<p>This IIT vs MIT argument is POINTLESS. Ask how many students at MIT went there to get a job and then do the same at any IIT. IIT is a job manufacturing machine, while MIT</p>
<p>Agreed, poverty abounds in India which leads to emphasis on jobs, but very few of those who could have financially comfortable family backgrounds want to join an IIT because they love science and want to learn things. It’s still about placement, and maybe a M.Sc from the US if they want to settle there.</p>
<p>Whereas at MIT, you will find people who study science because it intrigues them. This is why India lags in research in core sciences such as Physics. The best Indian minds go for the highest earning jobs, while a lot of the best American minds go for research.</p>
<p>Unless this attitude is changed, indian education will always lag behind foreign education.</p>
<p>pratush man i totally agree with you…still,you see,in india i got nowhere better to study phy than in iit-k,if not in iisc…so iit it is for me till my ms…</p>
<p>@nocensure- Somehow I get the feeling that you have started this thread because people around you don’t seem to quite get the stature of Chicago and Caltech, in which you have got accepted. I could be completely wrong, but if this is the case, don’t bother about what others think. I have got accepted into those schools which even those who are applying, have no clue about… Caltech and Chicago are absolutely fantastic places and certainly are in the level of HYPSMs, so don’t bother if people haven’t heard about them… :D</p>
<p>@phr34k- No actually. I haven’t applied to Caltech and I got wait listed at Chicago. I actually got accepted to Stanford (likely), Northwestern, and UCLA so far. But thank you for the kind words nevertheless.:)</p>
<p>@texas- Definitely, Uchicago is second to none at economics. They even have their own school “the chicago school” with big names such as Milton Freedman. Though I highly doubt the moniker about “no fun” is true. The school will have myriad people of all kinds, jocks, nerds, etc. If I were a Chicago student, I would find it frankly insulting.</p>
<p>On a slightly less serious note, I joked to my Cambridge Interview about the chicago school of economics. The conversation went as followed:</p>
<p>Q (me): How many Chicago School economists does it take to change a light bulb? </p>
<p>Him: Umm.</p>
<p>A: None. If the light bulb needed changing the market would have already done it. (Laughs uncomfortably)</p>
<p>Him: Sheldon (from Big Bang Theory) laugh. Most uncomfortable thing ever.</p>
<p>Turns out he was a chicago school economist. Should I be surprised I got rejected? :P</p>
<p>Hahahaha! Milton Friedman and his army of free-market economists wouldn’t have like a government subsidized electrician to change that light bulb :p</p>
<p>You said he was doing the interview for Cambridge? Unless the joke was made during Chicago interview, it should not have impacted your Chicago decision adversely?</p>
<p>@nocensure - saw your profile…your entreprenuership…nature. It is amazing what you have achieved…no wonder Stanford send a likely.</p>
<p>I think Stanford is full of kids who have similar traits, and they are cool about it…
You may get a better aid package at Stanford, better location (in my opinion), better weather, more rounded student body. What is your major? The two kids I know who go to Stanford have been able to get amazing opportunities…(internships/study abroad). </p>
<p>Again it depends a lot on how much you are out there but seeing your profile, you will be one of those who will jump at the opportunities that will come your path. And Stanford is great for that. What is your intended major? And yes, Stanford has a sizeable asian/international population. Chicago is cosmopolitan as well…but if you can survive the freezing winters :)</p>
<p>Editing to say…the only other person I know who gave up Stanford was because she got into Harvard and she wanted to be in the East coast…(so if you are waiting to hear from H, maybe you will have a big decision your hand).</p>
<p>And nice joke nocensure, I don’t know why your interviewer felt uncomfortable :D</p>
<p>Honestly though, despite the stature and presence of Friedman’s influence, off late, the Chicago school has been put in the background, especially after the recession surged a fall back to Keynesian policies… </p>
<p>More than the Monetarism, I am very attracted to the branch of economics that Steven Levitt seems to follow…</p>
Out of curiosity, why would you think I would make a better fit there?</p>