It is extremely stressful for students to complete their degrees at those schools. The abrupt change in self-image for those naturally very smart people who have spent the whole of their young lives finding that academics came easily to them, that they could excel in their classes without struggling, and that they are brighter than their classmates. The transition to MIT and Caltech is problematic because, for the first time, they are not the best and the brightest as they struggle to keep a head above the water.
What are the benefits of getting degree from those intense schools if one can get it from less stressful schools? 20-30K in starting salary? What else?
That’s not even a benefit. Controlled for geography, there isn’t really a meaningful difference in salary. Pride would be the big difference… and debt. Those schools are (generally) much better for graduate school for most people.
MIT was always my dream school and I was elated when I was accepted. I was one of those who met my match at MIT. I really struggled for the first year and a half. But my study skills were lousy and I did need to pick it up. Could I have struggled less (or not at all?) at another school; Maybe, but probably not.
So, I tell people that the most important thing I learned at MIT was how to study. That skill has come in handy over the years in my career as it seems I am always learning something new (I have been blessed in that regard with my career, never boring).
I had lots of opportunities at MIT. I even teamed with several other undergrads and a professor and we got a research contract with NASA. Fun stuff for an undergrad.
But I also learned what it was to be “average”; although I must say that average for MIT is still pretty good. I learned that it takes hard work to succeed. But I also had a ton of fun going there. I was pushed out of my comfort zone in so many ways. I did stuff I never imagined I would be doing and made a lot of friends.
Could I have done all this at another school? Of course. I have many who did so,
I am an Educational Counselor for MIT: which means I interview applicants for the school. I always tell the interviewee that MIT is an amazing place but it hasn’t cornered the market on amazing places. That, whether or not they get into MIT, it is their skill set that will dictate how well they do in life and not where they go to college. And it is they who will make wherever they go to school an amazing place.
“What are the benefits of getting degree from those intense schools if one can get it from less stressful schools? 20-30K in starting salary? What else?”
In my experience, nothing whatsoever in starting salary. For me, there was no gain from going to MIT. I did relatively well there (mostly A’s), was in the top 1/2 of most of my classes, but I hated it. The only time in my life that I ever was diagnosed with high blood pressure was right after graduating from MIT. Also, the high stress load in the classes took away from a lot of extracurriculars that I would have liked to do. Note that approximately 1/2 of the students at MIT find themselves in the bottom 1/2 of the class which is new to them. I did not have this problem at all but still didn’t like it.
However, after taking two years off to work, I went to graduate school at another stressful university (Stanford), and loved it. The primary difference was that I was older, and perhaps more importantly I KNEW WHY I WAS THERE. If I had originally had a good reason to go to MIT I probably would have loved it too.
To me the main lesson is that no student should ever go to a top ranked university because they think that they should, or because their parents think that they should, or because they think that it will provide better career opportunities. Either they should go because they want to do it, or they should go somewhere easier and less stressful.
I liked the challenge of MIT. Once I figured out how to study, I wasn’t at the top of the class, but I was getting more A’s than B’s. I was also quite involved in that research project and played a varsity sport. I also played a few different intermural sports when not in varsity season. During the summers, I’d single scull out on the Charles to stay in shape (and I found it fun). I did my best work when I was under pressure. My grades were actually better in season as it acted as an additional constraint to be efficient in my studying.
A friend who went to Cal Tech advised our son to not consider it for undergrad. He did like it when we visited, but when we visited Harvey Mudd (undergrad only) a few days later, he decided he like that vibe much better. MIT he liked during summer campus visit, but when he shadowed a student during the school year it was less appealing.
The bottom line is Cal Tech / MIT could be a good choice for the right student… but visiting is really important. It’s all about fit.