Hi, I’m New Here by Keri G. '10
The requisite introduction.
This past Sunday night, my friend Hanna ’10 and I did our first radio show with WMBR, MIT’s campus radio station. Our show’s pretty straightforward, actually – play some good music for people to enjoy while they work on their psets due the next morning, crack a bad joke or two (and when we’re on a roll, even the occasional good one), put on long stretches of music when we’ve run out of nervous banter and can’t think of anything to do but yell, “OH MY GOD WE’VE NEVER DONE THIS BEFORE WHAT NOW WHAT NOW WHAT NOW?!”, all that.
Of course, we both ran around panicking like little girls for about a week beforehand. What if we screwed up every three seconds and ended up with more dead air than anything else in our two-hour set? What if we both sounded like bumbling idiots on the air – would anyone be convinced if we said it was due to a severe lack of social skills (“…um, yeah! That’s right! We never really learned how to talk to people… or into microphones…”), or would they see through our lies and realize that we had absolutely no clue what was going on? What if our music collections really aren’t that good at all? Anyone looking for their college radio fix at midnight on a Sunday would be subjected to two hours of torture from us, and the following backlash would be so immense that we’d be known as those two frosh who somehow managed to ruin the reputation of the entire radio station all in one go. Great. Now look what we’d up and done. What were they thinking when they gave us the time slot in the first place?! Didn’t they realize what they were about to do?
Irrational, you say? Um, sure. Go on ahead. We prefer the term “fixated” – now it sounds like there isn’t anything wrong at all! Perfect.
I promise, I’m not insanely worried about everything this way. With that said, I’ll leave you to wonder whether or not this blog is eliciting the same level of panic while I introduce myself.
My name is Keri Garel, and I’m a member of the class of 2010. (Yeah. I’m new here. Let’s hear it for built-in excuses for not knowing what’s going on!) I was born in Jamaica, but I moved to the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area in Florida at age seven. (Kellas ’10 from England, who lives a floor above me, says this makes me half an international student. I don’t agree. Yet.) Notice the aforementioned locations. Jamaica. Florida – and the very tip of it at that. I’m still struggling to understand this concept of it being cold (whaaaaaaat?!); I’ve never even seen snow, so it’s a sure bet that I’ll be the girl running around in the courtyard screaming at the first sign of flakes. Yes, I’ll do it even if there are only maybe three and a half of them and they melt before they even reach the ground. It’s the principle of the thing.
I live in Senior Haus, which is awesome. (You mean I don’t live on Conner 2? Wow, and there you were thinking that it was a prerequisite to be a blogger by now, what with these three cool people living there.) We host Steer Roast every year. We have a tire swing. Enough said.
Among other activities, I was a devoted slave to my high school’s Drama Club, acting in plays and musicals for two years before I switched to the dark side and became a techie. (Power tools are my friend.) This has carried over to college, where I’m a cast member of the Musical Theatre Guild’s fall production of Children of Eden. They cast me as Young Cain, which only reinforces the fact that no matter how seventeen I am, the rest of the world will still be convinced that I’m twelve.
In addition to MTG, I’m in the middle of training to become one of MIT’s Medlinks. I sit with this blogger while we learn about how to deal with everything from cuts and scrapes to stress and alcohol poisoning. From midnight to 2 AM on Sundays, there’s the radio show I went to pieces about earlier. It’s actually pretty good, but we weren’t convinced of that until the end of the first show. Things happen that way sometimes, you know?
I have a general idea of what I want to do with my life, also known as a double major in Courses 9 (Brain and Cognitive Sciences) and 5 (Chemistry). Then again, a million people come here with a set plan in mind and they end up changing their minds entirely, so who knows? I’m hoping that this will give me the necessary background to go into cancer research and become a lab monkey, making me quite possibly the only frosh in course 9 who doesn’t want to go to med school. I like brains. I like chem. Upperclassmen have said that 9/5 is a reasonable possibility. If they turn out to be wrong, though, it’s absolutely fine. This is MIT. Many of us have spent years being told that we were the best and smartest people ever ever ever, and that won’t hold when we’re with four thousand other students just like us. I don’t have to be the best at everything. Neither do you. It’s kind of a relief, actually.
Everyone else has done one of those “let’s give you a random fact or twelve about me” things, and now that it’s my turn, I’ve blanked almost entirely. I do, however, like pie. A lot. It’s a running joke with nearly everyone I know, actually. They announced me that way at one point during my high school graduation – “Keri likes pie.” Formal, that one. I also do ballet on the side, and I’m just getting into photography. They’re fun. Do those count?
So with a far-too-long introduction, you’ve all been sucked into my freshman year at MIT. I could tell you what happens next, but that would just spoil the surprise. Also, I don’t know about it myself, but if I pretend I do, then you just might believe me.
Or not. But let’s humor me here. Please.
Congratulations Kim!!!
(butseriouslythispostisawesomeijustcouldn’tresist)
You’re seventeen too?!? I just turned seventeen today, and I have to keep having the OMG-YOU’RE-LEGAL!-WAIT-YOU’RE-NOT? conversation. I’m a senior in HS, so I know like a ton of people who are going to be 18 very soon.
Anyway, a big hello from one who lurks around these blogs a lot
Ft. Lauderdale Fl eh? Awesome. Hello from another floridian (who one day wants to attend MIT ^_^)
Keri is extraordinarily awesome and listens to the best music. <3
welcome
you’re 17?! i’m 16 now, 17 in 2 months. i’m not a senior yet so i’ll be 18 by the time i get into mit. i hope i won’t be the oldest freshmen :D
OMGGG I can’t believe Colly got first comment.
I had something fantastic to say, but I’m going to go stomp around angrily because I forgot it in my anger over Colly stealing my sunshine.
Oh, it was that I can’t believe Ben actually used that picture. Of your face. YOUR FACE. The little icon is beauty, though.
Oh my gosh i knew someone just like you! Only, she liked pie more. I think.
Well I’ll have to tell you I’m from Cocoa Beach and I can’t wait to get into the snow. If you love photography then you’ll definately love drawing and painting (at least I think so).
Here’s a nice refreshing face on the MIT blog scene! Welcome!!
I look forward to the new insight that you will have for the readers of the blogs! Congrats!
17? Wow! I’m 17 too, and have already applied to MIT. Crazy.
I’d be willing to bet that I saw the post before Colin. I just didn’t get around to reading it. Congrats, nicely done, welcome, have fun, all that good stuff.
Congrats!!!
You will certainly get used to the cold…eventually. If not, when your fingers and toes turn blue and are numb, you can’t really tell the temperature!
Best of Luck!
you know, keri, i like your picture to much.
that’s my first time to see beautiful girl like you;. my name’s PLEA
Muahahaha the Dark Side is always the best side. Go techies.
HOLY CRAP OMG when i read some other entry that some girl name keri was goign to start blogging, i was hoping that it was you but thought it was HIGHLY UNLIKELY. i can’t believe its you. its you its you its YOUUUUUU i havent spoken to you in person since CTD (remember the crazy asian in the precalculus class?), and i havent commented on your blog too much, nor you to mine… but ITS YOUUUUUUUU..
haha small world, ain’t it sometimes.
much luv! HOLY CRAP OMG when i read some other entry that some girl name keri was goign to start blogging, i was hoping that it was you but thought it was HIGHLY UNLIKELY. i can’t believe its you. its you its you its YOUUUUUU i havent spoken to you in person since CTD (remember the crazy asian in the precalculus class?), and i havent commented on your blog too much, nor you to mine… but ITS YOUUUUUUUU..
haha small world, ain’t it sometimes.
much luv! <3
haha i hope you do recognize this. if you dont, well just think of missing elves.
Elizabeth-
Oh wow. This is quite amazing. My 17th birthday is today too! Wow.
“You’re seventeen too?!? I just turned seventeen today, and I have to keep having the OMG-YOU’RE-LEGAL!-WAIT-YOU’RE-NOT? conversation. I’m a senior in HS, so I know like a ton of people who are going to be 18 very soon.
Anyway, a big hello from one who lurks around these blogs a lot
“
Plenty of people thought I was 18 too. And yes, I am a Senior in High School. Exactly the same!
Anyway, Keri, congratulations on the blog spot, and although it is obviously a bit late, congratulations on getting into MIT! Enjoy your time there, you’ve earned it.
Hi Keri!! Welcome to the blogs. Course 5/9 sounds like a perfect combination, you’ll rock the chemical synaptic transmission…and good luck with the radio show and Medlinks!
Congrats and welcome Keri! Looking forward to reading your blog. : ) My fall travel this year was to Florida, and I got to visit a lot of places down in West Palm/Miami/Orlando/Tampa…FL is niiiice…
I think you need an Ohio sweatshirt.
I think this is necessary.
I also think I like pie more.
hi keri! i’m a student who wants to get into mit. what’s the minimum number of APs? Is fourteen enough? how many did you take?
— ham
p.s. lmao
Hey, ham edan-
Please read what Matt (an admissions officer at MIT) has to say.
The URL is http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/before/recommended_high_school_preparation/on_aps_1.shtml
You can draw your own conclusions from that, but here’s a few quotes..
“we do not admit students solely because of their AP courses/scores. “
“Challenge yourself in a way that is reasonable for you, while making sure that your courseload provides your with material that keeps you excited and engaged, and that you have balance in your life. What we are saying is that, despite what you may have heard, college admissions isn’t a game of whoever has the most APs, wins.”
Welcome to the blogs, Keri.
I love your picture. =P
Congratulations Keri!
Jess, I like the photo. It says Keri is a confident person with a quirky personality and an inquisitive mind. Great first entry.
Congratulations Keri!
Hey Keri!! This is Jose from 5.112…sorry for waking you up the other day…
Hi Keri!
Your photo isn’t saying much about you; just half of your face. You should get one that shows at least half of you. Anyway nice to hear from a frosh (is that what freshmen are called at MIT?).
Thuita Maina,
MIT-bound Kenyan!
KEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!! It’s so cool to see my favorite *cappie* writing for MIT admissions. You rock my box.
You mentioned that you like pie, but how do you feel about pi?