MIT vs. Columbia SEAS

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I have read similar threads on this topic, but they discuss Columbia College vs. MIT. Anyway, both Fu and MIT have great alumni networks and research opportunities, which can lead to serious connections, internships, and maybe job offers right after graduation. Wonderful! There are the GIRs and the Core, so it's not just purely engineering 24/7. Cool. However, I made a list of pros and cons to compare other details and help me decide. Hopefully, students from these schools can tell me why they ended up choosing the way they did? Thanks! :)</p>

<p>MIT:
-Lovely, "college-y" and breathable campus, so if I need a brain break from p-setting I can walk or ride my bike
-Cluster of friends in surrounding schools
-Superb engineering (duh!)</p>

<p>-Not so good financial aid compared to Fu</p>

<p>Columbia:
-Super close to home
-Lots of graduates have gone on to do other things beside engineering, namely, law, business, medicine, etc. I'm not sure if I'd be interested in this, but it seems like the best of both worlds, if one chooses to go that path.
-Awesometastic financial aid (no loans!)</p>

<p>-I've never been smitten with the concrete jungle. Sometimes it's hard to breathe there, but I guess I could go home every now and then if I'm feeling low.</p>

<p>Other things to consider:
1) How consistent is the financial aid? My friend, who goes to another school in Boston (with better endowments than MIT), had great aid the first year. The next year, though, she had to pay $600 more, and this year, even more. The thing is, her family income didn't change over the past few years. I don't think mine will either, but I'm worrying that if I start out with not-so-good financial aid, as I mentioned above, it'll only get worse. So the scales tip in favor of Fu on this point?</p>

<p>2) How is the guidance and advising - everything from office hours to TA help to career planning? I know no one's going to hold my hand, but will I easily find a tutor if I'm struggling in my classes? Will general lectures and office hours really be helpful, or am I technically on my own for large, introductory classes?</p>

<p>3) And lastly, pressure. These schools are both great, and I'm lucky and grateful to even be able to make this decision right now. However, I'm a person who needs my sleep (i.e. minimum 5 hours). I've never done an all-nighter in my entire life. I don't want to throw this out of whack and lose my sanity in a pressure cooker of a place. I know wherever I go, I'm going to try to join study groups and find a balance between work and play, but I'm afraid that maybe I won't be able to handle the rigor of MIT. I'm curious about the pressure aspect from the view of a Columbia SEAS student. Is it sometimes IHTFP too? </p>

<p>I apologize for the lengthy post, but if anyone could offer me sage advice as soon as possible, I'd love that! May 1st is quickly approaching and my gut isn't being decisive... :(</p>

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<p>Which one are you leaning towards right now?</p>

3

<p>I’m leaning slightly towards MIT, but I can’t say that that’s my gut feeling because I’ve got both schools on the brain. I just need more info to make a more informed decision.</p>

4

<p>Bump!! I’m in the exact same situation and would love to hear some thoughts!</p>

5

<p>Disclaimer: I am not a Columbia undergrad; I am a Columbia grad student, but I work with Columbia undergrads in a variety of capacities. But I get the sense that SEAS is also a rigorous place, and make no mistake, Columbia students tend to be very stressed out. I think that there are definitely students here who get at least 6-8 hours every night and rarely pull an all-nighter, but there are a LOT of students who spend most of their time in the library and study all the time. I think it’s also because Columbia students attempt to do everything in the world: they take 6 classes, have an internship and are the president of three different campus clubs. LOL.</p>

<p>I think guidance and advising depends on the department and the TAs. I think the office of career planning here is pretty excellent, and there are always recruiting events happening on campus. Most of the SEAS students I know already have a job (actually, most of the Columbia students I know period already know what they are doing next year). I’ve heard SEAS students complain that they can’t understand their TAs and that their TAs are unhelpful. I get the sense that the TAs are really hit or miss; it just depends on the class and the specific TA(s) of that class. Some are good and some are bad. I’m a TA and while I try to give my best to my students, I have to admit that there’s not a lot of support for that…your advisor expects you to spend most of your time on research and professional development, so TAing is like that bottom-of-the-list priority for them and they expect it to be for you too. Professors seem to have varying levels of interest in the progress of their undergrad students.</p>

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<p>Your second pro for Columbia (Lots of graduates have gone on to do other things beside engineering) is true for MIT also. I know a lot of people who went into areas other than engineering and I know several people who majored in engineering but then went to medical school.</p>

<p>Large classes at MIT will have smaller recitations with TAs where you can ask questions, and there are sometimes additional study sessions. All professors will have office hours. If you’re majoring in engineering, most of your friends as well as the older students in your living group will be majoring in engineering also, so there will be plenty of people to answer questions.</p>

<p>Another pro for MIT is the amount of undergraduate research available. While most selective schools seem to have undergraduate research opportunities these days, there will be a very broad set of opportunities at MIT.</p>

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<p>It’s interesting to hear the tidbit about TAs. I didn’t know that, but the fact that it’s hit or miss is a serious bummer. Thank you, though, to both juillet and photodad.</p>

<p>Also, what would you say regarding the other aspects I brought up earlier (financial aid, for instance)?</p>

8

<p>MIT and don’t look back</p>

9

<p>LOL, could you elaborate on that?</p>

10

<p>There are way too many back doors to a Columbia degree: general studies, Barnard, and even TC for a grad degree. MIT is an elite institution; Columbia is not. When I was at Columbia in the late '70’s and early '80’s, the engineering school and its students were looked down upon by the the rest of Columbia.</p>

<p>OP will find a lot of problems with the quality of teaching at Columbia. Much comes from professors’ arrogance, who put off even grad students. This trickles down to undergrads by grad student TA’s putting off undergrads. SEAS now uses part of CC’s core. OP should be aware that a good many of the sections of the core courses like Lit Hum, Contemporary Civ., and U. Writing are taught by grad students, many who are NOT well qualified. Plus, it’s nearly impossible to change sections if you get a lemon instructor.</p>

<p>Get out of New York for college. At Columbia, you’ll be saying: “I turned down MIT for this?”</p>

11

<p>@rhg3rd - !!! </p>

<p>Thanks for the input. I’m sorry your experience wasn’t so great. What I’m getting from these posts is that SEAS doesn’t have the best TAs/teachers, period…</p>

12

<p>I strongly disagree.</p>

<p>Columbia SEAS is a top notch engineering school (in fact, the most selective engineering school in the world for the Class of 2017). The education you get from both schools won’t differ that much. </p>

<p>I transferred from MIT to SEAS and never regretted it.</p>