The following is some information that I wish I knew when I was starting at WPI, back in '91.
Riley Commons - Next to Gompei's (the pizza place) and underneath Riley. Just a big function hall.
NR - not recorded! Get below a C and you have to take the class over again. Ouch.
Blizzard - This is what your report card looks like when you get 3 NR's in one term. One NR is a snowflake.
Punting - When you think you can't pass a class halfway through and you stop going. I did this once freshman year and then found out that I could have passed with the scale. And you can always use the credit towards graduation even if it is not in your major.
Suff - (or sufficiency) - This is your Humanities requirement. My advice - do it as quickly as possible. Don't get me wrong - I really like the Humanities, and did Drama for all my four years, but the Suff is something to do right away that will make your course load lighter later on. People who left it till Senior year weren't happy.
How to do it - you need five Humanities classes that are related to each other. Then you choose and advisor and a project. (Most people take the courses freshman year and do the project B term sophmore year.)
IQP - Usually done Junior year. I highly recommend going abroad - you get the project done in one term instead of three, and its a lot of fun. I went to England. My roommates went to Puerto Rico - and loved it! If you go abroad, they choose your advisor for you, so hope for the best. What you can decide about is your partners. Think about who you want a lot - it can make or break a project. If you stay at WPI to do your project, again, ask around about advisors to find the best one for you.
MQP - Senior year. Too far away. You don't have to worry about it now - start planning junior year. My advice - start A-term. Trying to finish your MQP D-term is terrible when all you're thinking about is graduating and finding a job or getting into grad school.
Graduating with distinction - Getting 18 A's OR A's on all your three projects. High Distinction is both. Think about it now because you can get A's freshman year that will help a lot. They make your transcript look a lot better.
Email is great - take advantage of it. If you don't have a clue, go to the CCC and grab someone and they'll show you the ropes. Everyone uses it to send messages on campus, and you can send to friends at other colleges too.
If you have any questions, ask your RA. I loved WPI, and would go there again in a second. I hope you find this information helpful. Good luck and best wishes.
Kristin Sullivan, Class of '95
Give feedback: newspeak@wpi.wpi.edu