unicornication

To anyone who's been to MIT, graduated, is currently a student, etc - is there a typical MIT student? I know there isn't really a typical student, because of the 'Match between you and MIT':
But are there any idiosyncrasies / personal qualities / quirks about MIT students that's common among the majority of the student body? eg: introversion, love for acronyms - \o/

lidusha

Except for that-- The Match Between You And MIT | MIT Admissions --MIT has a very diverse, very varied student body. You can find almost any type of culture or person you could look for.

HPuck35

I graduated from MIT a long time ago but have spent some time on and around the campus recently. The diversity of the student population stands out. There does seem to be one fairly common trait, the students are "proactive achievers". Not to say that some aren't laid back. But, they know how to get things done when they want to and have the skills to get it done.

iceui2

Diverse? Yes. Do we really "support, surprise and inspire each other"? From my time here, not as much as you think.

CalAlum

As a parent, I’ve had nearly a dozen MIT students visiting at our house in California, because our daughter, who graduated in 2011, regularly brings home friends to stay and visit. These students have been a mix of physics, math, and engineering majors. In my opinion, they do share a few traits in common:

An appreciation of math jokes and an uncanny ability to come up with one in almost any situation.

A love of games and a tendency to add multiple layers of challenge to any basic board or card game. Thus, a “simple game of hearts” can morph into a high-speed, card-slapping rule-shifting event, leaving hapless parents in the dust. Beware.

Unusual skills and abilities related to hacking. Last winter we were locked out of a rental cabin in the mountains, and my daughter’s boyfriend quickly whipped out a couple of tools from a back pocket and picked the lock while we were searching for the landlord’s cell phone number.

Wide-ranging interests, from mountain-climbing to musical theater to cooking, sports, digital art, and other things.

Good-heartedness. Every student I’ve met has been a genuinely nice person.

unicornication

Thank you for all your answers! Thank you for the very detailed response CalAlum - I really do appreciate it!

Cheers