<p>How happy are the bulk of the students at MIT? What makes for a happy experience there? What makes for an unhappy experience there?</p>
<p>Thank you very much.</p>
<p>I actually just returned from Barnes and Noble trying to get the answer to that precise question. I too am a proud father of one of the new acceptees. I couldn't find any definitive answer but I guess that a rentention rate of 92% kind of answers the question. Only 2% fail to return for their sophomore year which is also a very good indicator. If you dig up any other info I would like to hear from you. Congratulations.</p>
<p>A good source is studentsreview.com, set up by MIT no less.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.studentsreview.com/MA/MIT_c.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.studentsreview.com/MA/MIT_c.html</a></p>
<p>One of the comments in there sticks out, perhaps some solace to those rejected this week.</p>
<p>
[quote]
There are many other prestiguous colleges and universities to choose from. I hated my whole experience here and will regret it for the rest of my life. I wish I had received a denial letter - they could have used the same letterhead and the same amount of ink.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I can only say that my daughter (a freshman) LOVES MIT. She has is getting ready to go to the Galapagos over spring break (a research trip almost entirely funded by MIT) and is challenged and fascinated by her classes. She has friends from all over the world, is on the track team, goes to lectures, gets lots of free food (she is always on the hunt for that!) and gets together informally with a group that is brainstorming on ways to best "save the world."<br>
My second daughter is waiting to hear if she has been admitted (we hope to know today). Sorry to be so gushingly positive here ... the work is hard, the weather is cold, but that doesn't seem to be a problem! It is a stimulating, energy-filled, amazing place.</p>
<p>Here is another source, although a few years old:</p>
<p>thanks Parents!</p>
<p>I will check out those links. My daughter is also planning on attending in the Fall. It has only been the two of us and I fret about her moving from the beautiful San Francisco Bay Area (we have very nice schools here!) to the East Coast. </p>
<p>She spent about 7 weeks at MIT last summer and became a true MIT believer. I really enjoy reading other students, prospective students and MIT parents' perspectives.</p>
<p>Though those internet review sites are helpful to a certain extent, one must keep things in perspective. A single person's experience shouldn't be taken out of context - be it wonderful or horrible. Not only are personal experiences very heavily affected by factors completely unrelated to the school itself, but there are trolls on every discussion site as well.</p>
<p>S is a freshman and loves it.. He could not ask for a better undergrad experience. Everyone is helpful and true "team" atmosphere. The first few weeks in his dorm the upper classman could not of been anymore helpful, even offering him use of their textbooks from previous years so he did not have to buy them. What could be better than being in Boston for the World Series and the Super Bowl this year! Loves the workout facilities. Has met fabulous people from all over the world..
Hoping next year to get the big envelope for S#2.... Good Luck with your decisions and congrats....</p>
<p>I think the absolute best way is to go visit. I can go off about how happy i am at mit, but then again, there are those times when I have a test that I wonder why i'm here. and just because i love it here doesnt mean everyone will.</p>
<p>Let's put it this way. We hate this place. Our classmates and neighbors are all infinitely smarter than us, and the professors move fast so you don't have time to not understand. As a member of two active teams (one academic, one athletic), my weekends are very rarely spent on the MIT campus - and I can tell you this, the MIT campus is not very pretty and is not a place where you want to spend more time than necessary.
It's cold here during much of the school year, but it gets hot really fast - spring and fall last maybe a month, collectively. People mumble to themselves in the hallway, people vent and rant at computers in labs, people cry after exams.</p>
<p>But we wouldn't trade it for anything, because even with all of that, MIT is still MIT. If you try to get to know that genius next door, you realize he's also a human, and also thinks MIT is hard. After kicking the desk under the computers in lab a couple of times, your friend next to you points out a typo, and your code works as soon as you fix it. When you realize that even with a 14 on that ridiculously hard exam, you're still above average and therefore still have an A, who cares about having cried?</p>
<p>There's no way to fix the weather, but think about it this way - at least we're not in Maine (I was just there last weekend..brrr). And besides, we have Boston - at least we're not in the middle of nowhere. Getting off campus is nice, but so is being on campus.</p>
<p>Being happy here all depends on you. If you want to be happy, you will be. If you want to be miserable, you will be. Much as I whine and cry about this place, I still love it and am glad I'm here. Plus, hey, after this, moving the world is easy.</p>
<p>
[quote]
at least we're not in Maine
[/quote]
</p>
<p>that was funny</p>
<p>Congratulations to your daughter, 09mom! We sent our oldest off to Cambridge from Tucson last year, and it was hard. E-mail is great, though, and phone calls and packages are good. Our second daughter just got accepted today ... anonymom, best of luck to son #2!
It's true, MIT isn't for everybody, but it's been good for our family. (My dad did his undergrad and graduate work there ... and I was born there! Well, Boston, I mean.)</p>
<p>THAT says it all</p>
<p>azephyr: cool!! 2 kids at MIT - maybe we will talk at CPW.
thanks for the congrats. I, as you must surely know from your own experience, am very proud of my daughter.</p>
<p>I'm not sure if I'm going to CPW yet, but I hope to meet you sometime, 09 mom.</p>
<p>Congrats azephyr, and thanks for the warm wishes...</p>
<p>I am now playing Half Life 2. And the main character (you) is Gordon Freeman, who has graduated from MIT (quantumn Physics). And I was just told "I see, you MIT education really pays off". (in fact that was after i turned on a switch, but anyway). That's a nice thing to hear. Wish you best luck in MIT.</p>
<p>i remember a hallmate playing HL-2 and laughing when they said that</p>
<p>I guess everyone admitted to MIT must be happy ;)</p>