I just received my acceptance letter from Princeton a few days ago, and I am applying to MIT for the regular decision round. It’s been on my mind for a while now which one should I choose ( if I get into MIT; if I don’t then Princeton it is lol ).
I know I want to study chemical engineering in college, so that would put MIT over Princeton, and the UROP at MIT give me more opportunity in research ( I think? I am not very sure about research in Princeton ).
The exclusive and eliteness feature of Princeton (especially of eating clubs) frightens me. I am both low-income and minority, and my personality is not the most out-going type, so the social environment is a little different from who I am.
However, I also want to enjoy my time in college. I don’t know if the academically-focus environment is what I want for college. I am really afraid that if I got into MIT and choose MIT, every day will be a study day, and I will not have as much fun as students in other colleges.
This is not to say that I prefer one college over another; I love both and would love to attend both if I can. Now, (if I get accepted into MIT), which one should I choose? This question might be a little early to ask since the regular decision results are not out yet, but I still want to think about it beforehand.
Princeton is remarkable in physics and the like. MIT is the world finest with caltech in the engineering sciences. I belive nasa and definately astronauts seem to develop at MIT in a meaningful way. Also I have daughter at a nearby school and they often go to MIT for parties on the weekend. Your personality you described is the norm at MIT. I don’t know about the pace of play at Princeton at all. I do know mit can be a real lot of work and you will find many students in your classes who are elite in those science and math fields. Perhaps that will be you.
I would try to schedule an on-campus visit at Princeton maybe starting Thursday and coming home Saturday or Sunday, staying with a student and attending some classes. Do this before Princeton Preview so you get a more realistic picture of classes and campus life. Do the same for MIT if you get in. Only you can judge what best fits you.
I’m a current BSE freshman at Princeton! Congrats on your acceptance! I’ve only had a semester here, but I can talk a little bit about my experiences at this school and hopefully it’s helpful to you!
Onto eating clubs - you can be as involved with the Street as you want to be. I’m not super outgoing, only went once during frosh week and decided the party culture wasn’t for me. Some of the eating clubs are sign-in, meaning anyone can enroll, and the university will up your financial aid starting junior year to compensate for the additional costs of eating clubs. I have upperclassman friends in both bicker (which is selective) and sign-in clubs, as well as friends who opted out of the system completely and chose to either go independent or remain on the res college dining hall plan. No matter which option you choose, there’s a community for that.
I didn’t feel any social exclusivity during my time here. Sure, there are snotty people at every school, but the majority of people are definitely very welcoming. Some clubs here (the dance groups, or the student-run investment funds) are definitely very selective to get into, but there are also lots of clubs where anyone can join. If you’re minority / low-income, check out FSI or SIFP - my roommate’s in both and loves it. She’s a prospective chemistry major and will start doing research in one of the chemistry labs next semester.
Princeton and MIT are both very academically challenging, though MIT may be slightly harder (from conversations with friends there). I think Princeton is more well-rounded than MIT - you can take classes at the Woodrow Wilson school, or creative writing under the likes of Joyce Carol Oates, and meet interesting people from all disciplines. If you’re not 100% certain about pursuing STEM, Princeton offers the stronger name if you switch into the humanities / econ. On a more trivial note, you also get a lot of perks at Princeton - subsidized Broadway tickets, free laundry, generous printing quota, late meals, etc. that I’m not sure you can find elsewhere.
That being said, I don’t think you can go wrong with either choice because both Princeton and MIT are pretty great schools. Good luck!
Personally, I don’t think the social/eating clubs should stop you. Both schools have thousands of students and you will find your way. If you get accepted to both, you should visit and go with the vibe and curriculum that fits you best.
At MIT everyday will be a study day, but you will still have fun and UROPs are in abundance.
Chem E is going to be a lot of work anywhere, but at MIT it is more applied higher order problem solving. You’re not going to find answers to the p-sets or exams in a book, in fact books aren’t really used much.
CPW (and Ebony Affair if you are AA) and Bull Dogs days will help you decide about social fit.
One thing I’d suggest you explore at Princeton is the Integrated Science Curriculum (ISC). It’s Intro Physics, Chemistry, Bio and Computer Science taught as 2 Integrated classes w/Lab each Semester (4 classes total). It’s very quantitative and physics-focused and higher order problem solving a previous poster mentioned. It’s extremely rigorous but it pays off not only in your education but you’ll find a built in social group with the sort of academically focused students like yourself.
Also I don’t think MIT will give you that much more research opportunity. Everyone does research at Princeton and I’m sure you’d get funded summer at Princeton.
Anyway good luck with MIT and I hope you get the chance to make the choice. I’m in no way recommending Princeton over MIT - just trying to give you more info so you can make the best choice for yourself if the opportunity arises.
MIT’s GPA is based on a 5 point scale not a 4 point scale, so you cannot compare it directly to the other schools in the article. If one normalizes it to a 4 point scale, it is lower than Princeton. MIT also has pass/fail grading first semester to get students used to the extra workload and it does not record D’s and F’s for second semester. On the other side of the equation Princeton has a higher percentage of non-STEM majors which would tend to skew their average GPA slightly higher, but probably not enough to overcome the effects of the 5 point scale and freshman grading.