Waiving Classes:
There are three types of SDM courses: core, fundamental, and electives. It is virtually impossible to waive core courses. Fundamental courses can be waived if you show that you have covered the material already, and electives are yours to choose so waiving is irrelevant. See the curriculum coordinator for the detailed procedures. If in doubt, go for it. Use your time at MIT for material you can only get here, not things you already know. Since you must substitute another course for each one waived, this is easier to do if on-campus (either full time or RA/TA).
Homework deadlines move
Unlike (or like, depending upon your industry) the real world, assignment deadlines can and do move. Usually they move outward, occasionally inward. So do not cut it too close to the envelope. If you need an extension, ask the instructor: in Fall 2005, the System Project Management got a blanket extension to their homework because more than twenty students each individually asked for it.
MIT deadlines do not move
Unlike homework deadlines, MIT's institutional deadlines (things like the last day to add a class, last day to drop a class, last day to get on the degree list...) do not change. They are not flexible, won't take any excuses.
Schedules move
Class schedules, especially the SDM summer schedule, are cast firmly in jello that has no pectin (the factor that sets/hardens the gel). In 1998 we had five different drafts of the schedule in four weeks, each an incremental improvement; after that we stopped counting and the staff stopped re-issuing the doc/xls files. Do look at the first version and see what conflicts they schedule and let them know, this has been a source of on-going friction. The 1997 full-timers took one of the three required classes by video for the entire summer because of conflicts. The schedules can also move after the term has started, although this is usually either (a) a one-day change or (b) as a result of students screaming bloody murder about conflicts.
Engineering vs Sloan
These are two different schools; they have different procedures for a lot of things and student mixing is unusual but not uncommon. Were it not that your MIT student number is recognized by both and that they share a common Bursar’s office, you would think they were different colleges. In terms of course difficulty, the going rule is that one Engineering course is worth 2-3 Sloan courses in terms of time/effort (there are some notable exceptions, like System Dynamics which is a time sucker).
Missed classes
Streaming video recordings of all required classes and distance electives are now available through the video bridge website. Bill Foley (SDM's Distance Administrator) will provide access information for each class at the beginning of the semester.
Schedule of classes
The MIT Bulletin and Schedule of classes together give you courses offered, which terms they are offered (some are every second year), and days/times/room assignments. Bill Foley also sends out a schedule of all required/distance courses with the latest dates/times. Department bulletin boards also announce late changes, which often are the interesting graduate courses that are posted too late for preregistration. These usually use “temporary” course numbers like ESD.9xx where the content varies each time it is offered. Most are available only while on campus.
Course Web Pages
Naming pattern for course web pages: courses use a number of different systems to hold the syllabus, make announcements, post homework assignments, and in some cases submit homework, run course discussion areas, etc. The different course systems are explained elsewhere in this document. In all cases, only the most catastrophic bugs will be fixed during a term rather than risking the fix being worse than the cure. So once you find a bug, report it and then start figuring out how to cope with its continued presence.
Talking to faculty about research
What SDM staff will tell you is that professors and grad students are just dying to talk to anyone about their area of research. What we have found is that both groups are too harried to spend time explaining their important research to others unless there is the promise of (a) data or (b) grant money as a result. Do not depend on them as a source of info unless you already have access to them.
Instructor office hours
Most professors will announce a small number of office hours in class, and expect you to just drop in (going through their assistant/secretary if one exists). You can also set up an appointment via email. Once you have a class with them, most are fairly accessible although some are more socially impaired than others.
Profs are the king/queen of their courses
At MIT, the professor(s) has(ve) complete and total control over the course. Even if the SDM staff agrees with you, all they can do is try to convince the professor; results are not guaranteed. Most professors, even the ones that seem distant, are very accommodating if treated as humans. Example: Professor Apostolakis ended an ERBA class 10 minutes early to give the on-campus students time to get down to a mid-term at the far end of campus. All we had to do was ask.
Teaching Assistants
Each class will normally have at least one Teachers Assistant. Some have one for the on-campus folks and one specifically for distance students. TAs have a tremendous impact on how you perceive the class. It behoves you to get to know them, get on their good side, and utilize them to the fullest.
In general TAs are students that had the class a year ahead of you. Being a TA is also an option for classes that you’ve already had and when you’re on campus. If you are not happy with the level of feedback / grading from the TA or professor on your assignments then check how others are feeling and don’t be afraid to ask. Often the professors are too busy to check on the quality of the TA’s feedback and assume that silence is golden. Since the TAs are also busy being students some inevitably cut corners. Unless you ask for an improved level of feedback you won’t get it. You won’t be penalized for asking.
Some TAs are known as evil, incompetent, or both. Other TAs are just great. TAs change frequently, as they graduate or move on to other support work. If you have a good experience, note it in your evaluations; similarly, if you have a bad experience, evaluate accordingly, and talk to the professor and SDM staff.
Video Conference Scheduling
The schedule of each terms classes will be sent out prior to the start of the term. You need only dial in to the conference 15 minutes prior to class start. Dial-in numbers and IP addresses, as well as MIT contact numbers for troubleshooting, etc., will be provided by SDM.
Teams
Team/group projects are a fact of life in the SDM Program. Some instructors like to assign and even mix up the teams. This gives you a chance to work with some of your cohorts that you might not have otherwise worked with. It also may give you a chance to work with students from outside of SDM. This requires more effort in forming teams than working with a standard study/project group.
Collaboration can be challenging for a mixed on-campus/off-campus team. Other factors like full-time students and distance students working to different priorities. Even time zone differences add additional complexity. Many of us use Google Hangouts and Google Docs/Drive to connect when working on homework and papers & such.
Problem Sets
Homework assignments are also a fact of life in SDM. You will spend a tremendous amount of time doing problem/opportunity sets. Everyone has a different style for how they handle assignments. It is a good idea to verify that you can in fact download/read a posted assignment as early as possible.
SDM Student Archives
Course materials from previous semesters; gives you an idea of homeworks, syllabus changes, homework solutions (problems are often recycled). Other resources include the instructors themselves – it doesn’t hurt to ask for sample of old assignments, TAs – there are there to help, and other students. Don’t hesitate to email previous students and ask.
Sloan Bidding
Research which classes you are interested in early. Find out instructor habits and preferences. Stay tuned to email for updates. Most Sloan classes involve group projects – if you’re planning on working with others – define a bidding strategy and stick to it. If you want to do a class that is ‘MBA reserved’ or ‘MOT reserved’ then ask the SDM office early and often and you can sometimes get allowed to bid.
Books & Course Readers
Ask for a book list in advance, and buy the required ones on eBay or other used book stores. Even Amazon.com and BN.com have better prices than the MIT Coop, which charges retail.
Course readers are obtained from the MIT Copy Technology Center a.k.a. Copy Tech. They have two locations: E52 basement, and building 11 basement. On-campus students may pick their's up in person, distance students order through an online service, once Bill sends notice that they are available (Copy Tech does not accept 'pre-orders'). Instructions will be given before the start of each term.
Practical information – you will get the list of required books and course readers from the SDM staff as soon as they get the data from the class instructors which is usually a couple weeks before the term starts, though sometimes at the last minute. Instructors also tend to forget that CopyTech does things like Copyright checking which takes time to process.
Course Evaluation Surveys
Eta Kappa Nu: HKN (Eta Kappa Nu) runs evaluations every term for all course 6 (EECS aka Electrical Engineering and Computer Science) courses, which are summarized online in a searchable database. These are a very useful source of information on courses, ratings of difficulty and actual hours spent by real students, quotes from students, etc. You can search based on many criteria, such as units or professor. Start at HKN and drill down; you can use links from some other web pages, but they tend to become stale over time.
SDM conducts a survey for every class. The surveys come at the end of the semester – just when life is at its busiest. Each of the Engineering professors will also hit you up with a survey.
The Graduate Student Council will hit you up for survey inputs. SDM students working on committees or on their thesis will also hit you with surveys. MIT is the surveyingest place I’ve ever seen.