<p>I will be starting at MIT this fall, and I was wondering whether I will need a Facebook account. I say “need” a little loosely, but will having a Facebook make life noticeably easier? Do MIT students really rely on it for communication, or do they just use email? I ask because my sister, who just finished her first year of college (not at MIT) is convinced that I will need one, and says that she has even had professors give out assignments via Facebook. Is this the case at MIT? </p>
<p>I don’t have any good reason for not having an account, but I’ve managed to get through high school fine without one, and I don’t especially want to start now.</p>
<p>Thanks for any insights.</p>
<p>You won’t need a Facebook. There are other ways of communication (texting, for instance, will make your life a lot easier). It’s entertaining but not necessary. Not everyone I know at MIT uses one, though the great majority of people do. But, there are always other ways to talk to your friends and the idea of professor using it for a class sounds ridiculous to me - I really don’t think that will be an issue.</p>
<p>A Facebook is useful, but not necessary. Just don’t get hooked on Farmville :)</p>
<p>Btw, there are MIT-only Facebook pages and groups, another reason to join.</p>
<p>Nope. You don’t need Facebook. You’re going to live with your closest friends. Most other MIT communication happens through emails and email lists.</p>
<p>Facebook is not an absolutely necessary social tool, but it can be a very useful one. For example, there is an MIT class of 2016 Facebook group with over a thousand members in it. Of course we do a lot of chitchat and joking around, but we also discuss housing preferences, remind each other of deadlines, etc. Like rspence said, there are many other MIT-only Facebook groups for certain clubs, classes, the exchange of textbooks, and so on. Seeing how it takes literally 2 minutes to create an account, there really is no downside to making one, or commitment needed to maintain one.</p>
<p>If not for the MIT class of 2016 Facebook page, I would not have been able to meet so many cool students who are going to MIT. We went to CPW with a million inside jokes and we were able to click a lot quicker. It’s really fun, but like Volta93 said we also talk about serious things. It’s a great way to find out things really quickly (like if it’s 10pm and something is due at midnight and you won’t get a response back from admissions via e-mail in time) and discuss class choices and get advice from older students. I can’t imagine being able to get through all these different things without the Facebook group. It makes life easier, and is only as distracting as you let it be.</p>