Location: Lexington, MA
Number of Respondents: 10

          MIT Lincoln Laboratories is located in suburban Lexington, MA. Most students lived on the MIT campus, either in fraternities or dormitories and reported little difficulty, if any, in finding housing. Many commuted to work via the MIT-Lincoln Lab shuttle, which took about 45 minutes each way. Others commuted via carpool or public transportation. Those who had to take the shuttle to work remarked that this resulted in rigid work hours for them. Many interns felt that MIT was relatively boring over the summer, with few after-work activities.

          Although there were many other student interns at Lincoln Labs, respondents reported widely varying levels of student interaction. The company made a moderate effort to bring its interns together, including holding a pizza party for and a series of seminars for the interns to attend. Not all students attended the seminars, however. Dress was somewhat casual and the hours nominally flexible, but again, were limited for some students because of their use of the company shuttle. Students praised their co-workers for being competent, and in turn felt that they were treated with respect. Most students worked in a large office which they shared and had access to state-of-the-art equipment.

          The respondents worked in applied research and most had their projects assigned to them upon arrival. Many worked on projects relating to radar and signal transmission. On average, students felt that their contributions were somewhat important to their group. They found that it took some effort to switch between groups and most did not feel encouraged to do so. The majority of students felt their work to be personally interesting and were happy with their current assignment, however, the work was described as very challenging and some felt underqualified.

          Lincoln Labs did not pay any medical or dental benefits, but did pay for 5th term tuition. In addition, Lincoln Labs does not pay for students' summer housing, a common practice for companies in the Boston area. Salary was slightly below average.

          Most students had a good impression of the company and their groups, and almost all would choose Lincoln Labs for 6A again if given the chance. However, few interns expressed interest in working there after graduation.

"Working conditions are good, but they really don't do anything to make you have fun."
"Living on campus is nice, but the shuttle ride to and from work sucks. Plus, housing is not paid for."

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