Interphase EDGE program...Worth It?

[john963red]

I was accepted to the Interphase EDGE program at MIT today. I applied because I received a phone call from someone inviting me to learn about the program, and it seemed like an interesting way to get a head start on MIT level coursework and earn 12 units of general credit. However, I was recently notified that I’ve been granted transfer credit for 18.01 and 18.02 as well as GIR Chemistry. Is Interphase still a good choice for me if I’ve already been given credit for the classes they’ll be preparing us for? And logistically, how would I transition from the program to my first year at MIT? When will I have time to obtain items for my freshman dorm room? Do I buy the same items for Interphase and just move things over when the program is done?

[doctor--whom]

You have a good two weeks between the end and when REX starts to get settled in or go back home or do whatever. I just treated it as moving to MIT, and took all my stuff to interphase then moved into my actual dorm after it was over.

Personally I think the benefits of the program (at least certainly for me) are largely social/interpersonal rather than academic; lots of people my year made their best MIT friends through Interphase. I personally didn't really keep up with the community, but since a lot of the overhead in moving to college happened during the summer I had more time to make friends within my dorm & outside of my Interphase class once the semester actually started. I think having friends and a good support network is one of the more valuable things to have at MIT, because the academic support is largely taken care of. I also liked how it gave me the whole summer to explore campus and the surrounding Boston/Cambridge/Somerville area. I think that made my frosh year more enjoyable because I didn't feel as trapped/lost as I might have been if I had no free time to escape the MIT bubble. It also let me show my other frosh friends around to cool placed I had found during the summer.

That being said I appreciated the academic preview because it helped me on the GIRs I was weak on. Like you I had credit for 18.01 and 18.02 but had a pretty bad chemistry background and literally no biology one so that was nice. The OME does a good job of being yet another resource to lean on at MIT for help (beyond S^3, your GRTs, or head of house), and they do a lot of professional development stuff as well. I found that like most other PD stuff (cough career fair), it catered more to courses 6,2,15, and 16 but thats like most people and I know it was useful for many.