a lifetime.

4. Lastly, don't forget what you will gain from an experience.
My friend and I were talking about adjusting to life at MIT, and my friend asked:

      Friend: What is there to gain from going to MIT?
      Me: IMMORTALITY.

Yes, graduating from MIT will make you live forever. Not like Voldemort. More like Bill Gates.
After graduating (although it's a little premature to say), I do feel I'll be well equipped to go out and revolutionize whatever field I choose to pursue. I know I'll have the smarts, skills, and mindset that I need to leave a permanent mark on the world.

Sometimes, life at MIT will feel like you're constantly being followed around by a storm cloud. But it's at these times that you have to find these small victories such as having really incredible friends or finishing that seriously annoying pset question. You will make it through stressful times. After all, you can't have a rainbow without the rain.

As you can imagine, it's been hard to devote my precious minutes to blogging merely because I'm at MIT and there are ALWAYS amazing things happening on campus. Nevertheless, my love for the blogs and the people who read the blogs brings me here to my computer on a beautiful afternoon.

Last Friday marked the end of my first full week of classes at MIT. Despite the fact that I've only been here for a couple days, these are general things that I have noticed about MIT and myself.

1. Let's start off with a quick biology question:
   
   Q: What's the best way to entice an MIT student to go do something?
   A: Free food!
   
   Almost every one of the 100s of emails advertising activities at MIT have mentioned free food (this makes freshmen 15 unavoidable...). Anyways the point is that I feel that at almost any time at MIT on campus, there is free food lurking about somewhere.
2. I think in numbers.
   The other day, I called one of my friends back home. This is how our conversation went down:
   
   Friend: What classes are you taking?
   Me: 7.012, 8.01, 18.02, 3.986
   -Awkward Silence-
   Me: Oh right... that makes no sense to you...
   
   I've realized that those numbers which made no sense to me a mere 2 weeks ago have now officially been internalized. They grow on you. (For those of you curious, in order my classes are: Intro Biology, Physics I: Classical Mechanics, Calc II, and Intro to Archaeology)
3. Psets are like siblings. You love them because you know they'll be helpful to you one day in the future, but you hate them because you have to put up with them until they become useful. Haha. Just kidding. I have a younger brother that I love dearly (:
   But really... MIT PSETS ARE HARD. Helpful, but HARD. It's absolutely true that they encourage collaboration here via psets.
4. The people here are shocking. In a good way.
   Every person that I've met here has done some amazing things or is incredibly talented in some spectacular way. Together, we make up a diverse class which makes for an amazing culture of intellectual stimulation and enlightenment. I'm always learning new things from other classmates, and they're so happy to teach others about their hobbies/passions.
5. Lastly, the friends you make here make every stressful moment worth it.
   Whenever you're feeling stressed about the millions of things that you have due tomorrow, there are ALWAYS people there to help you feel better. There are those friends who are in the same boat with you and spend hours crammed in your tiny room trying to solve the hard problems together and occasionally doing something really awkward that causes everyone to laugh so hard they can't stop laughing. Then there are those geniuses (who I liken to Superman and Wonder Women) who, having already finished all their psets for this week are waiting for the newest psets to come out, come in your hour of distress to save the day! Lastly, there are your dormmates who will randomly decide to bust into your room and drag you out to go play wiffle ball in the halls
   These are the moments when I know I was meant to be here.

Finding your fit, as Connie talked about, is about finding where you feel comfortable because you relate to others around you or aspire to become like those around you. Every day I've been at MIT so far, I've had both those feelings. I know MIT is home, a place where I belong.
After all... some things are meant to be.

Hello everyone! I’m Kirsten, one of the four fabulous freshmen MIT bloggers (Alliteration! Woo! Sorry if that comes across as vain…).

In a few seconds, we’re going to start a brief presentation on the life of Kirsten. Please sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.

Let’s start from the beginning. I was born in the magnificent, but chilly, country of Canada. However, I’m essentially an American because I moved down to the States when I was 3 years old. I’ve lived in Georgia for practically my whole life, until this summer when I officially moved to live in a hotel (aka Maseeh).

I, like many (but not all) at MIT, knew I wanted to go into math and science. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that my dad was an engineer and my mom was a biochemist. Perhaps it had to do with all that tinkering I used to do with Tinker Toys and K’nex. Perhaps it was DESTINY. Whatever the reason, I grew up as a creative “do-er.” I kept busy whether it was building a fort out of pillows, a rollercoaster, or room decorations. In high school, I didn’t slow down. To keep mentally sharp, I applied to a new charter school in Georgia. It was there that I, as part of the inaugural class, spent my time as a guinea pig. Over those four years, I took an incredible amount of math and science in four years without any upperclassmen to come to my aid. But that was the less interesting, academic-related side of my high school life. My more memorable moments from high school were from my time in Robotics and Science Olympiad. It was in those clubs that I built some really awesome balsa wood bridges, towers, Rube-Goldberg devices, and of course robots.

But when it finally was time to start applications, MIT wasn’t my first choice school. I had visited colleges the previous year and had my heart set on somewhere else.

When I didn’t get into my first choice, I was pretty crushed.
But I stopped pitying myself and started College Applications Round 2. Reflecting back on my college tours, I rekindled my feelings about MIT. How, when I walked onto campus I felt like I was at home (unlike that school down the road where I didn’t even bother applying to). Ultimately, I ended up applying to MIT during regular decision and made the cut! After making some hard choices, I decided that MIT was where I was going and enrolled.

Although I’m not exactly sure what I’ll feel once I get situated at MIT, I do know I will learn here. About the culture, about classes, about life. I hope my blogs are helpful to those of you in high school who want a taste of MIT culture from home and to those of you who will be freshmen next year. Either way, I can’t wait to get started!