Well my son is an entering freshman in mechanical engineering. MIT does have the number one undergraduate mechanical engineering program in the country, but he was not a fan of it at all. Not sure he would’ve gone there if it was free :-). Needless to say he didn’t apply. He got into Georgia Tech, which holds the number two spot, and is going there. When my oldest chose Georgia Tech, it was the number 1 undergrad civil engineering school in the country. I think it is number 2 now? Berkeley is 1. MIT is number 4.
No only is MIT extraordinarily expensive for those that have to pay full freight, but it also is a unique culture which does not appeal to many. I think fit is important everywhere, and MIT is included in this. It was not the right fit for either of my boys.
We don’t really need another MIT vs GT debate here. Yes, MIT is very prestigious, ranked very high on US News, and/but also very expensive. If prestige matters most, and money is not a big deal, one should absolutely choose MIT over GT (assume the student is admitted by both). I personally believe a student can get equally good education in either institute.
Regarding to US News ranking, I think it is quite misleading. According to the most recent US News Best Engineering College (undergraduate) with doctorate program ranking, MIT is 1st, Stanford is 2nd, UC Berkeley is 3rd, and GT is 4th.
Now, let’s further look into the ranks of above 4 universities in each individual engineering field, as you can see in the following chart. Since I am not a paid US News user, I cannot see ranks beyond 10. Therefore, an empty space means not ranked as top 10. Clearly GT’s Engineering program is at least as good as MIT’s. By no means GT should be ranked after Stanford and UC Berkeley. It certainly seems that US News’ criteria for overall Engineering program ranking and individual engineering field ranking are not consistent.
@voltes_v, I would heartily agree with your light humor . For my d23, MIT opens lots of opportunities especially with scholarships. I’m hoping it will meet our EFC at the end of the admissions season, otherwise a Stamps scholarship would be a welcome alternative!
My DS had no desire to go to MIT and graduated a semester early last Fall from GaTech in Aero. My DD also has no desire to go to MIT and we are still waiting to see where she ends up… Another Aero… I’m looking forward to May. This is my time through this process….
Access is denied for me too… is this another form of portal astrology? I thought the only one was the awards under Financial Aid in Oscar, and that’s supposedly only a few hours early on decision day.
. For my d23, MIT opens lots of opportunities especially with scholarships. I’m hoping it will meet our EFC at the end of the admissions season, otherwise a Stamps scholarship would be a welcome alternative!
