Summer LGOin' had me a blast.Summer LGOin' happened so fast.

Greetings loyal readers,

So the end of LGO summer is quickly approaching and things are heating up. Groups have really started putting in the hours to tackle everything that needs to be done. Luckily for me, the people in my group are wicked smart and able to compensate for my stupidity.

Sure, there is a little stress, but it’s important to keep things in perspective. Bombing a test at MIT is not the end of the world. A lot of things you just need to do and move on. Furthermore, I have been here two months and have not been shot at once, so it’s been a pretty sweet time. Life is too short not to enjoy yourself. Plus, we are all adults; do your best, and forget the rest (P90X lovers).

With all the work, you might think that we've stopped having fun. Well, to think that would be erroneous. I would say that the fun level has actually been directly proportional to the amount of work. For example, we had a class birthday party last night. It was off the hook. Happy Birthday again Sarah! On Thursdays, we have been taking over an on campus bar for karaoke to bust out some sweet tunes. I pretty much count the days in between those sessions.

Last Thursday, we visited the New Balance plant to watch their manufacturing. Here, we actually saw principles in action that we are learning about in the classroom, and now most of us are sporting brand new, new balance sneakers.

On the family side of the house, let me give prospective student-parents some tips:

1.      No matter how demanding you are as a parent, a one month old is unable to take a bath by himself. I thought that by running the water for my son and giving him the soap, I was already making it too easy. I come in 20 minutes later and he’s just floating around. It’s a cruel world son, step it up! Apparently, I have a lot to learn.

2.      A baby in a baby carrier is kind of like an M4 carbine.
         a. Both should never be more than an arm’s length distance away.
         b. Both can be rigged in the combat or combat light configuration for airborne operations.
         c. It is important to keep both clean and lightly oiled.

In summary:

1.      School work is work
2.      LGO program is awesome
3.      LGO people are awesome
4.      Summer is great
5.      Teach your children well

Summer of LGO

Hi virtual friends,



     I am in the LGO program at MIT. A lot of my classmates have recently started blogs to give prospective applicants a student's eye view of the program. Since I have a tendency to wear my mind on my sleeve, I wanted to offer up my $0.02.

     A little bit about me: I graduated in 2001 from West Point, with a degree in Civil Engineering. I served 10 years in the Army, with a few trips to Afghanistan. Not thinking MIT would be hard enough in and of itself, I decided to have a child right at the start of the program.

     With that out of the way, let me be a little bit controversial here: LGO is awesome and the people are awesome. If you join this program, you are going to work hard, but you will have a great time.

     Anyway, I just wanted to get the ball rolling on this. I'll be sure to post more interesting and profound insights in the coming months. Thanks for reading and if you have any questions, hit me up.