Blogs: Beyond the Lab

Realizing running is awesome

How I went from the couch to running a marathon

Nov 2019
by Benjamin C.
Civil and Environmental Engineering
This is a story about me transitioning from occasional running to try and get fit, to becoming super into running. Only two years ago, I was struggling with the boredom and difficulty of exercise and could never sustain regular running for more than a month or two. Now, however, running is an...

When Your Hobby Is Your YouTube Channel

Balancing research, classes, and content creation

Oct 2019
by Jordan H.
Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology
It was two months before I was set to move to Boston for my PhD, and I had decided that there would never be a better time to create a science YouTube channel. While it might seem like a crazy idea to take on such a huge commitment while doing a PhD, I strongly believe that this unusual hobby has...

Full Send

Running stadiums is fun, right?

Nov 2019
by Vincent M.
Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology
What if I told you that the most fun thing that I do regularly since moving to Boston is running up and down a lot of tall steps (technically, seats) a lot of times, twice a week? Would you think that I’m crazy? A masochist? That Guy™ at the party who won’t shut up about how great running stadiums...

Discovering the multiverse at MIT

My journey towards a holistic grad experience

Nov 2019
by Somayajulu D.
Mechanical Engineering
I still remember that chill running up my spine seeing the MIT dome for the first time from the Harvard Bridge, a chill that was indicative of the bounty of emotions running through each and every nerve in my body. Awe, excitement, nervousness, and pride were but a few of them. After all,...

Creating my niche in grad school

How diversity and outreach initiatives helped me find my place in MIT

Nov 2019
by Yamilex A.-S.
Biology
Imagine being in a roller coaster that’s on fire, adrift, going full speed. That was my first year at MIT. Coming straight from an undergraduate institution in Puerto Rico, it was difficult for me to get used to the fast pace in which topics were taught in a different language and to the amount of...

Eating my way through Cambridge’s cultural heritage

This city is more Portuguese than you think

Oct 2019
by Eli P.
Brain and Cognitive Sciences
“What’s for lunch?” is one of the more universal questions of the human experience, though the presence of two large universities in Cambridge affects the range of choices available to a hungry grad student. Many of the food options near MIT and Harvard Square cater to the fast-casual appetites of...

Making the most of Cambridge's amazing salsa scene

Plus a story of how I went from ballet to salsa

Oct 2019
by Carmen M.
Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology
Thankfully, life at MIT as a grad student is not ALL about research. For me, one of the greatest breaks from lab is dancing. Growing up, classical ballet was part of my daily routine. Classical ballet requires physical resilience, a focused mind, and musicality, but above all, it requires...

B-list Superpower – Food Edition

The underrated, unrestrained power of meal prep

OCT 2019
by Faith D.
Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
What is “meal prep”? First things first, what does “meal prep” mean? Is it the newest fad in age of fitness and health fanatics? Is it a euphemism for being lazy? Well, maybe. At its core, meal prep is exactly what is sounds like — preparing your meals. The key, however, is that it is done prior to...

The Most Important Change in My Life

Why everyone should meditate

OCT 2019
by Stephen F.
Materials Science and Engineering
I was an anxious child, an anxious teenager and an anxious young adult. So much so that the concept of anxiety didn’t make much sense. “You’re telling me it’s possible to not constantly think and worry about everything that has happened to me and that could possibly happen to me? Don’t bullshit me...

When You’re Up for an Exercise Adventure!

A rundown of bougie group exercise classes in Boston

OCT 2019
by Erika A.
Biological Engineering
Feeling sluggish after indulging in one too many conference happy hours? Your normal gym workout not really doing it for you (or you not really doing the workout)? Try something new with a group exercise class: part workout, part experience. PILATES REFORMER CLASSES You know the torture device in...