GUNTHER ROLAND: So at the beginning of each semester, I ask the students, what have you heard about Junior Lab? And what I find is that some of them have been worried about having to take the class since they joined MIT as a freshmen, even before they declared their majors. And the characterization that I've heard multiple times is that Junior Lab is a black hole that swallows up all available time. And this reputation was not, I would, say completely undeserved.
It is a very challenging class and it is very time intensive, and you really have to be very judicious in how you invest your effort. On the other hand, many of the elements that we have introduced in the last few years, like flipping the classroom, like rearranging a lot of the curriculum were meant to address this worry and to really preserve, and maybe even purify the essence of the class while removing some of the elements that really caused a lot of students stress. And I think the best way to see what we've done is to really come and try it for yourself. And I think many students will found at the end that it is a time consuming, but extremely rewarding experience.
