Student Panel Discussion

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Student Panel Discussion

• Physics Graduate Student Council
• MIT Physics Open House
• April 8, 2009

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Student Panel Discussion

• Why MIT?
• Milieu
• Service/Outreach
• January term
• Academics
• General Exams
• Timeline

• Lifestyle
• Housing
• Facilities
• Outside of MIT
• Student Groups
• Other Considerations
• Health Care
• The Near Future

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What sets MIT apart Milieu
4
What sets MIT apart
Recent speakers

• President of Rwanda
• Mythbusters
• Artists of XKCD PHD Comics

• 2 DoE secretaries
• Tom Friedman

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What sets MIT apart Geek-oriented service
outreach

• Edgerton Center
• Public Service Center Fellowships
• Cambridge Public Schools
• MIT/Cambridge Science Expo
• Families Accessing Computer Technology
• Record science books for blind/dyslexic

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What sets MIT apart IAP (January term)

• Some recent offerings
• Science Policy Bootcamp
• Caffeinated Crash Course in Perl
• Intellectual Property Clinic
• Introduction to Welding
• How to Write a Successful Grant Application
• Esperanto for Beginners
• Charm School
• Integration Bee
• Autonomous robot competition

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General Exams
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Administrative

• Funding
• Fellowship
• Research Assistant
• Teaching Assistant
• Research Advisor
• Looking for advisors
• Changing advisors
• Conflicts with advisors

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Timeline

• 1st Year Part I, many classes, research?
• 2nd Year Part II, few classes, research
• 3rd Year Part III, maybe classes, research
• 4th Year Create Thesis Committee, research
• 5th Year RESEARCH!!!
• Average Time to Graduation 5.7 years

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On-Campus Housing
Furnished?
Monthly Rent
Comments
Ashdown
Y
724-1,116
Newest, dining program, smaller rooms vs. larger
living rooms
Edgerton
N
755-1,478
Large living rooms
Warehouse
Y
1,116
All single rooms
Sidney- Pacific
Y
992-1,116
Biggest, larger rooms vs. smaller living rooms
Tang
Y
710-755
2-4 people/apt, very small rooms
Eastgate
Y
1,239-1,591
Westgate
Y
1,075-1,429
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Off-Campus Housing

• Many places to live within walking distance
• Shuttles and saferide run in the surrounding area
• Across the Charles Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Fenway

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On-Campus vs. Off-Campus
Boston is EXPENSIVE, but you don't need a car
Source MIT Graduate Cost of Living Survey,
December 2007
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Facilities

• Gyms
• All dorms
• Stata and Z center have pools as well
• Transportation
• Shuttles weekdays, daytime
• Saferide all days, nighttime
• Reduced fare T (subway) passes

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Z Center
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Boston

• Buses, T (subway), shuttles
• Zipcar
• Everything closes by 2AM
• Reasonably cold
• MANY other universities nearby
• Plenty of places to go beaches, skiing

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Us

• Physics Graduate Student Council
• Cookie Socials Mingle!
• Lunch Talks Students give talks
• Lunches with colloquium speakers
• Holiday Parties, brewery tours, ski trips
• Intramurals
• Advocacy, representation, providing a unified
  voice
• Women in Physics
• PhysREFS

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• Trained mediators advocates
• Knowledgeable in the how-to's of getting a degree
• Friendly help, always willing to listen!

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Not Us

• Graduate Student Council
• Orientation Events (2 weeks)
• Grad Gala
• Dance Parties
• Advocacy, policy on a larger scale
• Clubs
• Basically anything you can think of...
• Dormitories
• Parties, socials, free food!

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Health Care

• Covered in your funding checkups, X-rays,
  emergency care, most day-to-day matters
• Most care is nearby in E23
• Eye exam once a year and some discount glasses
• Dental insurance available as opt-in
• Unlimited free counseling and psychiatric care
  through MIT Mental Health

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The Near Future of MIT

• The Bad
• MIT will need to cut 50M each year for the next
  3 years
• The Good
• Research volume () is still increasing
• Graduate stipends will increase by 3.4 in
  September 2009
• Due to good fiscal practices, the Physics
  Department is in good shape

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Contact info

• Matt Landreman Landrema_at_mit.edu
• Arturs Vrublevskis avrublev_at_mit.edu
• Nan Gu ngu_at_mit.edu
• Obi Ohia oohia_at_mit.edu
• Robyn Sanderson robyn_at_mit.edu
• Javier Sanchez-Yamagishi jdsy_at_mit.edu