MIT

By CHRISTINE LIU

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Your acne scabs are nothing compared the emotional scars left from four years of being called "Dorkus Malorkus Supremus" in the halls of whatever hellhole high school you've escaped from. Now, Boston is your high school, the MIT campus is your science club, and you're certainly still a dork--but at least your mom won't yell at you for staying up all night watching Firefly.

SHOP HERE

Invest in some wheels at Cambridge Bicycle [259 Mass. Ave., cambridgebicycle.com]; despite its badass architecture, MIT's sprawling campus is a bitch to get around by foot. Score gorgeous, brainy tomes at MIT Press Bookstore [292 Main St., mitpress.mit.edu/bookstore] and don't dare miss the 90%-off loading-dock sales. Vintage threads at Garment District [200 Broadway, garmentdistrict.com] and quirky tchotchkes at Buckaroo's Mercantile [5 Brookline St., buckmerc.com] grant you instant cred--for whatever that's worth. Craft stores Pearl Art [579 Mass. Ave., pearlpaint.com] and Artist & Craftsman Supply [580 Mass. Ave., artistcraftsman.com] should tide you over for adhesive needs. And for an ungodly array of electronic and radio components, don't miss the season's last Swapfests [Building N4 (Albany Garage), web.mit.edu/w1mx/www], a geek's fantasy fleamarket.

EAT THIS

Served on bona-fide laboratory tables, the hearty burgers and fried potatoes at Miracle of Science [321 Mass. Ave.] are nothing short of (ha) miraculous. The mapo tofu and weekend dim sum specials at super-authentic Mary Chung's [464 Mass. Ave., marychungs.com] fulfill your chopstick cravings. Indian restaurants are seriously rampant in Cambridge, but Royal Bengal [313 Mass. Ave., bengalicafe.com] is a cozy Bengali fave. For cheap-ass tasty brunch, get to Brookline Lunch [9 Brookline St.] and prepare to wait. Get familiar with Toscanini's [899 Main St., tosci.com]. a one-stop shop for caffeine, ice cream and deliciousness. And if you need a study break, the tacos al pastor at Anna's and the beverage selection at Laverde's Market [84 Mass. Ave., web.mit.edu/dining] are tough to beat.

HANG OUT HERE

You don't have to go far to kick back: On-campus pubs the Thirsty Ear [305 Memorial Dr., web.mit.edu/thirsty-ear] and the Muddy Charles Pub [142 Memorial Dr., web.mit.edu/muddy] host trivia and karaoke nights with appropriate libations--keep in mind, none of you are here because of your pipes. The Lecture Series Committee [Building 26-100 or 10-250, lsc.mit.edu] regularly screens both blockbuster and indie flicks for near-to-free admission. Brush up on "emotions" by checking out some art house films at the Kendall Square Cinema [1 Kendall Square, landmarktheatres.com]. Local and national bands nightly cram the sprawling Middle East complex [472-480 Mass. Ave., mideastclub.com], and you're never far from a DJ, a stiff drink and people with better fashion sense than you at Middlesex [315 Mass. Ave., middlesexlounge.com] or the Enormous Room [567 Mass. Ave., enormous.tv].

AVOID

Acknowledging Caltech or Harvard as an actual rival (that means they've won); coding, soldering or operating really expensive hardware under the influence; eating dining hall food; ingesting the Kool-Aid you just used to dye your hair; bathing regularly; swimming in the Charles; getting caught hacking whatever it is that you hack; those who underestimate your genius.