The Idea Factory: Learning to Think at MIT

by Pepper White

This is a personal story of the educational process at one of the world's great technological universities. This is a personal story of the educational process at one of the world's great technological universities. Pepper White entered MIT in 1981 and received his master's degree in mechanical engineering in 1984. His account of his experiences, written in diary form, offers insight into graduate school life in general—including the loneliness and even desperation that can result from the intense pressure to succeed—and the purposes of engineering education in particular. The first professor White met at MIT told him that it did not really matter what he learned there, but that MIT would teach him how to think. This, then, is the story of how one student learned how to think. There have of course been changes at MIT since 1984, but its essence is still the same. White has added a new preface and concluding chapter to this edition to bring the story of his continuing education up to date.

Genres: Nonfiction, Education, Science, Biography, Business, Stem, Engineering

328 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

Reviews

[Said AlMaskery · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is more like a detailed MIT-university-student biography. Initially it was interesting, but then it becomes a little bit boring with irrelevant details.

I enjoyed the idea of the book (not the book), and if it were half the length it would have made an excellent read. Also being on a MIT course makes it a bit more interesting to explore what full time year student pass through in this prestigious university.

The most important extract was the following;
"It doesnt really matter what you study here. We teach you to think. We make you into a professional. Then you can do whatever you want".

[Matty · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book. The geek in me was totally into hearing about how people become engineers at MIT. He kept up the comic relief throughout the book, which is appreciated when the more serious issues rear their head. The reality of Pepper's experience hits you pretty hard. He has the great ability to relate his story well. His conclusions (closure chapter) pretty much erased any inclination that I had to go back to school at a place like MIT or UCB, etc.

[Lauri Zag · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. The narrating voice was approachable and interesting, even when explaining or ranting about an advanced mechanical engineering problem I had no background on. The pacing of Pepper's grad school experience was well thought out and allowed me to immerse myself in the story. He explains that a lot of the characters are composites; even so, they feel three-dimensional and emotional(i just really enjoyed that we get a play-by-play of what in this nonfiction has been fabricated). It was kind of disappointing though, when I found out at the end that one of my favorite characters was a composite.
So many flaws and humiliating anecdotes are included about the author that you just have to feel for this guy. He's not afraid to reveal himself as an asshole, and this increased his likability for me.

The appendices were as interesting as the book--the notes included extended details about characters/university history, show equations, and just generally provide interesting anecdotes and facts that don't fit anywhere in the narrative.

[A · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the technical descriptions, problems and proposed solutions! There are lots of things I identified with having had similar experiences in grad school. The talk of suicides is disheartening though.

This was definitely not the best book to have read 3 weeks before my own PhD quals... I suppose my time would have been better spent studying instead. Now I plan to redouble my efforts for sure.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book chronicles the experiences of Pepper White, a mechanical engineering graduate student at MIT during the early '80s. I found this to be a compelling and entertaining read - I brought it with me on vacation and couldn't put it down.

[Nick Black]

Referenced at http://www.cs.unc.edu/~azuma/hitch4.html, "Everything I wanted to know about C.S. graduate school at the beginning but didn't learn until later."

[Mohammed Almulla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read this book very long time ago, for some reasons I felt like I wanted to read it again.

[Marcus · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a really interesting read, although it felt inconsistent; as I think other reviewers have noted, the nature of the book involved a lot of flipping between the "soft" side of grad school (conversations, activities outside of class/work, etc.) and the "hard" details of problems.

Although the book makes an admirable attempt to explain the hard details to a lay audience, it still felt like a struggle to get through these parts -- I wanted to avoid skimming these sections, but it was either that or get lost trying to understand inexact descriptions of what were (in the context of the rest of the book) mostly inconsequential problems.

That being said, as a computer science grad student I really enjoyed the chapter on Course Six (EECS), so maybe people with experience in physics/engineering would enjoy the parts of the book that I found challenging.

I would have appreciated more time being spent on the author's relationships with other people; there were maybe a total of 4 characters besides the author who actually seemed to remain relevant throughout the book, with a lot of other smaller names popping up only once or twice throughout the book. It was hard to get invested in these characters, although I understand that this is partly due to how isolating grad school is.

I wound up reading this book due to recommendation of Ronald Azuma's website (https://www.cs.unc.edu/~azuma/hitch4....) -- I can say honestly that I don't regret reading this, and I think it's telling that the isolation it describes still rings true to grad students ~30 years later.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an almost unbelievably detailed account of a mechanical engineering student's pursuit of a master's degree at MIT in the mid 1980's. I enjoyed the story and could not help comparing it to my own studies in graduate engineering about ten years earlier at an Ivy league school. Pepper White had a much more "hands on" education than I did, as well as a much more limited education in the role of mathematics in the engineering sciences, which was surprising to me. He was also able to interact with some very famous faculty at MIT, including Professor Edgerton (of Poppa Flash fame) and Professor Steven Crandall, one of the founders of the discipline of random vibrations, and I thought that was very interesting. I am glad I read this book.

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think many people go into books like this with the wrong mindset. I go into them with the expectation not of finding a coherent story or moving experiences, but of seeing a glimpse into someone else's experiences. When reading an autobiography it helps to remember that the writer is not trying to get across morals, but tell their own experiences. In that vein, the author does a pretty good job of telling his story. At times he goes into more detail on the topics he learning about in class than necessary, but I did not find that to take away from the book. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys autobiographies, which happens to include me.

[Caterina]

Warning: this is not an inspirational read, there is quite some suicide talk and it will probably make you NOT want to go to MIT (or at least 1980s MIT). Still, Pepper White keeps a remarkable levity in remembering his life in a system that pays less than zero attention to your existence as a human being, as its one and only goal is turning you into an engineer, whatever it takes. If you're interested in electronics, physics and such, you will enjoy the problems and solutions - if you don't, they're easy to skip and won't bother your reading.

[Euan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable read even when considering my vested interest.
I am currently about to finish my mechanical engineering degree at a much lesser university many years after Pepper did his. Pepper talks through some very interesting ways about thinking about problems that I have been tackling blindly for years.

[Jithu Krishna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its just a mediocre story of a student at any of the prestigious institutes (here MIT). You can read it if you have not been to one. Not much inspiring though, just gives a glimpse of MIT life.

[Zora · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5/5

[Jon Derbyshire · Rating 3 out of 5]

RIP Pepper

[Asmawi Mohamad]

*personal* is the key word here. There's not much that you can learn actually. Most are personal anecdotes.

[Raj · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the first description of life in the hot house of MIT

[Matthew Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

From experience, this is an honest portrayal of the high highs and grueling lows of an MIT education.

[Bernie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it. I actually bought it at the MIT bookstore when I was attending a custom seminar created by MIT business school and my company at the time.

[Peter Burrowes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This memoir is a one-of-a-kind, chronicling Pepper White's time at MIT. It's at once inspiring and cautionary, about the trials and triumphs of working on an advanced degree in engineering. As an outsider to MIT, I couldn't have imagined what the experience was like. I might have gained much at MIT with this book as a guide, but at the same time, this story validates the path I did take in engineering, and assures me I did OK. No regrets.

[Thierry Uwilingiyimana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished this book today (4/27/2015) and would like to quickly jot down my thoughts. I'll revisit this review to clean it up.
I've always been curious about the institution that is MIT. Pepper did a fabulous job walking me through the halls of MIT and into the classrooms, sharing the problems sets and the little insights through which he learned to think like an engineer. As he shares in the notes at the beginning of the book, he delivers an uncensored recounting of his experience during his years at MIT from the suicide epidemic, to the loneliness that eventually engulfs all, the apathetic profs and the at times unbearable pressure they place on their poor students.

I come away with a better appreciation of the trial by fire that is an MIT engineering training, and a better understanding of the environment in which these young men and women's psyches bend and for some break in enduring that experience.

As an engineer myself, I appreciated that he shared concrete problems, at times with graphs and formulas grappled with and formulated, and the subtle tricks of the trade that provide engineers the insight into problems that continue to elude the rest.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Who new that fluid dynamics could be so interesting....I've actually now spent some time trying to figure out what the heck 'entropy' actually means. Thus far I've deduced that it's related to Newton's principles as well as one of the first principles of thermodynamics. It has something to do with the chaos that results when energy is added to a system??? There was a picture that showed a pile of bricks and a neat stack of bricks; if the bricks fall off a truck then they are going to fall in a disorderly pile....that's supposed to have something to do with entropy.....this is also why I was never an MIT candidate. :)

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4.0) Makes me glad I didn't end up going... ;)

In the tradition of One-L and Ahead of the Curve (actually reading that now ;) ), first-hand account of what it was like to be a course 2 (mechE) grad student at MIT in the eighties. Good anecdotes, well-told, though some of the early conversations just feel way too condensed to have been real. I was surprised at how focused everyone (at least in the eyes of Pepper) was so focused on grades. That's very surprising, especially if everyone is as brilliant as we'd think.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

If your life revolves around technical or complex problems then the ability to think and reason clearly, accurately, and precisely is all important. This books is an easy read describing the experiences of a graduate student at MIT who "learns how to think" - which is what graduate school, and life, is really all about.

[Juanita Baltz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a really cool book about what it is like to attend MIT. It is a small book and I thought it was a fast read. I read it a very long time ago and am glad to learn it is still available. I recommended it for a pre college read and was told it was horrible. Perhaps it is a book that only works in retrospect.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting to read about MIT since I went to engineering school at SUNY Buffalo because I got a much better aid package than at MIT. Also, interesting to know that he struggled with one of the same problems (tank filling a balloon), that I remember! Unbelievable that he went without funding as that was the primary reason for my college choice.

[Y.r.sashikumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pepper White, Inspiring Hero. Made me think to uplift my potentials. Real sync - can easily correlate his words to your imagination. Loved the way he projected scenarios in different phases. Best inspiring book i ever read...

[Luis Angel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has useful insights on the inner working of MIT, its doctoral application process, and it gives you a well depicted idea of how is it like to study there. even though there were boting parts, this is a great book and a very informative one.

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I found it very interesting.

[Edward Shepherd · Rating 3 out of 5]

MIT is not unique in teaching 'how to think' rather than 'regurgitative' learning. An interesting book ... recommended.