Can someone describe the parties at MIT?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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<p>Yes, there are exceptions, but in high school, where GPAs are more predictable products of what you do, and everyone is sort of in the same classes aside from a few honors and AP mixes and matches, things are a little more directly comparable.</p>

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<p>Although, the claim wasn’t quite to avoid risk, rather it was avoiding risk associated to doing something stupid, i.e. which has no redeeming qualities and plenty of despicable ones. It is this claim which needs defending and/or clarification.</p>

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<p>^ haha…</p>

<p>At my school a 3.8 will get you valedictorian, but at the public school… you need a 4.0 to even be in the top 10.</p>

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<p>You probably can’t generalize the parties anywhere. You’ll always have a mix and match of video gamers and drunks wherever you go, and MIT shouldn’t be different (if it doesn’t have diversity then the admissions team hasn’t been doing their job).</p>

<p>Go to the parties you want to go to and stay out of the ones you’re not interested in.</p>

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<p>@Oasis: One just does not put LSD and heroin in the same category. In fact, most dangers related to heroin come from impurities and improper administration. Read this: [BBC</a> NEWS | UK | Magazine | A fix on the state](<a href=“http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7099138.stm]BBC”>BBC NEWS | UK | Magazine | A fix on the state)</p>

<p>@Onamatapia: I will explain to you why smart people drink even though it does seem really stupid. You disconcert comes from a basic assumption that is absolutely wrong and is never challenged. Drugs (including alcohol) are bad. Surprise! There are no good or bad drugs. There are, however, good and bad users. Drinking alcohol (or using any other drugs) is not stupid if the person doing it is smart about their use. What about horrible drugs like krokodil (don’t google that **** if you don’t want to be grossed out)? A good user would never touch it. It’s that easy. In fact, a lot of smart people love drugs. Read the following article if you are interested: [Science</a> Is Sure: Smart People Love Drugs - Technology - The Atlantic Wire](<a href=“http://www.theatlanticwire.com/technology/2011/11/science-sure-smart-people-love-drugs/45015/]Science”>http://www.theatlanticwire.com/technology/2011/11/science-sure-smart-people-love-drugs/45015/)</p>

<p>I was like you at your age. I didn’t drink. I barely drink now, but for completely different reasons (namely, alcohol is really boring and being sober is awesome, we just get used to it).</p>

<p>If you come to MIT, you will quickly learn the variety of students that go here. I was amazed at the range of personalities. That’s a good thing. You are really likely to find a social group that fits you.</p>

<p>Now, on the subject of parties. Here’s my completely biased overview of partying at MIT.</p>

<p>There are only two kinds of parties at MIT: Steer Roast and the rest.</p>

<p>1) Steer Roast. I won’t talk about this party because saying anything is disrespectful to it. Words just don’t quite make it. Suffice to say that MIT was in Playboy’s Top Party schools list one year on the basis of Steer Roast alone. Think about it: a single party put one of the nerdiest schools in the world on that list. Crazy, isn’t it?</p>

<p>2) The rest. They come in various flavors, from the great ones to the ones that make you exclaim “Why is this called a party?”. I will try to break them down in terms of living groups, because I lack of a better criteria.</p>

<p>1) West Campus dorms, during dry period (Orientation): Depressing, mind crushing. You don’t have to party a lot to realize how bad they are. Think glow sticks and piles of sweaty freshmen grinding to ****ty top 40 music.</p>

<p>2) West Campus dorms, normal school year: Doesn’t get much better. However, most people hang out in small groups by this time so that’s probably another thing.</p>

<p>3) Frats. I have only been to a good frat party. It was at Number 6, a coed fraternity. Music was better, the ambient was more relaxed, dancing was fun. The rest are the type where you go get drunk and try to get laid. Tons of sexual tension that can make you really uncomfortable if that is not your thing. They may throw better parties, but the ones I went to didn’t show any promise.</p>

<p>4) East Campus. This is a sad case. I think they could throw some great parties but the architecture of the building is really unforgiving. The halls are narrow and completely straight, there are no suites, and the floors are completely separate entities that difficult the organization of a dorm-broad party (except for the one they usually throw during Orientation, which is OK).</p>

<p>5) Bexley. I went once. They were playing beer-pong. I left. However, the variation of people living there is huge. Maybe other groups of people throw better parties.</p>

<p>6) Senior House: Like Bexley, the variation of people is huge. There are floors where no one knows who their neighbors are and others with a strong sense of community. Don’t go there if you don’t like the culture. You will be miserable. Respect to parties, they range from OK to the best ones besides steer roast. The later are usually small and not open to strangers.</p>

<p>In conclusion, what makes a party great is the people. There are no ways around this. This is why big, open parties will always be mediocre. You can’t control the human factor and, in the end, is not how drunk you got but how many great people you hanged out what really matters.</p>

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<p>I missed this at the time:

You would not believe the environment at, for example, the departmental retreats of top science departments at Harvard and MIT (and, no doubt, everywhere else), especially for those departments with a large percentage of young professors. </p>

<p>These are legitimately among the smartest and most accomplished academics in the world, and I have personally seen them drink, and get drunk, and smoke pot. And wear too-small swimsuits in the hot tub, for that matter.</p>

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<p>^^ East Campus regularly has some pretty great parties and some pretty boring ones. For the first, try 5E or something :)</p>

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<p>@Martin (and anyone else!) - my son (MIT '15) says that by the time of finals this semester, he and his friends considered anything that wasn’t actual studying to be “partying”! Eating in the dining hall? Partying. Going running? Partying. Sleeping? Partying. Taking an exam? Partying! Did I mention he’s looking forward to IAP?! ;)</p>