In the twilight zone
The “MIT bubble” is ubiquitous and yet sometimes invisible. Even Cambridge itself can seem like an enclave, the town of the ivory tower. Those of us who staff the MIT ambulance live in a sort of twilight zone, half in the bubble and half out.
I can see Russia from my lab
I spent my summer at the National Nuclear Research University MEPhI in the southern outskirts of Moscow, Russia. The Kremlin was just barely visible across Kolomenskoe Park on a clear day.
The illusion of experience
At this second barbecue, something that the host’s mother said stuck with me for the entirety of our trip. “My sister moved to Florida because it’s really dangerous here,” she had explained to us.
Marching to a different beat
My genes are over 99 percent identical to every other Homo Sapiens. I live in a progressive meditation community in Fairfield, Iowa, that is rich in eastern philosophy.
Growing up clueless
Although I was born in Louisiana, I grew up mostly in Texas. When I was growing up, my father was a “roughneck” in the West Texas oilfields. My dad only finished up to the 7th grade.
Biofuels and karaoke
Working and living in Brazil was an experience like none other. I learned so much about chemical engineering, biofuels, Brazil, and myself.
Listen to her
She was lying to me. She was telling me that everything was fine, but her body was saying something else. She was forcing herself to be brave, to fake the courage we are all supposed to have.
In through the back door
I remember hearing over the years how people felt once they got tenure. A sigh of relief, a feeling of recognition, the sense they had made it, that they were somehow now okay. I never felt that.
Virtual reality zombies in Berlin
The highlight of my summer was using the mobile EEG, which allowed me to take a glimpse into other people’s brains while they moved and interacted with space.
Too far to grieve
I had watched the scene unfold twice before. In the busy shuffle between classes and club meetings, the phone call comes. My friends learn that someone they loved has died, and by physical proximity, I am the first outsider to know.
Looking back and moving forward
The room lacked character. A single barred window, which overlooked the students’ courtyard, was the only thing interrupting the bare dominion of bleach white walls.
I love meeting random people
This is part of a series of MIT application essays submitted by students who were later admitted to the Institute. The following prompts are from the 2013-14 admissions season.
Dinner in a Japanese household
I only got to see Shoko and Kazuo twice while I was living in Yokohama, Japan, since I spent most of my weekends exploring other parts of the country. Still, those were two of the most memorable days of my summer.
Dancing after a double surgery
This is part of a series of MIT application essays submitted by students who were later admitted to the Institute. The following prompts are from the 2016-17 admissions season.
Making change in Paris
The morning after Bastille Day, the French national holiday, found me walking down the Rue Rambuteau in Paris. I was on the way to a boulangerie that boasted of having the best baguette in the city.
Pokémon and robots
After over a month of working at Yoshimoto Robotics in the heart of the great metropolis of Tokyo, my life had become a routine. Everything changed when Pokémon Go took Japan by storm.
Student evolved into adult
I settled into a routine: I’d wake up, eat breakfast, go to work, come home, eat dinner, shower, sleep, and repeat. I found it increasingly difficult to go out and experience the city. Enter Pokemon Go.
How to prevent street harassment
How many ukuleles did you have? Two? Why didn’t you limit yourself to just one? If you replace “ukulele” with “drink,” you get the usual slew of questions women are asked after sexual assault.
Freshman year reflections
If there’s one thing that MIT has taught me, it’s to not plan too much.