As @1NJParent said, we chose MIT.
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I kept reading and reading and didnât see - ok - thanks - sorry about that.
The Cornelius Vanderbilt Scholarship isnât full-ride? I didnât realize that. Is the MIT reduction merit-based (apologies in advance if thatâs a nosy question). I just didnât think MIT gave merit-based scholarships, so wanted to be sure. If itâs nosy, that question is withdrawn.
Correct, there is are no merit scholarships at MIT. Only need-based aid.
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One thing that I have not noticed on this thread but which is probably worth saying: MIT is academically very intense. Studying there has been compared to drinking water from a fire hose. Some strong students like this. Some strong students hate this. Some students like it part of the time and hate it part of the time.
I knew a few students when I was there who dropped out. Most of them (with one exception) probably would have done better at a different university. They were smart enough to do well at MIT. They just did not want to work that hard for a full four years. Admittedly the drop out rate at MIT is relatively small, but the stress level is high for many students.
The cost issue IMHO is a very strong argument for Vanderbilt, which is an excellent university. However, any student heading off to MIT should be sure that they really want to work that hard for four years. Engineering at Vanderbilt will be quite academically challenging.
Other than the cost, your child also needs to figure out: Do they want to do it?
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Yes, this is the single most important question: do they thirst to drink from the fire hose?
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Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
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There are many ways to think about it.
For example, while it is true that Vanderbilt is a USNWR top 15 university in the US, its engineering program just fell out of top 40 (#41 currently). They are ranked even lower in computer science. MIT is #1 in the world in both.
Vanderbilt is #218 in QS World University Rankings. MIT has been ranked #1 for 10 years in a row.
What does this translate to for the student âon the groundâ?
This year, Vanderbilt had two students place in the top 500 in the Putnam math competition (both in the 200+ range). MIT had 5 of the top 5, 14 of the top 15, 23 of the top 27, and over half of the top 100. Additionally, they had about 50 students in the top 500.
The picture is very similar with Computer Science competitions. At the last yearâs ICPC regionals, MITâs fourth strongest team tied with the top team from Harvard. Vanderbiltâs top team lost to University of Kentucky.
Being in the same room with IOI winners and Putnam Fellows might not be everyoneâs idea of an ideal college experience. But if it is, you know where to find them.
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I agree 100%. MIT and Vanderbilt are both great schools, but the notion that the difference in a technical field such as enginering is only one of prestige or branding is just not true.
The classes I took at MIT honed my mind simply by interacting with so many brilliant people. I have similar thoughts about the HYPs for many of the humanities and social sciences. Anyone who thinks âevery college uses the same books, and good schools are good schoolsâ has probably never experienced the ego-crushing joy of a 2-hour tutorial in philosophy or social studies with 14 other students seemingly out to prove that your admission was a mistake.
As you said, MIT is not everyoneâs cup of tea â but it is definitely not the same intellectual experience as you find even at another great school such as Vanderbilt.
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Hello everyone,
First, let me thank the community for so many insightful comments.
This is the first time I post a question so forgive me for the lack of details about my daughter
She is very driven and has an interest in computer/electrical engineering, loves robotics, and lately interested in data science and AI (I personally have no clue what she is talking about, so please do not judge me on technicalities 
She eventually would like to work for a start up or start one herself and regarding graduate school, may go for an MBA rather than master or PhD in engineering, and certainly no medical or law school. Thus the undergraduate is THE degree.
She enjoys learning thru projects and challenges, and hands on problem solving.
In addition she writes songs, plays the guitar, and plays golf and tennis at significantly high level. She is definitely a city girl.
So I hope this information will help focus the discussion. As her parent, I just want her to be happy and have as many options and opportunities as possible.
Please, keep those thoughts coming. Your contribution and knowledge is invaluable.
Thank you so much
mamafromhavana
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If you told me that your daughterâs goal was to work at one of the FAANG companies, I would have suggested Vanderbilt, as those companies hire from a large set of colleges.
But the startup world is different. Massachusetts is third in the country in terms of VC investment, well behind Silicon Valley, and just slightly behind New York City. And many of those Boston area VCs are located right next to MIT for a reason, as they know this is where much of the innovation takes place.
If startups are what drive her, thatâs a good reason to choose MIT over Vanderbilt, assuming it is affordable.
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All good but the kid who got into MIT and going to Vandy on a full scholarship is likely going to make MIT $$$ when all is said and done. You are comparing an average MIT grad to an average Vandy grad. This kid is anything but average.
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Or you can ignore the VCs and take the compounded future value of that $300k+ and use it as seed money. You can then sit back and watch the VCs beat down your door.
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That line of reasoning assumes that success is primarily based on talent. It isnât. Itâs primarily based on opportunity. Heâll do just fine at either school but he wonât get pushed as hard at Vanderbilt and the networking & recruiting environment at MIT is among the best in the world. And those increased opportunities compound.
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Sure but we are talking about incremental cost benefits. Vanderbilt is a top 15 school filled with wealthy kids -so future connections isnât going to be a problem.
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I think thatâs the most critical difference. Being surrounded and challenged by your peers is the best way to learn.
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I am 100% certain Vanderbilt is challenging and filled with hardworking and highly intelligent students. This student is absolutely going to be surrounded by students on the same level as her at both schools.
Iâm interested that in the context of this discussion, thereâs some implication that Vandy wonât be intellectually stimulating. I donât believe that. I do believe that there will probably be more STEM oriented students at MIT, which lends to a different kind of intellectual atmosphere. Iâm also guessing many students at Vandy are intellectually gifted and perhaps many kids there are interested in humanities. Geniuses donât have to major in STEMđ.
For the student discussed here, her interests are in STEM, so maybe MIT is a better fit for her. But wow, I cannot imagine turning down that scholarship. This is Vanderbilt, a top university, not State Directional U. This student is clearly going to be very successful in life and in her shoes, Iâd choose the school sheâd be happiest at.
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My S has a friend that had this same choice and they chose MIT. Parents get need based aid, but still are paying more $$. We come from a low income area and our schools are not known as good schools and this student is thriving and doing well at MIT so far.
If I were in your place and I could pay without going into too much debt, I would send her to MIT. Good luck to your daughter.
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Thatâs assuming she has come up with an innovative startup idea of her own. Most often the first startup a person works at is one created or guided by senior people.
Outside of social media, most successful tech startups involve understanding the current limits of technology, where it can reasonably be expected to go in a few years, and finding opportunities to exploit that technology curve before others can. It takes senior people to understand the current limits of technology and where it can be expected to go.
For example, Michael Stonebraker out of MIT is one of the gods of database design, having launched several successful companies. Students at MIT can work with him on research or get attached to one of his companies and learn about the cutting edge of database design. And after a few years, they might be able to understand the field well enough to create their own startup.
MIT has many people at the cutting edge in their field, and nearby universities such as Harvard, BU, and Tufts are also strong. Couple that with many of the smartest students in the country all collected in the Boston area, and the result is a startup environment in Boston that is among the strongest in the country.
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IMO, the belief that many have here on CC is incorrect that once someone is above certain level of competence and/or intelligence, s/he is almost indistinguishable from others who are also above such level. The reality is that the distinctions among them are even greater. Since an average Vanderbilt student or an average MIT student is a meaningless concept, we should look at the distributions. Iâd agree that the distribution of Vanderbilt students overlaps with that of MIT students, but overall, MIT has a much greater proportion of more capable students and some students who canât be found at Vanderbilt.
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