I got admitted into MIT and Columbia I.I Rabi Scholars Program and I want advice on where to go.
I am a Prospective Physics major and I am not sure about a future in Physics research or Med School but i’m sure i want to have as many undergraduate research and internship opportunities as possible.
I am an international student from Zimbabwe so campus friendliness and warmth is a priority for me to fit in and feel at home (my best friend also got into Columbia, so companionship will not be an issue there)
I want to know how is the social scene at both schools and if the Rabi scholars Program is good enough to bring Columbia close to the MIT academic experience.
And also how the dorm situation at both schools compare.
Congratulations on the Rabi selection.
I’ll reply as a fellow “African” that came to college to the US in 1982. I ended up at a small liberal arts program (had no clue what liberal arts was having come from a British form of education) and retrospecttively feel that the program was phenomenal at giving me a breadth of education and I subsequently used graduate school as a way to get a deeper adn more specific educational experience. MIT will, by design, take you deep and narrow while Columbia will allow for more breadth - my two older ones ended up in a liberal arts program (Harvard and YAle) and my youngest is leaning towards Columbia (she will be a Rabi Scholar as well). The only time you can get a breadth of education is as an undergraduate - I’d take the Columbia opportunity over MIT.
The Rabi Scholars program is small and very selective. My friend’s son is currently a scholar and having a tremendous experience. There are opportunities that I would think are not easily available elsewhere - even MIT.