Questions and Answers by Laura N. '09

So first off, props to Evan for answering all these questions in his own comments like 2 weeks before I got around to doing it. Way to make me look bad. =P I’ve copy-pasted all his answers into this post, in case anyone missed them.

Adam said: Anyway… Room looks great! Its awesome that MIT allows you to do whatever you like to your room. I really like that shade of Blue/Green, btw.

Evan replied: Adam – different dorms have different painting policies. Burton-Conner’s goes something like…get permission, and paint it back at the end of the year. Some of the dorms on the east side of campus have looser policies, and some other dorms on the west side have stricter ones.

*smacks forehead* I really should have mentioned that. Also, BC’s policy is kind of a policy in name only. If the person who’s getting your room the next year agrees, you can just leave the paint job the way it is. And most people agree, because who wouldn’t like having a painted room over a white one without having to do any work?

Mike said: i don’t really know how to say this but i’ve been trying to find a forum on ther MIT site but didn’t succed…:( i would like to speak with an MIT student so i can’t really get a glimpse of how life is in MIT…because i was thinking of applying…if someone can help me…please e-amil me: [email protected]…thanks…
Well, that’s what these blogs are for- to give you an idea of what it’s like to be an MIT student. There used to be a link on the old admissions page where you could email current students, but I’m not sure if that program is still around. You can dig around on the website a bit if you’d like. In the meantime, any specific quesions you have should be directed to one of the bloggers- we’ll do our best to answer them, and sometimes pass them around if we feel unqualified to answer.

Karen said: When I visited, my tour guide told us you could have cats in the dorms. I’m really curious about this. I like pets, but I wonder how hard it is to keep a pet at college. Do you have a pet? If not, do you know of any other blogger that’s written about having a pet? I’ve looked, but I couldn’t find any blog entries regarding this.

Evan replied: Karen- It makes me feel important to help answer questions, and it also makes a great excuse to not to work. Mostly, though, it just makes me feel important. Here goes: There are only four “cat-friendly” dorms: East Campus, Senior Haus, Bexley Hall, and Random Hall, and only certain sections of those allow cats. The official cat policy is spelled out at http://web.mit.edu/dormcon/pets/petpol.pdf, and Jessie and Anthony are the only bloggers in those dorms. Burton-Conner, on the other hand, is not cat friendly, and we’ve even received e-mails telling us to not let the neighborhood strays into the dorm.

Ruth ’07 said: I’ve been told that are colors are “blood on concrete,” which is surprisingly accurate.
Hey Laura, all the grad students in my urban planning classes want to know: what are MIT’s parties like? Jeff, from New Orleans, saw a bunch of guy on Mass Ave pummeling a station wagon. What’s up?
Oh Ruth and her contrived questions. =P See Ruth and Laura’s latest MIT party adventure.

Kiran asked: so, anyways, I’m curious, how important are extra-curricular activities for MIT? I mean, does it really matter if you don’t play sports or anything, if you want to get in?
Extra-curriculars are pretty important. You don’t need to have 15 of them and you don’t need to have started your own, you just need to show that you’re passionate about something. Your application is looked at as a whole, so it’s not like they’ll hold it against you if you don’t have x kind of activity (sport, research, science team, whatever). But if you don’t have any, the person reading your application is going to wonder just what you do with all your free time and why they should admit someone to MIT who apparently has no passion to go out and do things other than play video games. (It doesn’t have to be an official school club to count- “I taught myself guitar and played a few shows at local coffeehouses” doesn’t really have a concise title, but it certainly counts!)

saurav asked: this question seems out of place but is their any one in class of 09/10 who is from india??i am sure there would be many but how should i contact them??
Hmm, that’s a bit tricky. I would email one of the admissions officers, who might be able to put you in touch with a student as well as answer any questions about international applications you might have.

Agus said:
hi laura,
I already read most of your blogs and i feel that u were very exciting study at MIT.
I have a few question for u please help me:
1. when your entrance time at MIT?
2. i’m still confuse to take step to apply as student at MIT because i graduated from my high school at year 03. Am i too old to get the bachelor degree again at MIT?
I’m an ’09, which means I entered MIT a year ago, in the fall of 2005. It’s fine if you’ve taken a few years off between high school and college, but if you already have a bachelor’s degree somewhere else, you can’t apply for undergraduate admission at MIT.

Liza said: MIT has always been my dream school and I was really exited to see that you did a blog for them (I’ve been reading your blogs for quite a while) I don’t know if you remember me. I was a freshman and you were a junior. Remember you adopted me and Ahsung during gym and like told us all about High Tech and stuff? I don’t think I ever got around to thanking you about that – thanx and you’re awsome. I would love to talk to you. Please email me back.
Yes! High Tech High represent! (…or not) Feel free to ask me any questions on the blog, or if you prefer, you can email me at asklaura at mit dot edu.

Amy said:
I’m so glad there are METS fanatics in Boston. I also agree that Jersey Girls have an additude that no one else can match.
Central Jersey Represent.
Amy rocks.

That is all.

Oh, except my METS ARE KICKING BUTT!

YES!!!!

P.S. I need a Halloween costume! Ideas, please??