Blogs: By Author

MIT Graduate Housing

The guide I wish I'd had

MAY 2018
by Lauren S.
Biological Engineering
During my interview weekend at MIT, I went on a brief housing tour of three MIT graduate housing residences that current students lived in. One student proclaimed her room was the biggest bedroom in the whole building. I made a mental note—the biggest room in the furnished dorm is not very big. Don...

Dressing Down for Success

A fashion conscious female navigating the judgement of her peers

MARCH 2018
by Lauren S.
Biological Engineering
What you need to know about me: I am a 25 year old white female, 5’5”, with long legs and a burst of tangled brown curly hair. I have more Lululemon leggings than pairs of jeans, and I prefer wine to beer. I listen to NPR and the Chainsmokers, and love any season of the Real Housewives (except...

Out of the lab, into the Rice Paddy

A reflection on engineering principles observed on an adventure in Laos

DECEMBER 2017
by Lauren S.
Biological Engineering
I’ll pose this question to the MIT and scientific community: how would you identify and separate healthy rice grains from empty or insect-damaged grains to feed to the chickens? As MIT graduate students, we’d probably over-engineer this. Is there some protein in the healthy grain I can image for? I...

Girls just wanna have FUNding

My perspective on the proposed tax bill H.R.1

November 2017
by Lauren S.
Biological Engineering
Joining thousands of other activists at the March for Science last spring, I proudly held my handcrafted, glittery poster in the air. “Girls just wanna have FUNding,” it said. Now, I realize I should have been more specific: “Girls just wanna have FUNding­--for their research, but also for...

Evolution of the MIT Grad Blog

The blog helped her regain a voice, and she didn't want it to end

September 2017
by Lauren S.
Biological Engineering
Understanding what graduate student life is like at MIT is challenging for an outsider. Before I arrived, I had preconceived notions about what the student body would be like: ultra-nerdy kids that participated in hackathons on the weekend and probably couldn’t chug a beer. While admittedly some of...

Finding Great Escapes

Take advantage of grad school flexibility and book a bargain vacation

SPRING 2017
by Lauren S.
Biological Engineering
As a 78 degree breeze brushed against my shoulders, I took my first sip of the local cocktail of choice, Ti Punch. I must look like such a local, ordering a Ti Punch and not a mojito, I thought to myself. The burning sensation of alcohol shot up my nose. Whoa! Punch was an understatement. Doesn’t...

My Recipe for Getting In

An application assistance program to level the playing field

SPRING 2017
by Lauren S.
Biological Engineering
I had never considered a PhD until late in my undergraduate degree. Most students in my program were either grabbing one-year master's degrees or becoming entry-level grunts at consumer goods or biomedical device companies. I remember a career fair where I talked to a recent graduate who was...