Skip to content ↓

Quick access! Have a question about applying? Check out all our FAQs, or you can hop directly to First-year application FAQs or QuestBridge FAQs.

MIT staff blogger Matt McGann '00

More free stuff by Matt McGann '00

Free sneak previews of films and how to beat the casino.

On the topic of free benefits for MIT students

Tonight (Wednesday) on campus, there’s a free sneak preview of Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride, brought to you by the MIT Lecture Series Committee (LSC).

Long-time blog readers may remember that last year around this time I attended a free sneak of the film I Heart Huckabees, and also listed some other sneaks that have previously come to MIT, including 8 Mile, Grosse Pointe Blank, School of Rock and Harold and Kumar go to White Castle. LSC frequently (i.e., several times each term) gets sneak previews of upcoming movies, and usually they’re good ones. It’s a pretty sweet deal.

Next week, LSC will present a lecture (which, despite their name, is a rarity, as they mostly show movies) by Bringing Down the House (you know, the book about the MIT Blackjack team) author Ben Mezrich and MIT Blackjack team member Semyon Dukach. They’re on campus promoting Mezrich’s next book, Busting Vegas, which is subtitled “The MIT Whiz Kid WHo Brough the Casinos to Their Knees.” The whiz kid in question is the aforementioned Mr. Dukach.

The LSC website says about this lecture:

This MIT community exclusive event kicks off their national book tour, which includes radio and television appearances on programs such as 20/20. Mezrich’s previous work is the basis of a Hollywood screenplay with Oscar Award winning actor Kevin Spacey producing. In his latest book, Mezrich reveals Dukach’s incredible adventures as the Darling of Vegas – a gambling wunderkind who ransacked the most famous casinos across the globe with his unheard of system. An MIT student on the weekday, Dukach spent his weekends as a force on the casino floor, shaking casinos from Vegas to Monte Carlo for millions… but risking his life in unbelievable fashion.

This is the second MIT Blackjack Team-related lecture this year, the first being this past IAP; I described it at the end of this post.

So, I guess the message of this entry is, if you like free new movies or want to learn how to beat the casinos, then, um, MIT is your place.

6 responses to “More free stuff”

  1. Robb Carr says:

    Hello, was just thanking you for being willing to speak with me on the phone I much appreciated the advice. I found the art of problem solving site you referred to, very intresting, will definetly have to explore it. I have also gone ahead and changed my “Year I would be entering MIT” entry in my profile as we discussed.

    Thanks again,

    -Robb Carr

  2. Bryan says:

    I checked out the preview of Corpse Bride last night, and it was awesome. Funny and artistic all at the same time. Definitely check it out!

  3. Shikhar says:

    Hey Matt,

    I was wondering if u could solve my problem.

    Look I am a bit confused regarding my essay to MIT.

    Basically I want to tell you how being in a small city (that too in India) I missed out on lots of competitions and science activities that never came to our school and I want to tell how I still managed to get good competitions (all by my own effort) to follow my passions.

    How(or more appropriately where) should I put all this down in the application. Is it okay if I send this as a reply to question 14.

    P.S. Do you people have info sessions here in India. If not you should seriously look into it as there are many MIT fanatics here.

  4. Shikhar says:

    Hey Matt,

    I was wondering if u could solve my problem.

    Look I am a bit confused regarding my essay to MIT.

    Basically I want to tell you how being in a small city (that too in India) I missed out on lots of competitions and science activities that never came to our school and I want to tell how I still managed to get good competitions (all by my own effort) to follow my passions.

    How(or more appropriately where) should I put all this down in the application. Is it okay if I send this as a reply to question 14.

    P.S. Do you people have info sessions here in India. If not you should seriously look into it as there are many MIT fanatics here.

  5. shikhar says:

    sorry for the double posts

  6. Arvind says:

    Hi matt, Hope you remeber me from last year(poor rejected fellow). Anyway I got into a great college in India that follows mit’s pattern of education but still i would do like instead die to get into mit. Can i apply again to MIT for transfer admissions and do I stand any chance