MIT教授致辞：提倡发挥社区力量及当前新生半数低于平均水平

　　9.1日，麻省理工学院迎来了1,184名2025届新生，大学校长L. Rafael Reif鼓励了初到MIT的学生：“你给我们带来了一份礼物，包括你的才能、你的能量、你的好奇心、你的创造力和你的动力。我们对此无比感激。”

　　以下是演讲原文介绍：

　　As the sun broke through the clouds on a breezy Monday morning, first-year students and their families gathered on Kresge Oval for MIT’s Convocation, the Institute’s annual welcome to the incoming class.

　　The ceremony marked one of the first major events MIT has hosted on campus since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. And while some aspects of the occasion were shaped by the ongoing pandemic — notably, masks were required of all who attended — the message to the 1,184 members of MIT’s Class of 2025 was one of hope, connection, and gratitude.

　　“Whether you know it or not, along with your suitcases, your boxes, your duffel bags, and your satchels, you also brought a gift to our community,” said President L. Rafael Reif in welcoming the incoming class. “You brought to us a gift of your talent, your energy, your curiosity, your creativity, and your drive. And you cannot imagine how grateful we are for that.”

　　As guests settled into their seats under a large and airy tent, the event opened with “Diary of a Pandemic Year,” a virtual performance that was written, composed, produced, and performed by hundreds of MIT musicians and community members.

　　“It is a homemade MIT masterpiece,” Reif said of the composition. “It offers a marvelous taste of so many things we love about MIT: a wonderful mix of people and backgrounds, the pleasure we take in making things together, and the energy and creative aspiration of everyone we meet.”

　　“Your new home”

　　Reif recalled first arriving at MIT in 1980 as an assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science — “Which is course…?” he asked of the new students, to which they confidently shouted back, “Six!”

　　Having grown up in Caracas, Venezuela, with an accent that was shaped 2,000 miles south of Cambridge, Reif was anxious about fitting in at MIT. But he quickly found that, like him, many at MIT “came from somewhere else, and they cared about helping each other, and helping society.”

　　Joining Reif onstage were several senior members of the MIT administration: Provost Martin Schmidt, Chancellor Melissa Nobles, Vice Chancellor for Undergraduate and Graduate Education Ian Waitz, and Vice Chancellor and Dean for Student Life Suzy Nelson. Reif briefly introduced each of them, noting that they represent essential pieces of a rich support system available to MIT students.

　　“You’re surrounded by a community that cares about you,” he said. “All of us are dedicated to your success, and we believe in you.”

　　Moments to meander

　　Reif then introduced three members of the MIT faculty, who also happen to be MIT alumni: Shankar Raman ’86, section head and professor of literature; Evelyn Wang ’00, the Ford Professor of Engineering and head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering; and Steven D. Eppinger ’83, SM ’84, ScD ’88, the General Motors Leaders for Global Operations Professor of Management at MIT’s Sloan School of Management.

　　Raman, Wang, and Eppinger each spoke about living and learning at the Institute. For Raman, the MIT experience started out predictably enough. He recalled arriving as an undergraduate from India, “determined to major in Course 6 and emerge an electrical engineer.”

　　He also loved literature and philosophy, and on his way toward an engineering degree he sampled courses in German, poetry, and Western philosophy. After signing up for a filmmaking class, he stumbled upon MIT’s Department of Architecture, where the course was taught at the time. This encounter sprouted a new path, and Raman went on to earn degrees in both electrical engineering and architecture.

　　“Whatever your major, remember these four years are probably the only ones in your life where you can meander — where you can decide to not follow the main avenue, but to follow oblique paths and detours, to discover new areas of study,” he said.

　　His career continued to take unexpected turns. While pursuing a master’s in electrical engineering from the University of California at Berkeley, he realized that “my heart wasn’t fully in it.” So, he switched fields entirely, earning a PhD in literature from Stanford University. In 1995, he returned to MIT as a faculty member in the MIT Literature Section, and today serves as its head, teaching classes in Shakespeare, postcolonial fiction, and perspectives on artificial intelligence.

　　“I had come to MIT to become an electrical engineer, and I had certainly learned that,” Raman said. “But MIT also taught me how not to be one. And for that lesson, I will be forever grateful, and I hope it’s one you all will experience.”

　　“You’ve got this”

　　As a first-year herself, Evelyn Wang recalled setting out with energy, ready to “bring my ‘A’ game.” But her older brother, who also had attended MIT, warned her about “the wicked-hard problem sets,” and that she might not always get the A’s she was accustomed to in high school.

　　“Getting straight A’s is really, really tough,” Wang said. “You’re probably going to get a B, and maybe even a C or D, and that’s okay. I got an F on my first physics exam. Grades are only one way to measure what you’ll learn here.”

　　She offered tips for students to make the most of their time at MIT. The first is to be resilient and keep from dwelling on stress.

　　“Take breaks when you need to. Walk along Memorial Drive. Take a sailing class on the Charles. Tinker with a pet robot. Then get back to the problem sets,” Wang said. “You’ve got this.”

　　She also encouraged students to build a community — of friends, professors, and loved ones back home — who can support, advise, and ground them as they navigate the next four years.

　　Wang also reminded students to stay healthy, and pace themselves — advice she learned the hard way as an undergraduate. During a particularly grueling week, she recalled getting very little sleep while attempting to finish multiple class projects. She and her friends were fueled by cans of Mountain Dew, which they erected at the end of the ordeal, in a massive “victory tower.”

　　“Afterward, I slept for 36 hours straight,” Wang said. “Even when you are young, your body will fall apart if you do that every week. Please hydrate, and maybe drink less Mountain Dew than I did.”

　　“You are not alone”

　　As a newly arrived first-year at a similar MIT welcome event, Steven Eppinger remembered being given an obvious yet unsettling reality check.

　　“A speaker warned us, ‘half of you will be at the bottom half of the class,’” Eppinger said, drawing laughter from the crowd after a beat. “That statistical reality really struck me. Here we were, all these highly accomplished students, being told we may be average or worse. How could I process that?”

　　He did so by being open to imperfection. He came to MIT on a chemistry scholarship and had been the top chemistry student in both his high school and his state. At MIT, though, he quickly learned to redefine his expectations. “I was not devastated to score poorly on several chemistry exams in my first year,” he said.

　　Instead, he expanded his interests, by pledging a fraternity, joining the crew team, and participating in design challenges, a talent show, and even some campus hacks — all of which gave him a sense of community and helped to put his heavy courseload into perspective.

　　He encouraged the Class of 2025 to explore, and to reach out — to study groups, teaching assistants, advisors, and MIT’s Student Support Services — for help along the way.

　　“You are not alone in this journey,” said Eppinger, closing with a hopeful vision for the future:

　　“All of you are going to play a role in changing the world, through science and engineering, and a range of humanitarian endeavours,” he said. “You are going to be people of great consequence, who will do great things.”

　　重点摘录：MIT教授致辞2025届新生：“无论你们多优秀，50%学生都会低于平均水平!”

　　MIT另一位教授的发言更加发人深省，也更加必要。他就是工程学和管理学教授Steven Eppinger。他说：“你们都是这么有成就的学生，现在被告知你们大多数人都可能是平均水平或更差。那么你们该如何处理?”

　　现在，你肯定会问：这和我有什么关系?我又不是麻省理工学院的学生。但是，你可能正在考虑转学。我知道，你们中的很多人都会否认：“我不会是平均水平的!我比这所学校的其他学生都要更好!”

　　你不断告诉自己，因为一些意外和糟糕的运气，你被梦校拒绝了。这些学校不知道你有多特别，而现在你将成为新学校里的佼佼者，因为你知道之前申请的时候没发挥出自己的所有实力，对吗?

　　他这样做是因为他对不完美持开放态度，他拿着化学奖学金来到麻省理工学院，在他所在的高中和他所在的州，他都是最优秀的化学学生。不过，在麻省理工学院，他很快学会了重新定义自己的期望。他说:“大一的时候，我在几次化学考试中都得了很差的分数，但我并没有因此而沮丧。”

　　相反，他扩大了自己的兴趣，加入了兄弟会，加入了团队，参加了设计挑战，参加了才艺表演，甚至参加了一些校园黑客活动——所有这些都给了他一种社区意识，帮助他正确看待沉重的课程负担。

　　他鼓励2025届毕业生探索并向学习小组、助教、顾问和麻省理工学院的学生支持服务机构寻求帮助。

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