I grew up in Houston, Texas, and attended Northwestern University near Chicago where I majored in Neurobiology. I was raised with a strong musical background, and when it came time for me to enter graduate school, being surrounded by well-rounded people was very important to me. As a Texan, I also put a lot of emphasis on also being surrounded by people with good social skills. Why, then, am I at MIT you may ask? Given the stereotypes, that is a good question.

Well, I discovered while working at MIT as a technician, that the graduate students here are extremely well-adjusted, well-rounded, and very social. Really. Now that I am in my third year, I realize that MIT actually works to not only recruit students with these qualities, but works hard to foster them. During the entire first year of graduate school, you spend a great deal of time with all of your classmates; this fosters not only great friendships, but great collaborations down the road. Having taken four years off between college and graduate school, I was also relieved to find that about half of my entering year had older students while the other half that entered straight from college did not make too much fun of us.

Another aspect of MIT’s graduate program that impressed me was the large amount of contact the students have with the faculty. Due to the fact that most of the courses follow a group discussion format, one is able to discuss science with the faculty and form a personal connection. Most importantly, there are numerous events where one can “shmooze” with faculty members. I find myself casually discussing my research with numerous faculty members and getting valuable insight as a result.

So, fun people, good times, and attentive faculty – sounds like MIT is one long party. However, I find that the single most invigorating aspect of MIT is the work ethic. Students and professors both lead balanced lives, but the drive to do novel, exciting research is constantly there, and constantly inspiring.