<p>Although MIT does meet full need of internationals, it has a strict quota on the number of internationals it admits. Also, unless your family is very poor which is unlikely coming from Switzerland, you and your parents will probably have to contribute a substantial amount to the cost of education. This could certainly be more than $100,000 over four years even with aid. </p>
<p>Admission is extremely competitive for internationals at MIT with an admission rate of less than 4%. As a group internationals tend to be even more qualified than US applicants. Just very good general ECs won’t be enough. MIT really wants to see demonstrated interest in the sciences in the form of research, math and science competitions and the like. This is not easy to show coming from Europe. Most internationals fall into the category of academic superstars (Olympiad medalists) unless they beat the odds and rose through the system in a poor African or Asian country. </p>
<p>You have a much greater chance of admission and lower educational costs by applying to MIT for graduate school. You can also much easier get a visa to stay and work in the US with a graduate degree than an undergraduate degree. ETH is well known at MIT and many ETH graduates have applied and been admitted to MIT. Graduate admission is also done by department which makes it more personal as many MIT professors know their international counterparts at other top universities. Even as a grad student in engineering you could easily take classes at the Sloan School. That is the route I chose 30 years ago after attending the Ecole Polytechnique in France as an undergrad. I never moved back to Europe.</p>