Stanford MIT Berkeley confusion

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Ok, so I've been debating between these three a lot, and I'm just going to lay all my thoughts down right now and see what you guys think. So lets just SAY (by some sheer stroke of luck) I get into all three.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Should I take abstract algebra (sort of for fun) over the summer before I go to college, to knock off another class, or should I relax and prepare for the hard four years ahead?</p></li>
<li><p>Is mechanical engineering dying? I heard that mechanical engineering is too broad, but is that for normal colleges, or does that still apply to these three elite colleges. Will these three elite colleges give me an advantage over other mechanical engineers, including international competition in mechanical engineering?</p></li>
<li><p>I want to go to MIT really badly, and I think I have a chance at making it. However, only roughly 3/20 of its undergraduates make it into grad school, and I know that grad school is more important than undergrad. I think I will be an average student at MIT, having already finished linear algebra, differential equations, and modern physics in high school. However I do not think I will be in the top 15% of its mechanical engineers to make it into grad school. So when I look for a job will employers see "Hey, it's an MIT undergrad! Uh oh, what happened? Why did he go to a less difficult school for graduate studies in mechanical engineering? Was he not good enough to stick around at MIT's grad school?" Dramatic, I know...</p></li>
<li><p>I heard Stanford classes were not as hard as Cal's or MIT's classes, and there was high grade inflation. I have also been considering double majoring in mechanical engineering and electrical engineering. If going to Stanford and taking classes there is easier, wouldn't it be easier for me to double major there then? I can't double major at MIT b/c it's just too hard to handle, and I can't do that at Cal because classes are harder than Stanford classes and with the economic crisis, it's hard enough to get the classes you need for just one major, let alone two.</p></li>
<li><p>From reviews of MIT, it seems like there is basically no mean, backstabbing competition. People help each other there, and most importantly, professors help students there. I have not heard of this at Cal or Stanford. I heard that at Stanford and Cal professors are too absorbed in research to help undergraduates.</p></li>
<li><p>MIT has easy to obtain research that makes you do real stuff, not boring stuff like entering data. I am afraid Stanford and Cal will make me do poor quality and unmeaningful research.</p></li>
<li><p>Which one has the strongest Christian community for me to join?</p></li>
<li><p>MIT's neighborhood seems very exciting, with people from other colleges to meet. Stanford's community seems boring, looks like it's all suburb there. However it is close to home, and I tend to be homesick a lot. Berkeley's neighborhood just seems like the ghetto, although there is a moderate amount of city-like stuff here.</p></li>
<li><p>Stanford has a program where you can complete a undergraduate degree and graduate degree together in five years. Is it difficult to get into this program? Will having taken abstract algebra the summer before college help? Would going through this program at Stanford be better than doing 4 years undergrad mechanical eng at MIT and then 2 years grad at a "lesser" (I dont' know the right word to use, sorry) university like Stanford or Cal?</p></li>
<li><p>Does math competition have anything similar to mechanical engineering? I've never won awards at math competitions, but does that mean I'm not good at mechanical engineering as students at MIT Stanford Cal?</p></li>
<li><p>By online ranking for undergrad mechanical eng, this is the order: MIT, Berkeley, Stanford. Why is Stanford last? I have heard that Stanford is gradually declining, and becoming more of a money center, for rich people. Should I just go to Cal for mechanical engineering then? But it's going to be hard to double major there.</p></li>
<li><p>Sorry, but I honestly don't give a **** about politics. I really dislike lawyers and politicians, they seem to just grab money, act smart, act important. Seems like fakers to me, no offense. Which schools of these thee will have the least chance of having a person come up to me in the dorm and try to start a conversation on politics. I don't want that. I would much rather talk about AI systems, logic, math homework, physics p-sets. Are there certain cliches I can join at each of these schools where everyone just talks about science? I heard MIT and Cal engineerings students don't give a crap about politics, which is my style.</p></li>
<li><p>Which school has less mean pre-med students. From what I've heard (and seen from high school of to-be pre-med students), these kids are the bullies on the block. I have heard that they cheat, and are really grade-obsessed and are just overall jerks. Which school can I go to so that I do not have to meet mean people like that? I heard MIT's good for that.</p></li>
<li><p>What is the difference in workload for mechanical engineering students at MIT Stanford and Cal? I have heard MIT people work really late into the night and I wouldn't be surprised if they had the hardest workload. How about Cal and Stanford?</p></li>
<li><p>Are people at Stanford stuck up?</p></li>
<li><p>Will employers look down on me from going to Cal instead of Stanford or MIT? Even though Cal's mechanical engineering program seems to be more intense than Stanford's?</p></li>
<li><p>Do bad things happen in Stanford's co-ed dorms? Temptations must run high, especially without parents around and both genders in the same building. I'm kind of embarrased saying this, but I don't want to make a wrong choice and screw my life over.</p></li>
<li><p>How do these three mechanical engineer majors in these schools differ? What makes each other different from the other? Is it the number of classes, or the different types of classes?</p></li>
<li><p>At which one would it be easier to finish a mechanical engineering degree in three years. Could this degree be finished in three years if I also do research continuously around the whole year?</p></li>
<li><p>GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAh just which college is better!?!?!?!?!!?!?!</p></li>
<li><p>Which college offers the most financial aid, if i'm relatively well off. around 120,000 a year, but i have a sibling 4 yrs younger.</p></li>
<li><p>Which college has less rich people that are stuck up. Which college has an affordable neighborhood that does charge meals really expensive.</p></li>
<li><p>Which college has the least cocky people and stuck up.</p></li>
<li><p>Which college has the best or worst guidance counselors? I know at my high school guidance counselors are mainly to help the average student, not the one taking linear algebra and differential equations at the same time. I have heard that stanford and Cal guidance counselors are not good a helping mechanical engineers. I heard that MIT has good counselors.</p></li>
<li><p>Which college actually pays legit attention to undergraduates? Like lots of professors that care about undergraduate education quality? i don't mean they hold my hand, i dont' want them to, but i mean just "care about undergraduate engineers" (can't explain it in words, feel free to interpret)</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Well folks, thanks and thats about it. sorry if it took too long to read, don't have to answer all of them. So just lemme know anything you guys want to say, i'll be happy to read any opinions, thanks again!</p>

2

<p>Oh and one more thing, how much do mechanical and electrical engineering curriculums overlap? If i take 5 courses per semester, plus maybe 1 per summer ( because i will have research) can i finish the double major in four years? In which colleges do you think this is possible? </p>

<p>Hello guys.</p>

3

<p>Putting aside your stupidity and immaturity(as obvious from these questions), I would go with MIT. It is the most intensely provincial, and you can double major. If you want the best financial aid, go for HYP, but then again, you seem to dislike anyone who’s not a scientist or engineer. Stanford’s co-term gives no financial aid so you’d have to pay for that yourself.</p>

4

<p>…Um, wow O_o How old are you? First of all, many of your concerns are based on speculation and a lot of misinformation. Take a step back and chill. Reread what you wrote and hopefully you’ll understand the majority of these questions are ridiculous.</p>

<p>i.e.

</p>

<p>…seriously? First of all, no one’s going to accost you out of nowhere and demand your opinion on immigration laws or public healthcare. Also, no one talks about science 24/7. In fact, places like MIT try to not accept the science nerds who only care about science and nothing else; they want well-rounded individuals who can contribute something unique to the MIT community.</p>

<p>No offense, but you sound extremely immature and arrogant, ironically things you were trying to “avoid” at college. But seriously though, they’re all excellent schools. Why don’t you try applying first and then worry about all of this when and if you receive acceptances.</p>

5

<p>As the other responses indicate, many of your questions do display some immaturity.</p>

<p>But other questions are simply naive—i.e. the type that a high school student who is just beginning to think about college is likely to come up with. I’ll answer some of the naive ones.</p>

<p>

I can’t for the life of me see why an abstract algebra course would be of any real use to an undergraduate ME major. (EE is a bit different since one application of abstract algebra is coding theory.) But if you get your kicks taking advanced, upper-level mathematics courses that focus on proof-writing, then take the abstract algebra course for fun. [I say this as a math professor.]</p>

<p>

This is just silly. I have no idea where you got the 3/20 figure and it seems dubious. But even if it’s correct, it’s silly to assume that the other 17/20 somehow “didn’t make it” to grad school. Many (maybe most?) engineering students land jobs with decent starting salaries right out of undergraduate school. Those who get good jobs right after college may or may not ever go back to grad school. And if they eventually do go back, it might be five years later and their employer might be paying for it …</p>

<p>

Again, this is silly to worry about. All three schools will have research opportunities available for well qualified undergraduates. At all three schools, you’ll probably need to be pro-active to get involved in research as an undergraduate. And “real research” requires doing the “boring stuff like entering data” too.</p>

<p>

Because only one of the three can come in first and only one can come in second.</p>

<p>More to the point: The typical differences between the top 10 programs in anything are not significant and once you graduate, people will be more interested in what you do with your knowledge than the name of the school on your diploma.</p>

<p>

Last time I checked, MIT and Berkeley also have co-ed dorms too.</p>

<p>As for temptations----well you can control your own bodily urges can’t you?</p>

<p>

** THIS ONE IS IMPORTANT! If your family income is about $120K/year, then financing college is likely to be an issue for you and your parents.** You need to talk to your parents before you start seriously looking at colleges and find out how much they can afford to pay in tuition, fees, room&board each year. You should also have them run through a financial aid calculator. (There’s one on the collegeboard.com site.) You need to know your estimated FAFSA EFC and CSS Profile EFC and whether your parents can afford to pay that much. (Think of EFC as the *minimum amount * a college will expect you to pay.) My guess is that your EFC will be at least $25K or $30K per year, maybe more. If your family has substantial assets, your EFC is likely to be quite a bit higher than $30K/year. I believe that both Stanford and MIT will meet full financial need for all students, but what that means is that both Stanford and MIT will expect your family to pay your full EFC out of pocket (i.e. your Stafford loans will be used to partially meet your financial need.) You need to know now if your parents can afford to pay $25K or more each year for your college expenses.</p>

<p>As for Berkeley, are you a California resident? Or would you be OOS for Berkeley? If you are instate, you’ll want to talk to your high school guidance councilor about what’s going on these days with need-based FA in the UC system and whether you’ll qualify for any need-based aid including the Cal Grants. If you are OOS for Berkeley, you should expect NO need-based aid at all, with the possible exception of unsubsidized Stafford loans.</p>

<p>

There is no such thing as a guidance counselor in college. No matter where you go, you will be assigned an academic adviser, who is usually a regular faculty member in the department you are majoring in. It will be up to you to make appointments to meet with your adviser and the quality of advice you get will be directly proportional to the quality of questions you ask your adviser.</p>

6

<p>I’d say, apply to all and get in first, then thinking about the questions.</p>

7

<p>Having read your questions, I think you’re vastly overrating your chances at acceptance to all three schools.</p>

8

<p>^^Yes. Listen to the two people above me. For now, go outside, do something you love, get a girlfriend(boyfriend?) and relax. Its summer!</p>

9

<p>This is a joke right? Are Stanford people stuck up? Bad things in dorms – like what? Adults having sex? OH MY GOD!!! How can I avoid mean pre-med people? This is like a John Stewart comedy routine.</p>

<p>OP: If this is really your view on things, I’d say you’d benefit greatly from some overnight visits at nearby colleges. You seem to have a very sheltered view of what goes on in college.</p>

10

<p>Most of those questions are absurd.</p>