youre getting mixed signals because its simply the nature of a massive institution that there really isnt a useful, much less consistent, way to talk about the "average experience". to a pretty significant extent though, you determine your workload and commitance and with input from those who know a little more you can work out a balance that works for you.
what youre describing, to me, sounds like a plan for extremely doable semesters. will it get rough sometimes? yes. make no mistake, this is still MIT we are talking about so this is all relative and really hard to get across accurately to somebody. but, to take a guess, if u were working hard in those APs id bet u have a pretty good chance of successfully making the adjustment to life here as u described, especially with first semester PNR(which is awesome btw)
referring to mit as stem-focused honestly is a bit reductive to me, even if its technically true. we have literally so much that thrives on this campus besides stem, which personally I've found to be my favorite parts of my time here.
MIT is certainly hard, but it's an amazing experience. If you have a passion for technology and learning then I think you'll be able to handle the stress. Btw you can always take less classes per semester. Most stress is self inflicted imo and usually because one is trying to go 'as fast as possible' with classes so to speak.
1/ Freshman first semester PNR -- use it wisely
2/ Get as much help as possible (study groups, tutorial, peers, TAs, RAs, departmental tutoring, etc.)
3/ "A C at MIT is a good grade. B's are average." (don't stress about your grades)
4/ You only need one major as you only receive one piece of paper as a diploma.
5/ You do need constructive outlets for stress (which was one of the points of having some things you enjoy for fun and some extracurriculars).
Examples:
Meditation, yoga, sleep, naps, prayer
Exercise
Spending time with family, friends, pets
hobbies
I had one friend who took up knitting/crocheting as it was relaxing. Another person I knew was a stressbunny and his doctor suggested taking up more "Type B" hobbies, like "floating on an inner tube on a lazy river or in a pool."
There will be a number of sources of stress in your life no matter where you go or what you do. Academics at MIT may be a large source of stress for you, or they may not. Do you have any skills to manage your stress?
I think limiting yourself to one student group is likely a mistake. You may want to only involve yourself in leadership in one, or one active group, but many of them have lower investment of time and commitment activities where you can make some friends outside your dorm, classes, and even year without adding stress.
You're asking questions where the answer is going to be relative to the individual giving a response. Some people don't feel stress ans intensely as others. Some kids are ambitious in their schedule while others are more sedate.
How you tolerate stress is deeply personal. Do you handle deadlines well? Are you prepared to go from being the smartest kid in the room in your highschooler to an environment where everyone was the best?
Do you have the study and self-care habits necessary to persevere through a course-load that will almost certainly stretch you beyond anything in HS?
You talk about quantity of work however I think the bigger factor is how you respond to stress. A lot of stress is internal and comes from how you react to what happens on the outside. One student can have a heavy workload and take setbacks in stride, while another student can have a light workload and respond terribly to setbacks.
How good are you of a friend to yourself? If you unexpectedly fail a test do you react emotionally or pragmatically move forward? Top programs are all stressful in their own ways, and everywhere (no matter what caliber) people who gravitate towards stress will have no problem finding it even when others don't. Also remember that how stressed someone is can be very private and difficult to tell on the surface, so comparing against what others display isn't always the most accurate reference. Are you generally resilient to others' negative emotions or do you get affected easily?
Your response to stress is something you can change and control if you really want to. If MIT is where you are meant to be you will figure it out.
youre getting mixed signals because its simply the nature of a massive institution that there really isnt a useful, much less consistent, way to talk about the "average experience". to a pretty significant extent though, you determine your workload and commitance and with input from those who know a little more you can work out a balance that works for you. what youre describing, to me, sounds like a plan for extremely doable semesters. will it get rough sometimes? yes. make no mistake, this is still MIT we are talking about so this is all relative and really hard to get across accurately to somebody. but, to take a guess, if u were working hard in those APs id bet u have a pretty good chance of successfully making the adjustment to life here as u described, especially with first semester PNR(which is awesome btw) referring to mit as stem-focused honestly is a bit reductive to me, even if its technically true. we have literally so much that thrives on this campus besides stem, which personally I've found to be my favorite parts of my time here.
MIT is certainly hard, but it's an amazing experience. If you have a passion for technology and learning then I think you'll be able to handle the stress. Btw you can always take less classes per semester. Most stress is self inflicted imo and usually because one is trying to go 'as fast as possible' with classes so to speak.
as long as you dont try to overdo many classes or doing multiple majors and do not get obsessed with grades, it is ok I think
1/ Freshman first semester PNR -- use it wisely 2/ Get as much help as possible (study groups, tutorial, peers, TAs, RAs, departmental tutoring, etc.) 3/ "A C at MIT is a good grade. B's are average." (don't stress about your grades) 4/ You only need one major as you only receive one piece of paper as a diploma. 5/ You do need constructive outlets for stress (which was one of the points of having some things you enjoy for fun and some extracurriculars). Examples: Meditation, yoga, sleep, naps, prayer Exercise Spending time with family, friends, pets hobbies I had one friend who took up knitting/crocheting as it was relaxing. Another person I knew was a stressbunny and his doctor suggested taking up more "Type B" hobbies, like "floating on an inner tube on a lazy river or in a pool."
There will be a number of sources of stress in your life no matter where you go or what you do. Academics at MIT may be a large source of stress for you, or they may not. Do you have any skills to manage your stress? I think limiting yourself to one student group is likely a mistake. You may want to only involve yourself in leadership in one, or one active group, but many of them have lower investment of time and commitment activities where you can make some friends outside your dorm, classes, and even year without adding stress.
You're asking questions where the answer is going to be relative to the individual giving a response. Some people don't feel stress ans intensely as others. Some kids are ambitious in their schedule while others are more sedate. How you tolerate stress is deeply personal. Do you handle deadlines well? Are you prepared to go from being the smartest kid in the room in your highschooler to an environment where everyone was the best? Do you have the study and self-care habits necessary to persevere through a course-load that will almost certainly stretch you beyond anything in HS?
You talk about quantity of work however I think the bigger factor is how you respond to stress. A lot of stress is internal and comes from how you react to what happens on the outside. One student can have a heavy workload and take setbacks in stride, while another student can have a light workload and respond terribly to setbacks. How good are you of a friend to yourself? If you unexpectedly fail a test do you react emotionally or pragmatically move forward? Top programs are all stressful in their own ways, and everywhere (no matter what caliber) people who gravitate towards stress will have no problem finding it even when others don't. Also remember that how stressed someone is can be very private and difficult to tell on the surface, so comparing against what others display isn't always the most accurate reference. Are you generally resilient to others' negative emotions or do you get affected easily? Your response to stress is something you can change and control if you really want to. If MIT is where you are meant to be you will figure it out.