^ Along the lines of Seminar XL, the OP might also look into some of the smaller, seminar-based alternatives for GIRs, such as Concourse and ESG. Those might be less intimidating to someone coming from a smaller school, and ease the transition to the fast pace of MIT.
@nw2this @renaissancedad thanks guys! Also, it wouldn’t look bad if I took those classes, right? Would I still be able to graduate on time if I took the slower classes?
Don’t worry about looking bad. You’re at MIT to learn. Nobody will care (including grad school and job recruiters) that you took the slower version. The L class requires you to be on campus to finish up over IAP during January, but there is no other downside. It won’t affect your graduation date.
If there is a stigma around participation in these programs, it is a misconception. Academic background is not a criterion for participation. Many of the students in Interphase and XL have 5’s in AP Calc and AP Physics and backgrounds in Linear Algebra and Differential Equations. They offer several levels of classes just like the University itself does. Everyone will be challenged.