<p>“Although almost everyone in the class was used to getting 90+% on all work in high school, the class average grade on anything at MIT in the first year was usually more like 50 to 60% (and that was on a good day!). I still recall one of the first problems on my first physics (8.01) problem set handed out at the first class: How much material comes off of a car’s tire in each revolution? No other information was provided. I think no one in the entire class of 250+ students got it correct.”</p>
<p>Not that I want to demean anyone, but guys, please, we don’t need to dramatize the work done here at MIT :D. Seriously, intro physics at MIT is still intro physics, nothing ridiculous or out of the imagination. How you feel about intro classes depend a LOT on what you spent time doing in high school.</p>
<p>Let me clarify: If in high school you only did the hmwk assigned, didn’t try to challenge yourself with more difficult stuff (hard problems, look for harder textbooks to self-study, or didn’t have AP curriculum), then of course it’s gonna be tough. But if you come from Blair/Phillips Exeter/TJHSSM, challenged yourself by seeking extra resources or competed in olympiads, Freshman year at MIT ain’t that hard (you can’t take more than 4 classes 1st semester)… It’s sophomore year, and later when people start overloading with hard classes (Thermal Fluids Engineering, Thermodynamics, Quantum II/III, Software design, whatever…) that it gets tough.</p>
<p>So moral of the lesson, you can definitely prepare so that your freshman year at MIT will be a breeze. Remember to always challenge yourself, don’t be satisfied with just a “5” on an AP exam, after BS-ing through the course, coz you won’t be able to do so here (well, actually, sometimes :D, but it’s rare).</p>