Cornell Tech’s New York City campus won’t be complete until 2017, but that doesn’t mean the school can’t work with what it has.

Today is the first day of classes for the still-tiny master of engineering program of Cornell University. Eight supersmart and superambitious computer science students make up the first batch of dual-degrees, which combine the rigors of academics with the soothing realities of real-world applications.

Students take classes from Monday to Thursday, with Fridays reserved for an entrepreneurial life “practicum that includes workshops and activities.” (Everyone loves activities, right?)

Cornell Tech is going to be an interesting experiment to follow over the next few years as it fleshes out not only its course offerings and campus but its faculty as well.

Cornell plans to expand the program in the coming years to include electrical and computer engineering, information science, and a tech-focused MBA. But for now, it’s just eight young people hunkered down in Google’s Chelsea office.