Wait! Wow! Is this how it feels to be a student at MIT? No projects? No assignments? No stress?
Well, yes, being a student is a richness by itself; moreover, a semester at MIT is a stupendous luxurious journey.
All that time I had a luxurious feeling. You want to know what triggered this feeling. Join me for a week of my life at MIT.
Monday: how do I start my week? A full schedule of classes from 11 to 7 pm. What is special about my 11 am class? It is a physical education class for 2 credits, I selected jogging (biggest achievement before class was running for 5 minutes continuously). It is a pass/fail. Can’t skip any sessions. Who can afford to fail at MIT? Now I run the 5k.
Tuesday: it was a long day at school, tired. Go home and rest? This is not an option. It is Chinese New Year; we will make dumplings and watch movies to celebrate this tradition.
Wednesday: I took no morning classes, but I could not fit the bi-weekly group meeting for system dynamics class into my schedule, so I have to start my day at 8 am with brainstorming and discussing systems behaviors. My biggest support for this time is the giant complicated coffee machine in the Lab.
Thursday: it’s 4 pm. I have to run to Harvard. I am taking an elective on political economy. If you are curious about a topic not available at MIT, cross register for an elective at Harvard.
Friday: public speaking and writing classes. Oops! I cannot do only modeling. I have to speak up. Hard task done; now it is music time! There is a jazz concert with a special guest a famous trumpeter. You don’t like jazz, wait for next week: the MIT Symphony Orchestra is performing Beethoven’s “Piano Concerto No.5 in E-Flat Major.”
Saturday: got to get new data for my capstone. Yes, in addition to all the courses, I work on a capstone with a randomly assigned partner who became a close friend. We worked hard, but we indulged ourselves with an outing to try a new restaurant with new cuisine every week. The only constant is the Italian glass of wine (only if you carry your ID to show that you are not forever less than 21).
Sunday: is this my day off? Well that was my plan, but oh no! I have to take care of my room, do laundry, fill my fridge and catch up on the assignments.
They say MIT is drinking from a firehose. I say it is a Sunday Lebanese Meze.
As a learner, knowledge is my Ferrari; as an explorer, a diverse environment is my mega yacht; as a relator, friendship is my Monaco summerhouse.
During this semester, the confidence I gained and the people I met are a lifetime gain that outweighs Boston schizophrenic weather, late night work, and the 6 months away from family.
Long story short: the MIT experience is MY NEW PRIVATE JET.