<p>Are the students at MIT very uptight and cut-throat when it comes to academic work?</p>
<p>I really think MIT would be an amazing place to study; however, Im concerned that a super competitive atmosphere would really be a detractor in my decision to apply. I love the academics but its just Im a bigger fan of being around more laid-back, be competitive with themselves types of people.</p>
<p>People at MIT are awesome! They'll probably talk to you about cool stuff they made or did before they ever mention grades.
I am sure it is NOT going to be laid-back. There is lots of work and it is not going to be easy. But people say, everyone is in it together, so it's not very "cut-throat" as some other schools might be.
Upperclassmen are really nice too.
I was there for CPW, my host talked to me about internships and stuff and gave me lots of info and name of the person I should contact. Now I'll be doing a internship under a MIT alum this summer at a fairly large semiconductor company. I am getting paid to learn, isn't that fantastic?</p>
<p>You should definitely apply. If you don't think it is for you, then you can always decide to go else where. But if you don't apply, you can't come!</p>
<p>Also, read the admission blogs! they are fun and gives you an idea about the school.</p>
<p>I think rainynightstarz summed it up pretty well.</p>
<p>MIT is a really collaborative place, which I think stems partly from the fact that most freshmen are taking the same classes, so they get used to working on homework and studying in big groups (often with food :)). This trend continues through the upperclass years -- my husband's entire year of aero/astro students would gather in their department's student lounge to do homework together. </p>
<p>I mean, MIT is tough, and it's even more difficult if you try to get through it alone. So everybody has a "we're all in this together" mentality. I don't think I'd describe most MIT students as laid back, but they're definitely competitive with themselves and not with fellow students.</p>
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Are the students at MIT very uptight and cut-throat when it comes to academic work?
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<p><em>snort</em> Heck no.</p>
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Im a bigger fan of being around more laid-back, be competitive with themselves types of people.
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<p>Then you will like the MIT environment. :)</p>
<p>Like Mollie said, I don't think "laid-back" is actually the right phrase - most MIT people are very intense - but if you're using it as an opposite to cutthroat, then you've got the right idea.</p>
<p>People aren't cutthroat at MIT - what's there to be cutthroat for? We don't have Latin honors, we don't rank - so people collaborate. If you do well, and another person does well, then great, you both do well. No competition, except the expectations you want to live up to yourself.</p>
<p>MIT students are too busy trying to pass to worry about competing with each other.</p>
<p>Trust me, the one thing I HATED about my high school was the competitive nature, and I was really worried that MIT would be more of the same. I promise you it's not.</p>
<p>I really want to thank you guys for the responses. </p>
<p>@LauraN: My high school is also pretty competitive and people are always comparing standardized test scores and class rank and stuff. They talk about it so much that I wonder if some kids ever think about any other than school. And just being around it gets really old and boring. And I just kinda don't care how other people do....I mean yes i am happy if they succeed but I am much more into learning for the sake or learning and not just doing it to be #1 in the class or whatever.
MIT really sounds like a great place....I guess my next goal will be trying to get in...HAHA
Thanx again</p>
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My high school is also pretty competitive and people are always comparing standardized test scores and class rank and stuff.
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<p><em>starts laughing</em> If you do that at MIT (and it happens; there's always some frosh who thinks this is appropriate), the upperclassmen will smack you down awfully quick.</p>
<p>I did have a tourist parent ask me for my SAT score once, though. <em>grin</em></p>
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<em>starts laughing</em> If you do that at MIT (and it happens; there's always some frosh who thinks this is appropriate), the upperclassmen will smack you down awfully quick.
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Ha! I was thinking that too.</p>
<p>I know the SAT scores (and for that matter, the GPAs) only of the people who were very closest to me. I think I probably know the weight of more people at MIT than the SAT score. :)</p>
<p>i dont know anyone's SAT scores... mine included</p>
<p>This happened once that I can remember freshman year. There were four freshman including me sharing a quad. Someone brought up test scores. This was back when there was a 1600 point max on the SAT. I had a 1590 and was the third ranking SAT of the four of us. Curiously, the one who brought it up was 4th, and surprised at that. I was never aware of it happening beyond that one time. Certainly never again to me, and not to anyone else I knew.
This was most likely due to:
1) Everyone else around you is very, very good so that scores and achievements which would have made you stand out at high school are the norm at MIT. Those inclined to this sort of thing learn humility very quickly.
2) The culture of MIT is much more collaborative than cutthroat
3) Everyone has better things to do</p>
<p>Oh, the crash of realizing you're not the most awesome anymore... =P</p>