For engineering?
Absolutely, the difference will be in the depth that they go into for each subject. The cohort MIT will be working with is much more accomplished than the cohort at Ole Miss (albeit there will be a few at Ole Miss that are as accomplished). Still everyone at MIT/UCB engineering will be extraordinary.
Still, an ABET accredited engineering program at even a low selectivity school like Mississippi will have significant rigor at the baseline. This is presumably the reason that engineering has a high attrition rate at less selective schools – a greater percentage of the students cannot handle the rigor of the program compared to those at more selective schools.
Intriguing question. I look forward to seeing the responses. I suppose that would depend on how you define significant ~O)
I suspect OP is trying to ask if a non tippy top ABET is still worth it. Yes, if you put in max effort. There’ll be more than “a few” at UMiss who are on their game. And dedicated profs.
Also interested. How do you feel grading curves will go? On the surface, I would think the accomplished student would fair better at the state U as s/he would be on the right of the curve vs. compressed with all the accomplished kids at MIT.
Assuming you have the ability for either, I imagine the career opportunities are far greater coming out of UCB or MIT. Also imagine that’s a pressure cooker.
I suspect that you will find very few students who have attended both MIT and Ole Miss for undergrad. If there is anyone who attended Ole Miss for undergrad and MIT for graduate school it would be nice to hear from them.
Having attended only MIT of the three schools mentioned, I can attest that it is a lot of work. To go there you need to be a strong student, but more importantly you have to want to do it.
At MIT and Berkeley students will no be satisfied to do merely what is required to get a degree.
I’m not comfy with some suggestions top kids at a state program are slackers. Or that there are few with the drive, prep, and vision to make a program sufficiently rigorous.
I don’t think anyone is suggesting that top kids at state schools are slackers (I was a top kid at a state school - definitely not a slacker, nor were my brothers who went on to HBS and PHD programs at UT.) I think the point is that there are many lesser accomplished, driven students (i.e. your peer group) at the typical state program, where as virtually everyone who is strong enough to attend MIT is a strong student. It’s a different culture.
Top kids are top kids. They will be self motivated and seek out others who are similarly motivated. However, hard to argue the quality of the overall program vs. an MIT or UCB where everyone involved is top tier, research is incredible, resources are as strong as it gets and the top firms heavily recruit.
Recently looked into Ole Miss for my DS. One of the things that makes Ole Miss Engineering different is its CME. The focus on manufacturing makes the program different - and not for everyone. It also has a Honors College that works with engineering, and admission to the Honors College is competitive. That could make the program more challenging.
Elite programs like MIT & Cal stretch their students more than lower ranked programs. The fundamental coursework is the same, however. Research opportunities will be far greater and more interesting too.
Perhaps the quick summary would be that, for ABET accredited engineering programs, the range of rigor across different schools would be from rigorous to highly rigorous. That would be in contrast to some other subjects, where the range of rigor across different schools could be from very easy to highly rigorous.
So right, ucb. You don’t just fall into engineering and get to sleepwalk through 4 years, barely meeting minimums.
And before we assume more opportunities at MIT, one really should look into what profs are working on at your schools of interest.
E.g., granted it’s for a PhD, but what my godson is working on at a state flagship blows my mind. It’s extremely cutting edge/futuristic and involves a number of highest rep unis working together.
Good honors programs at good STEM schools for in state or high objective merit based across the board make an interesting comparison to “elite” schools. They are excellent options for kids who need aid or are interested in a low cost, high quality education. Are they MIT? No. But are they good? Yes. Cost would determine choice for most. For those who can swing it, I guess it is a personal decision. What value do you place on the brand? What is truly better at MIT (could very well be lots)? Would you even like it there? Would you be able to compete with that uber-successful student body. Real issues.
I think classes at schools like MIT constantly require higher order thinking. For example, physics problems with no numbers.
Notice OP doesn’t seem to be applying to MIT or Berkeley. That’s partly why I think he’s looking for assurance re: the level he is looking at… Of course, he could come back and explain.