During these past few weeks, I came to realize two years (and two degrees) happen in the blink of an eye. So let me tell you what you should keep your eyes wide open for, if you decide to embark on the LGO journey. To that end, I curated a list of the top #5 things I will miss about LGO.
#5 – The MIT Ecosystem
Former MIT president Jerome Wiesner (1971-1980) coined this colorful description of the MIT educational experience: “Getting an education at MIT is like taking a drink from a fire hose”. He couldn’t have depicted the experience better. At MIT you should expect to have your plate full 24/7. Conferences, hack-a-thons, seminars and talks by renowned industry leaders and scientists, impressive thesis defenses, and much more happens on daily basis at the MIT campus. It is an environment that truly inspires you to get involved and take an active role in what you are passionate about. And LGO is special in the sense that it gives you a place in two departments (engineering and business), becoming part of the linkage between different systems and enabling you to operate at the intersection of them.
#4 – Tours and treks (and just traveling)
The LGO program exposes you to 3-week whirlwind trip across the United States (also known as Domestic Plant Trek), where you visit partner companies, get to do countless plant tours, and meet leaders from a wide range of industries. On top of the domestic trek, we participate on other local international trips; my class visited Brasil and Argentina in 2018, and China in 2019. Aside from the incredible learning opportunity, these trips are a perfect excuse to explore different cultures and have fun with friends.
#3 – Sitting in class
Without a doubt, these two years have been the greatest and most captivating intellectual experience of my life. Be ready to learn cutting-edge topics from world renowned professors. I must add that the LGO curriculum is flexible enough that it allows you to tailor your academic experience, gearing your business and engineering classes towards your interests. If I must pick, action learning and engineering design classes are amongst my favorites. In this type of classes, you get to work on real world problems, which truly embraces MIT’s motto: “Mens et Manus”. The past Spring semester, I took Operations Lab, and my team worked with Peruvian fishing company re-designing their system to transport anchovies from the fishing vessel to the processing plant.
#2 – Hanging in the student lounge
I will definitely miss spending time at the student lounge. It is the place to have lunch, caffeinate before class, chill or work in between classes, and socialize with your classmates and the wonderful LGO staff. After the Hayden Library, the lounge is my favorite spot on campus. I hope to continue visiting it as an alumnus.
#1- The people
I’m well aware this is a cliché… but honestly, I cannot think of any other thing that I will miss more about LGO. This is real to the level that we (Class of 2019) are already planning our first-year reunion.
I came to the program expecting the innovative and inspiring MIT ecosystem, the fascinating classes, the incredible trips. However, I did not expect to be part of such a close-knit community that I am pleased to call family. I met a cohort of impressive, highly-accomplished while humble and collaborative individuals that became friends after three months. I am truly grateful to have made the decision to come to LGO. I will be forever thankful for the special bond I built with my classmates, and the strong LGO Alumni Network I am now a part of.
If you are interested in LGO or just want to follow up with me, feel free to do so at melopezm@mit.edu.
Learn daily, be inspired, and seize your day.
Good luck!
Emi.
~
By Emi Marino Lopez, LGO Class of 2019