Academics

They're not kidding when they say this place is hard. There are some groups of people who just like to complain, so it's better to stay away from them. Student/teacher interactions are really important, so if you're shy, this place will definitely help you work on your people skills.

Athletics

IM sports definitely dominate over varsity sports here at MIT. There are so many sports available, from the popular ones like football and soccer, to the smaller but still competitive, like table tennis and bowling. You can join teams by dorms, by Greek affiliation, or even by major. Everyone gets together and plays on different levels, but it’s all for a good time. Varsity sports draw a decent crowd, but the MIT students are definitely no Big 10 fans. Still, we all go and cheer on our friends.

Campus Dining

Food is, generally speaking, of decent quality. Your availability of food, though, really depends on where you live. Some dorms have dining halls and some dorms have kitchens. The dining halls only serve dinner, so breakfast and lunch are best eaten on your own. The student center has quite a few options for food.

Campus Housing

It depends what kind of person you are. McCormick is all women, very clean, quiet, and kind of boring. Baker is very social, pretty new, kind of loud, and party-ish. Burton Conner has suites, and it’s social; people cook here. MacGregor has all singles, and sometimes it’s considered antisocial; it depends on what entry you live on. There are also ethnic houses like the French house and German house. Next House has great community spirit, and is a relatively new dorm.

Campus Strictness

Campus police [CPs] crash parties frequently to ensure that facilities are not overcrowded and that minors are not consuming alcohol. Although in my experience, CPs have never arrested anyone or gotten anyone in serious trouble with drugs or drinking. I have seen people get taken away in ambulances for their own safety. Most of the time, the CPs are just there for the benefit of the students, to keep people in line, and to make sure it’s safe.

Computers

As a ‘tech’ school, MIT has computer clusters and computer quick stations all over campus open 24 hours a day. Wireless Ethernet is also installed in many of the dorms and academic buildings. At any hour of the day, you will find students studying, researching, programming, or even sleeping in that spacious computer room. While most students bring their own computers to school, many often prefer to work at one of the computer clusters for better concentration or for access to more sophisticated software applications. During exam weeks, these clusters are guaranteed to be crowded, so having your own computer will be convenient then.

Diversity

MIT is very ethnically diverse, but it doesn’t mix well. You’ll find this problem at any college campus. MIT generates high diversity in international population and ethnic races. There are lots of Asians; sometimes it feels like 70 percent of people here are Asian because I think all the white kids live across the river in frats. Plus, we pick where we live when we get here, so people automatically feel more comfortable with their same race.

Drug Scene

Drinking is a popular activity, but MIT trusts its students to take care of themselves—and we do. There are very few smokers and only a small community of students that uses harder, recreational drugs. It exists, but, unless you're looking for it, you won't find it.

Facilities

The Z-Center, the newest athletic center is awesome. It features two floors of machines and weights, as well as an Olympic-size pool and a diving pool. The Student Center has nice couches, a convenience store, four dining places with a variety of foods, a campus store, a bank, and many rooms where activities are held throughout the year.

Greek Life

It doesn’t dominate the social scene because there isn’t just one social scene, there are several. How much you get involved in them depends entirely on your preferences and desires. MIT Greeks are non-standard, by the way. Some are stereotypical frats and sororities, but we also have an assortment of atypical fraternities and independent living groups. Many of those are dry (no alcohol), and they frequently have their own style. Check out Epsilon Theta, Pika, Fenway House, and WILG for an idea.

Guys & Girls

Wellesley has a saying about MIT men that I find true: ‘MIT men—the odds are good, but the goods are odd.’ There’s also a saying about Boston women: ‘Wellesley to wed, Simmons to bed, MIT to talk to.’ Any other school will have better-looking people than MIT, overall. However, I think all my friends are pretty good-looking people.

Local Atmosphere

Boston is a great place to go to college since there are so many other colleges around here—you never stop meeting new people. There are lots of great sections of the city to explore, from Harvard Square to North End, where all the best Italian food is!

Nightlife

Most of the parties are based around living groups. On any given weekend night, there are probably at least three fraternities throwing a party, and many of the dorms have parties, too. MIT parties are so good that all of the other area colleges come to MIT to party. Bars and other places off campus are restricted to those 21+.

Off-Campus Dining

Boston is a great place to explore different restaurants. There are a lot of different places, some cheap and some expensive. Mary Chung's and Café Luna are both good nearby places, and Tosci's is a great place to go for ice cream and coffee.

Off-Campus Housing

Almost all undergraduates live on campus all four years. Frats house brothers, and some sorority sisters have housing, but very few people actually move into apartments as an undergraduate. Independent housing is expensive in the area, and transportation is a hassle if you don’t have a car. Plus, most people stay on campus so they can take advantage of all that MIT has to offer.

Overall Experience

Only come to MIT if you know that’s where you want to go. MIT prides itself on a rigorous curriculum. Know that when you come here, you’ll be doing a lot more studying than you did in high school. Know that there may not always be time to go to a party because you have a problem set due soon, and you need to spend a lot of time working on it. Just know that by coming to MIT, you are sacrificing some of your social life to put in a hard four years of work. Then, when you graduate, you can look back and truly appreciate what MIT did for you.

Parking

It is very easy to park. I brought my car up here as a sophomore; freshmen aren’t allowed to have cars on campus. You can pay to park in the MIT lots, which are very expensive, or you can park on the streets for free. I chose not to pay for parking, and I park my car right outside of my dorm, so it’s not far away.

Safety & Security

The MIT police are responsible for responding to any criminal activity, though there isn't much. The main part of campus is safe, though the part by Central Square is sometimes iffy.

Transportation

Public transportation is generally pretty good. The MBTA runs buses with varying degrees of reliability, but if you wait long enough, you'll get a bus, and the rapid transit is hard to beat. MIT will pay for half of a monthly pass through the MBTA, so it encourages trips to Boston. My only complaints are that you sometimes have to wait for a bus or the Green Line for a while and that the MBTA stops service at 12:30 a.m.

Weather

So far, it’s been erratic. The winter has been pretty brutal this year, while the year before it was quite mild. Bring everything from shorts and tank tops, to ski jackets and hats because you might need it all—maybe even within the same month.