MIT

So...MIT makes me want to cry for two reasons right now: 1) because
it's so ridiculously incredible, and 2) because it's so ridiculously
evil.

1) See, the friendly folks over at The Institute (as my interviewer
referred to it a few weeks ago) sent me one of those
viewbooks/whatever you call them; you know, one of those big huge
brochure things trying to get prospectives to go there. Well, it is
downright absurdly effective. I'm about...30 more points towards MIT,
and that's saying quite A LOT. Augh...SO INDESCRIBABLY COOL.

2) ...Which, of course, means certain other things. Like, for example,
if they're throwing out all these huge names (MIT alums have started
several dozen big companies--ones like Lotus, Intel, 3Com, and half of
Hewlett-Packard (the Hewlett)) and distinctive individuals tells me
not only that great people go there, but that among all of the people,
only a few stand out so much. Or maybe there really are too many to
list in a simple thing like what they've sent me...but whatever.
Either way, it means that whatever I do, there's going to be somebody
better at it than I...probably. That's not a huge problem, but, you
know, I don't have a problem with that usually (as when the people who
are better than I are cool), but I don't doubt that there'll be
pretentious jerks around. All over. Because that's the kind of person
that I see commenting on the students' blogs, asking self-glorifying
questions, and generally bugging the people who maybe get a slightly
clearer picture.

Furthermore, if I don't get in...well, as I told John a few moments
ago, I'll have to bloody kill myself or something because I'll be
missing so much. Not that I'll definitely go there if I get accepted
and everything (I did apply to Caltech early for a reason and
everything, and Williams is on my Google Desktop sidebar "Todo" list
for a similar reason), but...options, you know? And ulterior motives,
of course, but one has to have a good idea of what those are before
acting upon them.

Funnily enough, originally this was just going to be an email to
Betsy, but I've decided to actually post it for two reasons: first, I
fear that she's (or soon will be) getting tired of hearing my soap
opera-esque flings with colleges, and, second, this just feels more
like a blog post than an email. So there we all go. I'm off to do more
homework now.

(I couldn't even read the whole MIT viewbook...it was just too much.
Maybe some other time. But seriously...senior friends? Any interest at
all in cool people? Come talk to me. I have this unbelievable thing
that I need you to read.)