The summer before MIT
We often hear about the summer after high school, of those warm days shrouded in familiarity before the thrilling independence of college. After graduation, I promised myself to make the most of this last summer, to try new things, take risks, and gain perspective.
IT’S ALL GREEK TO ME: My final Recruitment
“It’s All Greek To Me” tells the individual stories of MIT sorority girls. Check in every Tuesday to hear a new voice. Denzil Sikka ’13 is a senior in Course 6 at MIT and president of Panhel, the governing council of all six MIT sororities.
Hell is other people
I was a freshman once. Escaping my hometown of Tampa, Florida, I went to MIT, leaving my family and high school friends behind. I was an unattached soul, with no group to call my own. Faced with the fear of being alone and unsupported, I was easily tempted by the promises of Sorority Recruitment.
Surviving the first year at the Institute
Starting at any college can be nerve-wracking for freshman, and MIT is no different. Freshmen are in a new environment and worried about academics and managing their lives — all without the familiar comfort of home and their parents. With so many things to do, from registering for classes to living alone for the first time to doing laundry, students can feel overwhelmed. Luckily, there are a number of encouraging support systems around campus.
MIT protips
Well, it’s that time again. All you hordes of freshman are pouring onto campus, bright and unsullied. Some of you fancy yourselves engineers, scientists, the bright minds of the future. All so innocent, easy prey for the dangers lurking behind the institute’s marble columns. Right now, you probably think “p-set” is a dirty word.
Understanding the perfection of imperfection
A survey once asked me to describe my perfect day. I had more than one perfect day in my mind, as many people probably do, but it made me wonder — what makes something “perfect” in the first place?
Considering the implications of our inventions
My last summer of high school — before I enter the heavenly gates of MIT (thanks to a certain St. Peter called Stu Schmill and the admissions committee) — has been one gigantic conglomeration of everything I have wanted to do but have otherwise slipped up on during the previous eighteen years of my life.
In anticipation of MIT
Here I am, less than a month from starting what will arguably be the best four years of my life. Am I incredibly excited? Scared? Still half-convinced that I was perhaps admitted by mistake?
A “grate” salad and the sweet turned savory
I was staring at the wall of energy bars at LaVerdes, looking for a quick snack between work and exercising. Bright and colorful, they tempted the eye with bold statements like “10 grams of protein!” and “Chocolate-Caramel flavoring.” Yet even the “healthy” bars often contained more sugar than protein, and I wanted something more … meaty. Unfortunately, I don’t have the technology to produce a slab of pure dried animal flesh, so I did the next best thing: I made a batch of savory granola.
“There and back again:” From home to home
If there’s one thing everyone seems to get excited about at the end of the semester, it’s about going away. Although no one likes moving, whether to go home or travel to some foreign land for an internship, the vast majority of people are ecstatic about getting out and away.
A paradoxical graduation
Life can change in an instant — the instant you get that acceptance letter, the instant you walk across that stage, the instant someone dear to you dies. I never imagined that my life would change so drastically before graduation — that I would be graduating without my partner, the guy who loved and supported me for the bulk of my MIT undergraduate career.
The art of advocacy at MIT
On May 1, MIT Corporation Member Barun Singh ENG ’06 called for MIT students to advocate for themselves. This is difficult with MIT’s current structure of advocacy, which lacks proper forums to share problems and ideas. Students advocate through the student groups they are a part of, and student groups are forced to make advocacy entertainment. Events such as Alpha Chi Omega’s Lipsync for raising domestic violence awareness and the Chorallaries’ Bad Taste, which makes fun of scandalous occurrences on campus, are fun but students do not leave the show with a heightened sense of awareness — they are often focused on the event itself, and not the issue at hand. I would like to explain why advocacy currently happens as it does and make suggestions for how to get students more involved in politics.
Heavenly voices
Gospel Choir is one of MIT’s Christianity-based music singing groups. Founded over 35 years ago, their 30-some members come from a a variety of Christian backgrounds. The group provides an opportunity to practice while they preach, with prayer and scripture readings during rehearsals.
I can has Internet?
Last weekend, the biggest names in Internet fame, academia, and entrepreneurship descended upon MIT for the third installment of ROFLCon, a biennial celebration of web culture. From accidental celebrities such as Scumbag Steve and Chuck Testa to researchers like hacker anthropologist Biella Coleman and MIT’s own Ethan Zuckerman, a diverse cast of guests came together to unite under the common banner of “the Internets.” Prior to the keynote speech, event co-founder Christina Xu put it succinctly: “One out of eight people in this room has done something crazy on the Internet.”
A friend in need
Over the past month, I’ve written about mental health issues from the perspective of the afflicted. But for every individual who struggles with these issues, there are many more who are affected by association. Friends, partners, and family members end up shouldering some of the burden.
Events May 8-May 14
Events May 8 – May 14 Tuesday (6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.) After the Factory screening and director Q&A — 7-431 Wednesday (12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.) Artists Beyond the Desk presents Angela Ambroz and Jessica Barber book reading — 14W-111, Killian Hall (5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) Emerson Scholar student violin recital by Latifah Hamzah — 14W-111, Killian Hall Thursday (10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.) D-Lab International Craft Fair — Lobby 10 (5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.) China Forum: International Artist Cai Guo-Qiang Keynote and Sculpture Dedication Friday (12:45 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.) Launching SpaceX: How to Build a Rocket Company — 3-270 (7:00 p.m., 10:00 p.m.) LSC shows The Adventures of Tintin — 26-100 Saturday (9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.) Westgate Spring 2012 Yard Sale — W85 lawn Sunday (8:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) Techiya Spring 2012 Concert: The Search for the Quest — 6-120 Monday (7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) 7 Laws of Magical Thinking book reading by Matthew Hutson — 32-141 Send your campus events toevents@tech.mit.edu.
The nuts and bolts of getting help
It seems that at MIT, toughness is valued above almost all else. We take pride in stretching ourselves thin, whether taking an absurd number of classes, pulling multiple all-nighters, or doing well in a class we never actually attend. With our workloads, time is precious. When we’re tired, sick, or in a bad mood — we learn to cope.
Events May 1 - May 7
Events May 1 – May 7 Tuesday (4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.) How Can We Feed a Growing World and Sustain the Planet? Talk by Professor Jonathan Foley — E51-115 (6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.) Digital Media SIG Event: In-Store Shopping Goes Mobile, panel on mobile phones in retail stores— E51-149 Wednesday (5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.) MISTI Foreign film night: Pan’s Labyrinth — 4-237 (9:00 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.) Egyptian Cultural Night — NW86 Thursday (7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) Renee Green: Endless Dreams and Time-Based Streams, book signing and film screening Friday (12:45 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.) UNBOUND: Speculations on the Future of the Book — E15-070 (3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.) 10th annual Prokopoff violin music concert — 14E-109 Saturday (6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.) American Teacher screening and discussion — NW86-161 Sunday (1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.) Eastgate Garden Party — E55 (4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.) MITHAS Spring Series presents Kumaresh & Jayanthi, Carnatic violin and veena — E51 Wong Auditorium Monday (4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) Starr Forum: Inequality and Instability: A Study of the World Economy Just Before the Great Crisis — E62-262 (4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.) International Development Career Fair — 10-105 Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.
Comic fans, unite!
A far cry from the choked hallways and extravagant TV and movie premieres of the San Diego Comic-Con, Boston Comic Con is a true convention for comic books, their creators, and their fans. It’s somewhere where fans can have great interactions with their favorite artists as well as meet new ones, and take part in events that were truly about the joy of comic books.
Sweat, tears, and miles
Ever since I ran New York City’s Marathon in November 2006, nostalgia has made me a race-watching enthusiast. Last Monday, on Patriots’ Day, I was very excited about going to see the 116th Boston Marathon. I found a free spot on the fence on Commonwealth Avenue just a couple of miles before the finish line. We were standing next to hundreds of people, watching and trying to cheer the marathon runners — I say trying because at that point the only cheerful thought in a runner’s mind is knowing the proximity to the end.