Massachusetts Institute of Technology Top Questions

Sports and extracurricular activities are a big deal on campus. They are not only places that give a student a legitimate reason for not doing homework, but they provide communities and friends for whoever is joining. The most prevalent sport on campus is our Division I Varsity Crew Team. These are guys and ladies who wake up at the crack of the down to work their bodies past the point of exhaustion. MIT has a huge number of sports teams (second most in the country I believe), and people like coming to any of them. They don’t have the attendance that other schools and their football teams might get, but people enjoy being on the teams. There are also intramural teams (I am on the intramural hockey team), which are either for people who don’t want to put the time into a varsity sport or don’t have the skill for one. They are fun without the pressure. Other students activities seem to be divided into Greek and not Greek. Non-Greek actives range from the Society of Women Engineers to the Assassins Guild. All are fun if they are what you are into. You can only get out of it what you put into it. The Greek life on campus is very strong. I am in a sorority, and I am glad I went through with recruitment. This is largely due to the fact, however, that MIT sororities (and fraternities to some extent) are very different at MIT. MIT sororities (not fraternities) are dry. There is also absolutely no hazing at MIT sororities (I promise this having gone through initiation myself). While I can only really speak for my sorority, I feel comfortable saying that any Greek group is all about the social and support network as well as a group of instant friends. Within my sorority are girls that I hope to be in three years. Girls within my major, girls who are involved in everything, and girls who are amazing to be around.

MIT is great if you are awake late on a week night, there are so many people to talk to. I am a night owl, and my night owl friends who went to other colleges say that MIT sounds far more night-owl-friendly. It is also very easy to start conversations at MIT, perhaps because people are a little less socially aware here (this cuts down on feelings of embarrassment, exclusive devotion to one group of friends, elitism, and exclusionary practices). The easy conversations and the night life are the most special aspects of MIT social life. MIT also has an ample number of events, parties, movies, game nights, clubs, and so on, but almost every college has more entertaining activities than you can shake a stick at.

Lots of options, many of which I don't have time for.

People party pretty regularly, and different frats/sororities are pretty good at being inclusive.

fraternities/sororities and in dorms, floors/entries are all the big social groups. my floor is my social group. BURTON One!!! we are pretty much the shit. i love my floor more than anything! the open door policy varies per dorm, per floor. my floor is very open, you are best friends with the 40 other people whom you live with, so doors are almost always open to inspire friends to stop by/visit. WOOOOO MIT ATHLETICS!!! events in general, though, are usually only attended by friends of the athletes/performers, but some teams/groups (the volleyball team, for instance) have fans that will stop by one event and become permanent fans throughout the year. it is sooo cool. the fans that do show up though, are amazinggg. i met everybody really really randomly. orientation was a great time for meeting my good friends. hmm, 2 a.m. on a tuesday...i'm probably just getting started... too many to count. my favorite traditions are probably: the pumpkin drop, CPW!!, logs concerts, spring weekend, etc. people party more than you would think. many frats have parties weekly (different ones have parties every Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday) and most will have a big one on a Friday or Saturday night every few weeks! frats keep MIT socially active and definitely help the community on campus in many different ways. sororities kinda do the same. they are a social outlet for girls on campus to bond. oo, last weekend was a really really sad long weekend for me and i had to study the whole time. lame, i know. the world is yours on saturday nights. you can 1) go to a party and not drink; 2) start a dance party; 3) tool and do work; 4) work out; 5) go hacking; 6) sleep, b/c after the weeks at MIT, the weekends are ALWAYS needed to catch up on sleep.

I really enjoyed the social scene at MIT. I spent most of my time with my friends from my living group and my extracurriculars. Being involved in theater, I spent a lot of time going to plays on campus and working on plays on campus. But if I didn't have a show going up, chances are you could find me at a party at one of the dormitories on a Friday or Saturday night, and (almost) never spent them doing homework.

At Chocolate City, students leave doors open. If I were awake at 2 AM on Tuesday I could be studying, typing an email, praying, chatting with bros at my house.

Whether or not students leave their doors open depends on the dormitory and the section of the dormitory. However, for the most part, people do leave their doors open. Athletic events are not really popular. Theater is somewhat popular. The dating scene exists and there are several MIT couples. I met my closest friends through preview weekend before I came here and through classes. If I am awake at 2am on a Tuesday, I'm trying to finish a problem set that is due later that day. Since people work so hard, they party hard. I do not drink and I find several things to do on Saturday nights that do not involve drinking. Off campus I go to events at other colleges, a lounge, or the movies.

Students in dorms do leave their doors open when they're in. The part of the dorm I live is very social. We go into and out of people's rooms and enjoy each others company. Athletic events at MIT are not very popular. People will go out to see a play or other events in the auditorium sometimes though. I just went to see a dance show by one of our dance groups this weekend and it was really good. People date, of course. There is dating within the school as well as with students from other campuses. That's a great thing about Boston. There are plenty of other campuses around. I met my closest friends by being roommates with them. If I'm awake at 2AM on a Tuesday, I am studying for an exam, doing a pset, or both. Sometimes, I may just be talking to friends. As far as traditions/events every year, there are too many to list. My favorite is Campus Preview Weekend (CPW), which is when accepted students come for four days to experience life on MIT's campus. Even though, I have yet to experience this as an MIT student, I am very excited and really enjoyed taking part in it last year. People party every weekend or so. There's usually plenty going on over the weekend and everyone is ready to relax a little bit. Last weekend, I went to a dance show and a comedy show. They were really good. Since I don't drink, I find plenty to do over the weekend that doesn't involve drinking. Admittedly, I prefer a calm, relaxed weekend to one spent partying. I usually hang out with friends, go to a movie, or play games. There is plenty of stuff in Boston to do off campus from visiting other campuses to shopping to going to dinner.

Every type of club that you imagine exists at MIT. We have a Juggling Club, A Beef Lover's Club, and a Carribean Club. I am currently social chair of the Black Women's Alliance. As social chair, I have planned many events. MY favorite on was a mangeant that was held last semester. This was our first event of this kind. Each dorm has a separate culture. In some dorms, people leave their dorms open. In my dorm, people generally leave their dorms open and are very social. Athletic events are generally not popular at MIT. MIT is a Division III school. Needless to say, most people do not go to MIT for athletics. Guest speakers are popular within the various fields. Theatre is not too big, but there are definitely opportunities to participate in drama and the theatre arts. Since I have been at MIT, I was in two plays, "Imperceptible Mutabilities in the Third Kingdom" and " The Vagina Monologues." Dating in general is not a big thing at MIT. Some people do it, but being single is definitely accepted here. I met my closest friends in a pre-college program that I did at MIT, called Project Interphase. If I am awake at 2AM on Tuesday, I am most likely working to finish my problem set. Each year during Campus Preview Weekend, there is an exchange of hacks between MIT and CalTech. The best hack happended during my CPW when MIT captured CalTech's cannon and brought it back to MIT. People party fairly often. The frats generally have parties every weekend. Last weekend I performed in the Vagina Monologues. On a Saturday Night, you can go bowling out to karaoke, watch a movie, or go to a dancing party on or off campus.