Need to pick a school within next two days! Big choice. Please help.

College Search & Selection
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<p>The deadline to accept/decline enrollment to MIT and Stanford is this Thursday, April 1! I am at a deadlock as far as choosing between the two schools. I've visited MIT twice and Stanford once (I'm there right now, in fact), so I have somewhat of an idea of what either is like. However, I'm having trouble placing myself within the student population and determining how I'd fit in.</p>

<p>I'm pretty shy and am slower to make friends. However, those that I do have are very close. In fact, I prefer a small group of close friends. But they're all going to state schools or community colleges (I'm from Texas), so I'll be all alone in a different state and will have to make friends at or above my intellectual level, which is daunting because I'm used to letting loose around my friends and acting less than my age. Which place would be a better fit in this respect?</p>

<p>Anyway, on to some other important criteria: I'd like to live in a single dorm; either that, or have a semi-private bath (and from what I hear, both of those are easier to secure at MIT than Stanford). I want to go somewhere that is connected with the real world and not country-clubbish or pretentious. I don't want to feel that I have to act or dress a certain way to fit in. That was high school. A diverse student body is important to me, but I know both schools have that. I'd like to study abroad, either in New Zealand or Finland. Not sure which school would be more accommodating of study abroad there.</p>

<p>So it seems that MIT would be the better choice at first, but then there's this: I'm not totally sure on a major. I am thinking Earth Sciences, but I can easily see myself switching to Biological Sciences or Mathematics. I also have a strong passion for geography and find linguistics and anthropology fascinating too. So, broad choices would be a plus wherever I go.</p>

<p>Also, my minor is Music (Composition), and I'm not sure which school would have a better program in that.</p>

<p>And if the decision couldn't get more difficult to make, I also got in to Harvard, Princeton, Bowdoin College, Cornell, WashU, and Rensselaer. Do you think any of those would more fit me and my interests? I've only visited Bowdoin and WashU out of those schools. Finally, cost isn't an issue, since all of the schools are covering everything, but that just makes it exponentially harder at the same time because I can't eliminate a single one right off the bat!</p>

<p>Please help! This is an extremely nerve-wracking blessing. Many thanks.</p>

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<p>I think you should go with Stanford. If you work for it, you can get your own dorm and some of their theme houses have baths you only share with a few people. Stanford is the opposite of country-clubbish but it's not total Cal hippie-ish either. Especially concerning your major, Stanford is strong in many different fields, while I feel (but haven't done enough research to know) MIT is more science/math.</p>

<p>I feel like Princeton might also fit your needs too.</p>

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<p>You seem to have picked the best 2 based on your statements. Princeton is 30% country clubish (they have "Eating Clubs" which are pretentious non-fraternities). Cornell is HUGE...BUT, you'd definitely be able to take your minor subject and probably has more Texans (because of its size) than the other schools. If you're shy I'd pick Stanford which (all stereotypes being equal) would have more laid backs gets vs the intense intellectuals at MIT. RPI has a heavy drinking scene...I think the city it's in has more bars per person than any other one in America.</p>

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<p>Thank you both for your advice. I am starting to lean toward Stanford a bit. </p>

<p>But (yeah, here we go), I just wonder now about giving up Boston/Cambridge. I'd kind of like to get out into the community instead of spending my entire undergraduate education with the same students, studying, living, eating...doing everything together in an insular environment. A part of me wants to be able to live the life of an urban student...to meet up at a cheap hole-in-the-wall local restaurant, or join a community organization...for instance, instead of operating within a "microcosm" that is not only distanced from but that bears no resemblance to "the real world out there."</p>

<p>Blast, I'm still torn.</p>

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<p>Stanford is a beautiful, resort-like campus which does seem rather self-contained by its sheer size. Boston/Cambridge would give you more urban opportunities--from easy Cambridge, to downtown Boston. There are gazillions of students around from many different colleges. However, the weather can be gray, winters are cold, but spring is cherished in Mass.</p>

<p>Coming from Texas, do you long for a real change of place? Cambridge/Boston would be more of cultural change than Palo Alto. The Stanford Mall, which abuts the Stanford campus, is chockful of very high-end stores. There doesn't seem to be much else of a town life.</p>

<p>You can't go wrong with either choice! And you can always do graduate school or your first job in the other location, so do not fret.</p>

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<p>Hi Unless, First of all standing "o" for the admits. Secondly, it seems like you have a good sense of who you are and who you are not, but yet you seem open to new things. NOW, I don't know what part of TX you are from, but unless it is Austin, I think Stanford will be a pretty big change. Personally, I think the choice is more between Stanford and Harvard (by the way Yo-Yo Ma, the Cellist went to Harvard ;-) </p>

<p>As for your other statements let me address a few point by point </p>

<p>"I'm pretty shy and am slower to make friends. However, those that I do have are very close. In fact, I prefer a small group of close friends."</p>

<p>I think Stanford fits the bill here because the students there are pretty laid back and not as high-strung than some other places. NorCal tends to be more about the substance over the style (I am saying this even from a SoCal perspective-we are a bit more distant and shallow). The house system at Stanford is conducive to making friends and even though "the farm" is huge, there is something actually intimate and small about the community. If you yearn for a weekend in the city, San Fran is an hour away or the smaller city (but with nice things to do) of San Jose is not far. Also, the East Coast can be a bit distant. In Boston and NYC I found people willing to engage but at arms length. A little distrusting toughness if you will, not the southern or midwestern niceness."</p>

<p>"I'll be all alone in a different state and will have to make friends at or above my intellectual level, which is daunting because I'm used to letting loose around my friends and acting less than my age. Which place would be a better fit in this respect?"</p>

<p>Again I say Stanford, because people are a bit hippy-ish (not by Berkeley standards but hippy-ish nonetheless) they are liberal and open minded. Very environmentally conscious (not everyone of course but that was the vibe I got). People seemed to be very very accepting of each other. And there is a little more "dorky nerdiness" going on, so you can be yourself. </p>

<p>As for the smarter people, I used a quote from Yo-Yo Ma on another post that he states in the Harvard video. </p>

<p>"Everyone is smarter....and that is a wonderful thing to be able to accept"</p>

<p>Again, I would be between Harvard and Stanford, but maybe Stanford is the better fit.</p>

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<p>Yes, I like that Boston is so diverse and that the MIT community fosters such a rich experience. So far, I've found the Stanford student population to be culturally diverse but, unfortunately, pretty homogeneous personality-wise.</p>

<p>Also, which of the two areas is more expensive? Are there cheap places to shop and eat in Palo Alto? I know there are many in Boston; I've been to a few. I'm visiting Stanford right now, and judging by the shuttle ride from San Jose to campus, everything seems very park-like, superficial and bistro-ish. And thus, expensive. But perhaps I am drawing over-generalizations.</p>

<p>I have flip-flopped at least four times as far as my preference between the schools in the past day alone. The deadline is looming, and instead of deciding on a school and sticking with it, I'm getting more impatient and flustered. I think about all the urban action I'll be missing at Stanford, but also wonder why a more introverted person such as myself would be drawn to an urban life in a place like Boston/Cambridge.</p>

<p>Another factor that might be weighing on my mind, sub-consciously, is that I was accepted early decision to MIT (my dream school during my early high school years), then chose to apply to eight other schools (Stanford included) afterward in case MIT didn't offer the aid I needed or in case I liked one of the others better. Now, it feels like if I don't go to one of those other schools, all that effort in applying will be wasted; I could have just stayed dead-set on MIT from the start. I don't want all of this to be in vain.</p>

<p>Ugh, this is getting much too psychological. I'm going to go do some homework (then come back and check on this thread later tonight. :D) Thank you everyone for your input on my self-imposed "last-minute" big decision.</p>

<p>EDIT: We must have been typing simultaneous posts, Rel</p>

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<p>I just checked this and it might be of interest. The new rankings are out this fall but they do not change too drastically. </p>

<p>NRC</a> Rankings in Music</p>

<p>To be honest, I didn't realize Harvard was THAT strong in Music specifically. Any chance Harvard comes back in the mix. It is Cambridge. </p>

<p>By the way Palo Alto and the Bay Area in general is VERY expensive I am not sure if the Boston area is that expensive. I kind of doubt it. Hmm well you can't go wrong, but those Harvard rankings are something to consider. That said, if MIT was your dream school, your dream has just come true!</p>

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<p>I think you should put rankings and academic strength aside and think about where you will be the most happy at. MIT and Stanford are both amazing schools so academic strength won't be an issue. Stanford has a very social and overall lively atmosphere. The kids at Stanford are way different from those at MIT. I think you should try and match yourself based on your visits and really think about where you fit best. You say that you want somewhere where you can be yourself....well you can do that at both MIT and Stanford, but one of them may have more people like you with whom you can form tight groups of friends. I hope you pick the right one...you don't have much time left!! :-)</p>

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<p>"I think you should put rankings and academic strength aside"</p>

<p>While a noble concept, you have to at least consider them. Plus why fear the extra knowledge of knowing these things? We are trying to help here right?</p>

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<p>I wasn't trying to discredit your input Relampago :-) . Of course these are things to consider, otherwise the OP wouldn't have applied to such prestigious schools. Ranking, however, is nothing in comparison to one's happiness at a school. The schools the OP is considering are all so high up in the rankings that rankings alone shouldn't be a deciding factor.</p>

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<p>Thank you for the ranking information. Something draws me to MIT, but at the same time, Stanford has an allure all its own. I've tried weighing the pros and cons, but it hasn't worked--I can't say which pros are more important than which other pros or cons than other cons. Basically, Stanford has more well-rounded programs in the event that I change my mind about my major. It also has a better music program. It is also much more attractive (and not just the campus, if you know what I mean :D).</p>

<p>MIT, however, has a more atypical college experience to offer (at least to me). I like the idea of getting a job off campus and living off campus eventually. The idea of getting my life started, so to speak, appeals to me. </p>

<p>I just wonder if the social atmosphere that calls to me at MIT is worth compromising for the broader academic programs offered at Stanford.</p>

<p>Also, I haven't personally found Stanford to be neo-hippy-ish, really, unless I am getting the wrong impression. I've seen more Hollister cargo shorts in the past two days than I ever have before. The people seem nice and of course academically adroit but at the same time...shallow? And I know just as much can be said about MIT folks too...</p>

<p>Well, reading over my last few posts, it sounds like I'm trying to convince myself that MIT is the way to go. Now, I don't know if that's because I sub-consciously really want to go there, or if I'm realizing Stanford is better for me in the end and I'm trying to compensate. It's pathetic that I can't sort out the meaning behind my own convictions.</p>

<p>Oh, and regarding Harvard, the reason I eliminated it from my list is because first, I've never visited anything but their Natural History Museum and haven't stayed overnight at all, secondly, because I have been told by many that I wouldn't fit into Harvard's "general egotism and pretentiousness," and third, because sources say the attention is primarily on graduate education and many professors are neither dedicated to nor accessible by undergraduates.</p>

<p>I should also mention that I cite Harvard's pretentiousness through my sister, who attended college in Boston (Liberal Arts, nothing like MIT), and had a few Harvard acquaintances whom she described as such. She personally told me I wouldn't fit in there, and I trust her judgment (even though she could be out to fool me...must be that lack of sibling trustworthiness :P).</p>

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<p>Also, I don't know what this means for me, but I found this interesting:</p>

<p><a href="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2006/09/17/weekinreview/nwr_LEONHARDTweb-ch.jpg%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2006/09/17/weekinreview/nwr_LEONHARDTweb-ch.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>That 51/49 MIT/Stanford is somehow not encouraging.</p>

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<p>I think Harvard was worth a visit with all due respect to your sister, especially given their reputation in Music. But you seem to be set on MIT. Here is a much clearer link to that chart</p>

<p>The</a> New York Times > Week in Review > Image > Collegiate Matchups: Predicting Student Choices</p>

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<p>As people here have pointed out in the past, the chart is based on data that is about 8 years old and is only a one year snapshot--I don't think that it should particularly factor into your choice.</p>

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<p>I would think the climate would be a huge factor. No matter where you are in TX, you won't have anything like MA's winters. </p>

<p>I read recently of a student who took 3 acceptances to the post office - and randomly picked one there!</p>

<p>Whatever you choose - don't look back. You will have a great experience regardless.</p>

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<p>Go to MIT. Your posts sound like you're leaning that way, so I'll give ya a gentle push. MIT will provide plenty of opportunities to keep you interested.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

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<p>I vote for Stanford especially the way you describe yourself. Stanford is more laid-back and friendlier.</p>

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<p>Thanks everyone for your input; I took every bit into consideration. I also tried my hardest just to go with my gut. So I enrolled at MIT. I am glad to say this is the end of an mentally and emotionally grueling application and selection process. Unfortunately, it marks the start of even more grueling years ahead! But I am looking forward to it. I am moving forward, no regrets. :D</p>

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<p>^ Congrats! You made a fantastic choice. Good luck in your future endeavours.</p>