Chris M. '12 | March 06, 2009
"Hosed"
So you know how cars sit at stoplights with their all their blinkers flashing at different times and then for one moment they're all flashing at the same time?
That's how exams are here. Most of the time they're all in different weeks so that you have one or two exams to take every two weeks or so. But then there is this one week that just happens to fulfill the scheduling for every exam and you get three exams in three days.(except this is where the analogy breaks down. Blinkers at the same time = awesome. Exams in the same week = not).
Now I have my own theories on why this is, moon alignment, dark matter, spectro-cosmic impalation. (I made that last one up), but it mostly just boils down to you getting hosed by the end of the week. What's being hosed? Well there's this saying, "Getting an education from MIT is like drinking from a firehose" which is occasionally a pretty accurate description. During these moments of accuracy, one is said to be "hosed" from working so hard.
Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some Super Metroid to finish.
|
The author has filed this entry in the "Miscellaneous" section; check it out for further reading on this topic. |
Responses To This Entry:
(Please note that comments are closed after 30 days to reduce spam.)
Bleargh...I'm hosed in a way,what with finals dancing on my head.
Except I've never had three exams in three days. 0_o
That's inhuman.
Posted by: Ahana on March 6, 2009 01:50 PM
How bout having to take 3 during one single day, and one quiz and one test the next day? Happened to me last year...
Posted by: Oscar V on March 6, 2009 01:58 PM
I would like to meet a person who felt that MIT was a breeze.
Posted by: Zou Kai on March 6, 2009 01:59 PM
^ they exist. but then those are the kids who tend to take ~8 classes a semester, because they're here to be challenged, too.
Posted by: lulu on March 6, 2009 02:05 PM
Normally, I would say "Ah, Super Metroid was really fun!"
But, err, I've beaten that game 10 times. If I was going to procrastinate from test-studying by playing a video game, I think I'd be playing a NEW one :P
Though, in your defense, you didn't say that next week was going to be one of those weeks for ya >.>
Posted by: Narce on March 6, 2009 03:17 PM
8 classes???!!!!! 8 MIT classes!!!???
*faint*
Posted by: Matt A. on March 6, 2009 03:18 PM
And yeah, Zou Kai, all you have to do to meet those people is attend MIT. My dad knew at least two of them personally and knew of one other (who got a 100 on a final where the average score was a 25 or so, and second highest was a 40-something) in his year at MIT. The two he knew personally... ~_~" They both made all As in their sciences and maths, while one was consistently drunk, the other did drugs (and not "performance-enhancing" ones), and neither ever studied.
Not a good idea for ANYONE'S health, mind you, but a good example of the insane level of natural talent some people have at MIT.
Posted by: Narce on March 6, 2009 03:22 PM
Yeah drinking from a "firehouse"!
Posted by: Snively on March 6, 2009 03:24 PM
Posted by: anon on March 6, 2009 03:33 PM
I think having that schedule would be fun. Not for a whole year though. -_-
Posted by: Ashwin on March 6, 2009 04:28 PM
I've taken 8 tests over two days period, which I barely studied for those tests, and this just happened just recently. But then, I'm talking about high school tests, not MIT caliber tests. lol.
Posted by: Sheila '13 on March 6, 2009 04:31 PM
@Snively: Can't we drink from the side of the jet of water using a straw? BTW, I love your blog)
Posted by: Abdel-karim on March 6, 2009 06:13 PM
@ abdel-karim
no we cant...
ive already tried...my mouth now resembles the joker's mouth.
Posted by: no we cant on March 6, 2009 06:49 PM
@Sheila
Yeah, I used to be like that too in high school, but unless you're ridiculously talented in one subject, not studying for a test will usually teach you not to do that again.
Posted by: Chris M. on March 6, 2009 07:06 PM
Spectro-cosmic implantation, you neevr cease do you?lol
I think it has more to do with Free masons, The Templar knights, the Illuminati and Dan Brown.
Oh, and lets not forget, Leo Da Vinci
Posted by: jimmy '13 on March 6, 2009 08:33 PM
Relevant XKCD comic: http://xkcd.com/165/
...And of the firehose analogy, I was reminded of the scene in UHF where Stanley gets some kid from the audience to drink from the firehose... such an awesome movie. :D
Posted by: Sam ('13?) on March 6, 2009 09:30 PM
Well, I'm being hosed at my school, too.
I'll get three exams in three days: Physics, English, History....other than that two exams a week, not to mention a couple of "smaller" tests each week and of course preparing for presentations!!!!!
Posted by: Hazem on March 7, 2009 03:01 AM
..and reading German and English books!!
Posted by: Hazem on March 7, 2009 03:02 AM
"occasionally a fairly accurate description"
"moments of accuracy"
I disagree with those qualifiers. Just wait till after your freshman year; it'll get more frequent ;).
Good luck with your tests, by the way.
Posted by: ShawnOfAwesome '11 on March 7, 2009 04:01 AM
Nothing compares to my school. . .we have three exam a week every week for the WHOLE year. When we come to finals weeks, we have anywhere between 2 to 3 exams a day. Like the day before yesterday, I have a Mechanics, a Physics, and a English exam!
Posted by: Abdel-karim on March 7, 2009 08:35 AM
@no we cant: If you use a straw, your mouth is totally out of the way. At the same time, if we were drinking from the side, we would be at Harvard not MIT ;-).
Posted by: Abdel-karim on March 7, 2009 08:38 AM
This happens at my high school ALL the time. And lots of times in will be on a Monday after a weekend chock full o' swimming.
Posted by: Chris Praley on March 7, 2009 11:36 AM
But like more than enough people have said already, in high school that's NOT A BIG DEAL. The problem at hand isn't the frequency of tests, but the frequency of MIT-LEVEL tests.
Posted by: Narce on March 7, 2009 01:20 PM
By chance, do you know anything about RA decisions ?
Posted by: Irene on March 7, 2009 02:00 PM
@ Irene
All I know is that they tend to make people excited. They'll show up before you know it though.
Posted by: Chris M. on March 7, 2009 02:06 PM
Thanks for that Chris. By the way, are you done with all ur exams ?
Posted by: Irene on March 7, 2009 02:16 PM
I'd like to find a straw that wouldn't either bend or drag your whole head sideways.
I guess the choice is between all that knowledge all at once, or ignorance -- and the ignorance is only blissful until you get really thirsty.
Posted by: niki on March 7, 2009 07:53 PM
IM GOING TO ISEF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Anonymous on March 7, 2009 08:50 PM
@niki: I highly doubt that putting a straw in the way of a fire hydrant will push your head sideways. . . The water would simply rush passed the straw due to the straws aerodynamics. Keep in mind that we can't use any straw; we need one of those tougher ones (Like the reusable ones kids have).
Posted by: @Abdel-karim on March 8, 2009 11:16 AM
Hey guys..just found a really interesting puzzle, very MIT-like, I couldn't get it the first time.
that site is actually really distracting me from admission anxiety....and homework! :P
good luck to everyone!
Posted by: Aaraventin on March 8, 2009 01:27 PM
^.^" Most of the ones on that site you posted were REALLY easy, but I kinda liked the one immediately after the one you linked to!
Posted by: Narce on March 8, 2009 05:55 PM
conceited much narce?
Posted by: Anonymous on March 9, 2009 05:10 PM
uggh.. i remember i had my IB SL exams last year
had exams 3 days in a row..
that's 5 papers..
but then again, nothing compared to MIT's exams!
Posted by: CarlJohnson (13?) on March 13, 2009 01:51 AM
47 6f 20 74 6f 20 6d 79 20 70 75 62 6c 69 63 21 21
Posted by: Anonymous on March 13, 2009 09:57 PM
