Massachusetts Institute of Technology Top Questions

If I'm awake on a Tuesday, I'm doing homework. If I don't have homework at 2am, I should be sleeping. I like to get enough sleep. Of course, as I'm coming home from the library late at night, I see that other people are up late playing video games. To each his own.

There are over 330 different student groups on campus, so it's hard to say what's most popular. There are lots of sports, although only a few are Division I, religious groups, cultural groups, singing and theater groups, literary groups, a yearbook, and so many others. There are twenty-seven fraternities and five fraternities (with another joining campus next fall) with about 40{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of males in fraternities and about 30{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of females in sororities. I'm in a start-up a Capella group called the Remainders. We just got started last semester, and after a rough semester, during which we lost all but one male, we just had auditions and will be resuming with four males and four females. We are low key compared to other a Capella groups on campus. We don't compete or perform, although we might randomly show up in Lobby 7 to sing one day. We sing mainly old pop/rock, Disney songs and musical stuff. Some people leave their doors open, some don't, sometimes it doesn't matter. People are generally friendly and upperclassmen are usually available to help other students on psets. If you're interested in something, you'll attend, like at any other school. Crew is one of our Div I sports and the Head of the Charles is well attended. There are lots of theatrical productions and they are well attended, as are the musical concerts like those of the Wind Ensemble, Symphony Orchestra, Concert Choir, etc. Dating scene, I assume, is like that of any other school. Dorm-cest, floor-cest, hall-cest and wing-cest (dating someone you meet through where you live) are all frowned upon. A lot of the time you'll spend with your significant other will be doing work, so it's helpful to have similar schedules. Unfortunately, weekends are frequently spent catching up on missed sleep, but there are always things to do, so going out is definitely possible. One of my closest friends, I met through a pre-orientation program we both did. Another was in all my classes this past semester, but I met him on a CCC retreat about two months into the semester. We were both in Concourse, an alternative method of teacher freshman, where all your classes are in one room and there's a lounge next to that for doing work and having tutors come help. Another I met randomly in the dining hall of my dorm during an orientation meet and greet, and another I met through her (they'd been in a pre-orientation program together as well). 2am Tuesday night, I'm up doing my 8.02 pset with my boyfriend and friends in the lounge below where I live and working on 6.01 (CS) online homework, plus possibly editing an essay for my writing class. Hacking is a big part of MIT culture. "The word hack at MIT usually refers to a clever, benign, and "ethical" prank or practical joke, which is both challenging for the perpetrators and amusing to the MIT community (and sometimes even the rest of the world!)." Walking around campus and seeing candles on top of the dome on Building 7, or seeing Guy Fawkes masks covering the faces of statues and on posters down the Infinite on November 5 or giant scrabble game on the side of the MIT List Visual Arts Studio is just a part of life at MIT. Ring Premiere, when the sophomore class Ring Committee presents their year's Brass Rat (class ring) is something you don't want to miss (if it's your class). "Work hard, play harder." is one of our mottoes...also "Play, Work, Sleep, pick two." Since there are so many fraternities and other student groups, weekends, and even weekday nights, are packed with different things to do, including party. On any given weekend night, there might be at least three different parties, plus movies presented by the Lecture Series Committee, speakers, and other events. Last weekend, I watched a movie with some friends on Friday, Saturday I woke up early and went to Shaws with a friend to buy groceries, came back and ate breakfast at a dorm study break, held auditions for my a Capella group for five hours, went back to my dorm and tried to get some work done, then hung out with my boyfriend. Sunday, slept in really really late, then went to a Capella rehearsal, came back and did work until about 4am. Saturday nights, you can go watch a movie, you can go into Boston and wander around, you can see a concert or recital or performance by some group, you can chill with people in your dorm, play video games, or get sleep (always a good choice).

The Sport Tae Kwon Do club is really good about advancing students very quickly. It is not uncommon for someone who has never done any martial arts the freshman year to have a black belt by junior year. Also, it does very well at competitions, including national level. The students in my dorm leave their doors open. Random Hall is actually a very close community and very few people even lock their doors because the security to get into the building at all is very good and the people who live there are very close. This is fairly unique to Random Hall though. I have never gone to an athletic event for any reason besides one of my friends being involved in it. I have actually never even been aware of anything athletic going on that did not include someone that I now personally. The social situation is centered around the dorms. See all of the other descriptions that are riddled in my responses. 2 am is not late. If I am not awake at 2 am, it is probably because I pulled an all nighter the day before. There are cookies at midnight (or later) on Tuesdays, so it is likely that I am eating cookies, or discussing random philosophy with friends, or exploring campus, or finishing some homework, or playing poker, or playing a video game, or playing piano, or making some project, leaning a new game, making a new game. If I am awake at 6 am it is either because I got lost in a really good conversation or I have a something due the next day that needs to get done. I will never be up at 6 am because I woke up early, it is always because I have not yet gone to bed, or I am not going to go to bed that night. Last weekend, I was conducting auditions for a student a Capella group that a group of friends are trying to start. (this illustrates the independence that students are allowed). Yearly events= CPW, REX, IAP, pi Day, There are impromptu parties all the time, with people just blasting their music into one of the lounges. Boston is awesome, full of restaurants, cultural events, museums, parks. If you can find time to fill, then you can fill it easily. Boredom is far from the prime adversary.

Argentine Tango Club is awesome... I dance for three hours at the free practica every week, attend workshops organized and subsidized by the club, take classes. It's been a great pleasure over the three years I've been at MIT. Salsa club and swing club are also very active and open. It's wonderful to dance and meet people while enjoying music. People in my dorm always leave their doors open; it is a very tight floor and people trust each other. Plays and musicals occur frequently and I have taken part in three of them myself. It is very exciting to act or sing, but it is also a lot of fun to just watch a production, not to mention less time consuming. "the goods are odd but the odds are good" as some people like to say. Students are on average geekier, but as I said before, MIT has all sorts of people and you can find what you like. Some people hook up at parties, some people prefer casual dating. As for myself, I prefer committed relationships and have been involved in a few (about one a year) since arriving. You just need to know what you want and choose from the people who want the same thing. I met some of my closest friends just by living on the same hall, I met another because he often visited my living group, another by taking a discrete math class together. My dorm has strong traditions but I probably shouldn't talk about them. We also have parties every week or two, hosted by one of the ten halls. The dancing is usually a lot of fun and people talk drink and generally unwind. A lot of people join frats or sororities, but most people who live on the east side of campus do not, and as a result greek life plays little role. Last weekend, my boyfriend and I went to my friend Mark's MIT Symphony Orchestra concert. There was a cello concerto with an amazing soloist and the Berlios Symphonie Fantastique. Both of us really enjoyed the music and it reminded me of the ten years of violin I left behind. On Saturday, I ate in Chinatown with a friend and we bought some groceries at C-mart. Persimmons are so good! Then, I went to Delihaus, an eastside dorm tradition complete with surly and scantily clad waitresses, smoke, clamor, absurdly long waits, and greasy and unsatisfying food. My friends and I decided to cook some of our own food when we got back to the dorm. On Sunday, I figured I had better buckle down and make a good start on the problem sets and labs due in the coming week. To that end, I woke at around ten, met a friend at the gym, did a half hour on the elliptical and then some strength training, before returning to my dorm, cooking lunch, and then settling down to study algorithms with one of my good friends.

I'm involved with the MIT Literary Society; we read one book every month and then meet twice a month to have a discussion on that book. Students in my dorm, at least, leave their doors open. Within my floor, we are very social. Some of my closest friends here are the people that I live with, on my floor. If I'm awake at 2 am on a Tuesday, I'm probably working on a problem set. On a Saturday evening, I often go out to eat, and later watch a movie.

Sports teams are a complete waste of time. I played freshman year for varsity teams- no one goes to the game and the schoolwork is extremely difficult. I had to give it up, because there was no school spirit for athletics and the school doesnt put money towards it. It was a let down to give up somethign I loved but the program was really poorly run and we lost almost every game. The major activity is Science research here. Undergraduate research opportunities program- almost everyone is involved in one or has been at some point

There aren't really most popular groups on campus, there are so many people that lots of different people are involved in lots of different things. I'm involved a lot with music groups, the orchestra and a wind quintet. Students in my dorm, McCormick, sometimes leave their doors open (I always do) but that varies by student. I've personally never been to an athletic event, but guest speakers are quite popular. I don't know much about the dating scene, my boyfriend is at school in a different state, but I think it's a bit larger in the coed dorms. I met my closest friends in my dorm. Last night we were up late, I didn't have much work to do but a couple of my friends did. We ordered pizza around 1am, were up until 3am, and weren't too worried about our classes the next morning. One nice thing about MIT is that most classes start as late as 9:30 or 10am. There are a lot of traditions at MIT, one memorable one was the pumpkin drop. Some students dropped frozen pumpkins off the Green building (tallest in Cambridge) which was quite entertaining. I think most of the partying happens at the frats and sororities, which are important to the large number of people involved in them, but really there are a lot of people who aren't as well, so it's completely up to what you want to do, or who you want to interact with. I have friends in sororities, but I'm not in one, it's not essential but it's an option for those who want that experience. My friends and I usually work together in the kitchen on the weekends and take breaks to go to the mall or to get a coffee. My Saturday nights never involve drinking, they usually involve a movie with friends on someone's laptop, or just talking, or (we're true nerds) work, especially if we went into Boston during the day. Off campus there's the Boston Symphony (my favorite!) or the entire city to explore. Public transportation can get you anywhere pretty cheaply. There's a lot of history in Boston to check out, there's shopping, there's pretty much everything.

The dorm atmosphere varies widely. We have quiet halls, quiet dorms, party halls, hacking dorms, and everything in between. The MIT housing system lets you choose the personality you like and so you're sure to find a place with the atmosphere you imagine for your perfect dorm. If I'm awake at 2am on a Tuesday, I will most definitely be studying, no doubt about it. I try not to stay up that late working, but sometimes, psets just happen…. MIT is full of traditions. There are entire books written on it, if you’re interest definitely check them out. The culture of MIT is part of what makes MIT so endearing. Last weekend I went to Harvard with Campus Crusade for Christ, had a homemade brunch with my advising group, went to a planning meeting for IM sports, went to the Cheesecake Factory with a friend, went to the Spring Formal, attended Church, helped interview for Graduate Tutors for my dorm, and some homework. As you can tell, it was nothing like staying in my room working all weekend. There is plenty to do on campus that doesn't involve drinking. I don’t drink or party or any of that, and I never have a dull weekend. You can go into Boston, borrow a movie from the front desk of the dorm or go to one of the numerous events around campus. If you just look up from your desk, there's never a shortage of things to do.

Social life varies hugely from dorm to dorm: in some places, doors are always open, and residents do most of their working, eating and socializing in common areas and hallways. In other dorms, everyone works behind closed doors. There's never pressure either way. If you need to close the door and work quietly, your friends will drop by every couple hours and make sure you're alright, but will leave you alone to finish that problem set. But aside from final papers and research assignments, we usually study and complete problem sets in groups. Last weekend I slept until noon, bought groceries, cooked dinner, and watched a movie with my boyfriend. Most weekends, I spend five or six hours on homework, and a few doing laundry or cleaning my room.

Sororities and Fraternities are really popular. There isn't really one group that EVERYONE is a part of but like everyone has their niche. A cappella groups are really popular too. I'm involved mainly with my sorority, the Global Poverty Initiative, and Society of Women Engineers, all which are really fun and really cool. Open-door policy depends on which dorm you live in and then even what floor of the dorm you live on. My dorm generally is known as being the quite dorm, but my friend's floor is super loud whereas mine is one of the quieter ones. Athletic events are not really that popular unless you have a friend in something. The volleyball team draws somewhat large crowds. Guest speakers are really popular but it kinda depends on who exactly is speaking. Theater draws a pretty good crowd but again it depends on what is showing. Like we just had the Vagina Monologues on campus and those went sold out for all three nights as did Pippin earlier, but not so much with the smaller plays. Dating is hard here - lots of people have bf or gf but there really isn't a lot of time. I met my closest friends through the pre-orientation program i did (i highly, highly recommend it). 2am on a Tuesday - you're working on psets or studying for a test. umm one of the best traditions is that the upperclassmen shower the freshman before the first 8.01 (physics) test, but I guess that's getting labeled as "hazing" now which sucks cause it's totally not. Another event is the sodium drop at the beginning of the year right after orientation where they drop a chunk of sodium in the Charles River and it goes boom. Another "secret" tradition is east campus leads orange tours during orientation and tangerine tours during CPW that lead you around the roofs and tunnels of mit - you actually get to go on top of the big dome. If you want, you can find a party whenever you want. Most frats have pub nights one day during the week and then there are always parties on the weeks - either at frats or at dorms. Most people don't usually go during the week though unless they have ties with the frat. Frats and sororities aren't that important - if you choose to be in one, great - if not, no worries. You need to find some kind of community somewhere - it doesn't matter where. A lot of dorms are really tight, some student groups are really bonded, sports teams, etc. Last weekend was an anomaly for me because usually I don't do this but the week was really hard. On Friday I went to a fun dance party at a frat. On Saturday I volunteered at this event held at MIT, then I had a meeting for GPI, then I went to my friend's surprise birthday party, then I went to this charity talent show held by one frat, then i went back to my room to get ready for a East Campus party. The party was called article 2 party where you could only wear 2 articles of clothes or less - it was a very interesting party and very fun (that shows you a little bit about what east campus is like). Then I went back and changed and headed over to a frat where I got really drunk and don't remember a lot from the night. Most saturday nights I don't drink at all. People either work, watch movies, go out to dinner in boston, go to different events on campus, hang out, play games - don't worry if you don't drink - there is A LOT of people here that don't. Normally people go off campus to eat.