<p>Thinking about CS or some sort of engineering, but not completely sure on the specifics. I do know I'll most likely study a math/science though. I also know there are boards about this, and I've spent hours reading them...but still stuck. I sometimes think I've narrowed down to MIT or Stanford, which are pretty different schools, but then part of me can't believe I'm rejecting Harvard of all places. </p>
<p>Help? D:</p>
<p>Stanford for engineering, Harvard for everything else.</p>
<p>Wow - if were accepted at all 3, please tell us your secret! Academically you cannot go wrong at any of those schools. Try to look at them from a different perspective…social life, ease of travel, which school just felt right the moment you stepped on campus.</p>
<p>The EECS program at MIT is arguably the best of its kind around, if you are looking for CS with Electrical Engineering, I’d go with that.</p>
<p>But, yeah I’m calling mad trollz…</p>
<p>If you want to do engineering, I’d pick either MIT or Stanford as they have stronger engineering programs.</p>
<p>I think it comes down to what kinds of students you want to hang out with.</p>
<p>At Harvard, you will a small minority if you do engineering. You will be a small group of engineering students toughing it out together.</p>
<p>At Stanford, you will be a bigger minority. Last year, the fourth most popular major was engineering.</p>
<p>At MIT, you will be a large majority. You will have a large group of people all struggling together to survive through the fire hose.</p>
<p>engineering = Stanford or MIT. (The only thing better than being able to say you’re going to Harvard is being able to say you turned Harvard down.)</p>
<p>From there it’s really a matter of preference. Do you prefer Boston or Palo Alto? Do you perform better in a competitive and intense environment like MIT’s, or would you prefer (more) laid-back Stanford? etc., etc.</p>
<p>Hey bookgirl,</p>
<p>It is normal for science types to gravitate toward MIT/Stanford/Caltech, and not as much to Harvard. A school can’t be great at everything.</p>
<p>Between those two? Inasmuch as your interests are broad, Stanford might be a little more accomodating… it is not quite as focused on science/engineering as MIT is.</p>
<p>It’s OK to turn down Harvard. Really. Your life will go on and people will still love you.</p>
<p>Good advice in this thread. If you’re all about engineering, it’s MIT vs Stanford. MIT is probably the more nerdy and intense of the two. Is that a positive or negative? </p>
<p>Is this really your choice? You are one lucky charmed person.</p>
<p>MIT or Stanford. </p>
<p>I’d probably decide based on the ENORMOUS differences in the campus experiences. </p>
<p>MIT - quirky fun type of place in the heart of Cambridge/Boston.
Stanford - much more traditional D1 college experience with a broader range of students on a pretty, much more isolated from both city vices and perks, suburban campus.</p>
<p>Thanks guys. No secret, although I am a female minority.</p>
<p>But… STILL TRYING TO DECIDE X_X</p>
<p>I’ve been leaning heavily towards Stanford these past few days. However, my parents are starting to go crazy, trying to get me to go to Harvard. Like they’re essentially saying not going to Harvard is the dumbest decision I could ever make, just trying to force me to go there. Despite the fact that all three are pretty amazing, I think prestige is the only thing they’re caring about. I could always cross register there with MIT…So then I get the city life (negative for Stanford), smaller campus, winter with snooow (I’m not sure if this is a plus or not. Never really had one before), plus liberal arts/diversity in people (positive for Stanford) all at Harvard. </p>
<p>Arrghhhhh.</p>
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<p>Going to the school your parents want you to go to instead of the one YOU want to go to would be the “dumbest decision” you could ever make.</p>
<p>You should go to MIT or Stanford. No sense in going to a liberal arts school for engineering, unless you truly wanted a liberal arts education. MIT and Stanford are equally, if not MORE prestigious than Harvard. Forget what USNWR rankings say (their system of ranking does not accurately represent a school’s success).</p>
<p>My dad says that you should consider how a college will prepare you for your life after school. Engineering-related businesses will FLOCK to schools like MIT, Stanford, Carnegie Mellon, Caltech, etc. So you can have the name “Harvard” on your diploma, or you can have an almost-as-prestigious name with a six-figure starting salary. The choice is yours.</p>
<p>As for MIT vs. Stanford, I think you would have to consider where you would rather live. They are on polar opposite sides of the country, so you could be in beautiful, sunny, southern California or cold Boston (which is still a cool city).</p>
<p>As hard as your dilemma sounds, I would LOVE to have to decide among 3 of the best schools in the world. Write my applications for me please?!</p>
<p>^^ who moved Stanford to Southern California?</p>
<p>I don’t know, I think I would pick MIT for CS. It depends on whether you want to focus solely on the engineering or if you want an atmosphere with a little of everything. However,</p>
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<p>Stanford is just as much a liberal art college as Harvard. </p>
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<p>lol, I’m positively sure that you’ll get the same job opportunities and the same starting salary no matter which one of these three schools you end up graduating from. Honestly, the quality of the education you’ll get at all of these schools and even the job opportunities after graduation are pretty much the same; rather, it’s the atmosphere of the schools that’s different. I picked Harvard over MIT after I visited both, and I have my own reasons for doing so.</p>
<p>Both Stanford and Harvard have a liberal arts college, but Stanford has more of a focus on engineering than Harvard. If he wants to go into that, Stanford or MIT would be the clear choices.</p>
<p>Stanford hands down. MIT/Stanford will have the same academic strengths but Stanford has a more well rounded student body. Thats obviously a personal preference though. And I don’t know why you would ever go to Harvard if you want to do engineering.</p>
<p>Follow your heart. A Stanford degree will carry you anywhere a Harvard degree will.</p>
<p>Things have calmed down here, and I remembered this thread. MIT won out in the end. Thanks :)</p>
<p>HARVARD!!!</p>
<p>Are you mad?? lol</p>