<p>I’m a third year engineering student in Mexico and I’ve been accepted to three of my four top choices to transfer (GTech wanted me to take English composition before they would admit me). To be perfectly honest, I never expected to get into MIT, and I’d still be pretty confused between Michigan and Illinois. At any rate, I don’t know where to go. </p>
<p>My ultimate goal is to get into a good PhD program after I graduate. Here are my options:</p>
<li>Stay in Mexico, graduate top of my class. This has the disadvantage that even though this is the best school in Mexico it’s not actually all that hot. Research is limited to very simple projects that don’t require big budgets or innovation, and consequently we don’t have very good profs or courses. </li>
<li>Go to MIT. Even if I work my ass off, I’d probably only graduate in the top 20 or 30%. I assume this makes me a less desirable grad school candidate, even with a good GRE.</li>
<li>Go to Michigan. Have a social life. Work hard. Graduate top 10 or 20%. Get preferential treatment for PhD admissions if I manage a 3.4 GPA or above.</li>
<li>Go to Illinois. Ditto.</li>
</ol>
<p>unless money is an issue, which I'm assuming it is not, go to MIT. I see no real reason why you should even consider the other schools. What makes you think you will only graduate top 20-30% anyway? Even so, kids from elite schools like MIT tend to get preferential treatment in PhD admissions when compared to those who went to a different undergrad.</p>
<p>@jwlstn: money is not an issue. i doubt i'll be a top student at mit simply because i have the disadvantage of coming in as a transfer, and i don't consider myself a particularly brilliant engineer, of which mit has many. also, i doubt grad admissions at MIT gives preferential treatment to MIT grads with a 3.0 GPA. you don't think i'd make a more attractive candidate as the #1 applicant from mexico?</p>
<p>@yourfire_escape: lol! i would have said the exact same thing one week ago, but hey, apparently they need someone to fill up the place...</p>
<p>MIT does not allow you to apply for graduate school for some departments if you are already an undergraduate. I'd figure out if that applies to you first, since you would be transferring one of the major questions you would have to ask would be if you valued two years at MIT as an undergrad over the possibility of attending for a PHD program. If I were in your position I would be struggling to make the choice between Michigan/Illinois and MIT. Even if it is only two years the experience would be immensely enriching and you would have the degree, the ring and the bragging rights to your name.</p>
<p>Why would you want to postpone until grad school when you have this INCREDIBLE opportunity right now!! There is no guarantee you will be accepted for graduate school. Not only will you be at one of the best institutions in the world, but you will truly gain a life changing education that probably is not even comparable to other schools. Being in Boston you will also be able to network and that will further help your job prospects. This is just the sense I'm getting but it seem you are almost scared of going to MIT. Maybe you don't feel like you are smart/good enough to be there? If this is how you are feeling then I can semi relate. I am going to be starting at Columbia next semester and I am definitely nervous! But just know that you were accepted for a reason and that you clearly DO BELONG. GO FOR IT!!</p>
<p>Also, I mean no disrespect to your school in Mexico, but I really don't think it would be wise to consider this an option. IMO you will be much more competitive for PhD programs if you have studied here. And lastly, if you go to MIT you will most certainly be given preferential treatment in jobs and graduate school. To put this in a real-life context, my bf went to Cornell and is currently a computer engineer. Employers always comment on the fact that he went to Cornell and what a wonderful school it is. I'm sure it has opened many doors for him as MIT will for you.</p>
<p>
[quote]
. . .MIT. Even if I work my ass off, I'd probably only graduate in the top 20 or 30%. I assume this makes me a less desirable grad school candidate, even with a good GRE.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Roflcopters. You are clueless. First of all, you will be lucky if you graduate in top 20%. Second, a top 20% MIT student is a very desirable grad school candidate. You will of course have to ace GRE, but you will have to do that anyway.</p>
<p>@cbr27 and supindy: i'll add your votes to the tally.</p>
<p>@here&now: i assume that it counts for something if you can check in the little box in the grad school app that asks if you've ever been admitted, huh?</p>
<p>@rcl268: of course i'm scared s*itless! it's the best engineering school in the world! on one hand i feel extraordinarily lucky that i was admitted but on the other hand the last thing i'd want is to make out of this opportunity a stumbling block for my career. And I hope you're right about me having the right stuff just because I was admitted. If they had so many applicants to choose from, I hope they didn't just choose me because of the swimsuit shots i included...</p>
<p>@l84ad8: where do you go to school? i'm not saying there's anything wrong with graduating below the 50th percentile from MIT (probably better than most eng. programs, anyway,) but look at it this way: if you're completely average, what kind of recommendation letters can you get? you should see the recs i got from my teachers here in mexico... not because i'm a genius, but because i'm one of the top students. i think context might be more important than your actual achievements when it comes to grad school admissions. What do you think?</p>
<p>You will not be average in every class. You will do better in some classes and worse in some others. Ask for recs from professors in whose classes you did well. Also, if you manage to do some meaningful research and get published, your UG class rank will matter less (and I'm not even sure MIT calculates/releases class rank, most schools don't).</p>
<p>I'd go for MIT. I know a lot of people who go to UofM, and it's a great school, but MIT is amazing. Besides, I think a 3.5(top 30%?) from MIT pwns a 3.8(top 10%?) from Michigan, anyday. Once your at MIT, if you try, you're pretty much set for life!</p>
<p>Some people on here are so obsessed with top schools that it's embarrassing. The OP's question was not about which school is better. He is wondering what is a better fit for him.</p>
<p>To the OP, if you truly can't see yourself at MIT and you know that you'll be happy at Michigan both academically and socially, I'd go for Michigan. The last thing you would want is to go to MIT and realize the pressure that goes along with it just isn't for you. Yes, it's an incredible school, but that kind of atmosphere isn't for everyone. Personally, I would not want to go to a school where I was miserable all the time and was struggling to keep a 3.0 (this may not be your situation at all, but it's just an example). My advice is to go where you think you can do well and be the happiest. Good luck with the decision! In the end, you can't go wrong with the choices you have.</p>
<p>Some people so delusional as to think that large research unis are somehow so different that UMich would fit the OP, but MIT wouldn't.</p>
<p>NEWSFLASH: Schools, for the most part, are the same. They are just hackin buildings with professors who teach classes and do research. MIT is UMich with smarter students, more distinguished professors, better facilities, and more generous financial aid, all of which, by the way, behooves the OP to attend MIT instead of UMich.</p>
<p>@entomom: 1/2 more votes each to MIT and UMich. thanks!</p>
<p>@zakaqel: somehow, i don't think that "once you're at MIT, if you try, you're pretty much set for life!" i know at least two MIT alums in their 50s who earned PhDs from MIT and even though they are ridiculously successful career-wise, they lead very unenviable lives in the personal, social, and family ambits. </p>
<p>@bceagles3211 and l84ad8: i think you're both correct. i can see myself succeeding at MIT academically, but perhaps i might come to have a group of friends with a more diverse set of interests if i attend a big state school. still, like l84ad8 says, MIT is very selective and being surrounded by brilliant students and teachers is a huge plus. i applied to these unis because i knew i'd be very happy at any of them. </p>
<p>so, the original intent of this thread was to explore which option might make my path to grad school easier. any thoughts?</p>
<p>If it was me, I'd go to MIT hands down. You're extremely lucky to have been accepted as a transfer. Although if you feel that MIT wouldn't be the right choice for you, then choose Michigan. You're going to get into grad school by the amount of effort you put on your studies and what you accomplish. You can go to either university and get the same outcome. It all comes down to you, not the name of the university. My suggestion to you is visit both university websites and research what they offer. Don't make a blind decision. Weigh your options and pick the better choice.</p>
<p>What grad school do you want to go to exactly?</p>