Rebecca
Everyone at MIT is smart, there is no doubt about that. Some are geniuses, but most just work hard. There are quirks that many MIT students share, but most people are not socially awkward; they can function in greater society and even befriend people! Also, not all of us know how computers work. Some do, and the rest of us turn to them.
Harper
I would say that for 80{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the campus, most of the stereotypes are true. More true than you could imagine. But there are very diverse subcultures that bash those stereotypes to the ground. Where you live on campus has everything to do with what kind of experience you have.
Piper
Well, we are MIT, so yes, there are plenty of nerds. There are people who play Magic every Sunday, Starcraft past midnight, participate in LARPs, etc. That said, you won't be completely lost if you don't like these things (or if you've never heard of these, you'll have fun learning). As for the social skills part, some do and some don't. I know many social butterflies here, but just like anywhere else, we have our shy people.
Gina
Although there are people here who fit that stereotype, the majority of students are very much the opposite. We love going out and having fun. These are some of the most interesting people I have ever met in my life.
Nico
While it is true that many students do spends a greater part of their MIT lives locked in their rooms or claiming sanctuary in some underground Athena cluster, I find most MIT students are more than toned-down supercomputers. The people I daily come across and the friends I regularly spend time with are generally people I am glad to know. Incidentally, I've only seen 1 student -- compute that to 3 significant figures, if you wish -- with a pocket protector here at MIT. As for TI-89s, people talk about them like they're auditioning for a Texas Instruments commercial: "Oh... my... God... I love my 89." Personally, I find no time to click on a link about the China-Tibet conflict, or even one about the star athletes anticipated for the Olympics, or on another link that claims those topics are connected -- what? I am disconnected from much of the world, and it seems to take very conscious effort and calculated steps -- because we like calculating here at MIT -- to inform ourself about our immediate and more distant surroundings. MIT is work, work, and more work, but I do know many students who somehow find time to play water polo offense, organize a student group meeting, and work at MIT Admissions. Here, P-sets are only a part of the equation that equals work.
Chris
No. MIT is actually the center of Boston college party life, and a lot of the people are very chill.
Carrie
Most of them aren't. The people you will meet at MIT probably are some of the smartest people you'll ever meet, but they're also amazingly creative, and many of them are talented artists - something many people are surprised to discover. There are plenty of parties on campus, and plenty of laid back people who attend them.
KC
All but the not having fun!
Lisa
It's true to an extent, because we all did choose MIT after all, but there's a lot more to the culture here than how many kills we had last night in Halo or angsting over the missing points from an exam.
Jessica
Yes, but many things are left out, there is a lot of diversity.