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11/23/2011 Thanksgiving Personal Update
Well it’s the day before Thanksgiving and I am on the MegaBus back home to Philadelphia. So far we are only an hour and a quarter late.
Classes
It’s been a busy semester at school. I’m in 7 classes (84) units. 3 of the classes are Course 6 (EECS) classes. 6.034 is Artificial Intelligence. It’s fun to learn about the methods, but the exams are pretty much an exercise in how closely you can simulate an algorithm. 6.005 is an introduction to programming in Java. It’s fun to get exposure in Java, but the P-Sets are an exercise in closely following the directions. Consequently I play it safe, instead of trying new things. 6.004 is my favorite class this semester. We are building a computer from the CMOS gates up to the assembly language code that runs the machine. Chris Terman has awesome slides as always.
I am in two management classes this semester, both for fun/knowledge as opposed to a requirement. 15.387 is a class in how to be a sales man. I don’t want to do that job, but the same strategies to identify needs, convince people, and solve complex problems are good anywhere. 15.665 is a class on how to negotiate. I mostly did the class for taking part in the negotiation simulations. I’ve noticed using skills I used in the class in real life.
I am also in 18.03 Differential Equations. Despite my efforts, I am struggling in that class, as I have been in every math class at MIT. The class moves very fast; I’m barely able to understand something till the class moves on.
STS.011 is a lot of fun. It is my first HASS-D and it is part of my STS concentration. The class is about controversies in science and technology. It got off to a difficult start, but it is now moving into more concrete interesting topics. Next week’s lecture is on how slot machines are addictive. That should be very interesting. I am researching Net Neutrality for the class. I think the class could be better if the professor could specify a bit more clearly what he is looking for.
Activities
I also continue to serve on the dining committee. MIT started its new all-you-can-eat mandatory dining plan this year. Reviews for the new service are mixed. I am personally bummed they took out made-to-order stir-fry. Other dorms have it, just not Baker. In addition, the price is between 50-300% higher, depending on how you look at it.
On the UA Committee on Student Life, I am working on putting together an Institute-wide resource guide for students. We currently have buy-in from across the Institute; we now need to put it together. I am still Baker VPFS. We bought a new projector which should be a lot of fun.
The Pharos hold-and-release printing system was installed at MIT this semester. I was on the committee freshman year which recommended the new system. First numbers show a 50% drop in pages printed and many students actually prefer the new system – so I think we have a win-win here.
I am the undergrad representative on MITCET, the MIT Council on Educational Technology. This is interesting because many of the senior members of MIT are on the committee. I disagree with the focus on modularity this year. I think it’s unrealistic and possibly not even desirable. I called one of their proposals a complete waste of money, at best – I think we’re off to a good start!
Work
For IAP, I have been placed in an externship at Altman Vilandrie & Company, a telecommunications strategy consulting company in Boston. I was selected for one of two slots from among 12 applicants. I hope I have a good experience this IAP. I actually have the same HR contact who now works at AltVil as I did last year at State Street.
I started my search for a job this summer early this semester. I wanted to get this done early, so I could not worry about it later. In addition, some companies only have a certain number of positions, which fill up. I was offered a Project Management internship at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Online in located Glendale, CA, along with Imagineering. Parks and Resorts Online runs the public facing information and sales websites for Disney parks and other travel offerings. I took the job because I want to do Project Management and they might have an opportunity to work on cool stuff, like I did freshmen summer at Deutsche Bahn. I’m not looking forward to arranging living in L.A. No landlord wants to rent out a property for just 3 months – they want the promise of an open-ended lease, or at least a year. Plus either getting a car, or doing without one in LA will be a big hassle.
CA trip
Shortly after I wrote my last update, my family and I visited California. We saw Sequoia National Park, King's Canyon, Yosemite, San Fransisco, Stanford, and the Pacific Coastal Highway. It was a lot of fun to go and see Silicon Valley and San Francisco. This brings me to 74,000+ items on Flickr.
House flooding
However we had some misfortune during the trip. There was a hurricane at home while we were in California. It blew down the tree in front of our house. This knocked out our power. This caused our sump pump to fail. This caused our basement to flood with about a foot of water. Unfortunately, I had a lot of my dorm things on the floor in the basement. I lost a carton of books, my monitors, and some other stuff amounting to a thousand dollars or two. Also the paper copy of many notes from 10th and 11th Grades were damaged. Luckily, those two grades are mostly online. Apparently our insurance did not cover the loss, except for $5,000 which my parents spent on an overpriced “cleanup crew”. I left for MIT the next day. It was a whirlwind getting ready for the semester. I still don't feel like I know where everything is.
Coming up
Everything from last year (MIT Sophomore) is basically online, with some exceptions. I have a lot of final projects this semester. I already completed one. Despite being in 7 classes, I only have 2 finals this semester. There are basically 2 weeks left in the semester! --ThePlaz 22:21, 29 November 2011 (EST)
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