<p>Are any EA acceptees trying to decide between Caltech and MIT?</p>
<p>IndianinLA is.</p>
<p>So far i have 1/2 in EA: got in CALTECH EA , deferred in MIT EA.</p>
<p>Ironically, I am the opposite of synchrotron, deferred at Caltech, got into MIT EA. No competition in my mind whatsoever. I don't care what happens with caltech, I am totally a MIT man!</p>
<p>lol, same as AKiss20. i was deferred from caltech, but I got into MIT!! lol. eh, i would like to visit caltech and a friend of mine there, but I think MIT would fit with me better than caltech would.</p>
<p>Caltech's campus is beautiful. There are incredible gardens and ponds all over the place, it feels like you are in Europe or a park. I have not been to MIT yet.</p>
<p>MIT seems to have much more name recognition to the general population.</p>
<p>Congratulations AKiss20.</p>
<p>Congrats to yourself Synchrotron.</p>
<p>MIT is def. an urban campus. Growing up in small town NJ for my entire life, thats what I wanted. Caltech is in pasadena, on the outskirts of LA, and is much more of a "campus" with trees and grounds etc. Depends on what you like really.</p>
<p>Accepted at both. I've long considered them tied for my top pick, but I feel that I'm leaning toward MIT, though I'll wait for finaid results and contemplate for a month or two before making any decisions.</p>
<p>The things that are tipping me:
Boston v. Pasadena
-weather: win for MIT (I'm a winter person)
-transportation: huge win for MIT (subway v. convoluted and insubstantial bus system)
-Boston Pops: I love these guys
School culture
-connection: MIT's blog is a brilliant device. I feel like I understand a bit of life at MIT, and I love what I see. Caltech's copycat is too little, too late.
Name recognition: am I supposed to be unaffected by this? MIT and Caltech might be virtual equals in academics and selectivity, but no one has heard of Caltech. People know what MIT is.
Tube
-I haven't got this yet, but I'm going crazy waiting for it. Again, a strategic ploy on MIT's part. I'll have a poster hanging on my wall for the next few months, ingraining MIT's dominance in my head.</p>
<p>true true AKiss20, i like MIT better though but at least i have a backup if i do not get a positive response from MIT.</p>
<p>I think what draws so many more people to MIT is the Boston vibe.</p>
<p>the culture and people there are just so enticing.</p>
<p>in at both, but definitely leaning toward MIT for a couple of reasons:
1. more of an engineering school. over half of the student population is an engg major, vs. about a third at caltech. i need a little more hands-on practicality in my education; i'm a little too theoretical at the moment. UROPs.
2. boston. i'm definitely a city person. i've visited caltech, and it's too decidedly suburban for me. also, boston's a young (lots of college kids) town, steeped in its own traditions and culture. it has a pretty darn good public transport system. Pasadena/LA, not so much.
3. academics. less GIRs. a strong and extremely popular EECS department. good econ department, though caltech's is decent as well.
4. financial aid. i missed caltech's deadline. :P
5. culture. this is just hearsay, but from what i've heard said, MIT has a much more eclectic and odd student body than caltech's. it's also a larger school--caltech's 900 undergrads is a little too small for me.
6. transparency. simply put, i know more about MIT than Caltech. MIT puts more effort into making sure that every procedure is online and well-documented, for non-prefrosh as well as those who've enrolled.
7. campus. caltech's campus is a little too homogenous and perfect--old-school, conservative architecture, palm trees. MIT's a little bit crazy = <3</p>
<p>why caltech:
1. JPL and the observatories around LA.
2. required subjects are ones i'm planning to take anyway. making them required = stronger base of support/more collaboration?
3. take-home exams. i work best late, late at night, and deciding my own schedule is tempting.
4. proximity to beaches that will not cause frostbite.</p>
<p>they both have fascinating traditions.
they're both strong tech schools, but from what i've observed and heard, caltech's a stronger theoretical school, while mit's a stronger engg school. that's a gross oversimplification, though.
actually, every reason i've stated above is probably a gross oversimplification. take it all with a boulder of salt.</p>
<p>thanks for the question. i really need to continue this list.
@srange: i agree--the blogs/tube are very, very stealthy. if nothing else, MIT has better PR people than caltech.</p>
<p>MIT does have much better PR. The tubes and christmas cards are a great. I think that this may say a lot about Caltech too, maybe they don't want people they need to woo, it is a tough curriculum and they only want people who seriously want to be there. I must say their handwritten not on the acceptance letter was more personal. Caltech sounds really intense but is it really more intense than MIT?</p>
<p>
[quote]
Caltech sounds really intense but is it really more intense than MIT?
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I'd say both are pretty equally intense, but it depends on the class, the major, and what your background is. I know someone going to Caltech now that says science is harder at Caltech and engineering is harder at MIT, but I'm taking that with a grain of salt.</p>