<p>The main difference between MIT and IIT entrants is that, whereas academic rigor is the only criteria for selection to IIT, academic rigor is NOT the only criteria for selection to MIT. You have to demonstrate to MIT that you are a “trend setter”. For example, I know of an American 17 yr old who has good grades and high SAT score and who wants to apply to MIT Computer Science, he interns at my software company i.e. he has been given a real life programming project to work on WITH DEADLINES and he is treated just like any other employee. He will then put this work experience on his resume for MIT along with his high academic scores. </p>
<p>He may or maynot get into MIT even after interning for 6 months in a real job at the age of 17!. How many 17 yr old Indian kids have real life work experience?</p>
<p>Here is a video of Lecture 2 (Stacks) @ IIT-D. Listen to the questions being asked by these IIT-D computer science students. It seemed to me they don’t know how to write code!</p>
<p>fools like you who say rubbish abt IIT can not even understand the questions they ask in IIT, leave aside solving any. that needs a brain of a genius. so go and hide ur stupid face.</p>
<p>I am studying neither at IIT, nor at MIT; however I am taking engineering courses from Columbia University, and the standard of education is very, very high. I cannot even compare it to a university in India, where my friends are studying/have studied. I am an Indian, who thought all my life that getting through IITs was the ultimate tests of intellectual supremacy–but being presented with challenges in the universities here beats nothing I feel. We are supposed to almost invent something new while we are studying here. About life outside academics-I absolutely do not have a life–because every one in my programming class writes code all the time. I know my friends in IIT Delhi, didn’t have it so bad!</p>
<p>After reading all 11 pages of this mess, the answer is quite clear to me.</p>
<p>IIT is a great university. However, the quote “It is like Harvard, Princeton, MIT, and Stanford together” is misleading. America has HYPSM as its elite universities, plus a large number of universities that you can get a sufficient education at. As a developing country, India has basically only IIT. So HYPSM is to America, as IIT is to India.</p>
<p>However, MIT is far superior to IIT. It attracts students from all over the world whereas IIT only brings in the top students from India. MIT’s funding and resources are vastly superior to IIT’s. IIT accepts students based on only 1 exam, and there are special schools that kids spend 5+ hours per day for 2+ years studying for. IIT ends up with students who are geniuses and/or have an unreal work ethic. MIT accepts students based on a wide range of factors, and ends up with students who are both very smart AND have the potential for creativity and innovation.</p>
<p>Also, I have seen several Indian students say (here and on other threads) IIT’s acceptance rate is only 2%!!!1! MIT is my safety it is so easy to get into! However, the acceptance rates are a product of the educational systems in each country. Students who apply to MIT 1) take the SAT and then 2) decide whether or not to apply, by comparing their scores with admitted students. Students who apply to IIT 1) take the JEE test. The top 3500 students or something get in. Basically everyone in India takes that test. If everyone who took the SAT applied to MIT, the acceptance rate would be much lower. ;)</p>
<p>end of this. MIT is different, IIT is different. Both are awesome, but in different ways.
don’t compare and waste your time. Study fr both, and enjoy your results!</p>
<p>It is without doubt MIT is much much much better than IIT, my Indian friends. I know in most Indians’ minds, IIT is the best. This is true, and it is very similar to that in Chinese people’s minds, Tsinghua University, Peking University and Hong Kong University are the best in China. Indian friends, don’t take your low acceptance rates that serious, ok? Let me tell you: </p>
<p>In China, every year, more than 5 million ppl take the College Entry Exam but only around 4500 ppl can get into one of the three renowned universities (TSH, PKU and HKU) so the acceptance rates are 0.9%,much lower than your IIT. But not any Chinese ppl say our schools are better than MIT, Harvard though our schools are ranking much higher than your IIT even in engineering. </p>
<p>IIT students are truly smart but if your IIT is really great and your indians are really strong why is your country so poor and under-developed? </p>
<p>IIT graduates are top leading the American technology and it is true. But learning that almost all Indian guys studying engineering, it is nothing. In US, UK, Hong Kong and Japan (rich areas), some talented ppl studying finance and economics, laws and political science so how come you Indians say you are smarter than the guys who don’t study engineering at all. </p>
<p>That’s why I say Indians are so arrogant. To be honest, most of my friends in Hong Kong and Japan even never heard of IIT. In Asia, your IIT is absolutely not as good as Tokyo University and Hong Kong University. How come you say IIT is as good as MIT?</p>
<p>Just checked and found the acceptance rate of the Tsinghua University to Chinese ppl is 0.1%. In some provinces of China, it is as low as 0.007%. Sorry, my Indian friends, don’t be so arrogants. I guess almost 80%+ ppl in this thread are from India. Please spend your time to build your country instead of bragging your universities!</p>
<p>No institute in the world can match MIT, when it comes to research experience at the undergrad level. On top of it, the faculty quality and the facilities at MIT is beyond comprehension of anybody who has not visited MIT:)</p>
<p>'The main problem with Indians is that they never accept this truth that U.S.A.‘s top engineering colleges are much better than our IITs… Bcoz until they accept this, how can they start working to make IITs better ??? The day an Indian will come to know where India really stands, he will change like Americans changed… Americans changed, How, When ??? Yeah…Americans changed…we all know know that England was once the most powerful country and it had the best universities … If Americans would have said “No No No we American colleges are better” then it would never had become the most powerful country in the world.’ </p>
<p>I remeber a joke ’ one day, an Indian official visited Japan and told the Pre-minister of Japan that ‘the economic development in Japan is so great and it is almost in par with our India.’ </p>
<p>Now, Indians say ‘your US universities are great but I am sorry you still have to work hard to catch up our IITs’.</p>
<p>The fact that you have to go around claiming that IIT is better or Hong Kong University is better (than MIT) is proof enough that they aren’t.</p>
<p>Have you ever noticed that no one makes threads claiming Harvard is better than UKentucky?</p>
<p>You know why? Because it is already general consensus that Harvard is better, so there is no need for the school (or its alums) to prove itself.</p>
<p>Have to agree, IIT is indeed a great university full of very smart and hard-working students, some of whom will go on to make a difference in India and possibly the world. However, MIT is really a special gem in the world, an institution whose students and professors have given solutions to problems yet unsolved. Not only MIT, Cal Tech and Carnegie Mellon should be ranked higher too.</p>
<p>Okay, I will start out by stating clearly - I am in Indian.</p>
<p>Now that we have that out of the way, let me tell you my views, which are a result of my experiences.</p>
<p>When I was in Grade 11 (last year) I enrolled in the best coaching class for the IITJEE (the joint entrance exam). In fact, I had to clear a rigorous entrance test to get into the said classes. They took the top 200 out of about 25000 applicants. The schedules and workload for the entrance exam prep were crazy - we were literally expected to complete hundreds of questions a day. THAT is where the difference between MIT and IITs begin. The IITs focus on academic and theoretical brilliance. ECs were looked upon as a waste of time by my teachers, and I was expected to focus on academics solely. Is that ideal? No. Is that a bad thing? Not necessarily. </p>
<p>One has to look into the different backgrounds and scenarios. USA is at a more developed stage. People are moving into unorthodox fields and the practical side in the one in focus. India is developing at a rapid pace. The tradition of a strong grip on basics and theory is what has distinguished India from the world, and it continues to do so. The IITs are a result of this influence. People here make day and night one to achieve this ideal.</p>
<p>Coming to the more sensationalized bit - do I think IITs are better than MIT?
Thats a rhetorical question. The discussion will never cease. Is there an answer? No. Why? Because they cater to different needs are belong to different parts of the world. You will read about amazing innovations at MIT. You will read about amazing professors, who are from IITs. If you read what I’ve written above, this previous sentence will make sense. As an Indian, I have no doubt that IITians have the ability to succeed purely because of the amount of dedication this system requires. I would place it above all other asian universities, because of the blend of people and the atmosphere. And I hold MIT in high regard too. But because of different reasons. People from both MIT and IITs are brilliant - academically and otherwise. </p>
<p>The sad fact is that while IITs are the gems in India, they do not have facilities to complement the rigor. Maybe one day there will be a change. And that day we will start this discussion again, and will have some kind of an answer.</p>
<p>As for me, I’ve realized my interest lies in the sphere of economics. And thats why I’ve applied to the US.</p>
<p>Also, just a message to the people who are, um, very passionate about this - every argument has two sides. Its good to stick up for your college/institution, but that doesnt mean it has to get personal.</p>
<p>And the accurate admissions rate (last year’s, since the system changes from this year) is about 0.7%. But thats for all the IITs put together. Plus, the admissions are according to the stream of engineering. According to that, to study computer science at IIT-Bombay or IIT-Delhi, the acceptance rate dives to about 0.08%.</p>
<p>If the IITs are as competitive as what everyone here says, why is the math on the IIT-JEE so much easier than that on the AMC 12 or other standard American competitive math examinations?</p>
<p>I don’t understand your point. To the best of my knowledge, the majority of Indian high school students are more concerned with getting into college than placing into the IMO team (as is the case in the US). Also, I’ve seen that there are many students who go through intensive academic training for several hours each day throughout high school, just for the IIT-JEE. So why is it that easy?</p>
<p>(If any of those facts are wrong, please tell me. I’m woefully ignorant when it comes to Indian college admissions).</p>