I am a senior in high school and I’m in a pretty fortunate spot. I play football and am being recruited by both MIT and UChicago. Right now, I want to study Computer Science, but could see my major flipping to mathematics in the future. I’m unsure if I want to go to graduate school or not. Anyways, I am wondering if I should flip my application to ED II at UChicago, which would mean I’d probably get in, the coach said. Or, should I take the risk of applying to MIT where the coach said I’ve got a good shot but he can’t guarantee anything. Financial Aid is also a big factor for me. Thanks in advance to all.
UChicago. All I have to say.
MIT coach has very little pull. What would you do if you got rejected from both places? Do you have a backup plan in place?
I have a backup plan in either the University of Minnesota college of science and engineering, Carleton or Macalester
My friend’s son is playing football at UChicago and loving it. Good luck with your decision!
@Redslp @hbbivteen My friend is a soccer recruit and she loves the campus. She’s super excited.
I know both well. I am an MIT grad, and my D attends UChicago.
MIT is superior in CS, but as a practical matter there are only a few opportunities you get with an MIT CS degree that you cannot get with a UChicago CS degree. For all the major software companies, the quality of the degrees will be considered equivalent.
In Math, MIT again gets the nod, but UChicago is a top 10 program.
For these reasons, I recommend EDII at UChicago.
UChicago offers a friendly social environment. Students are extremely smart and committed, but very down to earth. The campus is stunning and the housing system is one of the best in the country. The city is spectacular.
Classes and workload are very demanding and could be very stressful, but the students can count on an incredible support system.
Even in the first years, you will have amazing teachers; my daughter, a freshman, is doing honors calc II (16200) and her teacher has a math PHD from MIT. My D totally loves everything about UChicago.
@sgopal2 Is right that the MIT coaches have limited input compared to other schools.
@hebegebe You say, “For these reasons, I recommend … Chicago” but didn’t give any reasons to pick Chicago.
The one thing I would consider is that Chicago has very limited technical majors so your flexibility to change to another tech major outside of CS or math may be nil.
Well it made sense in my head. I just skipped the part of writing it down.
IMO, the reason for the OP to choose UChicago is because EDII increases the odds of getting into a world class institution, without giving up much in either math or CS. I agree with @Much2learn that UChicago does not really have engineering (except for the newly introduced molecular engineering).
Sounds like your heart is with MIT. You’ve heard some good points above about the benefits of UChicago. Note that the RD acceptance rate for UChicago last year was in the single digits. They never officially released the numbers because they were so low and wanted to avoid a big drop in application numbers. I know that Chicago is a D3 school, but I think that the coach has some input with admissions.
This is quite a bit different vs MIT, where the coach submits a list, but then the admissions makes their own decisions. Many times this is at odds with the coach. But MIT admissions is quite up front about how little the coach’s input is weighed.
Have you done the NPC for both schools? Can you afford to go to Chicago if you get in EDII?
@mamom I will be getting a financial aid pre-read back this upcoming week. I’m not sure what to expect. A student who is at UChicago said I’d be able to afford it but the NPC says I won’t. So I will get the estimated package back this week.
Do you want to be in the Midwest or East Coast?
@suzyQ7 I think I’d rather be in the Midwest.
My son was in the exact same situation as you last year. You have to look at the statistics of the situation. Assuming you have the average MIT and UChicago standardized testing, grades and EC’s.
MIT - You will not have a differential, as the coach has no pull with admissions.
UChicago - if you have Pre Read and coach supports your app - your in.
If you wait RD, neither school has much pull due to the sheer numbers and slots left.
If you are a not a gambling man, EDII is as solid as it gets. UChicago is world class, Hyde Park is an absolute gem, Chicago is an incredible city and UChicago’s commitment to Career Advancement is second to none and has the highest Metcalf Internships for undergrads than any of its peer institutions.
Did you do your overnight ?
You didn’t EA with MIT or EA/ED with any other recruited school ?
If you’re being recruited, why didn’t you apply EA? I believe both schools offered EA.
Both UChicago and MIT are known for their rigor. So is Carleton, for that matter. And STEM won’t be easy at Minnesota or Mac either. Wherever you end up – especially Chicago, MIT or Carleton – bring plenty of pencils and Mountain Dew. haha
As for my vote:
- If you aren't really sure what you want to major in, I'd give the universities an edge over the LACs since they offer more options.
- UChicago's RD admit rate is like 2% and MIT's is like 6% -- ugh. EDII at UChicago gives double-digit chances generally and with the coach's nod, likely puts you in. So your best shot to get into UChicago or MIT is to try EDII at UChicago.
MIT’s early action gives virtually no advantage over RD.
MIT is certainly more renowned in CS and Math, but UChicago is very good at everything they offer. And if you pulled a 180 and wanted to go in an entirely different direction, UChicago is top-10(ish) in more majors overall. Though MIT doesn’t do anything poorly on their end either. They’re probably pretty even academically overall… just with some different strengths.
So – EDII at UChicago would get my vote. If calamity strikes and neither works out, you have three other awesome options, at least one of which should admit you if you have good stats.
@fbsdreams I did my overnight at both places. I was offered a slot by UChicago but I will likely gamble with MIT because I believe I have a good shot in RD there.
With regards to UChicago, it’s a great school, and it’s cool to have automatic admission, but MIT is MIT for computer Science and math.
What did your son do?