<p>I would also elaborate on the last point that pmit made and discuss the idea of going to a school that you sincerely enjoy. That sounds great, but the problem is that whether you will enjoy a school or not has a lot to do with how well you are doing at that school. It's very difficult to enjoy a school at which you are doing poorly academically. Even if you fit the MIT culture perfectly and you love the MIT lifestyle and you love Cambridge, the reality is, if you're pulling straight C's or worse, you're probably not enjoying MIT. And the other problem is, you will never know how well you will do at a particular school until you matriculate there, and by that time, it's too late to change. What happens if you think you will love MIT or some other school, go there, and then find out that you're just barely hanging on academically? And believe me, there is a not insubstantial number of students at MIT who are just barely hanging on.</p>