IIT vs. MIT

College Search & Selection
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<p>Well for me, the academic calibre of the guys getting into IIT or MIT would be pretty much the same. I guess arguing over SAT over IIT JEE, given that these are the exams whose diffuculties we are looking at for comparing the two universities is kinda irrelevant. I say that because we dont know how the guys, who are taking SAT now, would have prepared for IIT JEE. In other words, if the general consensus is that the SAT is easier, then assuming the hypothetical scenario that SAT was used for intake in IIT, would that mean the guys getting into IIT are no longer competitive? </p>

<p>As a matter of fact, we had the director of one of the IIT’s whose class I was taking literally blasting us as dumbass fools saying , that anyways we get through JEE at aroung 30 40 % marks !!!</p>

<p>I guess the difficulty of the JEE is an economic solution to handle
1: 2 lac applications to a handful of institutes. Simply not possible to evaluate all applications basd on extra curricular
2. The reason of 2 lac applicants is the low fee structure of university education in India.
3. And in all fairness, the public school system in India is not that great implying certain sections would not have a fair chance of admission to a much better education just due to lack of finacial power.</p>

<p>So I guess JEE, is a good way to kinda allow all people from whatever back ground and at the same time handle the sheer volume !!!</p>

<p>Next, I guess parental mentality is a very important factorin choosing IIT as the simple logic is to go for the degree which pays the best just upon graduation … I guess that comes in from India still being a developing country … and money matters at this point of time . I guess it is futile to compare tha dynamics of a developed country’s education system and a developing country’s one. A simple fact given to me by a dean of one of the IIT’s when i was struggling to choose my department was , "look 40 years ago civil engineering paid so all top minds rushed for civil and chemical , 10 years ago it was electrical, now its computer science and the guy just look up that rank choice tables from last year and just go for it . 20 years later if economics becomes the major degree all these smart guys will go for economics !!! ". There was actually a way in the guys at my college to kinda fit their dreams to their ranks on the JEE. And I am not very sure if thats a very good way to producing top researchers. </p>

<p>And dare I say, the education system in IIT need a serious overhaul. Just too many subjects !!! No time to absorb anything useful. I guess most of the guys who went to top uni’s in the US, did serious research work , wrote journals papers and learnt something about their fields before applying. I guess the funding needs to improve a lot more, but govt regulation / politics is another story.</p>

<p>My back ground,</p>

<p>IIT Madras</p>

<p>admitted to Georgia Tech, Texax A&M , U Michigan Ann Arbor : didnt join any cos i realized I was only applying cos my parents wanted to.</p>

<p>Joined the financial services industry</p>

<p>Currently studying at Imperial College London</p>

142

<p>Any IITian would say it was probably the best thing that happened to them professionally, opened doors a lot quicker … but i guess thats that …</p>

143

<p>Here is an interesting article from 2003 that 60 minutes did on IIT. Pretty crazy when you read it:</p>

<p>[Imported</a> From India - 60 Minutes - CBS News](<a href=“http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/06/19/60minutes/main559476.shtml]Imported”>http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/06/19/60minutes/main559476.shtml)</p>

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<p>I do not go to IIT or MIT, but I think IIT is the best engineering school in the world. Both schools are great, but IIT has the most brain power among entering students, no questions.</p>

145

<p>Just a few observations :</p>

<p>1.It is very difficult to judge the quality of an IIT student . With the huge expansion of IITs and hence seats , large reservation quotas , purely test based admission system where rich kids stand an advantage due to heavy tuitions , etc etc… the brand IIT is diluted and truly speaking you have horses and donkeys both in IITs . Students in MIT have a very similar profile and they are all horses , no donkeys.</p>

<p>2.The performance of IIT kids in real life is again a huge spectrum . Some of them go on to become world beaters while many others struggle in petty jobs all their life . the reason is they are not well rounded individuals and just one trick ponies. Most MIT alumnis perform very well in life ( of course there are exceptions) </p>

<ol>
<li>When the IIT kids apply for IIMs or get into IIMs , for the first time they see and are compared with the kids who they always felt were inferior to them . First of all many IIT kids are rejected in IIM admissions since the admission process is a bit wider that rote learning based tests . Those who make it , may again have vastly differing performance . Some may go on to top IIMs , while many others will perform worse that ordinary arts / science / NIT / commerce… graduates. </li>
</ol>

<p>4.So basically MIT is a far better place in terms of wider selection process and further value add to students . in IITs they go as rough diamonds ( and stones ) and come out as it is . In any case the debate is out of context since IITs provide a great value for money education that MIT can never match for Indian students</p>

146

<p>getting addmissions in iit is definately tougher.</p>

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<p>When I am in my coaching classes at weekends, all I see is ‘brain power’ getting wasted. I have a slightly different perspective regarding what is ‘brain power’, so I don’t think many Indians/asians will concur.</p>

148

<p>@mathboy98: respectfully i beg to disagree…most people in india just want money which a degree from IIT provides…that is why even rich people are crazy about IITs…it is not just the parents but the students themselves who have the mentality you are talking about</p>

149

<p>Honestly, I’ve never heard of an IIT student from the better IITs being rejected to Stanford, CMU CS, MIT, Fu, or Caltech. Hell, I’ve never heard of one being rejected anywhere, unless they were seriously lagging (only one).
At the IITs, Silicon Valley representatives, and sometimes CEOs, regularly appear around the top campuses starting sophomore year for the strong students. They observe the academic rigor and take notes. Yes, they take notes about the students of a single school.
Fresh out of the top IITs, the students go to the grad schools of their choice, while having promises of high paying, high level jobs in the engineering sector upon graduating.</p>

<p>Additionally, my cousins went to Stanford, MIT, and Caltech (all IIT grads) upon graduating, and one said that when he did research with the undergrads, he distinctly recalled having learned more while preparing for the entrance test for the IITs than the Stanford freshmen. Nothing on the brilliant Cardinals, but thats just how it was. </p>

<p>Quality of life in America is, of course, better than life in the IITs, and American students are more prepared to take on the world coming out of Undergrad, which is why you see many top American engineering colleges have kids get jobs out of Undergrad, while it is customary for IIT grads to go to Grad School. Average pay is higher for IIT outsourcers vs any tech school in America, so take that how you will.</p>

<p>I am not extremely biased, btw. I moved to America when I was 3, and I am considering schools like JHU, MIT, Ctech, Dmouth, Cornell, Duke, and Pton/Yale. So I’m not exactly your average, run of the mill Indian who wants to study only engineering- I’m the run of the mill Indian that wants to be a doctor :D</p>

150

<p>in the field of knoweledge iit’s are best in the world, no comparision… they have unique students…
in overall skills mit is better than iit’s</p>

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<p>well,to clear ur queries,there r 2 types of ppl who go to IIT’s,the smart ones who pick thngs up fast(very few) and the real hardworkers who work day and night as they see it to be the only ladder to success(how foolish of them).
i cleared iit this yr,and trust me when i say this,if u like science,u dont need to study it like crazy to score in any exam!</p>

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<p>i totally agree with u!
i’ve cleared iit-jee myself and i’ve seen this wrong indian notion that ‘brain power’=clearing iit,its actually sad!!
i just thank god my parents never forced me to go to a coaching institute or i’d hav been like them,and the fact that i did it without coaching institute also doesnt prove anythng!
in fact i know some super amazing guys frm other institutes and i think they r 'brain power’in its truest form,they’re seniors so i kinda look upto them and someday do somethng good in science!!</p>

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<p>

Is this some form of joke?</p>

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<p>Hmm…
Being an IIT student all I can say is IIT is very close to MIT academically (rather IIT>MIT), but other than academics MIT owns IIT easy, cause IIT doesn’t have a life outside the class. MIT will produce ppl who’ll bring about change in this world (e.g scientists), while IIT will produce ppl who’ll be a part of that change (e.g engineers).</p>

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<p>My dad did his undergrad in MechE at IIT-Kanpur (the most renowned and hardest segment of the chain). For grad school, he went to U of I and transferred to MIT. He says MIT has the facilities, opportunities and the whole shabang, but the studies aren’t concentrated enough to make as many top-notch engineers as you would expect. IIT, however, is extremely rigorous and the extreme competition in getting accepted to the school alone makes students work their butts off during the course of their education. Both schools are great and I am not undermining either, but I do believe IIT cranks out better engineers while MIT cranks out better “productive citizens of society”.</p>

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<p>My cousin got into IIT and not MIT. He was a genius and also worked very hard but did absolutely nothing except studying. He was killer at standardized tests; didn’t have to study much and still did amazingly well. I almost wish American schools were like that too, but I got into one of my top choices so it doesn’t matter now.</p>

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<p>As I said before, MIT is not about cranking out engineers who know the physics and whatever else is relevant to their discipline. Sure, they know all that, but what differentiates MIT (among other engineering schools in the US) is that they require students to be creative (very important), to collaborate with others, and to expect, endure, and recover from failure. That’s why MIT has spawned a tech industry greater than what IIT, or almost any other university, has.</p>

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<p>mr carreshwell,in fact you are an iitian you say that the iit is nothing.I can’t understand what is meant by “nothing”?are the MNCs blind to recruit them?how MIT produces reserach scholars IITs produces techical engineers.Dont compare both institutes as, world needs both of them.</p>

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<p>no offence to those guys who says IIT>MIT but,
Are you kidding me… If low acceptence rate defines a university then the chinese universities would be the best universities in the world. Is it???
And how many of you guys can tell me one invention made in the IIT that has changed the world in any way. None!!!
IIT’s makes just engineers while colleges like MIT, Stanford, UC, Caltech,Columbia makes innovaters, thinkers.
That it why IIT is not in the top 10 or even in the top 40, QS world rankings is an unbiased ranking system and it has ranked IITB 50 ish on it engineering list.
Please pople get out of your shroud of ignorance and accept that there are universities which are much better that IIT’s. Not saying that IIT is a bad university, this is a comparison its the best in India.</p>

<p>P.S I am studying for IIT, also gonna apply for sat 1 and 2.</p>

<p>and another thing, You dont need to be crazy smart to get into IIT or any other institutes, you just have to make the right choices with your life</p>

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<p>I couldn’t agree more with you.</p>