Graduated Learning

answers are here!

First of all, glad I could be of some help to you with my information. And now, Elina has a question for me!

"What Do I buy???..I never do my own shopping..always wear what mum brings for me..but NOW !!! as in clothes and shoes..... and how much???"

Well, there are quite a few things to consider, and certainly, everyone is different. A lot depends on the styles you like, or the money you have/want to spend on clothes. And of course, it is important to think about the weather. I guess I can discuss types of clothes as related to weather.

Weather

So, when you first get to MIT for orientation, it's going to still probably be nice and summery. So at that point, you can have tshirts, tank tops (girls only please!), shorts, etc. It's also a good idea to have pants for around that time (jeans are my preference if I'm wearing pants on a warm day), and a light jacket. Fall comes relatively quickly around Boston, and I usually survive with pants, a long sleve shirt, and a sweatshirt jacket. Come winter, you might want to invest in something like long underwear to wear under pants (if you want/can fit them under pants), and of course a winter jacket as well as the extras, like hats, scarves, gloves, and, the most important, waterproof and relatively warm boots (thick wool socks are good too). My opinion (not everyone shares this opinion) is that comfort, warmth, and preventing frostbite is more important than fasion.

How much should I bring?

A lot of the amount you should bring depends on a few things. For example, you don't want to have to be doing laundry too often because you ran out of clothes. Keeping this in mind, the key piece of clothing is underwear. Make sure you have more than enough to get you through a couple of weeks. Sure you can wear a pair of pants a bunch of times before washing, you can wear some tshirt under your jacket and no one will know. But you know you're in trouble if you're out of underwear. So, underwear is often your freedom-from- laundry limiting factor. As for other stuff. . .don't go overboard. Most dorm rooms have limited storage space (though they will have closets, drawers, etc.), and so don't go bringing everything from home (or buying out the whole store). You might want to invest in storage as well, since you can never have enough! Dual purpose storage (boxes that can be stacked into a table, a footlocker/trunk can hold stuff and can be sat on, etc.) is especially good. But enough about storage. That can be a whole other post!

What types of clothes should i bring?

This starts to be more based on your personality and style. . .you should bring both casual and dressier clothes. . .i suppose that's a given. . .. I tend to have a lot of comfortable clothes, like drawstring pants and loose jeans. I do have a few pairs of khakis and am a huge fan of jeans as well. But it's also a good idea to have clothes for interviews, nice dinners, parties, formals, etc. hmmm, shoes, i would say dont bring too many, just sneakers, dress shoes, sandals. Oh, and dont forget flip flops for the shower!

hmmm, this makes me think I should tell you about other stuff to bring. besides clothes. I mentioned storage. . .I guess bedding, pillows, etc. you get a bed and a matress as part of your room, but they dont really supply bedding (except perhaps during orientation, when you are in your temp rooms so you dont have to unpack. . .contact the house manager for whatever dorm you are temped in). Towels (bath, washcloths, hand towels) are good, and random other toiletrees. hmmmm, i think maybe I'm being obvious, but. . .hmmm. well, dont forget your computer, and maybe keep a few things around to eat with, like a few plates, forks, knives, etc. and if your room isnt part of a suite with a kitchen, maybe consider bringing a fridge.

Okay, maybe I'm starting to get excessive with all my suggestions? I don't know. If you are thinking about maybe bringing something, and you're not sure if you should bring it or not, and I can give you my opinion.

One last question I'll answer was about if you can go home for winter break. The answer is, YES! First of all, over winter break, you can just go home, leave all your stuff at your dorm (unlike other schools where you have to move out and such), and enjoy yourself. But you also don't HAVE to leave, either. And in terms of other times of the year. . . College is not like high school: theres no real mandatory attendance. So, if you have to go home to see your little sister perform in her school play (like I did) or if you have any reason (or no reason at all) you can leave. I mean, sure, you'll miss class (or whatever happens on the weekend for you) and just plain leaving when you have a test or other mandatory attendance event will get you in a buttload of trouble, but you're free to do what you want. However, some classes do have mandatory attendance, so skipping those isn't reccomended (although Professors are rather understanding at times if there is something that requires you to miss class. . .so, don't be afraid of them!)

Well, I do have another "book review" to discuss, but I figure this is enough for now. Maybe I'll post it tomorrow. Keep the questions coming!

-Stephanie