<p>JHU has selected me as a Hodson Trust Scholarship winner and Westgate Scholarship Finalist. With the Hodson I get $110,000 over 8 semesters. ($33,000/&56,416 for my freshman year). And if I am choosen as 1 of the 2 out of 10 finalists for Westgate I will be awarded full tuition for 4 years. I have not received a financial aid package from MIT but their online calculator estimates about a $30,000 parent contribution. </p>
<p>I am 80% sure I will continue with in engineering and almost certain I will stay on a science/math path. </p>
<p>______________<strong><em>****Just my thoughts</em></strong>_________________________________________________
JHU:
My sister is a current senior at JHU. She entered in as an projected engineering major and switched gears come her junior year. She has very positive things to say about the school. But I feel as though I have experienced the school already. I have visited MD nearly every month and many a times stayed at my sister's dorm/apartment while she attended school. There is this need (perhaps selfish?) to experience another city and another school and atmosphere. And in that sense MIT is (more) intriguing to me. (And I like Boston much more than I do Baltimore. )</p>
<p>MIT:
Both MIT and JHU have been lightly criticized for being very engineering/science focused. I am also interested in public policy, economics and english. At MIT I can cross-registering at Harvard (!!!). Harvard classes would give me the opportunity to take classes in my many other interests. But then again, JHU is very well known for its public policy majors. So no need to cross-register at another school. </p>
<p>MIT students are very collaborative (many of my freshman friends say MIT students work on problem sets together every week and are very supportive but still competitive, as to be expected). But my sister has said the atmosphere at JHU is not as supportive as my MIT friends describe MIT to be.</p>
<p>MIT has the best engineering program and JHU is also ranked very high. I cannot doubt the research opportunities at either school or for that matter, the name recognition of either. Finding a job/getting recruited isn't a worry if I were to receive an education from either school. But the possibility of rejecting MIT is very difficult for me to swallow. </p>
<hr>
<p>My parents took out a very large loan for my sister and have paid it already. They are willing to take out another loan for MIT but JHU's offer would reduce (possibly eliminate) that financial worry. </p>
<p>It seems your heart is telling you to go to MIT, and if that is what your heart wants, and your parents are financially ok with handling it, then I say GO for it!</p>
<p>However, if MIT is not the knock-out-of-the-ballpark that it seems, I would suggest JHU. The student body here, though yes, heavy in science, is a bit more varied and interesting in many cases than the student body at MIT. You will be able to live with and dine with people studying international relations, writing, history, biology, BME, etc, while still getting a high quality engineering education and experience. + the money is excellent, and being a Hodson Scholar gives you a leg up over many other students. Hopkins students are very successful in the engineering department. If MIT is still your love, and you are still passionate about engineering 3-4 years from now, I am sure that an education at Hopkins would not hinder you (but in many ways help you) to go to MIT for graduate school, as many students actually eventually do :D</p>
<p>Visit both places, sleep over if you can. I honestly don’t know much about MIT, but I don’t think it sounds like a fun place to stay 4 years if you are interested in a well-rounded college experience.</p>
<p>The only reason I think you should go to MIT is because you seem to think you’ve already experienced JHU and want a fresh start at college. Perhaps it would be wise to start anew, but please make sure MIT is the place for you. I feel JHU would provide a better overall college experience, but again I do not no too much about MIT. Also consider you might have a completely different experience here as the student body and administration continues to change rapidly. This school is always working on some project to improve campus life and each incoming class is more diverse and talented than the last (not necessarily so at MIT due to its small(er) size and sharp focus).</p>
<p>Also consider that the Hodson Trust and potential Westgate are huge resume boosters that would surely help you get internships or research positions or w/e you are interested in. At MIT I presume you would be one of the regulars (although probably in top tier of quality) but at Hopkins you’d instantly be a big fish thanks to those accolades/scholarships.</p>
<p>PS engineering at Hopkins is extremely collaborative (same in the sciences). you’ll always find engineers in groups pounding out problem-sets, science students studying in groups, etc. I seriously doubt MIT is MORE collaborative than Hopkins.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t worry too much about your sister’s experience because the minute you move on to a campus, it’s really all about the people, your friends, your experience there. Other than campus traditions, you’ll have a different experience I’m sure.</p>
<p>JHU sounds like a bitter return on your investment honestly. If you’re aiming for the same career at the end, doesn’t it make sense to pay as little as possible? </p>
<p>Additionally, cross-registration at Harvard is not as easy as it may seem when it comes to getting to and from campus and adding that extra time in to your day. You end up missing things on your own campus and knocking out other classes because the schedule doesn’t fit… It’s not NEARLY as accessible as it may seem. Friends of mine had that problem as did others at Penn/Swarthmore. You can do it - but it’s a pain in the butt.</p>
<p>Hopkins really WANTS you as a student, and they will pay for your education. MIT KNOWS that you WANT to go there, so they are going to make you pay. Fifteen years-ago, I would have said go to MIT, now: the education offered by each are of the same quality.</p>
<p>Although, personal preference always wins out in choices made - you will be well educated at either.</p>
<p>Wealth of Knowledge- You are absolutely correct. MIT and Harvard class schedules do not match perfectly. But in the last 5 years, both schools are adjusting the time their morning classes end and begin etc etc. </p>
<p>And I am taking what my sister told me with a grain of salt. It was her personal experience. People will have good, great, bad and terrible experiences everywhere. It’s what you make of it. (I don’t mean to be cliche!!)</p>
<p>Johns Hopkins is your best bet is you are a double scholar. That goes on your grad school application and will open doors in research, jobs, etc. </p>
<p>If you want to experience another place, take the January term off at JHU and travel to London or Spain or the west coast. Or China. </p>
<p>Lots of options with no debt. Ask your parents to save their money for you to spend in grad school if that becomes necessary.</p>