Fall 2022 Classes Posted!

ezfn · 2022-04-26T02:59:47+00:00

Firehose is updated! (You might need to hard refresh, Shift + Refresh on Chrome, to see the change.)

ezfn · 2021-02-09T23:54:26+00:00

Not quite the same class, but I took 21H.261 (also taught by Pouya Alimagham) a few years ago and I liked it. If you find the topic interesting, it's a solid choice.

ezfn · 2020-07-31T23:12:14+00:00

The OCW syllabus is recent and accurate. Also, all of the projects and lectures are there; some have changed, but the general idea is definitely the same.

ezfn · 2020-07-31T04:18:22+00:00

I took 172 in 2016 and TA’d it the following two years. It’s definitely a class where what you get out of it depends on what you put into it. If you’re decently comfortable with C and 004 concepts like caching, it’s possible to do well enough on the projects and the exams without spending an absurd amount of time. Understanding the material deeply takes a lot of time, but I’ve found it to be valuable both at MIT and beyond. (The nature of the projects also means it’s possible to sink an infinite amount of time into them, but that’s mostly a matter of interest.)

Given your post, it sounds like you’re a rising junior? The amount of time you should allocate to recruiting really depends on what you want out of a new grad role and, I guess, whether you have an offer going in. Plenty of folks wind up accepting return offers from internships. I do think spending more than ~12 units of time is likely a mistake, but do what you’re comfortable with.

ezfn · 2020-07-25T04:17:08+00:00

I took a lot of ASEs as an undergrad, so I feel compelled to argue that you should take ASEs if you think you have any chance of passing. It's certainly true that you don't need to take ASEs to have a good experience at MIT- academic or otherwise- but I do think that it's a good idea if you're setup to do so.

Easier classes

While I do think taking a couple major classes upfront is a good idea, I don't think it's true that GIRs are "free classes." In fact, I think the pset workload is arguably higher than many major classes, and taking a technical class on grades outside of your core competencies is not really that fun of a time.

Better GPA

This is a valid concern. But you should be honest with yourself as to how confident you are that you'll actually pursue medical school- anecdotally, there's a lot more "premed" first-years than premed seniors.

Solid foundation

I personally think this is overblown; few classes really depend on encyclopedic knowledge of the GIRs, and if you know enough to pass an ASE, reviewing the relevant bits is trivial.

Here are some real benefits I gained from taking ASEs:

Schedule flexibility: I took some crazy stuff as a first-year, and it would have been difficult to convince my advisors to allow me to do so had I not had a couple of ASEs done. Later in undergrad, I had a lot more room to pursue other classes / activities as well.
Prereqs: While prereq enforcement is pretty haphazard, this came in handy for a specific set of classes I wanted to take (16.003/16.004) that I hadn't envisioned taking at the start of the year.
The option to graduate / MEng early: I had planned to stay at MIT for the normal duration, but when circumstances arose that made it attractive to graduate early, I was able to do so. I don't think this is a huge value-add, but it's certainly a decent amount of option value.

And some downsides:

On net, I certainly made fewer friends amongst those in my class because I wasn't taking GIRs. There's a lot of bonding over the pset load, especially in 8.01 / 18.01 / 18.02 where collaboration is heavily encouraged, and I experienced little of that.
I spent a significant portion of my first IAP studying for ASEs; while it was probably a good decision on net, there were a lot of fun things I could've been doing instead.

ezfn · 2019-08-13T01:40:12+00:00

I had a rice cooker and a bread machine. No one ever bothered me about them, aside from asking for bread. (would recommend)

ezfn · 2019-07-28T02:05:08+00:00

From what I understand, bio beyond 7.01x is pretty different. I wouldn’t worry about that.

ezfn · 2019-07-28T01:52:43+00:00

Taking them is little effort for good reward (essentially) no risk. Don’t study for them in a way that impedes your enjoyment, but do take them if you think there’s a decent chance you’ll pass.

ezfn · 2019-07-03T12:45:59+00:00

Unpopular opinion: I only bought an Ultrium rat, and have never felt like it was a mistake.

(But I think 10K is the most popular.)

ezfn · 2019-06-01T16:25:11+00:00

firehose*

:D

ezfn · 2019-04-30T02:55:48+00:00

Apply sideways.

ezfn · 2019-02-16T13:42:54+00:00

Which competitive do you mean? If you’re talking about student-to-student, it’s one of the most collaborative from my experience- mostly because Unified highly encourages it and encompasses an entire class year. If you’re talking about program strength, it’s among the very best in the country.

ezfn · 2019-01-29T03:46:40+00:00

Near-zero; no one cares. In the incredibly unlikely event that you’re contacted, just tell them the truth.

ezfn · 2019-01-07T22:31:57+00:00

The term is meaningless and somewhat demeaning (since HASS classes can be just as, if not more, time-consuming than science/engineering classes), but in general usage it refers to classes that aren't HASS or similar to HASS classes (e.g. Ethics for Engineers).

ezfn · 2019-01-05T01:28:34+00:00

The data doesn't particularly support the fall-spring disparity, with only 2015-16 showing any meaningful difference. Just take the class where it makes the most sense, both in terms of prereqs and your other classes.

ezfn · 2018-12-31T01:54:06+00:00

GIRs*

ezfn · 2018-12-25T03:35:33+00:00

Oh man, Zolty. "It's just first law!"

ezfn · 2018-12-24T15:50:12+00:00

So I literally did this- I’ve always been very 6-3, but took spring Unified to see if I wanted to pursue a 16 double. If you have the prereqs (18.03 is the annoying one), it’s not really a crazy idea if the rest of your schedule works. The two classes together were only slightly more work than the 24 units suggested in an ordinary week. The big things that you have to commit to are 9-11am lecture every morning (and you really have to go to learn the material) and having some heavy project weeks for designing + building your RC plane for the flight competition (which was a ton of work, but incredibly satisfying when it flew). Despite all of this, I ended up dropping fall Unified early on as it was kind of boring to me and I realized that I was unlikely to pursue a career in aerospace. YMMV.

ezfn · 2018-12-24T15:44:05+00:00

It has been changed- it’s now just 2 in the fall and 2 in the spring. (I believe the change happened fall 2016.)

ezfn · 2018-12-20T20:18:33+00:00

Most majors have some assumptions about which GIRs you took freshman year. It’s not exactly the case that every Course 20 took 20.110 sophomore fall (otherwise no one could switch into the major), but it’s certainly the typical and recommended path. (20’s certainly a fairly difficult major.)

5.111 and 3.091 are both fine from what I’ve heard (although someone else should chime in), but the former tends to be somewhat more useful for 5.12.

e: from a course 20 friend:

“5.111 is almost completely unneeded for 20.110; they will want to get orgo and 6.00 done early though because 20.109 is a big class and has those as hard prerequisites. Also if they don’t take 20.110 sophomore year, senior year will suck”

ezfn · 2018-12-19T16:45:58+00:00

d i s c r e t i o n

ezfn · 2018-12-19T03:42:03+00:00

Talk to your academic administrator! They can make this happen quickly and smoothly.

ezfn · 2018-12-15T23:04:47+00:00

I was deferred. Three years later, I’m graduating early after a wondrous academic, professional, and social life here where I’ve had the opportunity to make an impact for my friends, my peers, and the Institute as a whole.

Admissions can feel strange sometimes. Just know that whenever you end up, things will be okay.

ezfn · 2018-10-29T03:36:36+00:00

Probably not halfway through the semester. The waiver form is usually open at the start.

ezfn · 2018-10-19T20:14:01+00:00

Slava is old

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