anyone here turened down stanford for MIT?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Massachusetts Institute of Technology
1

<p>if yes, dd u regret it?</p>

2

<p>I’m sure if someone was the type of person to feel regret at having turned down Stanford for MIT, that person would feel equal regret if s/he turned down MIT for Stanford. Bottom-line: both are great schools and you shouldn’t have any regrets wherever you decide to go. Personally I would pick MIT in a heartbeat, but that’s just me and we may be interested in different fields also.</p>

3

<p>Agreed with the above. I think students who get into more than one of HYPSM will think at least once, “what if I had chosen X instead of Y?” but in general students are pretty happy with their choice and couldn’t imagine being elsewhere. I’m not an MIT undergrad, but I’m willing to bet that’s how it is at MIT too.</p>

<p>(According to statistics from Stanford’s admissions office, Stanford takes 60% of the cross-admits with MIT. That suggests to me that students are almost evenly divided among their preferences for each, and so given how close they are, the “what if” factor is elevated. It would probably be less common if one took, say, 85% of the cross-admits. Either way, I’m pretty sure that most are happy with where they chose to attend.)</p>

4

<p>Indeed, <a href=“http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jdI0Wl7_OvQ/TLhTOCSeRBI/AAAAAAAAAG0/eH9OEZt6i8g/s1600/HYPSM_cross-admits_2002-2010.bmp[/url]”>http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jdI0Wl7_OvQ/TLhTOCSeRBI/AAAAAAAAAG0/eH9OEZt6i8g/s1600/HYPSM_cross-admits_2002-2010.bmp&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>As you can see, on average Stanford and MIT share admits 50:50 (not sure about reliability of the source, but it seems good enough).</p>

<p>But cross-admit data don’t paint the full picture, as HYPSM admit and attract different types of students, especially at M.</p>

5

<p>I turned down Stanford for MIT, and I made sure that they knew it very well when I filled in “MIT” in the college attending on the Stanford decision form.</p>

<p>That said, I don’t regret turning down Stanford per se, but after four years I believe that I probably would have been able to enjoy a very slight advantage if I was a student at Stanford. This is primarily because even though I could handle MIT-level work, I don’t particularly think all this kind of hosed feeling and stress is actually worth it for me, especially with the need to maintain a pretty high GPA for med school. In addition, given my almost equally balanced interest in the sciences and the humanities, MIT does feel slightly too science-y at times (engineering student here: huh? we have a history department here?, me: yes…, engineer: so what is your thesis about?, me: japanese-american internment…blah blah, engineer: <em>zones out completely</em>). If I went to Stanford, I could have majored in history and had bio as a side major/minor, but majoring in the sciences here is pretty rigorous and it would probably be good if I didn’t have to work so hard and stress out about grades. So that is one good thing if I went to Stanford.</p>

<p>That said, I never looked back on my decision to come to MIT. A few of the most awesome things here - Boston, research opportunities, STUDENT CULTURE, pass/no record, IAP, the rigor (it’s still a plus nonetheless).</p>

<p>So overall, I think I would have been happy at Stanford too, and maybe I can argue that it will fit my personality better, but I am still proud to be a MIT graduate (soon!).</p>

<p>It really depends on your personality and the kind of student you are. There is no one-size-fits-all answer (which is quite clearly demonstrated by the 50-50 cross admit rate). Go to the school that you think you’ll be the most happy at and will challenge you to become more than who you are right now.</p>

6

<p>I did something similar: I turned down Harvard for MIT. With my interests being mainly in science and mathematics, I didn’t even apply to Stanford because I didn’t think it was a good fit for me. And no, I don’t regret it, although I also think I would have been fine at any other school of the same calibre.</p>

<p>It all depends on yourself, your interests, and your personality. As others said, MIT is very academically rigorous. It is a high pressure environment (but not competitive – students are in it together and help each other a lot). It’s not easy to get high grades. Some people thrive in that kind of setting, and others don’t do so well. For me the pressure was a very good thing because it helped me achieve my full potential. But I’ve had friends who would have done better in a more supportive environment. Stanford is almost the other extreme; they really coddle their students. Be honest with yourself and figure out whether the intensity of the school is a plus or a minus for you.</p>

<p>You can’t leave your options open forever. Make a decision and make it work.</p>

7

<p>I’ve rejected Cornell and Princeton (didn’t apply to Stanford, as the west coast is too far from home) to go to MIT next year, and I’m confident in my decision. I’m sure there will be moments of extreme hosing when the negative IHTFP mentality sinks in and you wish that you had gone to an easier school, but who cares? Challenging yourself helps you achieve your full potential, and MIT does just that.</p>

8

<p>Congratulations!</p>

<p>IHTFP - don’t worry. You will love more than hate. See here:
[2013</a> Brass Rat](<a href=“http://twenty13.mit.edu/ringcomm/]2013”>http://twenty13.mit.edu/ringcomm/)</p>