As an ordinary genius

The wind carried a crisp chill as Ethan crossed the campus toward the massive glass structure of the MIT library. It was late afternoon, and the sun was beginning to dip below the horizon, casting long shadows across the quad. His laptop weighed heavily in his bag, not just from its physical weight but from the mountain of work it represented.

After their first group project, Ethan had felt a small boost in confidence, but now a new challenge loomed: an individual assignment for Dr. Patel's engineering class. Each student was tasked with designing a small, efficient water filtration system. Ethan wasn't sure where to begin.

The library was as grand inside as it was outside, with tall shelves that seemed to stretch infinitely toward the ceiling. Students were scattered everywhere, some buried in books, others tapping away on laptops. The faint hum of whispers and the occasional rustling of pages created a serene atmosphere.

Ethan made his way to the engineering section and began scanning the titles.

"Let's see... water filtration, water treatment, fluid dynamics..." he muttered to himself, pulling a couple of books off the shelf. He settled into a quiet corner with a view of the quad outside, the orange and pink hues of the sunset painting the campus in soft light.

The Struggle Begins

Ethan opened the first book, "Basics of Water Filtration," and started reading.

"Okay, this makes sense… kind of," he said under his breath. But as he got deeper into the chapter, the diagrams and equations became increasingly complex.

"What does that even mean?" he groaned, scribbling notes and underlining passages.

As the hours ticked by, Ethan's focus wavered. He leaned back in his chair, staring at his notebook filled with half-formed ideas and questions.

"Why does this feel so hard?" he murmured.

A nearby student looked up from her work and gave him a sympathetic smile. "First year?" she asked.

"Yeah," Ethan replied. "Is it that obvious?"

"Don't worry," she said. "Everyone feels like they're drowning at first. It gets better."

"I hope so," Ethan said, chuckling nervously.

As he packed up his things, Ethan noticed Raj entering the library, a stack of papers in his arms.

"Ethan! What are you doing here?" Raj asked, sliding into the seat across from him.

"Trying to figure out this water filtration thing," Ethan admitted.

Raj glanced at Ethan's notebook. "These are good notes, man. You've got the basics down."

"Really? Because it feels like I'm just spinning my wheels."

Raj grinned. "Welcome to MIT. Look, nobody gets it all right away. That's why we're here—to learn. Keep at it."

"Easy for you to say," Ethan said. "You make it look effortless."

Raj laughed. "Effortless? Dude, I was here until 2 a.m. last night trying to wrap my head around fluid mechanics. Trust me, nobody has it all figured out."

Ethan felt a small spark of relief. "Thanks, Raj."

The next morning, Ethan woke up early and headed back to the library. This time, he approached his research with a fresh perspective, focusing on the practical applications rather than getting bogged down in the technical details.

As he flipped through a book on low-cost filtration systems used in developing countries, something clicked.

"A simple design," he muttered, sketching a rough idea in his notebook. "A layered filter using sand, gravel, and activated charcoal. It's not groundbreaking, but it's functional."

He smiled to himself. It wasn't perfect, but it was a start.

That evening, Ethan shared his progress with his roommates.

"Check this out," he said, showing them his sketch.

Liam studied it carefully. "Looks solid. Practical and straightforward. I like it."

Mike nodded. "Yeah, this could work. You just need to test it."

"It's not exactly revolutionary," Ethan said.

"So what?" Raj said. "Not everything has to be revolutionary. Sometimes the simplest solutions are the best."

Ethan leaned back, a small smile on his face. He wasn't a genius, and he didn't have all the answers, but he was learning.

As he lay in bed that night, Ethan stared at the ceiling, his thoughts racing.

He didn't have Raj's sharp mind, Mike's mechanical intuition, or Liam's creative flair. But what he did have was determination.

"I don't need to be extraordinary," he thought. "I just need to keep going."

The soft hum of the campus outside lulled him to sleep, the challenges of tomorrow waiting for another day.