<p>Im currently a junior and am trying to decide which college should be my first choice for applying early next year. I am about 95% sure I will go into engineering, but its not like ive learned economics, psychology, etc. at school, so theres a chance i might double major in a field outside of engineering. From what ive heard, MIT is undoubtedly the best engineering college in the US. What im wondering though is how much better is the undergrad engineering program at MIT from that at Caltech or Stanford. Ive been leaning towards Stanford as a first choice for a while now. Their engineering program is usually ranked 2nd to MITs but it seems like every other program they offer ranks tops too, which is pretty good incase i find something other than engineering im interested in. Caltechs engineering program is ranked a bit lower than stanfords and MITs but they do seem to have the best pure science department. Neuroscience and astrophsyics are two fields im interested in, but Im worried that if i major in a pure science, ill have to get a job as a teacher. Anyway, id also like to go to Stanford and Caltech just cuz im tired of living on the east coast and want a bit of a change. If I do decide to major in engineering, MIT will definitely be my first choice for grad school. Just how much of a difference will it make though if i decide to go to stanford or caltech instead of MIT for undergrad engineering? The fields i think id most likely major in right now are aerospace, computer, nuclear, and biological engineering.</p>
<p>If you think you might double major in the humanities or a social science, MIT would be a much better choice than Caltech. I personally rank MIT above Stanford too, but at that level you should really decide based on fit rather than some perceived difference in quality. The culture/climate at both schools is different enough that you might be happier at one over the other.</p>
<p>Given your preferences, it seems Stanford should be your #1 for sure. It's out west, it's strong in everything (including math and pure science), its engineering is for practical purposes very close to MIT's in quality.</p>
<p>Caltech would be able to give you the ride of your life academically -- the courses are very hard, there are more pure science requirements than anywhere else no matter what you do; even if you want to be an environmental engineer or an economist, you have to take quantum mechanics. Given a somewhat generalist personality -- someone who wants to try a lot of things -- this intensity might be a little too much. I think of Caltech as incredibly well suited to hardcore math/science types who want to push their limits in the most theoretical areas. For other types of people, mileage will vary, and MIT or Stanford would be a much safer choice.</p>
<p>By the way, for the poster above who said that MIT would be a much better choice for someone who wants to double major in the humanities or social sciences... I'm not completely sure about that. Sure, for someone who wants to take lots of survey courses, it's true. But there are opportunities at Caltech that aren't really available elsewhere; I'm coauthoring a major paper with a well-known economist on an "as equals" basis, and from what I've seen of MIT, that sort of one-on-one theoretical work doesn't seem as widespread. There are things we can do with our 3:1 student:faculty ratio that nobody else can do, and that's not a bad thing to keep in mind.</p>
<p>Oh, and one final bit of advice: apply everywhere, decide later. Works every time, and the decision is often easier from the other end.</p>
<p>I vote for visiting everywhere, either this fall or perhaps next spring. The major differences between the schools are a matter of fit rather than a matter of academic superiority. (And I agree with Ben that you should apply everywhere. No sense shooting yourself in the foot.)</p>
<p>I would like to note, however, my opposition to the "oh but school X is my first choice for grad school" mentality. What's that about? First, you shouldn't be able to decide where you're going to grad school until much later in your academic development -- the academic rigor of your graduate department, not your graduate institution, matters, and unless you know your specific research interests before you even start undergrad, you won't have an idea of which grad schools are best in your subfield.</p>
<p>Second, I just think the whole idea of picking your first choice grad school while still in high school is a little wishful. Even if you go to a very good undergraduate school, grad school admissions to top programs are still extremely competitive. Going to MIT, Stanford, or Caltech is not an automatic ticket into MIT engineering grad school.</p>
<p>yeah ill definitely apply to each of them, im just trying to figure out which should be my SCEA. Still though, all i really want to know is what makes MIT better than Caltech and Stanford at undergrad engineering. If theres not much of a difference, id just pick Stanford or Caltech simply because they are in california. But the location doesnt really make much of a difference to me compared to the academics. Oh yeah and what is the curriculum at MIT like?</p>
<p>From what the OP has said, I think Stanford has the edge over the other 2. You say you want to get out of the East Coast, you say you want flexibility outside engineering/science, so of the 3, Stanford is probably the way to go.</p>
<p>Of course that presumes that you can get into Stanford. Heck, that presumes that you can get into ANY of the 3. The truth is, admission to any schools like that is a crapshoot. You can be one of the best candidates in the world and STILL get turned down by any or all of these places.</p>
<p>I also have to back up molliebatmit's assertion. Plenty of people go to MIT, Stanford, or Caltech for undergrad and then find they can't get into the grad-school they want. Even if you do extremely well in undergrad, it's still not assured that you will get into the grad-school of your choice.</p>
<p>look if applying early is your problem then from what I know MIT and Caltech are both just EA not SCEA so you can applyi early to both.
Leave Stanford for RD.</p>
<p>yeah thats what ive heard too. How much would applying SCEA at stanford boost my chances compared to doing EA at caltech and MIT?</p>
<p>well I cant give any chances.
But imo I think applying early to two colleges will obviously wield more chance than applying early to just one.
But I realy dunno get some expert advice on this.</p>
<p>Stanford does admit it takes more students from it's EA pool (20% acceptance rate there, vs 12% RD). At MIT or Caltech, EA/RD doesn't really matter (you get accepted based on who you are, not when you appy).</p>