I met the new SDM class entering 2006 last night as they partook in Design Challenge 1, a critical exercise of the SDM January "bootcamp" where teams build robots to compete against one another. My reputation has preceded me. Granted that I have met some of the new students in the past, but for those that I have not met, I am quite surprised that most of them recognized me. I heard responses like: "Hey, you look different in person." "Have you lost weight." Anyway, for those whom I have met the first time last night, I can only presume that they have been reading my blog. Many students asked for my advice to DC1 and the January program. I have answered all of them with the same theme of taking things in stride. But let me reiterate the main points of my advice on this blog:

• The January program is first and foremost about cohort building and getting acclimatized at MIT.
• Don't burn yourself out by spending too much time on the Design Challenges.
• DC1 should be fun not punishing. Learn to work smart not hard.
• As far as designing a winning robot, be creative and keep things simple. You will be amazed how effective a simple design can be.
• Work as a team. Don't be a hero trying to do more than your teammates - it is not worth it.
• Sure, there are free loaders, but you will find many more outstanding people during the January program. The relationships that you establish in this initial period will stay with you for the rest of the program. People who are apathetic to networking and team-building are missing an important part of the experience.

1/5/2006 12:27:33 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

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