Resources for Red Team 22

General information^1,2

SG1: Schedule for the week, recommended events

Note: T = Tuesday, R = Thursday; Sa = Saturday, Su = Sunday.

SG2: Academics at MIT

Class recommendations

• CI-H/CI-HW/HASS Recommendations

Academics@MIT Slidedeck (from Ian Waitz)

• Academics Orientation 2020. Slidedeck from the Academics@MIT for MIT Class of 2024 Orientation. (http, ipfs)

Learning management systems (class materials)

Generally, class materials are uploaded to a learning management system (LMS) like Stellar, Canvas, MITx, or LMOD.

Homeworks may also be posted and graded using Gradescope.

Where to get advice or help

• Orientation leader (Slack, email, text)
• Associate advisor (email)
• First year advisor (email)
• Office of the First Year (Slack, email)

Choosing classes

• Good classes for first year students (not discovery)
• First year discovery subjects
• In course descriptions, the unit numbers e.g. “3-0-9” have the following very rough meaning
  • First number is number of hours for lectures and recitation
  • Second number is number of hours for labs/design/fieldwork
  • Third number is number of hours for preparation (e.g. homework, readings)

General Insitute Requirements³

• Communication Requirement: CI-H and CI-M
• REST Requirement

Majors

• Undergraduate academic administrators
• Double major
• Declaring a minor

Registration

• Add/Drop/Change Form

SG3: Finding a community at MIT

Pset groups

• interstellar.live. Find out who's in your classes, create pset groups, and work together in lounges.

Clubs

• MIT Engage: Organizations

SG4: Wellbeing and self-care

General framework

• Mind
• Body
• Relationships
• Purpose

Resources at MIT during the virtual semester

• https://studentlife.mit.edu/support/covid19/staying-well
• https://studentlife.mit.edu/support/covid19/support-services
• https://medical.mit.edu/community/stress-reduction
• https://medical.mit.edu/services/mental-health-counseling/covid-19-resources

SG5: Miscellaneous

Organization

• Make a folder for each semester, and then one for every class
• Try to digitize everything — scan your notes, scan your psets, etc.
• Keep a formula sheet for your classes
• Map a mental map for each class
• Academic calendar
  • https://registrar.mit.edu/calendar
  • https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=s3jmp6jl18a8dse7aut88jv6765ffru3%40import.calendar.google.com&ctz=America/New_York

General notes

• MIT will feel both very fast and very slow.
  • At the end of semesters, you will feel the whole thing passed by quickly, while the day-to-day may feel slow.
• Try something new – college is your time.
• Don't wait for permission – make your own opportunities and chances.
• Take lots of photos

Meeting other students

Note: T = Tuesday, R = Thursday; Sa = Saturday, Su = Sunday.

• Be open to new things! Even if some events don't sound interesting, names can be deceiving, and try to meet as many new people as possible. Definitely use Orientation to experience something new.
• Try to explore as many dorm communities as possible. That way, you'll find a living group that you really fit well with.

Self-care tips

• Disclaimer: some of these definitely just sound like common sense – I do believe that they are extremely important, no matter how ordinary they sound.
• Exercise. Twenty to thirty minutes will give you more energy than you use.
• Sleep at least six hours. The most difficult part of sleep is definitely scheduling your sleep around your community – when do they hang out, when do they pset, etc. However, it is also good to set hard limits on when you sleep, and set a schedule for when you wake up.
• Drink lots of water. Buy a high quality water bottle (one that won't spill in your backpack). Water helps your brain think clearly, helps keep you awake during those lecture lulls, and is good overall!
• Eat healthy; eat (cooked) vegetables. It's not too difficult to stir-fry vegetables (i.e. add some cooking oil, add some salt, dump the vegetables in, add water if it looks like the vegetables are going to burn). As much as I would like to say MIT Dining is fantastic, often it's not the healthiest. I have definitely felt that adding vegetables (that I had to buy/cook) to my diet made me feel less sleepy and sluggish.
• Sometimes buying a small meal is better than a snack. Late night snacks are common at MIT. But buying a small meal (a healthy sandwich, some cooked vegetables, etc.) can satisfy your hunger and help your brain think better than a starchy/sugary snack can.
• Don't use your phone in bed.

Additional self-care tips

• “sometimes instead of partying u should stay in ur room with a fluffy blanket and watch netflix with your roommate with a bottle of wine on a friday night owo”

Academic programs

• Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)

Extracurricular activities

• Play an intramural sport.
• Don't overcommit.
  • You can work your way up to the number of clubs you're comfortable with.
  • If you're overcommitted, don't be afraid drop some clubs (but be transparent about it); club members are very understanding.

Student experiences

Classes and scheduling

• Generally, advisor meetings are about 15 to 20 minutes long. It's best to have thought about classes beforehand, and then discuss the major questions you have during the meeting.

Preparing for the next four years

• CourseRoad. CourseRoad helps you plan out your class schedule for your four years at MIT. Note that because some classes are not offered every year, your plan will change during your time here at MIT. CourseRoad is quite difficult to navigate; don't hesitate to reach out for help.
• firehose.guide. An unofficial class/schedule planner for each semester. Because it is student run, some of the information may not be accurate; use the official MIT Course Catalog for the most up to date information.
• FIREHOSE Google Docs Guides. Guides on mailing lists, VPNs, free software, etc.

For when we're back on campus

• Student T-pass (MBTA discount). Definitely will have to do the calculation based on the expected number of trips.