The Essence of MIT

My time in East Campus covered the end of the 80s and start of the 90s. What brought me to East Campus as a first-year student and kept me for my entire tenure as a student was the camaraderie, creativity, and energy I found. I was not sheltered as a kid, but still found the world around me, and more to the point the people in it, so much more than I expected.  The ability to stay in one place for all four years allowed me to form lasting, close friendships and also experience the dynamism of meeting people as new students appeared each fall and as my social circle expanded through my senior year. The support available during difficult times, and the challenges posed by conflicting personalities, helped me grow in ways I am still coming to realize. Last month I made the acquaintance of a recent alum, 20 years my junior, on an airplane. Finding out he was from Senior House and I was from East Campus provided us with an immediate, and pleasant, understanding of one another.

I was privileged to have spent time at MIT. Outside of academics, I learned to play guitar and joined a band (who practiced in Masterton and played Beast Roast), I formed friendships with wonderful people I still love, and I matured greatly even while playing Slip and Slide down West Parallel hallways.  What I learned in East Campus was as important to my life as what I learned in 26-100.