Meiling Gao

mgao@berkeley.edu
Post-doctoral Researcher at Berkeley Energy & Climate Institute (BECI)

Getting into MIT

Life at MIT
Life after MIT
QUESTIONS!

Getting accepted into MIT (undergraduate)

APPLICATION:
Good grades especially in math and sciences
Standardized testing scores (SAT)
Teacher recommendations
Extracurricular activities (sports, music, newspaper)
Interview (optional)
Essays
NOTES:
Important to show you can survive MIT (very quantitative
classes)
MIT also likes people who are different from usual
applicants (good at math/sciences but also good at art,
writing, dance, sports)

Life at MIT (undergraduate)

Its difficult!!
Hard to get in, Hard to get out
Popular saying:
At MIT you can only choose two of the three
things: sleep, good grades, and friends.
Most of us give up sleep.
Adjusting from high school:
You have to manage your own time
Be pro-active to find research positions, explore
majors, find classes, join student clubs

Life at MIT in chemical engineering

Not a huge department for undergraduates (30-60 a
year)
Professors are very old and are the top of their field
Most people studied chemical engineering to later
study bioengineering in graduate school or apply for
medical school
Only a few classmates now work for oil industry
or in energy but they are paid very well
Classes are usually homework and exam focused with
labs/projects in the advanced courses
All exams are open book and open notes
Usually 2 problems (50 points each) with several
components
The professors aim to make the class average on
exams = 50% (very demoralizing!!!)

Things I liked about MIT

Challenging
Most things I did after MIT didnt seem as difficult
(or I could deal with the pressure better)
Students work together collaboratively (not
competitive)
Most of my best friends today are still from MIT
Opportunities to do research with professors
And be paid!
Located in Cambridge/Boston area
Many universities in the two cities
Can cross register at Tufts and Harvard
Fun social events (MIT is known for some of their
parties)

Things I didnt like about MIT

Challenging
Very exhausted after 4 years
Didnt have time to explore non-engineering
majors (MIT strength is still engineering and
sciences)
Didnt have much free time outside of classes and
research for other interests
Least favorite classes: all 3 thermodynamics classes
required for chemical engineering
Professors who are at the top of their field for
research in chemical engineering are not always the
best teachers
Boston is very cold
Very focused education not for everyone!

Life after MIT

MIT takes you far
Good reputation although most people think MIT
graduates are nerds and are surprised when we
are surprisingly normal
Strong network my classmates are working on
cool projects, have started companies, are located
all over the world (but still very technology,
engineering, and science focused)
Having a quantitative major like chemical engineering
makes it easier to switch to other field and industries
(finance, consulting, public health, government, etc.)