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5/24/2010 Personal Update from Freshmen Spring Semester at MIT
I made it! I passed all my freshman year classes at MIT! I was really busy again this semester. When I look back, I don’t understand how I was so busy. However, during the semester I was always optimizing every minute. I am trying to understand why I felt so busy. Part of it was that I learned the material. When I look back on a P-Set, I wonder why it took me so long to complete the first time. Of course this is normal and to be expected. Also, MIT provides an almost infinite array of options to spend every extra minute that you want to spend. Despite being over my head last semester, I took on new responsibilities this semester. I also let other activities fall to the wayside, and it felt like I spent more time on school work this semester.
It seemed like I took a lot of humanities classes this semester, and I think my writing skills have improved significantly. I took 21W.732 (Science Writing) which was the first time I had received detailed comments on my writing. In high school, I would receive a marked-up paper back from the teacher. However, in this class, I also received a page reflecting on the higher level problems of my writing. This was very helpful to me because I struggled with organization and focus. I tend to stuff too many details in, causing the reader to lose sight of the big picture. I tend to be comprehensive in my communications, whereas cutting stuff out would make the message clearer. I also need to work on how to organize large blocks of prose. In addition, I still have to work on mechanics. This semester, I wrote about Learning to Learn at MIT where I talk about how I finally learned how to study material during the first semester finals. I propose changes to THOMAS, Congress’s database to make it easier to use. I wrote an article on the Sixed Sense project out of the Media Lab, and a review of Chris Anderson’s The Long Tail.
I was also in MAS.111 (Introduction to Doing Research in Media Arts & Sciences), which had several professors who had been around the block a few times sharing their experience on journals, conferences, etc. It was a nice contrast to 21W.732, which discussed similar topics, but with their personal experiences as opposed to an establishment/party line point of view in 21W.732.
I started out taking STS.050 (The History of MIT) as a listener; however, I switched to taking the class for credit. The class tended to cover the state of technology in the world, and how MIT influenced and was influenced by that. This reflected the experience and interests of the professors. For example, Prof. Mindell talked about the history of the Apollo computer systems, which were invented at MIT. He even wrote a book on the topic, called Digital Apollo. The front cover of the book is an animated scene of what Neal Armstrong would have seen seconds before he touched down on the moon. Mindell researched the position of every switch and the contents of every display. The professors did not talk much about the history of MIT as an institution. Instead, students were assigned to research that. I wrote about The History of Dining and Scholarships and Financial Aid. We had to use Institute Archives to research for the paper. It was the first time I did research using actual primary sources.
I learned how to speak basic German from my mom when I was little. I never tried to read or write or learned any formal grammar. I took German 2 as a listener to learn how to read German and have a basic understanding of the grammar. I succeeded in reaching these goals that I set out, but I did not put the time in beyond that to score highly on writing pieces or exams. I felt that if I really put the time in, I could learn to speak and write correctly, as opposed to just understandably. I am unsure if I will study German more in the future.
I took 8.02 (Physics Electricity and Magnetism) and 18.02 (Mutli-Variable Calculus) which both felt like a lot of work because they had lengthy P-Sets and exams which I spent a lot of time studying for. Both of the classes are GIRs, or requirements for all students. I barely squeezed by in 18.02. I just did not like it. It just seemed like weird symbols that seemed meaningless. I only understood several important concepts when I found some nice 3D visualizations online while studying for the final. The class could be far better taught for visual learners, especially compared to 8.02. I am a big fan of the TEAL system of learning. In Physics, I felt like I understood the material better than I did first semester, but I ended up with almost the same grade. This was disappointing. I declared Course 15: Management Science. As I detailed before, I struggled to find a major that fit what I wanted to do. I was very interested in Media Lab human-computer interaction style work, as somewhat interested in STS/policy/law style issues. However, neither the Media Lab nor STS offered a major. I actually was a 17: Political Science major for 2 weeks. When I talked to the undergraduate administrator, she implied that I would be happier elsewhere. I did not want to do Course 6 (Computer Science) because I am not interested in inventing the next ZIP compression algorithm. I quickly considered Course 4 (Architecture) and 1 (Civil Engineering), but I just have minor interests in those fields. Many people urged me to major in an engineering major. I considered this, but I decided that I would rather do something that I was interested in and relevant to what I want to do. I may double major in Course 6, but I may not complete the full program. I would rather stay busy with classes around the Institute that I am interested and have time for UROPs or other experiences than just get a second line on my degree.
Next semester, I plan on taking 6.01 (Introduction to EECS 1) and 14.01 (Principles of Microeconomics). The department strongly recommends that I take 15.279 (Management Communication) next semester, so I will likely do that despite being humanities heavy this semester. I also want to take an actual management class, either 15.567 (Economics of Information: Strategy, Structure, and Pricing) or 15.501 (Corporate Financial Accounting). I will also take a math class, either 6.041 (Probabilistic Systems Analysis) or 18.06 (Linear Algebra). More info
I was elected the VPFS (Vice President of Facilities and Services) at Baker House. That put me in charge of the printers and the rooms in the basement. In conjunction with my RCC job, I supervised the trial of the Pharos hold and release printing system on our printer “bricks.” I also did the Baker House Signage Project where I replaced the visual clutter of the front door with a single nice sign, as well as installing signs in other parts of Baker. In addition, I participated in one of the most successful Exec’s in history. With about 25 active members, which was about 10% of the dorm, we threw a large rooftop party during CPW. The line to get in to the party stretched down 7 floors from the roof to the ground and we signed in almost 500 people. I never thought I would learn how to run a party at MIT. This year’s Exec also kept the Baker House Piano Drop traditional alive. Check out my video of the drop from the roof on YouTube.
I also became a member of the UA CSL (Committee on Student Life). I am the primary person working on changes to Athena (computer labs) and student printing. I am also on the Institute’s committee that is working on changes. Although we were convened to save money, we are also working at reimagining what computer labs at MIT should look like in the future. The UA wrote a lengthy 22-page recommendation, but we decided not to release it, since the committee and the UA were on the same page. The committee is close to (or done?) a short-term recommendation, which will be coming out any day now.
I broke my old tablet computer, the T4220. After much research, I decided to get a Lenovo U350 (Model 2963-47U). I picked one up on Amazon for $500; it’s actually more expensive today. I wanted to get a really light 13” machine after seeing my advisor tote his MacBook Air around China. I can’t even feel the U350 in my backpack and it is very thin. It is 1/3 the price of a MacBook Air. The machine turns right on when you open the lid and goes to sleep when you close the lid. The processor is labeled as a “Pentium” but that is only Intel’s marketing efforts. It only feels slow when I have 6-7 things open at once. I am not planning on doing much gaming or video encoding on the laptop, so it is perfect for me. I would highly recommend it for students.
I worked as a UROP on the SocialSaver project at the Media Lab, but I spent very little time on it. I continued to make mock-ups and icons for the project. I do not plan on continuing to work in this UROP. I may find a new UROP next semester, or I may focus on schoolwork.
I also want to do more to upgrade my website. I want to figure out how to communicate my interests beyond tech. I want the website to populate more stuff automatically. For example, delicious items should be listed on my site and when you search for something. I also need to figure out how to display OneNote Notebooks. Once I do that, more from my first year at MIT will be uploaded. MIT already proves many courses online at http://ocw.mit.edu.
I now have 41,000 photos on flickr. I uploaded many photos from the Spring Semester of MIT. If you have not yet gotten a chance, check out my pictures from China.
I will be working in Germany this summer for Deutsche Bahn, the state-owned railway company. I will be working on the [http:// touchandtravel.com Touch&Travel team]. I am excited to work on computer development at a transport company. I also am looking forward to working with RFID/NFC and mobile phone development. It will be my first time working for a big company and it will be extra challenging because of the language and cultural differences. I will be staying with relatives and commuting every day to work an hour each way. I don’t think I bring my desktop with me on my trip which will be a bummer for developing. I leave later this week. That’s all for now. I will be back with a new update after the summer. --ThePlaz 14:47, 24 May 2010 (EDT)
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