I’m in this position. It’s a tough choice to make and I don’t know what to do, probably the most difficult choice I’ve had to make in my life up to this point. I’m trying to do either computer science and electrical/computer engineering or just do chemical engineering. I’d likely minor in entrepreneurship and innovation at MIT and minor in product design or a similar major in Stanford. My career goals are to be a tech entrepreneur (so yeah, I’ve heard the whole silicon valley Stanford spiel).
Can you help me evaluate this choice on
Student life (includes everything from party scene to general happiness(
Diversity
Interaction with other colleges
Which is better for my career goals
Availability of seed funding
Level of stress
Anything else you find relevant
It would help a lot if current students could share their opinions, too. Thanks
MIT wins in this category. Harvard, Boston University, and other colleges are next door (10-15 minute bus or train). MIT students can take MIT bus to take classes at Wellesley College. Stanford is isolated.
Career-wise and innovation-wise, they’re about equal. You won’t have any problems entering the tech world from either.
Student-life wise, that’s going to be based on your preferences. MIT tends to attract a certain type of student - a STEM-focused student - whereas while Stanford is known for CS, it’s a well-rounded liberal arts university with strengths in a lot of fields, so students will be majoring in all kinds of things there. The weather is obviously better in Palo Alto (unless you like cold and snow). Both are about the same on racial/ethnic diversity. MIT is closer to more other colleges just because Boston is a hub - but Stanford isn’t totally isolated; Stanford’s about an hour from Berkeley, about 25 minutes to Santa Clara University and San Jose State University, 30 minutes to San Francisco State, 40 minutes to the University of San Francisco.
I’d add that Stanford is constantly upgrading and building new facilities on their 8000-acre campus. As does the Stanford mall adjacent to campus. There’s also a large gathering of Venture Capital companies on Sand Hill Road and Palo Alto in general. And Stanford seems to be known for students leaving early to start their own companies.
Being on campus often, I definitely notice that Stanford students appear to be happy. And if you enjoy bicycling and/or running, there are miles and miles paths in and around the Portola Valley/Woodside/Palo Alto areas.
@coolweather Don’t forget, you have Tom Brady and the Patriots too.
Regarding #5, you cannot cough and not make a VC sick around here. Not too long ago, I turned CNBC’s “Squawk Talk” on the TV and my neighbor and the dad of one kid’s friends was being interviewed on the day SNAP went public.
Also, I play pickup basketball at neighborhood middle school gym and just a couple weeks ago, as I was walking into the gym to play one Sunday morning, I walked by Ms. Sandberg, and saying “hello” like a doofus, helping setup with other parents for a kid’s musical/play.
1)In terms of student happiness – Stanford has the duck syndrome reputation and MIT has IHTFP, making both places seem kind of manic and bipolar to me.
Stanford does seem to make more of the happiest student lists that you see around the internet.
I’d give Stanford the edge in terms of diversity. It has 7K undergrads vs. 4.5K at MIT, so more students of all types. It also has more American Indians, Native Hawaiians, and mixed race students. In terms of percentages MIT has more Asian and international students.
Were you at CPW? If so, you probably already heard about the $1K to $25 available to students through the Sandbox. https://sandbox.mit.edu/
I haven’t found anything comparable at Stanford. If anyone knows of anything like this at Stanford please post.
MIT also seemed to have more opportunities for funded undergraduate research and travel abroad. Again if Stanford has similar opportunties please post.
@sweatearl
1.Student life -both great, Stanford probably has the edge though (better party scene, social life)
2.Diversity -Stanford
3.MIT -Boston has so many universities
4. both amazing for your career goals, maybe Stanford slight edge due to location
5. can’t imagine there to be much difference in seed funding availability
6. MIT probably has higher level of stress because of the harsher grading, (also maybe the weather?)
Stanford has StartX startx.com, but the funds seem much harder to get (requiring additional funding from a professional investor) than MITs Sandbox funds.
