<p>According to a person I know at MIT, Harvard manages to top the Institute in biology as a pure science. And everyone wants to go to Harvard Medical School. But to be honest, either way you’re set. However, if quality of life is important to you, you may want to look more closely at MIT. In my experience, their nicest dorms don’t quite breach “Ramada Inn” quality and you’ll want to check out their meal plan. Or should I say “meal plan”.</p>
<p>
As someone who’s been a student at both schools in biological sciences, I strongly disagree with this. Harvard’s program and MIT’s program are both absolutely top programs in biomedical sciences, and it’s pointless to try to put one over the other in terms of research quality.</p>
<p>Ultimately, I think a choice between MIT and Harvard comes down to a student’s personal preferences.<br>
Want hotel-quality dorms? Go to Harvard. Want to pick exactly which dorm you’ll live in? Go to MIT.<br>
Want a structured meal plan? Harvard. Want to pick what you eat? MIT.
Want high-level, intense ECs? Harvard. Want something more low-key? MIT.</p>
<p>I have a tough time pegging one school as better than the other; they’re just better for people with different sets of preferences.</p>
<br>
<br>
<p>Hardly. I’m a proud Harvard parent and I love the school as much as the next person, but if I checked into a hotel and was shown to a room that was like my daughter’s dorm room at Harvard, I’d march back down to the front desk and demand my money back. Harvard dorm rooms are fine, but they are still dorm rooms.</p>
<p>I haven’t been impressed with the dorms at Harvard in the least. Yes the common areas etc are nice, but the rooms leave a lot to be desired.</p>
<p>I’ll chime in and agree with the above parents. No beautiful rooms yet, or updated bathrooms for that matter. However, I don’t think that anyone should choose a school for its dorm rooms.</p>
<p>The dorm rooms in the Quad are much nicer (QUAD LIFE!)</p>
<p>I’ve never felt any rivalry with MIT at all, but then again I’m not in the sciences. Yale is much more of a rival and where the smack-talking is directed. Especially true in the humanities.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Depending on who you talk to, they’ll say “Why go to Harvard? Go to MIT BECAUSE IT IS MIT!” </p>
<p>Another consideration, when examining</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>is that “personal preferences” may not be limited purely to physical environment/student culture. The academic styles of two schools of similar caliber can be vastly different, and one could make the given student miserable or lukewarm about it, while the other could make the same student right at home. Sometimes I feel people sweep this a little under the rug and just look at “fit” in the narrow sense of visiting and checking out what the students are like, + deciding based on how school X students are “laid back” and school Y students are “preppy” or whatever it is.</p>
<p>Go to MIT, and then Harvard for med school. Like you said, you were pretty set on MIT. If you go to MIT you can cross-register at Harvard and take those History, etc. classes that you want. MIT is top notch for science and math, so I’m pretty sure it will get you more than ready for med school. I’m not sure how it works at Harvard, but at MIT you have the opportunity to study a year at the University of Cambridge. </p>
<p>Going to MIT and then Harvard gives you a win win situation.</p>
<p>Good luck on your decision.</p>
<p>Let me share my S’s perspective on H vs. MIT. Attending an admissions session, he realized he did not fit the profile of the MIT students with their mens et manus ethos. His interests are highly theoretical rather than experimental or engineering. He was very impressed by the research opportunities and appreciated the ease with which students could join study groups to work on problem sets together. At the same time, this very ease stemmed from a more limited range of academic interests among the students, and he wanted to be among an academically more diverse group.
I also think that there is a wider range of ECs available through Harvard. I would never have guessed which ones my S would choose to participate in while he was filling out his applications!
Some of his schoolmates are very happy at MIT. They were the ones who, in high school, took part in science competitions such as First Robotics, or built trebuchets, and the like. </p>
<p>Harvard students also have the opportunity to spend a year at Cambridge (Guess why Cambridge is called Cambridge?)</p>
<p>^^^^
MIT students actually have it easier when it comes to studying abroad at the REAL Cambridge. </p>
<p>[The</a> Cambridge-MIT Institute](<a href=“cambridge-mit.org”>cambridge-mit.org)</p>
<p>There are so many MIT sweatshirts around that I sometimes forget which Cambridge I’m in.</p>
<p>There are absolutely no guarantees (as stated earlier) that anyone will get into Harvard’s med school because of a Harvard College acceptance. This is a common misconception.</p>
<p>Fewer than 10 MIT students (possibly far fewer!) are accepted to HMS every year. Going to MIT then HMS may be a great goal, but it’s just a goal, not a plan.</p>
<br>
<br>
<p>Which would put it ahead of Harvard College. The '08 premeds were complaining because HMS took only 6 from Harvard College last year.</p>
<p>From on-campus chatter, that number should be up a little this year.</p>
<p>So let me clarify what I know, before I say something incorrect. I know that Harvard College is traditionally the best-represented undergraduate institution at HMS each year. And I know that “traditionally” around 12 undergrads are taken from the College each year (as well as some number of College alums). Given this history, I’d estimate MIT places fewer than 10 students (current + alum) each year traditionally.</p>
<p>The point is whether you go to Harvard or MIT you shouldn’t plan on getting into HMS. If you go to Harvard, what you can plan on is getting into a med school – over 90% of applicants get in somewhere (and many of those who don’t get in, get in after taking a year off to retake the MCAT, do research, etc). Does anyone know the comparable figure for MIT?</p>
<p>For the last year the MIT Careers Office has data, there were 12 MIT applicants admitted to HMS (data [here](<a href=“http://web.mit.edu/career/www/preprof/2007top25.pdf]here[/url]”>http://web.mit.edu/career/www/preprof/2007top25.pdf)</a>).</p>
<p>MIT’s undergrad acceptance rate falls between 85-90% depending on various characteristics – people who use the premedical advising service get in at a higher rate, as do people with above a 3.3 GPA, etc. The baseline is 82%, but people with above a 3.3 have a 95% acceptance rate.</p>
<p>Thanks molliebat. I wish Harvard were so transparent with data…</p>
<p>I have an interest in computer science taught at MIT but also have an interest in political science and english literature at Harvard. If I get into Harvard I will take double major course then after finishing course I will enter MIT to take computer science.Is this wasting time??Total 8 years to spend undergraduate is,I think,loss of time.If I have 4 years I could get master degree and get into Phd course.</p>
<p>You can’t do that. Most US schools will not allow you to do a second undergraduate degree.</p>
<p>What does it mean??System matter??</p>