<p>I am interested in majoring in aerospace engineering but I don't know whether to attend MIT or Princeton.
MIT would seem like the obvious choice because it is ranked #1 in the field and has an excellent overall reputation. I spent the entire last summer at MIT, so I am used to the work it entails and am very comfortable with it. I absolutely love Boston and the overall vibe of the campus and I love the amount of freedom that you have, which allows you to become an independent adult, as opposed to other schools that make you feel like you are in a bubble.<br>
My worries are:
1. MIT is a tech school instead of a university and produces "techies" as opposed to well-rounded graduates of universities. And my whole life goal has been to be a well-rounded graduate. I don't just want to be an engineer and nothing else. I want to be well-rounded. When we went to Princeton, the head of the department of mechanical and aero engineering was giving honest assessments of other engineering schools (believe me he was honest and acknowledged when other schools had excellent programs) and said "MIT graduates work for Princeton graduates" and basically what he meant was that Princeton graudates get higher ranks than MIT graduates because they are more well-rounded and have a reputation for being more wholey educated than MIT graduates who are just "techies."
2.Im not sure if university as opposed to a tech school will better prepare me to go to graduate school (because I want to get a masters in Physics) because graduate schools want to see and are geared towards well-rounded individuals who excel in several fields.
3. I've also heard that MIT puts more emphasis on their graduates while the other schools I applied to put more emphasis on their undergrads.
I do not know if any of this is true but it seems like it could be valid. I have debated whether or not it would be better to attend Princeton for undergrad and apply to MIT's graduate program later.<br>
Princeton, of course, is an excellent school and I have visited and liked it. I am simply not quite as familiar with it as MIT as I did not spend an entire summer there.<br>
Basically, I am open to either school, I just want to attend the school that will provide me with the best prospects in the future (in terms of receiving internships during school and a job after).
Any opinions?</p>
<p>Tough choice but it seems like Princeton would be the one you want because if you plan to graduate school, you’re virtually sacrificing nothing by picking Princeton over MIT. You seem to appreciate the well rounded education and undergraduate focus which Princeton will provide.</p>
<p>First of all there is no guarantee you would get into MIT’s grad program, so do not let that factor into your decision. Personally, given your major I would opt for MIT BUT it sounds like you may have many interests - maybe even change majors? - If so then go for Princeton.</p>