MIT blogger CJ Q. '23

Bring your stuffed toys to class by CJ Q. '23

reflections on liminality

Roll carts around campus. Marvel at the wonder that is the wheel. Learn where all the ramps and elevators are. Grumble when there’s no elevator near the stairwell you always take. Find an elevator and take it. Exit the elevator and grumble when you see the stairwell you always take. Come up with two very different ways to get from point A to point B.

on a cart, speakers, speaker stands, a tin can

Wear silly hats on Halloween. Realize Halloween is only once a year. Wear silly hats not on Halloween. Wear silly hats to your lab section. Get people to ask questions about your silly hats. Take pictures of yourself. Take pictures of yourself wearing silly hats.

selfie of me wearing a wizard hat and a bear mask and a red blanket draped over me

Take pictures of your friends wearing silly hats.

someone wearing a panda hat in front of a laptop

Go on Nerf fights. Spend hours wandering empty hallways looking for people to shoot. Mull over your life decisions and how you ended up here. Imagine how different your life would’ve been if you weren’t here. Be happy that you’re here. Be happy that you’re here, now, carrying a Nerf gun looking for people to shoot.

a nerf gun pointed at an empty hallway

Worry about how you can’t do this after you graduate. Worry about how you can’t stay in MIT forever. Talk to all your friends about how you can’t stay in MIT forever. Screenshot your conversations and share them.

conversation on discord. screenshot: "menging is an emotional decision for people who dont want to let go of mit yet, myself included" followed by me replying with lots of crying emoji

(With permission, of course.)

previous screenshot, with me asking for permission to post the picture. reply is "only if you include the metadiscussion of whether or not to post it"

Work on problem sets. Consider procrastinating on your problem sets. Punt your problem sets. Play board games.

a screen from mysterium, facing me, with a bunch of cards slotted in slots

Apply for internships. Apply for dozens of internships. Apply for hundreds of internships. Interview. Get rejections for internships. Get rejections for hundreds of internships.

Get an offer for an internship. Get another offer for an internship. Celebrate by playing board games.

a developing four-player game of spirit island. various tiny tokens litter the board.

Tell all your friends about it. Tell social media about it. Put the offer deadlines on your calendar. Ignore the deadlines for a week. Fret over which offer you’ll take. Weigh the pros and cons of each option carefully. Ask everyone about it, literally everyone you can about it. Punt the decision and play board games.

a five-player game of spirit island

Go on walks alone. Go on walks in the middle of the night. Go on walks outside MIT.

a picture in harvard square in the middle of the night

Go on walks with friends. Go on walks in the tunnels. Follow mysterious signs in the tunnels. Keep following the mysterious signs in the tunnels. Be confused when following the mysterious signs lead you to nowhere. Follow the signs back to see if you missed anything. Follow the signs forward again to see that you didn’t.

Laugh at how silly it all was. Wonder if the signs are a clever metaphor.

an arrow with a green circle taped to a wall

Own stuffed toys. Bring your stuffed toys to finals.

Bring your stuffed toys to class.

a stuffed toy, ice bear next to a laptop, against a backdrop of a classroom

Do things that make you happy.

Live a little.

Heck, live a lot.