On a Week of IHTFP

On a Week of IHTFP Hey all, sorry to be absent for what has it been by now three weeks? Thats inexcusable for a freshman blogger! So I will have to make it up by posting much MORE often it looks like some order might be coming into my life now so this may indeed be possible But now there are a whole two months of MIT to blog about, where to start? So youre thinking about MIT You may have read about the opportunities available to you from the minute that you step onto campus as an MIT student, and perhaps thats why youd like to come. What goes on here is nothing short of amazing. Exciting. Insane. Definitely take a look at the main MIT site and other blog posts (you can even check out my first post, The Land of MIT). Wonderful? Out of this world? No, the question is Can you SURVIVE??? I lied. Thats not the real question. Even though it may seem like it. The answer is YES, you can. People will say this a million times but if you get into MIT, it IS possible. You can survive. The real question is Will you be HAPPY (at least ~50% of the time)??? Theres a reason why MITs motto is IHTFP “I Hate This F***ing Place” or “I Have Truly Found Paradise.” Most of the time, youll agree with one of them. Our emotions are usually at one of these two extremes. When we say that “MIT is hard,” we mean it. You may have to rethink your study skills. Some people just never had to study before they got here. You have to learn to manage your time. This may happen at any college, especially when you move away. Suddenly youre on your own. A million activities are thrown your way, a million possibilities for each minute, and you would go to every single one of them but there are only 24 hours in a day and you also have to get food and get done with everything early enough to get sleep â€" at least some sleep. MIT is just a liiiitle harder than most other colleges, so you have to pset and study too. (I actually believe that MIT is THE hardest college in the world, though someone said theres another school in India which may compare forgot what its called though =/) We all have our reality checks. I mean, the overwhelming trend Ive noticed at MIT is that everyone wants to take the hardest classes that they can even dream of passing. There really is a strong work ethic here. For the most part, the system (or the sanity that a few students seem to have) keeps people in classes based on their level of preparation for each course. For instance, most freshmen choose one of 8 flavors of math (18.01, 18.01A/2A, 18.014, 18.02, 18.022, 18.023, 18.024 â€" the 18.01s are types of single-variable calculus and the 18.02s are types of multi-variable calculus). I came in with Calculus BC and was able to choose from 18.02 (regular calculus), 18.022 (theory and challenging), or 18.023 (calculus with applications). (18.024 is a proof-based course that you can only take after 18.014). In my high school I was in the “honors math” sequence. I liked thinking about calculus and its applications â€" in economics, in general, in everything. Well, anyway, the point is that I heard 18.022 once described as “honors math at MIT.” When I told my advisor I was interested in the class she said, “I dont know. Thats a HARD class.” I guess the MIT freshman mentality was still in me, and I thought, Wouldnt I be wasting my time here if I wasnt challenging myself? Wont this help me be REALLY awesome at EVERYTHING having to do with math later in life? Fast forward a month to OUR FIRST MIT EXAM WEEK EVER (Weekend before) Time to lock myself in my room and do nothing but 18.022 for the test on Tuesday! Wait, theres a chem test on Wednesday? Schrodingers equation I cant do that either, but what I REALLY cant do is math. Chem after math chem after math Oh crap I also have an 18.022 pset DUE ON MONDAY? Guess Ill have to study everything else tomorrow. (Monday morning) YES! PSET HANDED IN! I totally dont know if what I did was right for half of them though. It would be NICE to get the PSET back BEFORE the test not that thats happening Oookay, for the test. Who knows how I had time to attempt this practice test? Anyway, time to compare these practice test questions with the answers pasted on the door of our professors office oh THATS how you do it, I still dont get that, I calculated that wrong, I dont get polar/cylindrical/spherical coordinates yet Im so screwed omg, hey wait the professor messed this part up too so he gave himself a 97 (later Monday) My recitation T.A. gave me entirely DIFFERENT answers for this polar/spherical/cylindrical coordinate question, let me check them theyre still different hey wait he graded himself AGAIN? (Mondays facebook status) My professor got a 94 on his own test! (Monday at 8:30, at Sport Tae Kwon Do PE, trying to decide whether to leave after the first hour or stay for another) Me to 18.022-er: Hey, are you ready for the test? 18.022-er: No. No way. Are you crazy? Are you kidding? Me to other 18.022-er: Are you ready for the test? Other 18.022-er: I actually have the math test and a comp sci test tomorrow and I havent really started studying Me: So Other 18.022-er: But Im probably going to stay for the second hour. Are you? Me: Ha, ha, hahaha! (leaves to study) (Monday at 1) Another 18.022-er: Hey, have you been studying? How much have you been studying? I bet you havent been studying Marcela. Me: Hey! You cant say anything. Ive studied for at least 6 hours by now, by the time I call it quits at 3 itll be 8 I read the whole textbook chapters that cover what were doing in class up till now, I reread them this weekend, I bought notecards and wrote every single important equation or formula on them, I took the practice tests, I met with my T.A. to go over the last three psets.. I think Im ready (Tuesday at 1) Another 18.022-er: You ready? Me: Sure You ready? 18.022-er: No. You ready? Other 18.022-er: I think so Proctor: TEST START GO (Tuesday at 1:55) Professor: Hey, everyone, Im giving you an extra five minutes! (Tuesday at 2:00) Proctor: PENCILS DOWN Tests: *handed up* 18.022-ers: 18.022-ers: X X;;;;;; 18.022-ers: X X;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; (Tuesday at 5) OK, all right. Its time to study CHEM. Ive got to pass one test this week. Ive got to do well on this one. Ugh Im breaking my resolution not to cram but I STUDIED ALL DAY AND ALL NIGHT FOR THAT 18.022 TEST THING OMG AND I SPENT SO MUCH TIME STUDYING AND I CANT BELIEVE HOW MUCH OF MY LIFE I WASTED STUDYING AND OK Marcela go study for chem. (Tuesday at 7) Another 18.022-er: Hey Marcela, the results are online! Can you open them with me? Me: OK! Another 18.022-er: OK, lets count! Me: All right, 1, 2, 3 Us: Me: Oh. Another 18.022-er: AHHH. (Wednesday at 10:30 AM, Im in the student center getting food before the chem (5.111) test at 12) Me: Oh hey 5.111-er! 5.111-er: Hey! Me: You ready for the test? 5.111-er: You know, I studied for days for that test, and I didnt study last night because I had had enough. I think Im ready. Me: And what math are you in? 5.111-er: 18.02. Why? Oh, and by the way, I got a 100 on our last test. I think a lot of people got hundreds. It was a pretty straightforward test. Me: . X____X 5.111-er: Hey, by the way, do you know what time it is? Youve got your calculator maybe that has the time? Me: Check it out, I dont know if it does though =/ Ive gotta study study STUDY (Wednesday at 11:30) 5.111-er: Lets go! Me: OK! Wait. Wheres my calculator? *looks in bag* 5.111-er: Im sure its in your bag somewhere. Where else could it be? Its not on the table. Me: But I dont seee it Ah, all right, Ill look later. (Wednesday at 11:55) Me: ZOMG WHERES MY CALCULATOR. 5.111 TA Heres a calculator you can use *hands me a scientific calculator* Me: YAYYY Wait how do you multiply things by 10^10? And wait why are these numbers disappearing after I press add or subtract? Ahhh why is time passing so fast OK Im just going to add up the powers of ten and multiply all the other numbers and then combine them and hope that I dont make stupid mistakes or run out of time (Wednesday at 12:55) Me: *rushed through the problems and just ran out of time* (Wednesday at 1:00) Me: NOW we get our psets back? And I FAILED this pset and I get it back NOW? Wow, Im going to check ALL of these psets with my 18.022 friends from now on (Wednesday at 5) Voicemail from 5.111-er from 2: AHHHH MARCELA I HAVE TWO CALCULATORS!!!!!!! (Wednesday at 11) Physics prelab english reading english writing omg OMG I CANT TAKE ANYMOREEEE (Thursday at 1) Professor: I owe you guys a BIG apology. That test was too long. As long as youre doing well on the psets, dont worry about it. Me after class: Er I didnt do too well on the last two psets even though I just barely passed the test by four points (the passing grade was a 42) Professor: Well, that might be a problem. You might have to devote more time to the class. Me: Ive been spending a LOT of time on the class. You dont even KNOW. Professor: Well, I would love it if you would stay, but if you want to switch to 18.02 you have to take the test theyre giving in an hour. Its the last test that you can take to get into 18.02. (an hour later, taking the 18.02 test) Me: Wait how do you take the inverse matrix of a 44 and how do you maximize this with dot products oh man I forgot everything in high school and were not learning this now and Im going to fail this test even worse than the other test (after the test) Me: *no energy or willpower to even say IHTFP* (Thursday at about 7) Friends: Hey, want to play DDR? Me: YES! (Friday at 12:30 AM) Me: *gets back from DDR* Me: *goes into kitchen* TV which is on: *plays The Fugitive* Me: OMG THE FUGITIVE. The Fugitive: *is watched* Me at 3 I cant take another half hour. Bedtime Friday-Sunday: LONG WEEKEND!!! Long weekend: Apple pie baking, sleeping (16 hours on Saturday), more movies, running a race for charity Me: *dreams I have Truly Found Paradise* So I ended up staying in 18.022. Before I was hesitant to ask for help, but now I work with pset groups and readily ask any and all of my friends for advice. And sometimes I can offer insights too. (Sometimes.) Perhaps this is the best way to go because: 1) First term is PASS/NO RECORD!!! 2) The class really IS interesting, especially once you start catching on =) Will it apply in real life in any special way that 18.02 would not? Perhaps not unless youre a mathematician but still, its interesting. My goal is to PASS! One thing I wanted to show you is that its important that MIT is the way it is that we dont just work hard, but we party hard. Partying doesnt mean heading out to the nearest frat party every weekend (many people but not all do!) Partying means taking time to do FUN STUFF. Hanging out with friends and having a life. Forgetting about work for a little while to take the time to hang out with the amazing people that you meet here. Not every weekend is a three day weekend, and everyone has to study at some point, but you have to LIVE. Enjoy your freedom those tests dont matter in the long run (at least freshman year! XD). Good morning!