<p>Okay, I am down to the last day, but I am having so much trouble deciding b/n MIT and Stanford. Stanford's admit weekend was, unfortunately, very late. </p>
<p>Anyhow, I really need some advice. </p>
<p>Right now, I want to go to MIT. I loved the whole hacker and "nerd" culture, overall environment, research opportunities, the amazing learning experience that it will be, and the very cool dorm system; I felt more connected to MIT/the people there than I did at Stanford. Boston is awesome, and it'll be a great challenge. However, I am really afraid that I won't be able to handle the work, that I'll crack under the pressure, be absolutely miserable and stressed out all throughout college. I am afriad that as a result of the difficult of the school, GPA-wise, I'll be in a bad spot for med school or grad school. (I am not set on being pre-med, but I do want the option to be kept open). </p>
<p>I suppose I am considering Stanford as a "safety net." The campus is lovely, but I didn't really feel as connected to the school nor the people there. In terms of academics, I think that it may be a better fit, b/c though I am very into the sciences, I would still love to have a well rounded education (namely in the humanities). I am more confidant that I will be able to perform well academically and that I may be in a better spot in terms of future education. I know that I will not regret going to Stanford (and if I go to MIT, when it gets terribly difficult I may regret my decision), but I would much rather be at MIT. Stanford is also very far from home. </p>
<p>I honestly am not sure what to decide...so some help would be most excellent. </p>
<p>My S has some friends at MIT, plus 2 more going next fall. The ones at MIT really love it there; one thing they really appreciate is the prevasiveness of study groups. The mom of a student who is finishing his junior year told me that he struggled a bit with math in his first year (he is in engineering and was taking a more abstract math course) but he really flourished in subsequent years. My S also encountered some very happy female chemistry majors who launched the chocolate club there a year or so ago. If you go to MIT, you can also take courses at Harvard on top of the great humanities and social sciences courses available at MIT.</p>
<p>I don't know what part of the country you live in, but one thing to consider is the weather. It rained all day yesterday, rather drowning some of the events at Harvard's pre-frosh weekend. And it snows. But then, my S decided to attend H over Stanford because he likes snow. I know not everyone does.</p>
<p>It's a difficult choice, janeeyre, and you've thought through your excellent choices well. (Disclaimer: I live 20 min. from Stanford and know many students who will and have attended there, and I'm sending my oldest son to MIT in the fall.)</p>
<p>If you want to go to MIT, know that they would not have admitted you if they didn't see evidence that you could do the work. You know, of course, about "IHTFP". Everyone does at some point or another (although I'm told it turns into ILTFP eventually ;) ). The work at MIT overwhelms the best of them, but some aspects of the culture exist as a stress-release, and, as a parent, I watched and listened carefully at CPW for signs that mental health and well-being were well monitored by everyone and that students were not going to "crack under the pressure". From what I can tell, since everyone HsTFP, students don't leave each other to drown: they prop each other up and watch each other's back (and well-being). I liked this aspect of the culture, too.</p>
<p>How important is it to you to be near home? How important is a better sense of a higher GPA? (There have been some threads about GPA and med school chances on the MIT and Stanford boards, I'm sure you've seen these.) How important is the depth in humanities departments? (Not that MIT doesn't have fine non-science departments, just that some of Stanford's offerings are broader and deeper.) The climate out here is waaaay better. :)</p>
<p>If you want to go to MIT and are holding back because of a worry about cracking, know that pretty much everyone worries about that, and everyone HsTFP. If you feel connected there and want the challenge, my sense is that the support services are there to help you succeed. You wouldn't have been admitted if you didn't show the adcoms you could handle the work.</p>
<p>You have two outstanding options, and a hard choice to make. Once you've made your decision, let go of the "what if's" and face forward, not back. Throw yourself into your new possibilities! All the best.</p>
<p>IMO, OP should go to MIT. Just like the kid who was deciding between Yale and Harvard (he was pulled by Yale), you are pulled by MIT, but you want reasons to turn down Stanford. Follow your heart and be happy.</p>
<p>I was in the same predicament but MIT was the obvious choice. The reason: I genuinely <em>cared</em> about MIT - I had learnt everything I could about it, including majors, courses, activities, down to the swimming requirement, and that was before applying. :)</p>
<p>My son is a freshman at MIT. He is not a genius, and worried he would be at the bottom of every class. He studies more than some of the students and less than others, but is doing well in his classes. There's a lot of help, study groups, and just people willing to help if you're having problems with a subject. He's not a drinker and has found a lot of friends who enjoy the same things he does. He loves MIT and couldn't imagine being anywhere else. </p>
<p>At orientation they kept saying "We don't make admissions mistakes. If you're admitted you can do the work." He took that to heart and for him it was true. </p>
<p>He had his decision down to MIT and another great school that gave him a lot of merit aid. Even though we assured him we were willing to do whatever it took to pay for MIT, he felt guilty about the money. He finally made his decision (on May 1) when I asked him "Which school can't you let go of?" He knew then he had to go to MIT. </p>
<p>You have 2 great choices. If you haven't yet I would recommend that you read the MIT and Stanford boards here to get an idea of how other current students feel about their school. Good luck!</p>
<p>If you had a better feel about MIT, then you should definitely go there. You will love Boston, and there are so many college students all over the city, which only add to the experience! We know several different types of kids who are at MIT, and they all love it!! Follow your heart--they know you can handle the work!</p>
<p>Congratulations on having such great choices!</p>
<p>My daughter is a junior at Stanford and majoring in Human Biology, which is the "softer" biology for many pre-med students. She is not finding it "easy" at all to get a high GPA in the science classes that the pre-med type takes. It is an extremely competitive environment that is graded on curves, and weeds many people out and away from pre-med. Stanford is a great place, but don't go there thinking it will be an easy (or even easier) place to get a high GPA.</p>
<p>They wouldn't have taken you if they thought you couldn't do the work, and they turned down two for every one of "you" who could also do the work.</p>
<p>And who told you you can't get a well-rounded education at MIT? Did you know that the music department at MIT is better than at Stanford, and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer John Harbison teaches freshman, and students petition to get in from Harvard? Or that MIT's linguistics department is the best in the world? Or that MIT is fifth in the country in the rate of students going on to Ph.Ds in biology, and that Stanford doesn't break the top 10?</p>
<p>^^ These differences are negligible. The difference that should be taken into account is atmosphere. Stanford and MIT are worlds apart. The question is where do you fit in? Neither school is "easy."</p>
<p>IMO, if you have any hesitation about going to a tech school such as MIT, you should choose the "all-purpose" option. It is important to understand that choosing the tech school means a commitment to a community that is substantially ALL science/math/engineering students. If you get there and find out that is not for you, you are out of luck.</p>
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And who told you you can't get a well-rounded education at MIT?
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<p>While that may be true, many studies indicate that much of the education comes from the peer group. While MIT has a small minority of students majoring in other areas, 90+ percent major in science/math/engineering. IMO, you want to be absolutely sure that's what you want to do before choosing a tech school.</p>
<p>But I think she answered that concern himself in his first post:</p>
<p>"Right now, I want to go to MIT. I loved the whole hacker and "nerd" culture, overall environment, research opportunities, the amazing learning experience that it will be, and the very cool dorm system; I felt more connected to MIT/the people there than I did at Stanford....I would much rather be at MIT."</p>
<p>So the only concern was whether there were non-science options for science nerds, and the answer is that they are HUGE at MIT.</p>
<p>In my opinion, if someone is "really afraid that I won't be able to handle the work, that I'll crack under the pressure, be absolutely miserable and stressed out all throughout college", she may not have found the right college.</p>
<p>On a side note: if I read one more post about using crystal ball predicitons for medical school acceptances half a decade from now as a criteria for choosing among top colleges and universities, I think I'm going to go on a serious drinking binge -- and I don't mean the measly five drinks in a row kind, either!</p>
<p>interesteddad, pretty much ALL the MIT'09 students I've talked with have some residual fleeting worries about how hard the work will be and whether they'll be totally stressed out. Current students tell them yeah, it's really hard, but we all work together and you wouldn't have been admitted if it wasn't something you could handle, and then they all get through it together and have the most amazingly creative fun I can imagine. If this sounds enticing to janeeyre, she may indeed have found the right college.</p>