<p>...which dealt with a comparison between the engineering aspects of MIT and Yale, I began wondering about the other factors that contribute to a school's environment... like (1) People (2) Social Life (3) Work levels (4) Professors (5) General Student Life (6) New Haven vs. Boston etc...</p>
<p>I visited both campuses and they both seemed pretty nice. Hypothetically if you were in my "possible" future position -- with identical offers from MIT and Yale.. which one would you chose?</p>
<p>An identical post is located in Yale's Forum with Yale's Point of View:</p>
<p>Well, I think the obvious first point is that Boston >>> New Haven. Friends of mine at Yale complain about the safety problem that occurs just after you leave campus -- MIT's campus is both really close to Boston (close enough to walk there!) and really safe. (I think that part of the reason it's safe is that there are students walking around at all hours of the night. :)) Of course, Boston is a great college town, and we have the opportunity to hang out with people from approximately five zillion other colleges in the area.</p>
<p>Don't let anyone tell you that MIT is only a place for one-dimensional science geeks. It's just not true. MIT is home to an incredibly diverse set of people, and generalizations don't do any of us justice.</p>
<p>There's a lot of work at MIT. Not gonna lie. But it's not like we all work so hard that we never get any time off -- we like to work hard and play hard too! Something like 40% of male undergrads are in fraternities, and lots of fraternities = lots of fraternity parties. ;)</p>
<p>It's hard to say anything specific about professors without knowing what you're interested in doing in college. Do you have any idea?</p>
<p>I checked the EECS program on the application... but I'm not completely sure that I want to find a engineering job after MIT or Yale. Like what the other person said in the MIT vs. Yale Engineering thread, there are a lot people graduating from MIT and going to other fields. I might be one of them.</p>
<p>A two part answer: Part 1 - Suggestions as to what you might study. and the short answer is that there is no way to make suggestions.</p>
<p>I got to MIT sure in my heart that I wanted to study pure mathematics. Then I took 18.100 Analysis I, which very rapidly changed my mind. I graduated with a completely different degree. My roommate came in not sure whether he wanted to study Physics or Electrical Engineering. He graduated with a degree in English Literature.</p>
<p>Even if you have a love of physics, that does not mean that you would want the job of a physicist, once you get to find out just what that job is. There is no way to find this out but to try different stuff on campus. MIT is very understanding and forgiving about this. Heaps of people change majors, and that is encouraged. You do not apply to the School of Engineering, or to the School of Architecture and Planning or to the School of Science; you apply to the Institute, and then all of its resources open up to you to explore. That is quite different from most universities.</p>
<p>Part 2: Specific comparisons to Yale
Yale's a great school. I can echo what was said above as to the fact that I wouldn't really want to live in New Haven, but the Yale house system is very close, very supportive. There is no "better" school. MIT was better for me; is certainly less pretentious than Yale, and had a mix of students that was right for me. Your mileage may vary. Visit both campuses, spend some time there, and figure out where you feel most comfortable.</p>
<p>Why did you change majors? What happened? It's my third semester and I am still undeclared and unsure abou what I want to do. I am taking math, chem, physics, bio, some econ... but in the end - no clue. My obvious strenght is math and maybe o chem but the way they are presented in some classes just makes me shudder in a bad way.
I am not currently attending MIT, but I am trying to transfer and this semester has made me feel more lost than ever.
What was about analysis that put you off?</p>