<p>So, MIT and Stanford: Both have amazing CS departments, but are completely different schools.</p>
<p>My initial first choice was Stanford, but now I'm starting to lean a little more towards MIT. I guess my main concern with Stanford was that it doesn't really have an engineering school environment. MIT offers all the "geeky" stuff that I enjoy - hacks, largest collection of sci-fi and fantasy books in the world, assassin's guild, etc.</p>
<p>OTOH, Stanford has amazing weather and a much better social scene. Also, Stanford's location (Silicon Valley) and its strong econ and business programs will give me a lot more support if I decide to start a company of my own rather than staying in research or academia.</p>
<p>What are your opinions? Pros and cons of each school? Keep in mind that I don't really care about frat parties and such. It's more about the overall atmosphere of the student body. Thanks for your help!</p>
<p>I find it sort of funny that one of Stanford's "cons" for you is its lack of a geeky atmosphere. Last I visited one of the dorms, there were people playing D&D in the lounge room and a group of students conducting a Super Smash Bros tournament (on a gloriously huge projector).</p>
<p>Point is, you can bet your keister there are puh-lenty of geeks abound at Stanford. It is, after all, Stanford.</p>
<p>And as for computer science-related internships and jobs go, absolutely no other place in the world can compare to the sheer magnitude of opportunities available in Silicon Valley. You hear of Stanford undergrads (yes, undergrads) becoming hugely involved in tech-related biggies like Apple, Google, Facebook, Meebo or Mozilla every day. Silicon Valley is, without a doubt, Nerd Capital, USA.</p>
<p>My MIT CS son and several of his CS classmates are working for Google this summer, so it's possible to do that from Massachusetts. But I certainly agree about the weather!</p>
<p>First off, let me say that given your interests, you would likely be very happy at MIT. Should you come visit, I would strongly advise you to check out the MIT Science Fiction Society. We have the library you mentioned, and can point you to other groups and activities of a similar nature you might enjoy.</p>
<p>Secondly, I think the social scene argument is not accurate. MIT has a very active conventional social scene, judging from the number of parties and the like. Again, a visit would be advisable.</p>
<p>I cannot speak with great authority as to comparative entrepreneurship as that is not a focus of mine. I can say that I have read or heard of many undergrads getting very involved with startups and founding companies. Also, companies like Google and Microsoft recruit a ridiculous amount from MIT, judging by the number of my friends interning with them.</p>
<p>well.. since this thread has gotten started already,</p>
<p>My current view is that whether I go to MIT or Stanford, I'm going to end up with the same amount of exposure and education in my intended major, since its really what I do and not where I go that matters at the top schools.</p>
<p>So my main concern is where I'll fit in better. For current MIT students: how would you break down your typical day? About what portion do you spend working, playing, a mix of the two (like coding for an open source project)? What are some common activities for the weekends? I know that theres going to be many different types of students, but any information will be helpful and appreciated.</p>
<p>(and I am planning to visit overnight sometime in the next month)</p>
<p>When it comes down to it I chose Stanford for factors that were mostly non-academic.
Academically I thought MIT was somewhat better in that it promoted this whole "nerd-culture" and since so many people were tech oriented there were lots of little projects going around. Stanford on the other hand did not have this! This turned me off a lot, and it still kind of ****es me off that I haven't found an opportunity to do cool techie projects -- although we did have a little dorm 3d graphics engine development thing going... but that died after finals week last quarter.</p>
<p>I dont' know why but Stanford just seems like/Is a very happy place, I just like being here... the weather's great and the people are nice and out going. It's a very chill atmosphere. It's a good balance of techie / non-techie</p>
<p>On a typical weekday as an undergrad, I spent a few (3-4) hours in class, a few (3-4) hours in my UROP lab, 7-8 hours sleeping, 2 hours at cheerleading practice, 2-3 hours doing homework, and the rest of the time hanging out in my dorm's floor lounge watching TV and talking with friends.</p>
<p>A typical weekend for me would be to sleep in late, then go out to do something with friends -- shopping, eating at a restaurant in the city, or going to a party. I went to a lot more parties freshman and sophomore years, and a lot more restaurants junior and senior years. :)</p>