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MIT student blogger Bryan O. '07

A Tale of Two Classes by Bryan

Yo-Yo's and Cell Biology...Rock on

How do you go from taking 5 classes a term to only taking 2? You would think it’s easy, but it’s really not.

So this semester is the FIRST SEMESTER EVER that I’ve taken less than 48 units. So what am I taking you ask?

7.06: Cell Biology

Lecture: Tuesday and Thursday 9:30 – 11 am
Recitation: Friday 11 am

Professors: H. Ploegh and T. Orr-Weaver

Biology of cells of higher organisms: structure, function, and biosynthesis of cellular membranes and organelles; cell growth and oncogenic transformation; transport, receptors, and cell signaling; the cytoskeleton, the extracellular matrix, and cell movements; chromatin structure and RNA synthesis.

Commentary: We watched this video the first day of lecture. Possibly one of the best science videos ever.

2.008: Design and Manufacturing II

Lecture: Monday and Wednesday 12:30 – 2 pm
Lab: Wednesday 2 – 5 pm

Professors: J. Chun

Integration of design, engineering, and management disciplines and practices for analysis and design of manufacturing enterprises. Emphasis is on the physics and stochastic nature of manufacturing processes and systems, and their effects on quality, rate, cost, and flexibility. Topics include process physics and control, design for manufacturing, and manufacturing systems. Group project requires design and fabrication of parts using mass-production and assembly methods to produce a product in quantity.

Commentary: WE GET TO MAKE YO-YOS IN THIS CLASS. And the professor gives us chocolate halfway through lecture.

Sidebar Commentary: So this is the first time in my life that I’ve participated in Lent. For the record, I’m giving up sweets and complaining. The last time I did anything for several days back to back was senior year of high school when a few friends of mine and I decided to see how long we were willing to wear the exact same outfit to school (yes, we did shower and yes, we washed our clothes).

Scene: 2.008 Lecture on Wednesday

Professor Chun begins to distribute chocolate to the class. I dig through the bag for my favorite piece of chocolate. I bite in.

Me: Oh crap. I’m not supposed to be eating this.
Rob: That would be correct.

Rob takes the chocolate from me and eats it.

This is going to be a rough 40 days.

So the reason I only wanted to take 2 classes this term is because I expected applying to graduate school to take up a lot of my time this semester especially having to fly out for interviews. Surprisingly, this strange thing has been happening lately. I get an invitation to interview at a school. I confirm. In the interim time between the invitation to interview and the actual interview, I get accepted. This happened yesterday with UC Berkeley right before I went up on stage at the Medlinks date auction (to be blogged tomorrow). It happened with UPenn about 3 weeks ago. It’s a nice feeling.

So for the record:

Applied to 8 Schools

Accepted to 5
Interviews at 2 others
Haven’t heard a thing from the last one

Oh, and about Berkeley? Did anyone watch the OC Series Finale…Ben?

What will I ever do with my Thursday nights?

36 responses to “A Tale of Two Classes”

  1. Elizabeth says:

    By the way, I love that video- we watched it in Bio earlier this year…there were a couple things my teacher was kinda’ like ‘huh?’ about but mostly it rocks.

  2. Amjad says:

    this video is really amazing but what i really like most is its soundtrack. it’s fantastic (the music)

    sarah:
    free time??!! wow i wish i have free time.
    anyways, how about thinking of MIT (duhhh, like you are not already)

    i really can’t concentrate lately…can’t stop thinking of MIT.

  3. Peter says:

    Everyone enjoys being the first to post, THIRD POST, I say! =)
    Anyway, nice video.

  4. sarah says:

    so bryan, I know that video is animated, but is it completely like that inside the cell or is that really really animated?

  5. Elizabeth says:

    I think the real question about the video is how many times you have to speed it up to get it to the speed it really goes inside the cell!

  6. Amjad says:

    Soufiane,
    yo what are you still waiting for? haven’t you seen this? fax your scores man.

  7. Adam S. says:

    Excellent video! Very interesting, even though I’m not usually that interested in Biology.

    Congratulations on your acceptance to those graduate schools – good luck with the last 3!

  8. Jon says:

    that was quite a sweet video, and the music to it was sick i might add.

  9. diana says:

    congrats on berkeley! i feel bad for the 4 schools who will be turned down by the famous dr. bryan owens. smile

  10. Susan Virgem says:

    Bryan, this video is awesome!!!

    It is an appreciation to the work of scientists like Pasteur, Erlich, Rosalyn Yallow, among others. It shows why biology is so amazing (that is why I want to study it).

    I found the full version and it is even more beautiful. While watching, I tried to correspond what I know to what was passing in the video.

    Ah! Congratulations at getting accepted.

  11. Anonymous says:

    Hey ppl.
    How abt we compare our credentials/ achievements to find out how tough the competition to make it to MIT really is? What say? Anyways best of luk all 4 mach 17th, got my board exams going on then. I will surely be DISTRACTED!!

  12. TO Anonymous on February 25, 2007 12:33 AM

    Hay mine too, I guess you are from India, or Bangladesh ??? Where in India or Bangladesh?

  13. Solomon says:

    Good for you Bryan, gaining admission into all those graduate schools. I wish I would gain admission into just as many undergraduate schools. Hmmmmmmmmmmm………..sigh.

  14. Chessy says:

    Awesome video, kind of gets me interested in biology again. How accurate was the video to what actually happens in a cell? Congratulations on your acceptance to those graduate schools !!!

  15. Ivy says:

    DUDE!!! how can u stand all that biology?!?! I’m taking IB biology right now, and i can’t take it anymore!!!! I WANT CHEMISTRY!!! waaaaaaaaa!!!! BUT i do have to admit that that was a WICKED AWESOME video :D ….congrats at getting accepted!!! i hope u get to go to ur top choice, whichever one that is smile … u kno, i really don’t know whether or not i want to go to MIT for undergrad or grad….world is full of such hard decisions wink i heard that it’s actually harder to become a grad student there by being an undergrad, or just in engineering in general…maybe i should PURPOSELY do like some other subject and get my higher chances at applying for grad….aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!! well, hope u mind my online yelling and freaking out!

  16. Josh V says:

    That video is amazing!!! It definitely makes me remember some of the things I learned in my basic biology class sophomore year. Definitely a class that I would take if I’m lucky enough to be there next year!

  17. Basant says:

    {2.008: Design and Manufacturing II} is so awesome… looking forward to study it…

  18. Anonymous says:

    That was an AMAZING video thanks so much =)

  19. Anurag says:

    Hey !!
    Any one frm india/ any indians applying 2 MIT??
    I am an Indian studying in U.A.E(cbse) and have applied for class of 2011. Do e mail me at [email protected]

  20. Anurag says:

    Hey !!
    Any one frm india/ any indians applying 2 MIT??
    I am an Indian studying in U.A.E(cbse) and have applied for class of 2011. Do e mail me at [email protected]

  21. yipeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee……….
    i solved it

    here it goes

    Brit: Red, Milk, Pallmall, Birds
    Swede: White, Beer, Blumaster, Dogs
    Dane: Blue, Tea, Blend, Horse
    Norwe.: Yellow, Water, Dunhill, Cats
    German: Green, Coffee, Prince, N.M

  22. Soufiane says:

    Hi everyone! I’m a moroccan applicant to MIT and I have a really disturbing problem. I took the toefl in december, 15th and entered MIT as a score recipient, but they haven’t received it yet!!! and the selection process has already begun. In addition to this, the test center where I took my Toefl had forgotten to take my photograph. (my score is 95 out of 120). Another question: do you think I still have a chance to be admitted as I had a 660 in SAT Math test level 2 and a 560 in SAT Physics test. Thank you for answering.

  23. Michelle says:

    Bryan,

    Brilliant video! I watched it multiple times, trying to match up what I knew about cell biology to what I saw there. Of course, the video up there was the introduction, complete with awesome music, but still… ‘Twas fun.

    I showed it to my dad (who DEFINITELY is not a biology person), and he got so intrigued by it that he decided to watch the full version of the movie. ‘Twas interesting – did you see that version as well?

  24. sarah says:

    aaaaahhhhhhh O.C!! what WILL we do with our free time?!

  25. Debbie says:

    hrm.. i seem to think that you have an odd fascination with Charles Dickens. (your title… and your past titles of past blog entries)

  26. Minh says:

    Yeah Brian!!

  27. Congrats Dude!

    Ankit Chandra
    Gaborone, Botswana

  28. Anonymous says:

    hey,
    Is March 17 the MIT decision day!!

  29. Ben says:

    Yep, I watched it! Made me so sad… the end of an era. RIP OC. :-(

  30. Anonymous says:

    The video is awesome!
    could u get some more like it and post them here?

  31. Lolita says:

    Felicitations! (It’s French.) Hope you tell us which grad schools you applied to and which one you ultimately choose!

  32. Hadassah says:

    congrats on ur great news

  33. raife says:

    raife from bangladesh.its somethink for science for the world.

  34. Amjad says:

    oops who did that???? lol
    i mean who linked the word “this” to the link i posted? smile

  35. Adri says:

    Good luck on that last school.

    And good luck on Lent.

    And where shall our Thursday nights go?