Like most of you reading this, I stalk these blogs pretty frequently. Unhealthily frequently, actually. So, last week, when I was sitting at work... er... my room... and I noticed Matt's entry "On taking a 'Gap Year'", I remembered that I've been meaning to write my own entry about the same subject for a while now. I have also been follow-up stalking (I like to think of this as "scanning for comments by my fellow '12s in an effort to get to know them better") Matt's entry to see if anyone has made an interesting comment, and I've noticed that some people really seem to hate the deferral idea. Their reasoning seems fair enough, considering it aligns pretty much exactly with the hesitations I had last year when deciding to defer. Now that I'm almost done with my gap year, though, I can assure you that ignoring those hesitations was one of the best decisions I've made in a while.

Before I dive into what could potentially be a very over-excited description of what I've done for the past 11 months, I want to dispel the negative connotations that seem to surround a gap year. One of the concepts that I found particularly helpful with this came from Interim Programs, a Cambridge Massachusetts-based program that helps people plan gap years. When I first walked into their office (I actually didn't end up working with them, because I wanted to plan my year on my own), I was struck by all of their literature that promised to help me plan an unforgettable "year on". I really liked this phrase because it negates the notion that a "year off " is a year-long vacation where you don't actually do anything productive. Not only that, it suggests that the year will be even more productive than a year of your normal routine. And mine definitely has been.

To prove it, here's a play-by-play of my year so far.

After I graduated from high school in June '07, I shipped off to the Bay Area for a super-incredibly-fun-mind-blowing-unbelievable-and-other-similar-words internship with a renewable energy startup company. At this point, I was actually still technically a member of the Class of 2011. While at Squid Labs out in Alameda, CA, I worked for and with some of the smartest people I have ever met, a lot of whom have degrees from MIT. It was pretty cool to see a bunch of fairly young people making a difference and solving real problems and having a blast doing it. I could go on for a while as to what exactly the internship entailed, but suffice it to say that I designed and built Howtoons, helped test technologies that harness high-altitude wind, helped build a massive roof-deck, went kite-boating, went to Google (and more importantly, ate in one of the many AWESOME Google cafeterias), and met a bunch of really inspiring people. Actually, the internships were later featured in a MAKE article by Saul Griffith (he spelled my name wrong, but hey, I was pretty stoked to be quoted in an article and have one of my Howtoons published all in the same issue)!

As July '07 was coming to an end and I was in denial about having to leave Alameda, I started to reconsider the concept of a gap year; a concept that my parents had been pushing since I skipped 5th grade and became really young compared to my classmates. The whole age thing (I would have been 16 when I started MIT if I hadn't deferred) was one of the main reasons I was first considering taking a gap year, but I was just so excited to start learning and researching and developing and contributing to all the good stuff at MIT that I didn't want to delay what seemed like my entire life for a whole year. However, at Squid Labs, I started to realize that I could learn and research and develop and contribute to a lot of exciting things in a lot of exciting ways if I took a year away from traditional schooling. Still not completely convinced, I figured that leaning towards maybe possibly taking a gap year was about as decided as I was ever going to be. I try to live by the mantra no regrets , though, so I just went with my gut feeling and sent a short outline of what I thought my year would entail off to the admissions office, and I got a prompt reply back from McGreggor:

Hi, Vicky. Thank you for your letter requesting a deferral. We will be glad to grant you a deferral - your gap year sounds like a ton of fun.

For students who defer, we request that they write us a letter summarizing the events of their past year. This letter is due in February, and it can be an email or hard copy.

Also, you will need to complete all financial aid forms anew. These are due in February, and include the FAFSA, CSS Profile, and the MIT FinAid form.

From this point forward, you will be a member of the MIT Class of 2012.

We look forward to seeing you on campus next year, Vicky, and please email me or call if you have any questions or concerns.

Yours truly,
McGreggor Crowley

And that was it. "From this point forward, you will be a member of the MIT Class of 2012". No turning back.

So, I headed back to the East Coast, and interned with the Lemelson-MIT Program (more on that later) while searching for a volunteer program abroad. I ended up finding Projects Abroad, a UK-based program with volunteer projects all over the world. There are a whole slew of these pay-to-volunteer programs out there (as you will see if you run a Google search for gap year programs), but Projects Abroad seemed to be pretty legit from what I could tell, and they had programs that interested me in equally interesting places. When I got to the French-speaking town of St. Louis, Senegal, (we're now in late October 2007, by the way), I moved in with my host family and was informed that even though I had signed up to teach English in a high school, I had been switched over to a different project. I ended up teaching preschool and organizing meals for Talibes (boys whose Qur'an teachers beat them and send them to live on the streets when the boys' parents don't pay for their lessons). This was challenging for many different reasons - namely that preschool-aged Senegalese kids don't speak French yet, so I had to learn some Wolof, and that there were always way more Talibes than bread, so we had to turn some away. It was definitely an incredible experience, though, and while I struggled with culture shock during my first week, I didn't want to go home at the end. I could go on about Senegal forever, but then you would be here forever, and that wouldn't be good. So I hope these pictures elaborate a little bit, and feel free to ask me any questions!

The class I taught in St. Louis, Senegal, (photo courtesy of Lauren Scott). They don't like to smile for pictures...but really, they're cute...

The street view of the school/Talibe center I volunteered at (photo courtesy of Lauren Scott....I conveniently forgot my camera battery at home)

Sledding down sand dunes in the dessert. Note the baby bath that we tried to use as a sled. As you can probably guess, that didn't work very well...

If you haven't noticed yet, I don't like to sit still. So, about a month after my return to the States, I headed back overseas - this time was to India with my parents. My younger brother is doing his junior year of high school at the Woodstock School in the foothills of the Himalayas, and during January, his school takes the foreign kids on a month-long tour of the country. They invited parents and families, so we joined in for more "Chaiiiiiiiiii, Coffeeeeeeeeee" and 30-hour train rides than I care to remember. I have to say, the Taj Mahal was a little disappointing up close (it was gorgeous, don't get me wrong, but I had it built up to be this huge palace when it's really just a tomb with one room you can go inside). The birthplace of Buddhism, sunrise on the Ganges, Varanasi, and the Himalayas were incredible, though. I have to say that all of the near-death bus and train rides (driving in Boston is a piece of cake compared to driving in India) were SO worth it; I love experiencing new cultures, and seeing my brother after 7 months was one of the best parts of my gap year, hands-down.

Pilgrims bathing in the Ganges at sunrise

My brother and me riding an elephant! Actually, it was kind of anticlimactic...elephants are slow. But the driver steers with his feet behind the elephant's ears. That was cool.

Just another day in Kolkata...

Surprisingly, not at Taj Mahal tourists are foreigners. And, I thought these colors were pretty amazing.

I think this was taken right before a deep conversation on what exactly it means for an Indian train dinner to be "veg" or "non-veg".

About a week and a half after I got back from India, I headed off to Colorado to take flying lessons. "Why Colorado?", you ask? Because the instructor I took lessons from does this really cool "adventure training" where you get to fly around the southwestern states as you learn to fly. So, I flew over the Grand Canyon on my second day of flying, Lake Powell on my third, stayed in Winslow Arizona (and stood on the corner), met Clay Lacy (!!!!!) and a bunch of cool fighter pilots who were happy to let me sit in and turn on the brand-new Learjets they were flying (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) all in one weekend. I was not just bitten by the aviation bug, I was completely eaten alive; I figured I would go out there and get my private pilot certificate and be done with it, but now I want to get my instrument, commercial, and multi-engine ratings after I finish my private (the weather was pretty bad in Colorado, so I didn't finish by the time I had to come home...I'm working on finishing up in New Hampshire now). While I was in Colorado, I got to see and sit in one of these being built, and I flew one of these on my last day. Actually, I now want to major in Course 16 at MIT. Plus, I recently discovered MIT's Flying club. Man, this school just keeps getting better and better.

View from above the Grand Canyon

L-R: Random film crew, me, Clay Lacy. Clay Lacy's Learjet, "Lacy Lear", is behind us. Yes, that is a camera sticking out of the top of his jet. Yes, that is what he uses to film cool stuff like Top Gun.

Yeah, I am sooo going to be type-rated to fly that someday.

Here's what I actually learned to fly in: a G1000-equipped Diamondstar DA40.

This one is kind of unrelated but I had to share it with you. On the way to the airport one morning, I saw a bunch of deer jumping over the fence. Well...trying to jump over the fence.

So, I guess that brings me to what I'm doing now. As I mentioned, I was interning with the Lemelson-MIT Program in the fall, and I'm back working for them again until EurekaFest at the end of June. I work primarily with Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams, the Lemelson-MIT Program's grants initiative to foster invention and innovation in high school students. I was on an InvenTeam in high school, and that experience is the primary reason why I even considered MIT for college. Right now, I'm helping with a lot of administrative tasks while getting to know MIT better. I've actually gotten to meet a lot of people and attend some really interesting seminars, lectures, and events - all of which have convinced me even more that MIT is the perfect place for me.

So, with all of that said, I really hope that you will take Matt's advice and at least consider taking a gap year. I know that there are a lot of concerns, but to every concern, there is a pro-gap year response. Isn't it isolating? At times, but you learn so much about yourself, and you learn to branch out. Won't I get bored? I definitely didn't. Go out and find some of the unbelievable opportunities that are out there. There are a lot. They won't always come jumping right out at you, but once you break into the network of exciting opportunities, they will unfold like crazy. Won't a gap year derail my education? Not unless you let it. I learned so many valuable lessons in my gap year that answered the question of "why" instead of the question of "what". I now have a much broader understanding of why I learn what I learn in school, and what I want to do with the skills I gain at MIT when I graduate (basically, I want to be Amy Smith, and build airplanes on the side). Plus, a gap year is a great time to recharge and rejuvenate; I kept my mind active while resting the burnt-out-from-high school portion of it. AND, a gap year is a great chance to teach yourself things that you've always wanted to learn but never had time for. I'm sure there are a lot of other concerns out there, but I think those are the three major ones. I would be more than happy to answer/respond to any other concerns that you guys have about gap years, though - just post a comment and I'll do my best to get back to you quickly!

The campus seems a lot quieter now that all of the other prefrosh have gone back home after CPW (WHICH WAS AWESOME), but the excitement and adrenaline that filtrated the air last weekend still linger in me, and I can't wait to see everyone again in the fall. One of the most valuable lessons I've learned this year is how exciting and important it is to meet and collaborate with the world's many extraordinary people, and how valuable people's differences can be. From my fellow volunteers in Senegal and my host sister, to the students I met in India, to the Lemelson-MIT Program staff and the current MIT community, to the aviators in Colorado, and finally to the MIT Class of 2012, I have learned so much and been very inspired this year. And let me tell you, I am more excited than ever for the next four.

Hello there MIT hopefuls and acceptees!

YeSeul >> Last year, I founded a really cool organization called the Leadership Training Institute (LTI). In high school, I was involved in a similar leadership program. What I appreciated the most was the opportunity to receive guidance and support from great role models, and I wanted to show the same generosity and kindness to others in helping them overcome their obstacles and accomplish their dreams. Humbled, I made it my mission to return the favor but knew that I could not do it alone. I wished to create a program to educate students on the significance of leadership in all aspects of life - be it social, academic, technological - and relay the concepts of leadership through an interactive curriculum. LTI was thus uniquely designed to empower students to cascade this act of giving.

Anne >> It's true. Of all the leadership roles I took in high school, few ever entailed passing my own experiences on and developing others' leadership potentials. Most of the activities I was involved with were along the lines of building houses, playing music at nursing homes, tearing up the soccer field; stuff like that. It was really exciting and indeed made a difference in my own and in other people's lives. It wasn't until I joined LTI, though, that I realized how much more directly we could contribute to our community by impacting our very neighbors! Last semester, I joined the Board of Directors who were the 2010 founders of the Leadership Training Institute. It was so exciting to be a part of something that had been developed from an idea YeSeul had during finals week because she didn't feel like studying. (I highly don't recommend this though. It doesn't work for everyone.)

YeSeul >> Yes, please study for finals! Back to LTI... I don't know if you watched Oprah Winfrey's new TV show called the Big Give, but that's the kind of mission LTI is on. LTI strives to instill in our students the four cornerstones of the program: charisma, knowledge, teamwork, and self-reflection. Throughout the program, students develop their own community service to address an issue they perceive in their own communities. LTI then funds their endeavors and supplies them with necessary contacts and resources.

Anne >> Thanks to many MIT students and support from MIT administrators, LTI has moved on from a vision into reality. Last summer, we tested our curriculum through MIT's Educational Studies Program: High School Summer Program. Oversubscribed, the program received great interest and feedback from the students. Last semester, we worked hard: having weekly late-night meetings in the study rooms of Baker House, scribbling and idea here, sketching a sweet LTI logo there, coming up with a potential new addition to the curriculum there... thought mazes galore would appear on the dry erase board as seven eager and active minds pieced together the skeleton of this mentorship program. From publicity to recruitment, curriculum development to finance, all the aspects of any fully functional and self-sufficient program had to be organized and taken care of. Now, in March, just shy of a year since this program was just an idea, the program is in full swing.

YeSeul >> Today, there is a Board of Directors, five committees, and eight mentors, bringing the total of those involved in LTI to about 20 people. And to think that this program began less than a year ago! The coolest part is that most of our members are freshmen. And you could be the next generation! We are hoping to expand to other college campuses by 2010. This summer, LTI is going global! Semmie (Associate Director), Sarah (Publicity Director), and I are traveling to Mexico this summer through MISTI-Mexico to teach underprivileged youth our leadership curriculum and hopefully create a sustainable partnership between LTI and Casa-Telmex. I will also be traveling to China later in the summer to teach high school Chinese students about leadership through another brand-new program called the China Development Initiative.

Anne >> There's a lot to do at MIT. In fact, your biggest problem might be deciding which of the hundreds of activities to join once you come to MIT. If you are a high school student who currently lives around the Boston area, shoot us an email at questions@mitlti.org to see if you are eligible to join us in the fall or get involved somehow. If you are in the Class of 2012, I highly encourage you to check us out at CPW in either the CPW Activities Midway Fair or attend our Info Session on Friday from 4 - 5 PM in Room 4-145. Keep an eye out for our recruitment emails in the fall. Be a part of our LTI community!

YeSeul >> And you can always visit our website for more information.

Anne >> See you guys during CPW! Don't leave without trying the liquid nitrogen ice cream!!

YeSeul Kim, '10
yeseul@mitlti.org

& Anne Shen, '11
anneshen@mitlti.org

"What do you DO all day?" There's a certain furtiveness when someone asks a scientist or engineer this question: perhaps it is nervousness about how thorough and multi-syllabic the response is likely to be, or perhaps a sense that maybe it's best not to know. As for me, I'm trying to get everyone so familiar with what scientists and engineers do that they won't have to ask!

I graduated from MIT in aeronautics and astronautics a thousand "internet years" ago, when those of us who lived over on the Boston side had to hike over the Harvard Bridge to this place called a library to get information. It was, of course, uphill both ways in the snow to get to the Institute back then.

After a stint in grad school someplace with palm trees, I spent 16 years at the Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) in Pasadena, California. JPL is the place that sends out robots to explore other planets. The high point for me was when I was on the flight team for the Magellan spacecraft, which orbited Venus and sent back radar images of the surface. We got to see the images shortly after they came down, and I remember looking at Venus' surface and saying to myself, "No one else in history has seen this before." It was like being along with Roald Amundsen at the South Pole, but warmer and with better food.

In 2000 I left JPL to try out consulting, teaching and writing - a rather different style of exploring the world. At JPL I was usually surrounded by other techies, as I was when I was an undergrad at MIT. When I started consulting, though, I discovered that there was a little pause at business social events when I cheerily described myself as a rocket scientist. "She really is, too," friends of mine would helpfully add, which made it even worse. You could see the wheels turning desperately to generate rocket scientist small talk: "So, what is it like to meet an alien?" They imagined a lab in my basement that involved arcing electricity and some creature that would call me "Miiiissstresss." (This would have its points if Critter-Boy could vacuum, but we digress.) Then there were the people who asked, conversationally and expecting a short response, whether I "really believed" in evolution.

I had been complaining about this for years to friends of mine - Doug Adrianson and Hope Frazier, both former newspaper editors. A point came finally when we convinced ourselves that I should write a book telling stories about real scientists and engineers and that they should edit it. It would not be a book about the science itself - but about what it was like to live a techie life, about why people became scientists or engineers in the first place and then stayed that way. It had to be written in a style that wouldn't scare people off, and be short enough to be read in a night.

Writing a book isn't like engineering: there are right and wrong grammar choices (and even arguments there), but there are no standard answers about the best way to tell a story. I think of myself as a pretty good communicator. Imagine my surprise when the first installment came back from the editors in shreds. Says who? They asked after reading (obvious, to me) descriptions of why science worked a certain way. I was being boring, they said: who are you trying to impress? Tell stories like you would over lunch. Get out there and tell us about these people! "Let it rip!" It was like being at MIT all over again, complete with late-night rewriting.

More goes into a book than just the writing and editing. I wanted the book to have some illustrations, too, to make it more approachable. Brainstorming with artist Nichole Wong about visual ways to get across the energy and fun of doing science gave me yet a different perspective. For example, characters in the illustrations wear lab coats in a nod to the visual shorthand of what a scientist is, but are shown in settings beyond benches and glassware. Science fiction author Greg Bear wrote a foreword for us. Stargazer Publishing Company agreed to publish it and orchestrated the myriad of things that need to happen for a book to make it out the door.

So now it's out there, standing on its own. It's cool to think about someone I've never met reading what I've written and maybe thinking about science and scientists differently. Maybe a third-grade teacher will read it and understand why she needs to show her students how to do experiments. Maybe a parent who is uncertain whether a science career is a good idea will get more comfortable with his child's tendency to take things apart. And maybe someone will vote for a candidate for office who understands science better than the opposition, all else being equal. (Hey, we can dream.)

But life gets in the way, too. Around the time we were finishing up writing the book, my friend and editor Hope was diagnosed with cancer. We lost her after what she called her nine month "dance" with the disease, a month before the release. I like to think that a bit of her carries on between those covers.

You'll learn a lot if you to come to MIT. But the greatest thing you'll learn is confidence to try something really different when the opportunity comes along. Make sure you grab every one of those you can!

--------------------------------------------------------

Book details: What Scientists Actually Do. By Joan Horvath; illustrations by Nichole S. Wong with a Foreword by Greg Bear. 2008, ISBN 978-1-933277-08-0
Stargazer Publishing Company

Our faculty, an amazing group of folks, asked how they could help us in addition to the many activities they're planning for Campus Preview Weekend in April. We brainstormed, made charts and graphs, and after drawing some Venn diagrams, finally came up with the brand-spanking-new Faculty/Admitted Student Luncheon. This is going to be an awesome, low-key, informal event, where you can sit down for a delicious lunch and chat with our Professors about cutting-edge research, cool discoveries, and all of the fantastic things you can do as an MIT student.

(NB: Since this thing is about 2.5 hours in length, and not quite as life-changing as the 4-day Campus Preview Weekend Extravaganza in April, only admitted students in New England and New York got the invite. But if you just happen to be in Boston that weekend, and want to stop by, we'd love to host you!)

When is this Luncheon, you say?
Saturday, February 9th, from 11:30 am to 2 pm.

And where is this Luncheon?
The beautiful MIT Faculty Club.

Just who's going to be there?
You, your parents, our Faculty, and lots of our undergrads who do original research here on campus and in the world beyond.

And most, importantly, what food will be served?
Tasty, fresh food!

Here's the menu:

Salad
Tender Mixed Greens with Dried Cherries, Warm Goat Cheese Crostini, and Honey Tarragon Dressing

Entree
Basil and Hazelnut Crusted Breast of Chicken with Zinfandel Sauce
or
Grilled North Atlantic Salmon Fillet with Tomato, Cucumber and Dill Relish (This one looks especially delicious.)
or
White Cornmeal Polenta Timbale with Roasted Baby Vegetables and Tomato Coulis

Dessert
Linzer Torte with Fresh Raspberries and Vanilla Sauce

We'd love to meet you and your family in February if you'll be in the area, so please RSVP by emailing me at mcg@mit.edu. Include your entrée preferences, and I'll get back to you with directions and parking information.

Email me with any questions, yo.

-McGreggor
MIT '00
Assistant Director of Admissions

This means that the trips wind up being really affordable and you don't need a car. If you want to stay closer to MIT, though, there are some good beaches right in Boston or its neighboring cities. I took one of those very quick trips this past weekend when my friend and I brought our dogs to Revere Beach (the beach has its own stop on the subway's Blue Line). Besides it being a little windy, it was a perfect fall day. As you'll see from the photos, Willie (my dog) and Sarah (my friend's dog) had a grand time.

Because I grew up around Chicago and went to college and worked at the University of Michigan, visiting Illinois and Ann Arbor were real homecomings for me. In the few moments that I wasn't working, I was able to see some family and good friends in both places (if any of you are reading, thanks for all the hospitality and to my folks who took care of my puppy, Willie).

I also was able to eat some of my very favorite foods. I don't know about you, but there are definite foods that bring back such good memories of different places and times in my life. When I think back to my years in Ann Arbor, I can't help but think of corned beef sandwiches from Zingerman's, Chipatis from Pizza House, and peanut butter and chocolate chip milkshakes from Pizza Bob's. I made sure to have all three during my weekend in Michigan (even had two milkshakes during the three days I was there!) and they all were just as delicious as I remembered. In fact, I'm salivating just thinking about them.

Are there foods that make you think of MIT or Boston? Or, are there foods that make you think of other really important places you have visited? As for me and MIT, I always get the Milk Bubble Tea from the Student Center. Toscanini's Ice Cream always does it for me, too. I'd love to see your responses to this entry. They will give us all great suggestions on future travels.

Happy fall and here's to good eats!

If you've pursued music in high school and wish to continue doing so in college, you may be surprised by the wide range and high quality of opportunities at MIT. MyMIT bloggers have written about many student-led music groups over the past year, but we also get lots of questions from students who are interested in MIT's faculty-led ensembles such as the MIT Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, Festival Jazz Ensemble, Concert Choir, Chamber Chorus, Chamber Music Society, Rambax, Gamelan Galak-tika, as well as scholarship opportunities to take private lessons in voice or an instrument.

1. Do you have to be a music major to perform in MIT's ensembles?

No. We do have performers who choose to study music as their HASS concentration, and some who choose to declare a music minor or major - but the majority of the students who participate in MIT's ensembles are not music majors. There are no pre-requisites for membership in our ensembles, other than the audition.

2. Are the ensembles competitive?

The Music and Theater Arts Section's ensemble directors try to select the strongest singers and instrumentalists whenever possible. Incoming students tend to have had strong musical experiences in high school, and in many cases, private instruction. But all students with a serious interest in music performance should audition to find out if there are any opportunities available to them in a given ensemble for the upcoming semester. The faculty will make every effort to include as many students as possible.

3. How does one audition?

All audition information and requirements are posted on our website. Instrumentalists are generally asked to perform any short piece that best demonstrates their ability. Auditions may also include some sight-reading.

4. When are auditions held?

For incoming students, auditions start at the end of August and during the first week of classes. Some auditions are by appointment (for Emerson Fellowships/Scholarships, the Wind Ensemble, the Jazz Ensemble, and the Symphony.) Chamber Music Society auditions are held each semester on Registration Day. Other auditions, such as those for Concert and Chamber choirs, take place on the first scheduled class meeting for the group.

If you miss the auditions and wish to audition for a performing group after the semester has begun, please come to the Concerts Office (in 4-243) or send an email query to mta-request@mit.edu to see if it is still possible.

5. Are the ensembles available for credit?

MIT Music Section ensembles are co-curricular, which means that academic credit will be granted if students register for them. Rehearsal and performance expectations are the same regardless of whether or not one is participating in an ensemble for credit. If one is participating in MITSO, Wind Ensemble, or the Festival Jazz Ensemble and taking the ensemble for credit, it is necessary to pass a short playing exam on the literature at the end of each semester.

6. How many concerts do the ensembles perform at MIT?

MITSO, FJE and MITWE usually perform twice per semester; Chamber Chorus, Concert Choir, Chamber Orchestra, Rambax, Gamelan Galak-Tika and Chamber Music Society usually perform once per semester.

7. Is it possible to take private lessons at MIT?

Yes, via the Emerson program you may take private lessons with one of the excellent master teachers in the Boston area. The deadline for application is August 15. For Emerson program application details, email us at mta-request@mit.edu.

8. What instruments, storage and practice facilities are available at MIT?

Instruments: We strongly encourage students to bring their own instruments to MIT. However, a small collection of MIT-owned wind, brass, and percussion instruments is available for rent to students in our performing ensembles.

Instrument lockers: Lockers are available on a first-come, first-served basis to students in our music performance ensembles. The instruments and lockers are maintained by the Concerts Office. Call (617) 253-2826 to schedule an appointment or just stop by 4-243.

Practice rooms: There is a suite of eight individual practice rooms located on the second floor of Building 4; they are available on a 24-hour basis to all students participating in music performance subjects, as well as to music majors. In addition, there are six music department classrooms located in the basement and on the first and third floors of Building 4. Piano scholarship students and students in Chamber Music Society are granted access to these rooms for practice when not in use for classes. All of the classrooms have grand pianos; one classroom also has a harpsichord.

9. Other than performance, what music subjects are offered?

Here is a partial list of subjects: Fundamentals of Music, Introduction to Western Music, Introduction to World Music, Folk Music of the British Isles, Early Music, Vivaldi, Bach and Handel, Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, Schubert to Debussy, Modern Music, Music Since 1960, Opera, Symphony and Concerto, Musicals of Stage and Screen, Film Music, Music of India, Music of Africa, Harmony and Counterpoint, Writing in Tonal Forms, Music Analysis, Jazz Harmony and Arranging, Jazz Composition, Music Composition, Composing with Computers.

10. What if I have further questions?

If they are general questions, please post them in this thread so that all may benefit from the answer. If your questions are of a personal or very specific nature, please write to us at mta-request@mit.edu or call the Music and Theater Arts Office at (617) 253-3210.

I have been going to White Sox games since I was four years old and have a lot of special memories at both the Old Comiskey Park and the newer U.S. Cellular Field. Without a doubt, though, this past weekend, I had the most fun I have ever had at any baseball games. Even now that I'm back in Boston, I still get chills thinking about the great pitching and defensive plays, and, of course, the grand slam and Podsednik's walk-off homerun in game two.

What was best, though, was seeing how happy my dad was and being able to share all of this with my parents and brother. It didn't matter that it was ridiculously cold each night and raining on Sunday. Seeing our team win two World Series games made us all forget the terrible weather. In fact, the guy sitting in front of us said, "isn't this a beautiful night for baseball?" We couldn't have agreed more.

Here are some pictures of the games as well as my dad's scorecards (he keeps score on his palm pilot). You will notice that I look like a gigantic marshmallow in my White Sox parka (and six or seven heavy layers underneath)!

Go White Sox!

A.J. at the plate

Bobby Jenks on the mound

Clemens pitching with Everett on first

Clemens takes the mound

Clemens' windup

Deleriously happy after the grand slam

Frank Thomas being introduced

Harold Baines, Tim Raines, and Joe Cora - some of the White Sox coaches

Jenks and his 100 mph fastball

Jenks and Konerko

Jenks, Cooper, Konerko, and Uribe conferring on the mound

Jenks

Jermaine Dye, Joe Crede, Juan Uribe, and A.J. Pierzynski during batting practice

Luis Aparicio throwing out the first pitch

My brother and me at game 2

My family before game 1

Paul Konerko

Poor Cubs fans

My dad keeping score on his palm pilot

His score cards:

You really can have a great deal of control over the college admissions process and, in the end, be very happy with the results. You decide where to apply and, ultimately, where to enroll. Colleges do decide whom to accept, but if you are smart about where to apply (I'll explain this in a minute) and honest with yourself in your college search, you will likely have at least two great enrollment options.

When I thought about where to apply to college, I started first with the list of "deal breaker" variables. Who was I and what was important to me? What did a school need to have in order for me to be happy there? I thought about general location, proximity from home, school size, academic programs, extracurricular options, diversity of the student body, social atmosphere, religious opportunities, etc. I also thought about how selective a college was because I knew that some would be harder to get into and others easier. I wanted to apply to a range of places so that I could be assured of some admissions offers, but I didn't count on being admitted to all of the colleges on my list.

I was also really lucky in that parents really trusted me and my decisions. Sure, they talked with me about the college process, and sometimes they encouraged me to take a second look at a school not already on my short list. Their advice was helpful to me and forced me to challenge any assumptions I might have had about a particular place. In the end, though, they let me choose the best schools for me, rather than pushing me to apply to the schools they thought were right for me.

This required a lot of work on my part, but it was important if I was to find the right matches for me. I couldn't rely on rumors or stereotypes. I also didn't limit my search to a particular set of rankings or someone else's list of "best" colleges. A school missing from that ranking could have been the perfect place for me and if I applied myself and brought energy and enthusiasm to any college, I knew I could be really successful. This was about where I could be happy, not someone else's definition of a "good" school. Certainly there were schools I liked more than others, but if couldn't envision myself there, I didn't apply.

I also did research on the selectivity of the colleges (and this is what I mean about being smart in the admissions process). I knew that some schools were really hard to get into and others less hard. For that reason, I made sure to apply to some schools that I considered reaches (meaning that I didn't know if I would get in or not) and I applied to some places where I was pretty sure I'd get accepted. I certainly wasn't going to put all of my eggs in one basket nor was I only going to apply to very, very, very selective schools. Because I wasn't held back by someone else's ranking of schools, I could apply to a range of places (in terms of selectivity).

By being so thorough in my search and by being really honest with myself about what would make me happiest in a college experience, I made good decisions at the front end of this process. This meant that I was in a great position come enrollment decision time. I was happy with all of my options and that kept me in the driver's seat when deciding where to matriculate. I had the control over where I ultimately enrolled. I hope you can, too.

I’m Jenny Rifken and I am the new Director of Recruitment and Associate Director of Admissions at MIT. I’m so glad you’re joining us on this blog. Marilee, Stu, I, and the other guests hope to each write once a month or so to tell you what we’re thinking about, working on, and hear your thoughts on this whole admissions process. I look forward to getting to know you.

To tell you a little about myself, I’ve had the privilege to be an admissions officer for nearly ten years at three terrific universities (including MIT). I never aspired to have a career in admissions. To tell the truth, I didn’t know one could have a career in admissions. Until there is a really popular TV show depicting a college admissions office (what an idea, by the way), high school students probably won’t think about admissions as a job opportunity. Just think, it could be the ER or Ally McBeal of admissions. But I digress…

I fell into admissions by being a tour guide at my alma mater. I loved college and all of the opportunities it offered and loved being able to talk to students and their families about going to college. When I graduated, I knew I’d go to graduate school, but wanted some real world experiences first. Being an admissions officer gave me wonderful professional opportunities and I could continue to talk to families about college. Plus, I really like living near a college or university. The lectures, concerts, interesting conversations, and amazing discoveries that take place on campuses are inspiring. I couldn’t imagine a more exciting place to call home. I liked my job and the environment so much, in fact, that I decided to earn my master’s degree in higher education administration.

What I have liked the best, though, is meeting the students. It’s easy to feel optimistic about the world when you meet (either in person or through their applications) the bright, engaged, motivated, and exciting young people who are applying to places like MIT.

Because I’m new to this place, I’ll be learning about MIT just as you are. I’m excited to share with you all that I’m finding out and I hope you’ll tell me of the things you discover as you go through your college exploration process. Universities are never-ending places to learn — in and out of the classroom — and there will always be something new to talk about.

One thing that I hope you’ll do (and I’ll be doing as well as I learn MIT) is to challenge the stereotypes of every school to which you’re thinking about applying. While its good to listen to the advice of others, you have to find out for yourself if a school is the right fit for you. To be honest, I didn’t know what to expect when I came to MIT. I knew the students would be smart and I knew how much I liked the people in the admissions office, but I had heard all sorts of rumors about how intense the place was, how competitive and unsocial it is. I’ve only been here a few weeks and I have found all of those negative claims to be false. Everyone I have met so far, in human resources, freshman advising, athletics, academic summer programs, the coffee houses, and, of course, the students, have been wonderful. And they all tell me how much they like MIT. Actually, they tell me that they love it.

When I ask them what they like, they say they like that it is collaborative and that they constantly get to explore new aspects of their work or their jobs. They say they like the people and how friendly they are. They like the playful spirit and sense of humor of the campus. I have found the people here to be incredibly giving and helpful and I’m really enjoying my new home at MIT.

I know I have only scratched the surface of this place, but thankfully, I have a lot of time to explore. I hope you’ll join me on this journey and tell me what you find interesting and exciting.

It’s nice to meet you and I look forward to our travels together!

Jenny