<p>So today i had my first real discussion about colleges (im a junior) with my dad. I told him what i pursue to study (chemical engineering as of now) and where i would apply. My list included all kinds of schools but the two schools that i mainly talked to my dad about was MIT and Ohio State. I brought a hypothetical scenario where if i got into MIT, which would cost around 40k, and Ohio State which would be free, I would most likely go to Ohio State. My dad completely disagreed with me. He felt that academically/intellectually MIT is much more superior than Ohio State and that paying the money would be worth it (my family is not rich, income around 100k but my parents have been saving since my birth) for the education. He felt that the atmosphere at MIT was so superior that it would be worth the 40k a year. Keep in mind that my dad is a college professor at a pretty reputable university so i couldn't really argue with him on colleges.</p>
<p>Anyways i really just wanted to hear what your guy's opinion is. Intellectually, would MIT be worth 40k a year over Ohio State if costs were not an issue (although it is important)? Of course, this is all hypothetical.</p>
<p>This is really a personal question - is it worth for YOU?? But I agree with your dad. To me, it is worth it. If you get into MIT, do not pass it up, IF it's affordable. When you are surrounded by highly intellectual students, you can't help but feed off of them. When the overall level is very high, you may rise to the occasion. When the overall level is lower (Ohio State), you may do the minimum necessary to stay on top and cruise along. This is not to say that Ohio State is a bad university, but opportunity at MIT is not to be missed, IMO. Who you surround yourself with is very important, and the caliber of students at MIT will be undoubtedly higher than at Ohio State. Research opportunities will also be superb at MIT.</p>
<p>I would say that, in the long-run, an MIT education would probably pay for itself. Thus, it would be better to attend MIT than Ohio State, if you could afford to go to either. </p>
<p>Although you will undoubtedly find plenty of very bright peers and professors at Ohio State, MIT offers those with an interest in the sciences, math, and engineering a unique opportunity what with its resources, professors, academic intensity and rigor, environment (student body, Cambridge, etc.), and overall repute. I know that prestige isn't all that matters about a school, but it certainly is useful in both the job search and the graduate school application process. Also, in MIT's case, the prestige of the school is warranted: I toured the school this summer with my sister (a current HS senior) and was hugely impressed by the place. If I'd had an interest in one of MIT's specialties, I would have certainly loved to have attended the school.</p>
<p>That being said, I do want to attach one caveat to this: if you feel that Ohio State is a better fit for you as a student, it would make sense to pick it over MIT. MIT is a unique place and, because of this, is certainly not for everyone. If you don't feel as if it would be a good fit for you, then it would certainly make sense to pick Ohio State over MIT.</p>
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When you are surrounded by highly intellectual students, you can't help but feed off of them. When the overall level is very high, you may rise to the occasion. When the overall level is lower (Ohio State), you may do the minimum necessary to stay on top and cruise along.
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<p>In my experience, the people that want to "just get by" will do so no matter what they're doing in life. I've been at two "elite" colleges now, and I've met plenty of students that just want to get their B and get out. Likewise, I'm sure you'll also meet people at any company that just want to do what's required of them and get home at the end of the day.</p>
<p>MIT students work hard, take tough courses, and, well, get schooled. Read the MIT blogs to get a feel for MIT life (hard work, difficult p-sets, bright peers, and a cooperative environment) MIT</a> Admissions: Meet The Bloggers</p>
<p>You can't be certain that MIT would be all that expensive. I'm in roughly the same financial situation as your father and I have daughters at Harvard. After aid, my daughters pay at Harvard about what they'd pay for room, board, and student fees at the University of Georgia AFTER getting full-tuition scholarships. Apply to both and see what happens.</p>
<p>
[quote] 5. My parents earn more than $75,000 but less than $100,000. Will we receive any additional help next year?
Yes our financial aid enhancements will benefit your family in two ways. First, the amount we expect you to earn through work-study has decreased by 10% or $500. Second, if your parents own a home, we're eliminating their home equity in determining assets for the purposes of calculating financial need. This will result, on average, in a $1,600 reduction in the expected family contribution compared to our current practice. If your parents earn less than $100,000 and rent rather than own a home, we will make a similar reduction in their asset calculations.</p>
<p>8. My family earns more than $100,000 a year. Should we even bother to apply for financial aid?
By all means apply for financial aid regardless of your family income if you and your parents are concerned about financing an MIT education. It's possible to demonstrate financial aid at income levels above $100,000 because we take many factors into account when determining need, such as the education costs of your siblings. Approximately 38 percent of our current MIT scholarship recipients have parents earning more than $100,000.
<p>I chose around half cost of attendance at MIT over a full scholarship to Ohio State when I had to decide between colleges, and I feel that it was emphatically worth it for me.</p>
<p>In terms of intellectual challenge, intensity, professor attention, and research experience, I had a very different experience at MIT than my high school classmates who went to OSU. I would not have traded it for the world.</p>
<p>Head of MIT Chem E Dept. Wisconsin grad. A number of the MIT faculty come from UW, U Minn, and U Delaware and some other state schools. If the faculty at those schools was good enough to teach most of the MIT faculty there's more than one path.</p>
<p>Anyway OP, you should choose whatever school that you like the most. If you parents are willing to pay for MIT, and you like it and get admitted, than by all means, go there. However, if you like Ohio State more, than I would suggest going there</p>
<p>I would go with Ohio State. I know MIT is a great school and everything, but you said yourself that your parents have been saving up since your birth. It's not like they're really rich and the $40k a year is easy money.</p>
<p>But on the other hand. MIT is MIT. My high school teacher graduated from there and he said it's beyond any other school out there. He compared the classes as "imagine having your head held underwater and right before you pass out, they pull you out for a second to get air and push your head back into the water. Now imagine this for 4 years." He said if you can handle MIT, the rest is easy.</p>
<p>So it's really up to you. That money is ALOT but if your parents have no problem paying for MIT and they don't need that kind of money (like if they don't have any debt to pay off or mortgages or anything) I'd say let them pay for it. But if they need that money for a mortgage or other big payment, let them keep it and go to Ohio State.</p>
<p>This is a no-brainer. Go to MIT. It would be a huge mistake to pass up MIT. MIT will give you grant money to reduce the cost. Don't even hisitate to go to MIT, if you get in. It is much better than Ohio State.</p>
<p>Keep in mind you're just talking about an undergrad degree in Chem E. Whether you graduate from Ohio State or MIT...your first job will just be a relatively menial introductory position. In fact, it may be the same job regardless of where you graduated from....if that is the case, then it may seem silly to be spending the extra money. The real question is: will MIT get you a better job or into a better grad school...and it is not clear to me that it will. I say this as an MIT grad, by the way. If your heart is set on MIT...you can get in....your family can afford it and will take satisfaction in it's "prestige factor"....then by all means go. But do not sell Ohio State short..because it can give you all the tools to succeed in your future.</p>