<p>~40 sounds (not including lectures/recitations/etc.) about right for the standard 4-course semester... Though, it usually depends on what courses and how many courses you are taking, and how good you are with each course. For example, if you're doing 6.111 aka Digital Death Lab, it essentially becomes your job. If a certain course is easy for you, then you probably wouldn't spend 5+ hours doing its pset. For the first semester at MIT, there's a 54-credit limit (there's an exception for 12.000 Solving Complex Problems). Most courses are 12 units, so most freshmen take 4 12-unit courses during the first semester. One would be a HASS (humanities, arts, and social sciences) course, and the other 3 would usually be a GIR (general Institute requirement) course. You can only pass out of 18.01 Calculus 1 and 8.01 Classical Mechanics now with a 5 in Calculus BC and 5 in both E/M respectively. First freshman semester would usually have a math course, a physics course, either biology or chemistry, and a HASS course.</p>
<p>Technically, you do get a grade. It's internal, so the course grade just appears on your transcript as a P if you pass. If you want to release your grades for whatever reason, then you have to sign a release form. Some med schools require you to release your grades.</p>
<p>I recommend taking advantage of pass/no record though. That is, if you're not considering med school. Do what you can and don't worry about grades. Go have fun and meet people. Besides, it also allows you to smoothly assimilate yourself in MIT's environment. I guess pass/no record gives you a reason to slack off and not do work but I wouldn't recommend that. You would have a hard time adjusting next semester when you're on grades. The first semester will be the only semester at MIT where you have a lot of free time. Explore and find something you're passionate about.</p>
<p>As for the social life, you need not worry about it. You're guaranteed to find a group of people that you like to hang out with: do things you like to do and get you to do new things. The people is what I love most about MIT. But here are some specifics: there are parties (almost every weekend), mixers, semi-formals, formals, coffee hour, etc. that you can choose to go to; perhaps play an intramural sport that you love; Lecture Series Committee (LSC) plays a movie every weekend; concerts, a capellas that you can attend; social events such as musicals, fashion shows, dance show, hosted by MIT clubs. There's so many things to do (social, not school related). But I'll be honest here... because there's so much going on, you find yourself most of the time not going to anything. At least that's the case for me. Sometimes you and your group of friends go out into Boston on the weekend. Also what's interesting is you'll likely make more than one group of friends. But the weekend unofficially ends on 12 PM Sunday. After which, you start on psets for the new week again.</p>
<p>What I do for fun... I love doing random things spontaneously (in general I think people at MIT are really random). For example, in the my dorm's lounge one day, I was doing psets in the lounge, and got tired of doing them, and then played soccer with people who were also tired of doing 'em (lounge is big) using chairs as makeshift goal nets. Then there was a 4-mile run around the river at 12 am when there were psets to finish (had been doing them for a few hours now). One weekday, my friend suddenly asked me if I wanted to go hacking (in the exploration sense); I went and got to the top of the Great Dome. Another example, a few weeks back when my Friday ended (after class and everything), I went "shoe-skating". The sky a few days back had just snowed and rained simultaneously and the layer of water froze over (essentially ice). I was on my way back to my dorm to catch up on some much needed sleep when I saw people running on the ice and stopping suddenly to slide a few feet. I joined them, and it was a lot of fun. When I got back, I got my roommates to join me later that night. We put on dress shoes because their soles are a lot smoother. I fell a lot and woke up the next day sore. Another time, and maybe not so smart of an idea... we poured Barcadi 151 (75.5% alcohol) on the room's floor and lit it in the dark. That was fun... Another Friday, my friend dragged me to Wellesley to go to a party when I didn't plan to do anything that night. Another time, someone called me, and said let's go to NYC to watch Phantom of the Opera on Broadway (he had tickets). I had planned to go watch 300 that night but then I was like... what the heck, let's go to New York. The trip was really awesome. When I'm bored in my room, I play with swords (they're dull and I"m considering sharpening them) I had bought on the trip. As for some of the more normal things, I really love working at the Cambridge Community Center. I tutor a young girl in reading English. It's a lot of fun. I also enjoy writing a lot so that's another thing I do for fun. There's also the occasional party I attend. There's alcohol but you don't have to drink and can still have a lot of fun. I don't drink. MIT parties are really awesome. They attract a lot of colleges in the area. I like to watch soccer videos on YouTube. Sometimes I like to watch foreign Asian movies, series, and anime. Sometimes one of my roommate (he's Kenyan) and I pick an American movie and watch it together, after downloading it on the internet ^^;; when we both have free time. Recently I picked up the Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy (because it happened to be in the room) and read for pleasure. I also like philosophy. I listen to a wide variety of music while singing/rapping along. I also love debating with my roommates about certain issues that we have different perspectives on (really, it's a hell lot of fun).</p>
<p>I could go on and on... but uh I think I've provided enough details. ; )</p>