We are one week into classes at MIT. Well 3 days into classes.
[[File:MIT Senior Fall-Schedule.png|thumb|Fall 2012 Schedule]]
=====Classes=====
This means I have had about one session of each class. [[7.012|7.012 Bio]] looks interesting. You have to get there 15 minutes early to get a seat. We will see how long that lasts. Plus the Professors said they are focusing on learning the patterns, not memorizing. [[6.858|6.858 Computer Security]] started out with a lecture on the systemic aspects of security - something I am familiar with. [[2.009|2.009 Product Design]] seems like a fun lecture, but I don't know if I want to put the time into the projects, let alone the homework. [[14.72|14.72 Capitalism and its Critics]] had some interesting reading - [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fountainhead The Fountainhead] - which is about individualism. Ted, one of my friends, pulled me into his [[15.495|15.495 Quantitative Finance]] class. I'm not that into making money via hedge funds and the like - so while it would be interesting to learn, I don't think I will take it. [[6.046|6.046 Algorithms]] looks like it will be hard, especially since they require formal proofs. I am still not really comfortable with that. [[STS.085|STS.085 Internet Policy]] seems really fun. We have Hal Abelson, as well as Danny Weitzner, the former Deputy CTO for Internet Policy in the Obama White House, and Alan Davidson, the former Head of Public Policy at Google. While I seem to already be familiar with much of the classes' material, it will be a fun semester to dive deeper with these lecturers.
=====Baker REX=====
Before classes started, I had already been on campus for over a week and a half (since 8/23). I've been on campus so long, because as [[Baker President]], I had to entertain over 130 freshmen living in [[Baker House]], plus the others who came to visit, during "[[Residence Exploration Week]]" or REX.
I think we had a tremendous REX. [[CPW]] and REX are our opportunities to brand Baker for the new students and establish the tone for the upcoming year. We made signs and banners to advertise our events - all in the same visual identity as the rest of Baker. We played music all weekend to try and liven up the campus area.
[[File:Baker Skyline 2012.jpg|thumb|Skyline]]
We gave out over [http://www.flickr.com/photos/theplaz/sets/72157631475720082/ 300 servings of Ice Cream and give tours to about 100 people]. We had about [http://www.flickr.com/photos/theplaz/sets/72157631475727258/ 30 parents at our 2 parents events]. I think most parents came during CPW and didn't want to go to the same event twice. About [http://www.flickr.com/photos/theplaz/sets/72157631475731748/ 200-250 people came to our stargazing event] thrown by our former astronaut and Housemaster, Jeff Hoffman. We had to move Sunrise inside due to the rain, but I think we still did about [http://www.flickr.com/photos/theplaz/sets/72157631475743032/ 200-250 servings of waffles and freshly squeezed orange juice]. It takes the dining hall about a month to go through that much waffle batter. Over [http://www.flickr.com/photos/theplaz/sets/72157631475737402/ 740 people came to our party Skyline] - a record I think! (The school newspaper ''The Tech'' called it "boring" and "not well attended". [http://tech.mit.edu/V132/N34/review.html] I'm not sure where they get their facts from.) On the other hand, Baker Confidential, a new event imposed system-wide by MIT Housing, was a total disaster. The administration also handed out meal tickets to other groups during that time who didn't respect our event. However, overall we had one of the highest retention rates ever - only [http://tech.mit.edu/V132/N33/housing.html 4 out of 130] people wanted to leave Baker. Normally, we have about 10 out of 100 wanted to leave.
Rooming also went pretty well. We added a [http://www.flickr.com/photos/theplaz/sets/72157631475750642/ BBQ outside] to allow people to mingle and find their roommates and people they want to live near. For the BBQ we used our dining hall, Bon Appetite to provide pre-prepared food that we just had to cook. To stand out from the other groups, we also did better food than hot dogs and hamburgers. This all worked out pretty well. We had some icebreakers prepared - but everyone seemed to get along so well we didn't have to use them. I also redid the [[:File:Baker Rooming Sheets.pdf|rooming forms]] so the instructions would be more clear. That was a fun exercise in information design. We took 4 hours to do the [http://www.flickr.com/photos/theplaz/sets/72157631475756146/ actual rooming]. We were trying to design the floors such that the majority of the people would be happy. I think we largely succeeded. We had 2 rooms that were very unhappy, and a further 2-3 rooms that were somewhat unhappy. We were able to move the very unhappy rooms so that they were then happy with their situation.
Overall, I am really happy how the everyone worked together to make the events come together and be a big success. We did a much larger volume than most of the other dorms and it’s a challenge to move this many people through at such high volumes. We only had a few hiccups - the little details have degraded our REX events in the past. For example, we had a steady supply of cold drinks all night, arranged in an organized fashion.
=====Disney=====
I enjoyed my time at [[Disney]]. I got first hand experience in how Disney manages its [[Disney Parks and Resorts Online|Parks and Resorts Online]] operations. I got to think about not only the low level, concrete stuff (how often you release) but the larger strategy issues about team size, use of contractors, and team organization. I also had incredible freedom to explore. I met with MIT alumni around Disney, including both executives and recent graduates. I really enjoyed doing these meetings and I think it was pretty informative to learn about the different divisions of Disney. On really busy days, Disney has this program called Cross-U where office workers can work in the park. I did that twice. I also learned about Disney's attention to detail in how they develop products - both on our websites and in the actual parks.
On the other hand, WDPRO had mostly people who were in the later stage of their career because they enjoyed the 9-5 aspect of the work and the stability of working for a large company. I think I am looking for something a little different coming out of school. I think the right moment for me at Disney is later on - I think it would be fun to be a VP - but how do I get there? What is the best intermediate step? It could be the right role at Disney - depending on what they offer.
=====Summer Photos=====
At the end of my summer in LA, I drove down to [http://www.flickr.com/photos/theplaz/sets/72157631475318912/ San Diego] and [http://www.flickr.com/photos/theplaz/sets/72157631475466592/ drove to Las Vegas] ([http://www.flickr.com/photos/theplaz/sets/72157631475487998/ Day 1] and [http://www.flickr.com/photos/theplaz/sets/72157631475502562/ Day 2]) and [http://www.flickr.com/photos/theplaz/sets/72157631475521972/ Primm]. My brother also came to visit and we saw [http://www.flickr.com/photos/theplaz/sets/72157631475376322/ USC], the [http://www.flickr.com/photos/theplaz/sets/72157631475383752/ Hollywood Sign], [http://www.flickr.com/photos/theplaz/sets/72157631475400250/ Magic Mountain], [http://www.flickr.com/photos/theplaz/sets/72157631475409074/ Pasadena], [http://www.flickr.com/photos/theplaz/sets/72157631475417922/ CalTech], [http://www.flickr.com/photos/theplaz/sets/72157631475437664/ Harvey Mudd], and [http://www.flickr.com/photos/theplaz/sets/72157631475445922/ UCLA]. I also went to [http://www.flickr.com/photos/theplaz/sets/72157631475561240/ Disneyland] and [http://www.flickr.com/photos/theplaz/sets/72157631475586182/ California Adventure] one last time with my friend Eddie.
=====After MIT=====
This is also the time where I need to think about what I want to do after school. I spent 6 hours thinking about what I liked about each of the 5 internships that I had. I came up with a [[What Drives Me and What I Want to Do|list of characteristics]]. I realized that almost all of the items were related to characteristics of the work environment, not the industry or job title. Now certainly each job implements each of the characteristics to a different extent, and this is something I have to think through. Here's a short summary:
- I want a challenging work environment
- The industry/work doesn’t matter as much as being pushed to learn something new and improve
- I want an all-consuming project that I want to stay late for and to be proud of
- A group of super smart peers to work with and motivate me to improve
- A team that complements each other and provides unique perspectives
- A boss that provides constant growth challenges
- Somewhere where I can add unique value and make an impact
- Somewhere I can take responsibility for my work
I have already gone to a few info sessions and submitted a good number of applications for a full time position. This seems to be what I am most excited about right now at MIT. Hopefully the work wraps up before classes get hard.
That's all for now, back to work for classes, Baker, and job apps.--[[User:ThePlaz|ThePlaz]] 11:09, 9 September 2012 (EDT)
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