<p>Mmm, I love my soapbox! I have many things to say, only loosely categorized.</p>
<p>Don’t feel that you have to take the most hardk0re courseload possible, first semester or ever. Nobody is really keeping score, just you. And you should only take those kinds of classes if they make you happy and keep you intellectually excited. Also, first semester is pass/no record for a reason, and you don’t get bonus points if you get straight A’s. Do what you need to do, and pass your classes, but don’t worry about your grades past P.</p>
<p>When you’re confused about a concept in class, go to office hours, email a TA, go to a review session, or find a tutor. Asking for help is not admitting weakness, and there are tons of people at MIT who are happy to help you succeed. At the same time, it is almost certain that you will fail at least one test during your time at MIT, and that does not mean that you are a failure. It just means you failed a test.</p>
<p>You are probably not going to be able to participate in more than two extracurriculars. Maybe three. You’ll probably want to sign up for twenty at the Activities Midway, but keep reality in the back of your mind.</p>
<p>None of the events at orientation are actually mandatory except for 1) meeting with your freshman advisor to register and 2) choosing a residence. Other than that, nobody’s taking attendance, and you shouldn’t feel bad if you’d rather sleep than go to a talk about drinking responsibly.</p>
<p>Stay on campus for IAP. Everybody’s so silly and happy, and you can spend time with your friends without worrying about school. You do often have to worry about blizzards, though. :)</p>
<p>I made a thread a few years ago with restaurant and store locations – it’s [url=<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/mit-2009/82807-restaurant-store-locations.html]here[/url”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/mit-2009/82807-restaurant-store-locations.html]here[/url</a>].</p>