Water analysis

Understudies are tried for their insight into fundamental titration method and appropriate utilization of explicit use tests (those utilized for conductivity, alkalinity, and pH, chloride, nitrate and hardness discovery) on Logger Pro programming. The reason for this thorough lab is to decide the substance properties of open drinking water found at four explicit areas in the Toledo Ohio area.Students test the different repertories of this drinking water by exposing it to the accompanying tests: pH tests, conductivity tests, aggregate and phenolphthalein alkalinity tests, absolute hardness, chloride tests, and nitrates tests. Concerning the information gathered In this lab, understudies likewise use transformation components to ascertain the parts per million. Following bearings cautiously and wisely Is significant for the achievement of the examination and also to the way that the testing will be done during the lab period.Tests like these are perform day by day by modern water treat ment plant so as to guarantee the Toledo such the EPA to report its discoveries inside a composed cutoff time. Clearly reports of water quality that are not up to the administration's principles, (the entirety of the guidelines will be recorded at a later area in the report) will be exposed to additionally testing and confined from free until the gauges are met.This lab impersonates the day by day schedules of utilized scientific experts at these offices for a littler scope. Understudies that decided to enter such calling will be considered answerable for utilizing the strategies learned in this lab. Wellbeing Information: Most of the synthetic compounds utilized in this lab are hazardous. Keep away from substantial contact, ingestion or any sort of spills. Accept that the entirety of the reagents utilized in the lab are poisonous.Rinse the pH test completely with refined water. Spot the test into a little recepticle that contains one of the two adjustment cradle arrangements. B. Pi ck Experiment, Calibrate†¦ , and select the Sensor Setup tab. With the catch for Port 1 (or Channel CHI) discouraged, affirm or pick the Sensor: pH test and Calibration: PH. Select the Calibrate tab and snap on Calibrate Now. C. Tenderly mix the support with the pH test. At the point when the voltage perusing of the pH test is steady. Enter the pH estimation of the support arrangement (read off of the container of cushion answer for) the closest 0. 01 intoValue 1 and press Keep. D. Flush the test with Del water and afterward place it in a little container that contains the second adjustment arrangement. At the point when the perusing is steady, enter the pH estimation of the cushion answer for the closest 0. 01 into Value 2 and press Keep. Press K to store the adjustment. E. Watch that the adjustment worked by putting the test once more into the support arrangement. On the off chance that the showed esteem doesn't coordinate the estimation of the cushion, exit out of Logger and revive the window. The showed test in pH 7 cradle until it is later required. 4. ) Obtain a reasonable size of test to decide the PH. Ml is reasonable for this trial. Measure this measure of test utilizing a graduated chamber. Move the example too ml glass measuring utencil. 5. ) Place the pH test into the recepticle containing the example. Record the pH of the example on your Data sheet. 6. ) Rinse the test with Del water and dry it. Quickly place the test over into the pH support. Conductivity Test: 1 . ) The examination should as of now be open on the PC. If not, select the Expo. 14 Conductivity symbol that is on the work area. 2. ) Double watch that the switch box is set to 0-Phipps/CM. This relates to 0-magma/L TTS (Total Dissolved Solids).If important, you may change this setting to coordinate your example's worth. A high range standard is accessible if necessary. 3. ) Calibrate the conductivity test utilizing a two-point alignment. Utilize the low-and mid-go answers for play out the adjustments. A. Start the adjustment strategy in the product b. Spot the Conductivity Probe into a standard arrangement with a low conductivity esteem (this ought to be between O †IPPP/CM or O-MGM/L TTS†¦ Say 1 mothers/CM). Be certain the whole stretched gap with the terminal surfaces is lowered in the arrangement ND that there are no air rises along the anode surface.Wait for the showed voltage to balance out. C. Enter the estimation of the standard arrangement in the properly picked units. D. Rehash the alignment utilizing the medium conductivity (this is between O †Phipps†¦ Say mass/CM) 4. ) Analyze the example's conductivity a. Utilizing a flushed ml graduated chamber, measure ml of the example. B. Move this add up to anther perfect and dry measuring utencil. C. Spot the test into the measuring utencil containing the example. D. Trust that the perusing will balance out. Record the conductivity on your information sheet. E. Convert the adding somethin g extra to MGM/L and pimp. Source: Conductivity Probe, Fernier Software and Technology by means of their site www. Fernier. Com/support/manuals/) Total and Phenolphthalein Alkalinity Tests: 1 . ) Measure 50 ml of your example in a graduated chamber. Move the example into a shopping center volumetric carafe. 2. ) Add three to five drops of phenolphthalein answer for you test. 3. ) Set up a titration mechanical assembly (where the spotless burette is cinched too ring stand). 4. ) Obtain about shopping center of sulfuric corrosive (HASPS) into a bigger measuring utencil. 5. ) Full the burette with HASPS up until a point over the alignment mark (Mol).Place a waste recepticle under the burette. Open the stopcock and discharge the rest of the HASPS to dispose of air bubbles. 6. ) Record the specific grouping of the HASPS into your information sheet. Record the underlying burette perusing to the closest 0. 01 ml. Supplant the waste measuring glass with the flagon containing the example. 7. ) Titrate the example too dreary endpoint. The arrangement will be scarcely pink Just before the endpoint of the arrangement. Include a couple of drops of 10% decorate answer for the example (do this Just before the endpoint of your titration! ) Record the last volume of the HASPS utilized. A.Use the blended pointer leaflets green/methyl red) this example ought to be green toward the start and the endpoint ought to be a yellow-straw shading. B. If necessary, top off the burette with more HASPS. Record the underlying incentive into your information table. Test will become vapid and afterward the following drop should give you the straw shading. 8. ) Record the phenolphthalein alkalinity and complete alkalinity in militarily and pimp. All out Hardness Test: 1 . ) Obtain ml of your water test estimated on a graduated chamber. Move the example too shopping center volumetric jar. 2. ) Add one scoop of Universe marker to your sample.The shade of the arrangement ought to be ruddy pink. 3. ) Obtain session shopping center of DEED. Record the centralization of your iterant. 4. ) Set up a comparable titration thingy. Flush a burette with Del and afterward with DEED. 5. ) Fill the burette with DEED up until the alignment mark. Spot the waste recepticle under the burette. Open the stopcock to expel air bubbles. Record the underlying volume of DEED on your information sheet to the closest 0. 01 ml. 6. ) Titrate the example until the shade of the arrangement changes to light blue. 7. ) Report the all out hardness in militarily and pimp. (Different Sources: Water Chemistry, ANAL ERROR, Kippering, Edith.CHEMICAL Lab Manual. 2013-2014) Results: pH and POOH values per each example tried Total alkalinity and phenolphthalein alkalinity Carbonate, Hydroxide, or Bicarbonate alkalinity present? Carbonate, Hydroxide, as well as Bicarbonate alkalinity Total Hardness and Non-Carbonate hardness of each example Nitrates/Chlorides present Conductivity tests per each example Sample Calcul ation utilized in Sample 4: pH: Value gathered from pH test: 6. 42 pH [H+} = (1. Owe-14)/(3. 8+7) = 2. 6+8 M POOH = - log[OH-] = - log(2. E-8) = 7. 58 Total alkalinity: When a 100. 0 ml test is titrated with 0. 010 M [HCI], 0. ml corrosive is what could be compared to 1. 0 pimp Cacao (source). All out Volume of corrosive titrated (for both phenolphthalein and pamphlets green methyl red pointers): 5. 21 ml 0. Ml corrosive/l . 0 pimp Cacao - ? 5. 21 ml corrosive/x pimp Cacao 52. 1 pimp cacao Phenolphthalein alkalinity: *Due to a lack in the measure of test accessible for sure fire testing just ml was utilized for the titration utilizing phenolphthalein pointer. The figurings underneath are multiplied so as to make up for factors utilized in the extent) * of 1. 0 pimp Cacao (source). Volume of corrosive titrated: 1. 51 ml 2(o. Ml pimp cacao) = 2(1. 51 ml corrosive)/xx 5. pimp cacao Carbonate Alkalinity Present? Carbonate alkalinity is available when phenolphthalein alkalinity isn't zer o, yet is not exactly 50% of the all out alkalinity (source). Half of Total alkalinity = 15. 1/2 = 26. 05 pimp cacaos o 15. 1 pimp cacaos 26. 05 pimp cacao Yes carbonate alkalinity is available in light of the fact that the phenolphthalein esteem (15. 1 pimp Cacao) is a nonzero number that is not exactly 50% of the all out alkalinity of the example (26. 05 pimp Cacao). Carbonate Alkalinity: Carbonate alkalinity = 2 (phenolphthalein alkalinity) = 2(15. 1) pimp (CO)2-= 30. 2 pimp (cacao)2-Anton Hydroxide Alkalinity Present?Hydroxide alkalinity is available if phenolphthalein alkalinity is the greater part of the absolute alkalinity. 15. 1 pimp cacaos 226. 05 pimp cacaos This announcement is bogus along these lines demonstrating that no hydroxide alkalinity is available in this example of water. Hydroxide alkalinity: N/A Bicarbonate Alkalinity Present? Bicarbonate alkalinity is available if phenolphthalein is not exactly 50% of the all out alkalinity (source). 15. 1 pimp Cacao 26. 05 p imp Cacao Yes bicarbonate alkalinity is available in this example on the grounds that the phenolphthalein alkalinity esteem (15. 1 pimp Cacao) is not exactly 50% of the all out alkalinity of the example 26. 5 pimp Cacao). Bicarbonate Alkalinity: Bicarbonate Alkalinity = T-UP = 21. 9 pimp HCI-Total Hardness of Sample: When a 100. 0 ml test is titrated with 0. MM DEED, 0. 10 ml of DEED is what could be compared to 1. 0 pimp Cacao (Kippering, Lab Manual). *Due too lack in the measure of test accessible for guaranteed testing just ml was utilized for the titration utilizing phenolphthalein pointer

Maltese Falcon :: essays research papers

The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett happens during the 1930s and has an assortment of baffling charactersincluding: Sam Spade, Brigid O'Shaughhnessy, Joel Cairo, Mr. Gutman, and Wilmer. When O'Shaughnessy comes to Spade and requests that he shadow Thursby, the story takes off ona frenzy of occasions with apparently no significance until they are uncovered at long last. The contention that drives the story is the obscure area of the Maltese bird of prey, a brilliant hawk of tremendous worth. All the activities and even emotinos fo the characters are driven by the longing to get the bird of prey ormoney from getting the hawk. While a few characters are more moreal than others, every one of them have in any event one shortcoming which makes them conniving: voracity, idiocy, or each of the three. The characters dispense with one another trhoguhout the story, either captured or executed, until just Sapde is left sound. The book has three stages: unmistakable misconception, obscure misc onception and cognizance. In the principal period of the book, all the characters totally misjudge one another. As the book advances, the characters start to accept that they have a comprehension of one another, which entangles everybody's feelings. At last, the characters grasp the past feelings of different characters and genuinely comprehend the occasions and the feelings of everybody. Afterward, Spade chooses to have a gathering ith O'Shbaughnessy and Cairo together. Befor ethe meeting, Spade sees a youngman shadowing him. HE briefly disregards it and goes to the gathering in his condo. At the gathering Cairo and O'Shaughnesy quickly talk about a bird of prey, yet the doorbell interferes with them. Sam goes to the entryway welcomes two police analysts that are researching the passings of Thursby and Archer. The officials request section when they hear a shout and a yell from inside,. At the point when they arrive at the room of the shout, they discover Cairo with a bleeding face, holding a firearm at O'Shaughnessy. While trying to alleviate suspiciion, Spade says that it is an intentional joke. The police disregard Spade, yet they take Cairo to the station for addressing. In the long run, the baffling youngster, Wilmer stands up to Spade and takes him to a loft. HE brings Spade into a room where Mr. Gutman is sitting. They botht ry to get data without giving data. Sam chooses to organize a gathering with Cairo, O'Shaughnessy, Gutman, and Wilmer. Prior to the gathering, the chief of the pontoon, La Paloma, shows up at Spade's office, harmed however conveying what seems, by all accounts, to be the Maltese bird of prey.

Broadworth general hospital Essay

For as long as 20 years our emergency clinic has gotten all preparation workshops with your organization, your organization has been trustworthy and consistently takes care of business. In March, we have to prepare 20 managers in the zone of Sexual Harassment and Unlawful Discrimination in the working environment. We might want your organization Wydade Consulting Services to finish the preparation for us. The preparation will happen on the principal floor of the medical clinic room. We might want your mentor Ms. Deb Walker, to show the workshop. Previously, Ms. Walker has introduced a solid and amazing force point introduction followed by an inquiry and answer meeting. Upon the arrival of preparing we will require the accompanying. Projector Introduction Leaflets/freebees Scratch pads Pens light refreshments If it's not too much trouble react to me as quickly as time permits with a date MS Walker will be accessible in March. I can be reached at (598) 597 1234 Thank you Sincerely yours, Karen Lawrence A.A. KL/xx To: Deb Walker CC: Jeremy Dittmer @ Miriam Hopkins Subject: Sexual Harassment and Unlawful Discrimination in the work power Dear Deb: I might want to affirm our courses of action as we recently talked about in regards to the class which is to be hung on March 10 ,2016 at 2:00 . Situated on the primary floor in room 109 of the clinic you are very free to come ahead of schedule to set up. We will be beginning speedily at 2:00, refreshments and tidbits will be there at around 4:15 to 4:30. In the event that you need further help or have any inquiries, kindly get in touch with me at (598) 597 1234 or through email at Lawrence.lawrence@ hurray .com To: Miriam Hopkins, Director of Human Resources From: Karen Lawrence, Administrative Assistant Dec 17, 2012 Subject: Sexual Harassment and Unlawful Discrimination in the working environment We got an affirmation from Jeremy Dittmer in regards to the class subtleties, the date is March 10, 2016 and the time is 2:00 and has given the mentor all the important materials. The coach he has appointed is MS Deb Walker, the class will be on the primary floor room 109.We will ensure that we will have all the important materials. Ms Walker will give, pens; paper; flyers; track with booklets. Refreshments, for example, espresso; tea; water; squeeze, and tidbits will be given and booked to conveyance the evening of March 10 somewhere in the range of 4:15 and 4:30. On the off chance that you have questions please don’t dither to reach me. You can likewise contact Deb Walker legitimately by email at Deb walker@ yippee .com or by telephone at (802) 559 6315 ext. 2206. KL/AA

A tabloid newspaper Essays

A newspaper paper Essays A newspaper Paper A newspaper Paper Newspaper and Broadsheet Newspapers both report similar stories in totally different manners in view of the contrasting gatherings of perusers they offer to. I am going to look at the ways that the account of a lady who was shot is accounted for in two papers (The Independent and The Sun). Broadsheet papers will in general go into a lot of foundation detail; the Independent said Mr Nuffer who was conceived in Canada, lived in Enfield, North London. He joined the Metropolitan Police in 1984 yet chose to take a profession break in July 1991 to go to Australia. Broadsheet papers do this to keep the peruser perusing on and to paint a more full picture in their psyche. They do this in light of the fact that the kinds of perusers broadsheet papers offer to jump at the chance to realize the entire story to be fulfilled. Newspaper papers ten to really expound: the Sun says Dale a police officer in East London for a long time. This is done with the goal that the peruser is centered around the genuine point and not influenced by additional data. This is on the grounds that the sort of peruser a newspaper papers claim to skims over stories for simple perusing, and if the central matter isn't focused on enough it won't be removed by the peruser. What more in the newspaper paper the data given contrasts; the newspaper paper says he was a police officer in East London while the broadsheet papers says he was a police officer in Enfield, East London. This demonstrates the measure of research and scrupulousness that goes into each paper varies incredibly. Then again broadsheets utilize essential subtitles underneath their photos; the Independent said Susan Kirby: Travel round the World which doesnt give a lot of knowledge into the story. This is done in light of the fact that broadsheet perusers want to peruse the story though newspaper perusers will in general skim the story and just need to know the intriguing parts. The Sun said Gunned down.. Susan. This stands out and includes show with I. e. the emotional interruption. Another gadget that newspaper papers use is casual language; rather than calling Dale Nuffer by his complete name they call him Dale. This acclimates the peruser with the individual in the story and causes the peruser to feel more feeling towards his concern. This would speak to a newspaper peruser. Anyway the broadsheet paper calls Dale Nuffer by his proper name I. e. Mr Nuffer. This is done to gie the article status on the grounds that the focused on crowd want to address individuals accurately. Newspaper papers utilize solid title texts. The Sun said Hero PC snatches hoodlum who shot vacationer Sue. The word saint is utilized on the grounds that it is an extremely emotional work just as snatches. These words pull in a lot of consideration. This is done in light of the fact that newspaper papers are loaded up with bunches of short stories that battle for consideration. In restriction broadsheet papers utilize instructive title texts. The Independent says English lady shot on round world outing. This stresses the current issue as opposed to the legend that The Sun puts the accentuation on. This holds more to the point as opposed to sensationalizing the circumstance. To keep to the point broadsheet papers utilize less supposition. This is on the grounds that broadsheet papers like The Independent leave the perusers to make up their own psyche, as they are evidently progressively clever. They don't make a champion and a miscreant of the circumstance. The Independent said A man has been blamed for the shooting though The Sun says Its a distraught unpleasant world we live in. This shows more conclusion and makes the story progressively close to home to the peruser. This statement is likewise a case of an exaggeration, which is extremely normal in newspaper papers, for example, The Sun. Overstatements misrepresent and perform the circumstance, which is the reason newspaper papers use them as they attempt to cause the peruser to feel for the circumstance. Interestingly Broadsheet papers utilize precise proclamations. The Independent does this when it says An English lady was shot. This again lets the peruser make up their own brain concerning who is the person in question, miscreant, saint, etc. This is on the grounds that perusers of The Independent purchase the paper with the goal that they can be recounted to the story and choose for themselves the inclinations and assessments they need to frame as opposed to be directed to them, which is the thing that perusers of The Sun, are searching for. Another way that newspaper papers set forward their inclinations is by utilizing stacked words. The Sun said gunned down. This suggests to the peruser that a heartless activity occurred, which left the lady down and vulnerable. The makes the perusers inclinations god connected at the hip with The Suns. The Independent then again utilizes unbiased language and states she was shot in the stomach. This doesn't accuse any gathering yet essentially expresses that the activity occurred. This adds familiarity to the story by not tossing the fault one way at a rushed speed at that point going impartial and afterward tossing fault at the accepted blameworthy gathering as newspaper papers can do. Newspaper papers likewise utilize more monosyllabic words than broadsheet papers, which utilize progressively polysyllabic words. In The Sun it utilizes words like murder, distraught, fellow, harsh stuff. Monosyllabic words are utilized all the more frequently in newspaper papers as it makes it simple for the peruser to comprehend the plot and doesn't mistake them for inside and out, polysyllabic words. This additionally thinks about the expected peruser in that they purchase the paper for a fast simple read as opposed to an inside and out read. The Independent uses words, for example, guests, English, in vogue, most likely and this is on the grounds that the intended interest group are searching for to a greater extent a difficult read than newspaper papers offer. Newspaper papers regularly use slang to identify with their perusers. The Sun says British bobby which would interest a normal newspaper crowd. Though broadsheet papers utilize Standard English as it is available to the peruser. The Independent says An English lady was shot with a little gauge gun. This additionally makes the article progressively available to individuals who may communicate in English yet are inexperienced with British slang e. g. Australians, Americans. Newspaper papers are additionally extremely nationalistic. The Sun says British Bobby as the initial two words in the article. Newspaper papers are composed to request just to the British open and the British open that they bid to are just keen on thing that may influence them or that they may think about. This makes them need to peruse on, as they need to accept that the British Bobby made all the difference and fortify their enthusiastic view that English individuals are astonishing and chivalrous. In The Independent it says Mr Nuffer was conceived in Canada and lived in Enfield. This shows fore nonpartisan nationality and makes it increasingly open to all nationalities and doesnt laud the British. Broadsheets additionally dont twist reality to make the article all the more fascinating to the British Public. Additionally broadsheet papers utilize uncovered realities or occasions. The Independent says twenty multi year old Susan. This assists with building subtleties and a full record of the event so the peruser can settle on and educated choice without anyone else. While newspaper papers use feeling e. g. The Sun says unpleasant. This is utilized as it makes the story all the more intriguing and lets the peruser associate with the article and the sentiments in it. Newspaper papers do utilize humor. The Sun says unpleasant stuff which keeps the peruser feeling happy and makes the article increasingly fun and jaunty, which a newspaper peruser appreciates. Broadsheets will in general keep it genuine. The Independent says the shot cut into supply routes and she lost a great deal of blood. This gives the paper status, as it seems like a specialist talking or somebody who knows a great deal about clinical issues and this interests to their crowd.

All I Ever Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten (and at MIT)

All I Ever Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten (and at MIT) [Disclaimer: Not my last post! Ive still got one more in me after this one. :)] The other day I was hanging out with one of my best friends from high school when we got into a heated argument about the value of an undergraduate college degree. My friend, who I love very dearly and consider my own flesh and blood, is very bright but has always hated school because of its arbitrarily bureaucratic hoops. To give you an idea of what he is like, he taught my little brother (who was four at the time) to respond with Stick it to the Man when people asked what he wanted to be when he grew up. I reached for the right words to validate the way I had spent my last four years halfway across the country. Essentially, I was trying to stop him from dropping out of college. Without trying to belittle the diploma that Id received less than a week before, he posited that many talented kids would be better off (and might contribute more to the world) pursuing projects or companies or whatever business endeavors that they were really interested in instead of enduring the confined walls of a university and its limiting course requirements. Pullling a Mark Zuckerberg or Steve Jobs or one of these guys, if you will. Presented with a hypothetical situation in which 18-year-old Elizabeth and 22-year-old Elizabeth were both gunning for the same job, he said hed regard both equally, because while 22-year-old me has the diploma, the 18-year-old me that he knew had the drive and tenacity that wouldve figured out a way to succeed.  At that point I had to stop yelling at him and just grin uncontrollably, because the 18-year-old me was obnoxious and kind of an asshat, and it was a miracle that he and my other friends ever put up with me, and it would be an even bigger miracle for a full-time employer to do the same. But it also horrified me, because suddenly I was faced with presenting a defense of all the ways I had changed in the last four years and all the things that college had given me and I was at a loss for words. You might be incredulous at the fact that I hadnt been reflecting on these things during my last few weeks at MIT, but I wasnt thinking about these things. I was frantically packing, moving things into storage, saying goodbye, watching movies with friends who I wont see for indefinite periods of time, enduring the wildly craptastic weather during graduation, and in denial that the Tute was kicking me out, and that with this piece of paper, society saw me as somehow qualified to be a grown up and do grown up things in the grown up world.  What did I learn at MIT? (We shouted at each other some more, banged our fists on the table, disturbed other people in the restaurant, and then gave each other big hugs before saying goodnight, the issue left unresolved.) A couple days later, I was flipping through old photo albums (because I am actually that nauseatingly sentimental of a person and do that crap everytime I go home, and because I was looking for pictures to use in a Fathers Day card) and came across pictures from my kindergarten graduation. Evidently my mom is equally sentimental because she had kept everything they gave us during the graduation ceremony (yes. We had a ceremony. And a rainbow cap and gown color theme.). One of those things was a copy of Robert Fulghums All I Ever Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, which has become a standard for coming-of-age celebrations almost ubiquitous as Vitamin Cs Graduation. And it got me thinking about what I learned in college All I Ever Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten  by  Robert Fulgham Most of what I really need to know about how to live, and what to do, and how to be, I learned in Kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sandbox at nursery school. Or, in the ball pit in Simmons Hall, originally built as a Meditation Room and where we held our Senior Ball[pit] afterparty. These are the things I learned: Share everything. People experience some pretty heinous living situations in college and early adulthood. Others get absurdly fortunate and find a home to share with people. I, rather undeservedly and extreme luckily, fell into the latter category. I met my freshman roommate, Sneha, when we serendipitously peeked at each others rooming survey (we happened to be standing next to each other), only to notice that the other shared living habits similar to people at least three times our age (You go to bed early? You dont like noise? What the WHAT?!). We shared the same room with each other for four years. I shared a bathroom with guys and I shared a kitchen with hallmates who never cleaned their dishes (I admit Ive committed the eggregious offense of soaking my bowls numerous times). I yelled at people to shut up (using choice words that I cannot put on the blogs) and I stayed up with people for no reason other than to derp in the hallways and enjoy their company. I shared a home with over 300 people and I learned to compromise. I got better about being tidy and trying to be less hypocritcal. The family I had in our home of Simmons Hall was generous and I cant say I always returned their friendship as much as I should have, but at the very least, I learned how to be a better friend. Play fair. Five years ago I asked my MIT interviewer what his favorite part about the Institute was, and he told me that he loved that it was as close a thing to a meritocracy in this world as they get. I lived in this meritocracy for four years and it gave me one of the things I will treasure most toughness. It made me earn everything, it made me learn to take criticism and to build back up from it. That isnt to say that MIT doesnt recognize that some people get stuck playing the game of life on a much harder level, and try to level the playing field accordingly (I cant remember where I heard it phrased like that, but Ive been partial to it ever since). But Ill be damned if that isnt being fair. None of us caught breaks because we were girls or came from interesting backgrounds or were rich or poor or whatever. We had to prove ourselves constantly. I dont think it was always the healthiest thing, because folks start equating their self-worth with a very narrow definition of success, and somet imes it meant that there were some real assholes floating around this place. But because it was a meritocracy, I spent the last four years having no illusions of grandeur in a very, very good way. Teaching twentysomethings not to feel so entitled to everything? Im not sure if it had that effect on everyone here, but it sure as hell did for me. Dont hit people. Put things back where you found them. Clean up your own mess. My room at home the summer before college and my room at school packing up after my first semester. Literal messes: I, like most of the students here, moved myself into my dorm during freshman orientation and had to go through storing everything on my own every summer. You know what builds character? Having to pack up all your crap on your own. It also makes you have a much more critical eye when amassing purchases. Figurative messes: When poo hits the proverbial fan, it may be beyond the scope of what Mom and Dad can do to help. Maybe I just lived a very fortunate life to not have to deal with such poo until I left home, but I encountered this in college and had to figure out how to clean up my own messes. Better I did it in my early twenties than later Wash your hands before you eat. Flush. Somewhat unrelated, but heres a shot of our bathroom when Cambridge experienced a freak power outage this year (the only one Ive ever experienced there). MITs backup generators go straight to the labs, so Simmons was left without lights, save for the emergency ones in the stairwells and bathrooms? Power outages cant stop problem setting! Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you. As are Nathans homemade rosewater buttercream cupcakes and Russells homemade pizza. Live a balanced life. Learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work some every day. A few weeks ago, Hamsika asked me what the biggest thing that changed about me since coming to MIT was, and I told her that Id become much less ambitious. Again, as with all of my experiences, I cant claim it to be indicative of that of the rest of my classmates, but she seemed to be in agreement. I worked really hard at MIT (most of us did), and it was amazing to be constantly surrounded by people who were driven and cared about things (people throw around the word passion a lot, but lets face it. Its really just caring about something). People at MIT dont really half-ass things (most of the time), which also made it an incredibly exhausting place to be sometimes. I never took for granted being in the company of people who care, regardless of how grating or tiring it got, but I also started valuing and appreciating things like leisure and side projects and meaningful relationships a lot more. It meant I had to prioritize things some projects were left unpursued, some friendships su ffered, MANY blog posts were left unwritten but in the end I sort of figured out what made me happy and fulfilled and sane, which is something Im very glad to know. Take a nap every afternoon. Sigh. Ive never been a napper. I was that weird kid in preschool who stayed awake during naptime, sitting on my cot waiting for the others to wake up. Unfortunately, MIT did little to change that for me, though my friends never seemed to have the same problem. When you go out into the world, watch for traffic, hold hands, and stick together. That’s the thing about MIT. We go through everything as a team â€" working, struggling with homework, comforting each other when it’s 4 am and we’re still not done with a pset, celebrating birthdays at midnight (even though it was never a surprise), and grinning so wide at others’ accomplishments and successes they might as well be our own.  (Couldnt have said it better, Hamsika. Read the rest of her last post here!) Be aware of wonder. I loved many things about this school, one of them being that there were days where Id walk down the Infinite Corridor and just smile to myself, in awe of everything that was around me. I knew next door, someone was making something that has never been made or discovering something that had never been known. And on top of that, I had the priviledge of spending four years experiencing those moments in class, four years  where my primary obligation was to learn about the world. It was incredibly humbling. Wonder isnt a a sparkly concept emblazoned on a Lisa Frank backpack (although Im pretty sure I owned one in first grade), but a reflection of respect for the universe as we try to wrap our tiny minds around it. Our world is messed up, but it is also overwhelmingly beautiful and simulatenously small and expansive and I feel so lucky to have what sliver of knowledge I do about it, and hopefully Ill use it to make it a little better. Ironically, it became easier to lose sight of this the further I got into my studies. I met people who seemed so lost in the depths of their research or work that they didnt always seem to grasp its impact on a higher, societal level. But there were  enough people at MIT who nudged me out of cynicism when I needed  it most. Remember the little seed in the plastic cup. The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that. I cant wait to get out of here. I am willing to forgo the rest of the summer to get to Boston sooner. I remember saying these words to someone in July of 2009, right before I left my hometown (where Id lived my whole life) to go to MIT. I was in such a hurry to leave, not realizing just how deeply my roots had been planted. Ripping them out totally backfired on me. I missed my family, my friends, being able to see the stars at night, Shakespeares Pizza, and Ninth Street more than I ever thought I would. People are more than the little seed in the plastic cup we can plant roots in multiple places, and instead of pulling us in different directions and further into the ground, they only help us to grow taller. You dont have to uproot yourself to go on an adventure, as my 18-year-old self had mistaken. Deeper roots only send you further than you could have ever gone on your own. Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the plastic cup they all die. So do we. (Boston Globe) Of course, this one is the most difficult to write about, especially because deaths inevitability doesnt make it easier to process when it comes too soon and too unjustly. Im not sure that I or any of us will fully come to terms with the loss of a life, whether it makes national headlines, as so many did this year, or is a quiet individual experience of mourning; whether it is that of a complete stranger or someone you shared your life with. Life is so precious, and I wish we all (myself included) didnt need death to put things in perspective, to remind us that there are always reasons to be joyful and thankful in the face of problem sets and deadlines and the millions of excuses to be miserable. Death is not an end, and these beautiful people proved it. Live well, live selflessly, and live fully, and your life will be an example for others to do the same, even after it comes to an end. And then remember the book about Dick and Jane and the first word you learned, the biggest word of all: LOOK. Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation, ecology and politics and sane living. At the end of my MIT interview (which, for the record, went very, very, objectively TERRIBLY), my interviewer told me that MIT had everything I could ever want, but that no one would give it to me. If you needed help, if you wanted to work on a great project it was all there, but you had to look for it yourself. Job opportunities, a good nights rest, friendships, clean laundry, happiness you had to make these things for yourself. I was very lucky that during these four years, many of the things I needed were right within arms reach, as MIT was an environment that facilitated locating these things pretty nicely. As I depart the physical location of MIT and the life-niche of college, there are days where I am bona-fide-terri-fied of what life will look like out in the real world. A real world where I cant just walk up three flights of stairs to find a hallway full of friends, where I cant make a real life light-saber just because I have access to machinery that can mill the parts (tho ugh lets be real, I never took advantage of that), where I cant pop into an advisors office for life advice. But I think Ive managed to fumble together an assemblance of a life, and I know that everything I need will still be out there, even if it is harder to find. Think of what a better world it would be if we all the whole world had cookies and milk about 3 oclock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankets for a nap. Or if we had a basic policy in our nation and other nations to always put things back where we found them and clean up our own messes. And it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together. To my friend (if you are reading this), If you really want to drop out, and if you really think youll make more out of your life doing something other than going through our admittedly-less-than-ideal American university system, then I say go for it.  I will love and understand you no less. Evidently all I ever really needed to know, and all I gathered from a rather decent institution of higher learning, were things that I should have learned when I was four years old. And on top of that, college (or kindergarten, for that matter) didnt teach me everything. I did not learn how to refinance a house, fix a flat tire, enjoy eating dinner by myself, or stop using parenthetical remarks so excessively. College is not for everyone (though you have to admit that, for better or worse, we are living in a society where it is becoming increasingly more difficult to enjoy a higher quality of life without a diploma), and MIT is not for everyone. There were times I was miserable here and you and many, many others would have endured a mi sery far greater than mine. Not because you couldnt handle it, but because you would not necessarily find the things that made me happy and fulfilled worth tolerating the less-than-desirable qualities of this place. But I did get a lot out of being here, a piece of paper probably being the least important on the list. I guess what Im trying to say, albeit super long-windedly, is that my experiences have been very personal to me. Yours have been, too. And thats okay. We are different, and so a path that best suits us will look different. But I would in a heartbeat, without an ounce of doubt take 22-year-old Elizabeth over that snothead you used to get into shenanigans with back in high school. And being here made all the difference. (I would DEFINITELY hire 22-year-old Elizabeth over 4-year-old Elizabeth.)