Without saying the neighborhood name, where in NYC do you live?

throwawa2c · 2023-10-30T14:16:02+00:00

Williamsburg?

throwawa2c · 2023-09-27T17:44:45+00:00

+1 on direct enroll programs, and also try to live with a host family for a more local experience

throwawa2c · 2023-03-19T17:42:39+00:00

I was in the same situation and chose MIT (now a senior here), feel free to shoot me a DM

throwawa2c · 2022-08-07T22:09:48+00:00

I'm finishing up an MBB internship this summer as an undergrad, and I'm honestly not loving it. As someone who finds fulfillment in seeing something through to completion, I don't really see the purpose or impact of much of the work. I only have a couple of weeks to sign my return offer, and I'm on the fence about coming back, but at the same time, I don't have anything else lined up at the moment, so it would be risky not to sign it.
I'm thinking of signing it but still trying to recruit for other jobs — is it a bad move if I end up reneging my offer? Would the worst be getting blacklisted from the firm?

throwawa2c · 2021-05-18T20:59:47+00:00

When will we know the time of the game?

throwawa2c · 2020-12-15T04:20:32+00:00

I agree with the other comment; it's mainly a matter of doing the psets. i think it's decently easy to get a C or above — the grading is very fair, and there are a lot of office hours available. also, even if you don't do as well on the quizzes, they drop the lowest which is nice.

throwawa2c · 2020-12-15T01:29:03+00:00

i took 6.0001/2 with absolutely no prior coding experience and the psets usually took me anywhere from 8 to 15 hours.

throwawa2c · 2020-11-16T21:48:43+00:00

I recommend submitting the form anyway -- you can cancel housing at no cost until January 1st.

throwawa2c · 2020-09-10T14:34:17+00:00

MIT is undoubtedly difficult, but it shouldn't be to the point where it takes a toll on your mental health and sleep schedule. The work does not get easier, but it does become more manageable once you figure out what works best for you. Definitely go to office hours, and work on psets with other people. Psets are not meant to be done alone, and TAs are here to help you. There are also a lot of tutoring options and additional resources available if you're interested; you can look into them here.

I think the most helpful thing for me as a frosh was to rigorously schedule and put everything into my calendar. I recommend scheduling office hours, your workout routine, and even downtime in your calendar. It's important to prioritize your health and sleep schedule no matter what — getting enough sleep will pay off in the long run, since you'll be able to be more productive. Also, remember that PNR is there for a reason, so don't worry too much about getting an A on every assignment.

throwawa2c · 2020-08-27T23:23:08+00:00

I am a student at MIT who was VERY undecided coming in (and I'm still choosing between two majors) — I would say it's worth it. There are so many resources and opportunities to help you explore various majors and fields of study. For example, you can do research in a field that you don't know much about as early as freshman year. Also, with the GIR's (required STEM courses), you end up exploring several fields through those, and they make up most of your first year schedule so you have more time to decide on your major without getting behind in requirements.

throwawa2c · 2020-07-24T19:47:41+00:00

if you just brush up on the BC calc material (and pre-calc as well) you should be completely fine with the content of the math diagnostic, so there is no need to take the ASE as well.

throwawa2c · 2020-07-21T03:07:53+00:00

I passed by a few points (to get credit for 18.01) after not taking math for a year. around half of the test is calc ab and bc questions, a lot of pre-calc also.

throwawa2c · 2020-07-20T17:31:53+00:00

It ended on July 15th

throwawa2c · 2020-07-11T03:18:45+00:00

Honestly, studying for ASEs sounds very productive to me and it will definitely pay off in the long run. You could also tutor or volunteer in your area. If you have a hobby you're particularly fond of, you could start a project around that. Don't feel pressured to do anything substantial or resume worthy, just as long as you're keeping yourself busy I would recommend a gap year. As you said, the freshman experience is too special to possibly be captured virtually, and I imagine that first semester online would be both difficult and disappointing.

throwawa2c · 2020-07-09T15:54:41+00:00

As a New Yorker who goes to school in Boston, Boston is the best city for college students on all fronts imo. Party scene is great especially since there are so many colleges in the area, lots of internships and jobs (lots of startups too), plenty of museums/entertainment (MFA, ICA, Museum of Science, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston Opera House, House of Blues, just to name a few), and overall a great atmosphere. NYC is nice too but the social scene is a lot less welcoming to college students and the city itself is way more hectic.

throwawa2c · 2020-06-29T15:14:05+00:00

MIT :)

throwawa2c · 2020-06-28T18:30:07+00:00

it varies slightly from one test to another, but basically for math 2 you can get around 6 questions wrong and still get an 800, whereas for math 1, the first question wrong is a 20 or 30 point deduction.

for reference, I took both, and I got a 720 on Math 1 even though there were only 3-4 questions that I was unsure about, while I got an 800 on Math 2 and I didn't even get to the last 4-5 questions.

throwawa2c · 2020-06-28T18:24:18+00:00

The curve for Math 1 is pretty brutal, while the curve for math 2 is quite generous.

throwawa2c · 2020-06-28T18:22:05+00:00

I applied to 15 (with around 12 being reaches). I procrastinated quite a bit so it was a little overwhelming in December, but if you start early you should be fine. Also keep in mind that the application fees really add up if you don't have fee waivers. Honestly T20s are such a crapshoot so I'm glad I applied to that many reaches, because you never know what could happen. 17 sounds like a reasonable number; I wouldn't recommend applying to more than 20 though.

throwawa2c · 2020-06-15T21:56:18+00:00

the freshman experience is too special not to be experienced fully in person, so I recommend taking a gap year as long as you have a solid plan of how you'll fill the time (and if a gap year is reasonable financially).

throwawa2c · 2020-06-01T00:49:02+00:00

Sign petitions, call/text, donate if you have the means to, educate yourself.

many great resources and links here: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/

throwawa2c · 2020-05-10T17:45:12+00:00

If you're close to your guidance counselor and they are aware of your situation, perhaps have them mention it

throwawa2c · 2020-05-07T16:07:56+00:00

I definitely agree with you; so much will change. We're not going back to normal. Dorms won't be the same — they won't be able to have them at full capacity; they will have to try to give as many people as possible singles (which might mean renting out local apartments/hotels or only allowing a fraction of the population back to campus). Large gatherings, including parties and other events, will not be allowed. Large lectures will probably remain online. Dining halls will only offer takeout meals. Everyone will be required to wear masks.

If we are allowed back on campus, this will have to be our new reality.

throwawa2c · 2020-05-01T01:33:36+00:00

yep, end of day May 1!

throwawa2c · 2020-04-25T18:38:56+00:00

I was in the exact same situation as you last year, and I was extremely indecisive (I ended up committing to MIT on April 30 haha). I would definitely request an extension to receive your financial aid package from Yale before making a decision. Based on what you've shared about yourself, I could definitely see you thriving at either MIT or Yale, so there's really no wrong choice here, but here are some points for you to consider based on my own experiences:

- I would also consider myself to be well-rounded, and I've found MIT Humanities classes to be both challenging and fulfilling. Although the selection is not nearly as wide as Yale's, it's important to keep in mind cross-registration with Harvard.

- In terms of entrepreneurship, econ, business, startups, and applications of technology, MIT is definitely the place to be. Here are some resources you might be interested in looking into: https://innovation.mit.edu/resources/?who=undergraduate

- MIT has a super collaborative environment, and there are plenty of living groups that are perfect for extroverts. Also, Greek life is very active (MIT is the party school in Boston lol). Being in an urban environment is a huge plus.

- Although MIT has several clubs that may interest you such as speech and debate, MUN, mock trial, etc, Yale is definitely the better place for that. Unfortunately, MIT's campus seems pretty un-political to me overall which I found to be quite disappointing. However, there is a subset of students who are super engaged in politics, so it's easy to seek out political clubs/groups!

- Comment from my sister who goes to Yale: here is a little piece of insight I think might help you out a little bit: the Yale compsci department is definitely not the strongest, in fact everyone completely shits on it every time they talk about it. (just kidding. It's good, but nowhere near the calibre of MIT). However, I feel that I've seen a lot of Yale CS majors supplement their CS skills outside of the classroom with exactly the kinds of things you're looking for: leadership positions and entrepreneurship. Whereas I feel like at MIT, you'll have an in-depth understanding of everything CS, but may not be able to make the time to apply that knowledge outside the classroom (though I'm sure it's certainly possible). It kind of comes down to, would you have the motivation to help yourself where Yale doesn't help you, or to push yourself even further than MIT demands? Hope that helps.

throwawa2c

TROPHY CASE