<p>Good for you MC. You are in for a great experience at MIT. It doesn't get any better than that.</p>
<p>I have one more comment to add. If you enroll at MIT as an undergrad, you are essentially able to enroll in their Masters program if you declare before end of second year. If MIT grad school is your goal, this is a huge advantage. Despite all the previous well-intended commentary, grad school admission into MIT is not going to be a shoe-in from any outside school.</p>
<p>Also, if you have experienced the unique MIT community, then you already know whether that is a good fit for you, or not.</p>
<p>Even if you don't see yourself enjoying the social life for four years of your life, MIT is still worth it. This school is THE engineering school and has one of the best graduate business MBA programs. The connections you develop there are worth your time spent there. Make no mistake about it.</p>
<p>
[quote]
If you enroll at MIT as an undergrad, you are essentially able to enroll in their Masters program if you declare before end of second year.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Umm, I have never heard of this. What exactly are you referring to? </p>
<p>If you are referring to the EECS MEng program, then I would say that first of all, you apply to this program at the end of your junior year, not 2nd year. Secondly, there is no guarantee. It depends on your grades. Those with average grades of B's or lower (a 4.0/5 using MIT's GPA scale) are almost never admitted. There are plenty of MIT undergrads who are pulling average grades of less than a B. </p>
<p>The point is, MIT grad school is far from being a shoo-in for anybody, even for MIT undergrads. I agree that the odds are significantly better for MIT undergrads, but certainly there is no guarantee or even a strong likelihood. Plenty of MIT undergrads cannot get into MIT grad school.</p>
<p>
[quote]
GRADUATE SCHOOL PLACEMENT:
MIT: A
Michigan: A-
[/quote]
</p>
<p>This I would dispute. But it hinges on what you mean by 'graduate school'. I tend to take that to mean ALL kinds of graduate schools, including PhD science and engineering programs. If you look at it that way, I think it is fairly clear that MIT is dominant. The WSJ doesn't do MIT justice because the WSJ only measures professional schools. Yet the fact is, MIT students are far far more likely to go on to get MS and PhD degrees, especially in engineering, than to get professional degrees. For example, I believe something like 25% of MIT undergrads will eventually obtain a PhD. I don't know what the figure is for Michigan, but I have to believe that it is substantially lower than 25%. </p>
<p>
[quote]
QUALITY OF LIFE:
MIT = C
Michigan = A
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I disagree with this also, but mostly because the people who apply to MIT tend to be the ones who actually LIKE the MIT lifestyle. Sure, maybe a lot of regular students wouldn't like it (and to them, MIT may actually be an 'F' when it comes to quality of life), but MIT applicants are not really 'regular' students. I know that there are a lot of engineering and science students at Berkeley who would prefer to live the MIT lifestyle and would therefore want to be going there, but didn't get in. I'm fairly certain that a lot of Michigan engineering and science students feel the same way. </p>
<p>The point is, while Michigan may offer a more balanced environment, the fact is, a lot of students don't WANT a balanced environment. They actually enjoy the heavy technical slant of a school like MIT. So for them, it would actually be MIT = A+, and Michigan would be a C or worse.</p>
<p>Nice to see you on the Michigan forum Sakky. As always, you add good value to the thread.</p>
<p>Sakky, keep in mind that a student who is debating between MIT and Michigan isn't one of the types who would probably give MIT qual of life an A. The type of people who fall in love with MIT usually know going in that it is the place for them because its quirky intellectual atmosphere fits them perfectly. To others, it doesn't fit particularly well but they respect its academics and would have a tough time choosing between it and michigan.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Sakky, keep in mind that a student who is debating between MIT and Michigan isn't one of the types who would probably give MIT qual of life an A. The type of people who fall in love with MIT usually know going in that it is the place for them because its quirky intellectual atmosphere fits them perfectly. To others, it doesn't fit particularly well but they respect its academics and would have a tough time choosing between it and michigan.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I don't know about that at all. First off, a lot of people apply to both MIT and to their home state public school simply because everybody knows that MIT is difficult to get into, so they need a safety school. </p>
<p>Secondly, it seems to me that the OP isn't all THAT attracted to Michigan. It's not just a comparison of Michigan vs. MIT. It's a comparison of Michigan WITH MONEY vs. MIT. In other words, I think I can safely infer that if both Michigan and MIT were to have cost the same, then the OP wouldn't even be asking the question. I believe I can also infer that even if Michigan were to cost the regular in-state price vs. MIT full price, the OP would still have chosen MIT. </p>
<p>This seems to tell me that the OP actually seems to like MIT quite a lot, meaning that he probably likes the quirky intellectual atmosphere a lot. The thing he seems to be debating is whether it's worth the money he would be giving up at Michigan.</p>
<p>Hence, I believe my analysis still holds. While I agree that the MIT environment is not as well-balanced as Michigan, I maintain that there are a lot of people who don't really care that much about having a balanced experience and they actually like the MIT quirkiness.</p>
<p>GO TO MICHIGAN. MIT is too depressing, and too specialized.</p>
<p>sakky, just because an applcant favors MIT over Michigan if money isn't an issue does not necessarily mean he/she "probably likes the quirky intellectual atmosphere a lot." I know plenty of students that would (dumbly) pick MIT over Michigan in a heartbeat just because of prestige/reputation when the atmosphere may not fit them at all. The OP may be in the boat where he/she doesn't know if MIT's atmosphere would be a good match or not (I had no idea), which is why this is still up for debate. If it was such a perfect atmosphere, I think that such a perfect experience would trump any monetary issues, especially with how much MIT provides for the calculated financial need of incoming students. If the OP isn't getting much money from MIT, it probably isn't a huge deal for him/her.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I know plenty of students that would (dumbly) pick MIT over Michigan in a heartbeat just because of prestige/reputation when the atmosphere may not fit them at all.
[/quote]
Look. One of the things that distinguishes winners from the average crowd is that they do things for a purpose. They understand there is more to life than simplying enjoying yourself.</p>
<p>MIT gives you a undoubtly better and more opportunities than Michigan. No one is here to argue that. The only thing we want to see whether you have the stamina and drive to suck it up and hit the home run.</p>
<p>Real winners will prevail in any environment because they don't make any excuses. They are at MIT for one reason and one reason only. To reach their goals and that is it.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I know plenty of students that would (dumbly) pick MIT over Michigan in a heartbeat just because of prestige/reputation when the atmosphere may not fit them at all. The OP may be in the boat where he/she doesn't know if MIT's atmosphere would be a good match or not (I had no idea), which is why this is still up for debate.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I wouldn't say it's "dumb". If you truly don't know what school will fit you, then I think it's perfectly fair and proper to go with the school with the greater prestige. Choosing prestige is in no way "dumb". It's a good hard-nosed way to develop your career. It's like people choosing to work for a a high-prestige company like McKinsey or Goldman Sachs even though they know they don't really want to do that kind of work, but just for the prestige. Having a company like that on your resume looks will open doors. Most people who take jobs at McKinsey or Goldman Sachs actually plan to be there for only a few years before jumping ship to something that they actually do like. </p>
<p>
[quote]
If it was such a perfect atmosphere, I think that such a perfect experience would trump any monetary issues, especially with how much MIT provides for the calculated financial need of incoming students. If the OP isn't getting much money from MIT, it probably isn't a huge deal for him/her
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Nobody is saying that MIT is the perfect atmosphere for everyone. On the other hand, Michigan isn't the perfect atmosphere for everyone either. Hence, if you truly don't know, then the safe choice (if you can afford it) is to take the more prestigious school.</p>
<p>take the money and go to michigan</p>
<p>I’d pick MIT for sure. And please don’t give me a “Both MIT and UMichigan can make a legitimate claim at being the top 5 Engineering school” or something xD</p>
<p>And wow, the U of M forum is now a complete “U of M VS A better college” war forum. Nice.</p>
<p>you guys are about 3 years late to the party</p>
<p>"you guys are about 3 years late to the party "</p>
<p><a href=“The Onion | America's Finest News Source.”>The Onion | America's Finest News Source.;
<p>Well why the hell would you reply to a persons college choice thread 3 years late…The decision has been made</p>
<p>^bearcats is just fooling around</p>
<p>"^bearcats is just fooling around "
<a href=“http://www.eiaonline.com/intercepts/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/captobvious-738633.jpg[/url]”>http://www.eiaonline.com/intercepts/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/captobvious-738633.jpg</a></p>
![http://www.eiaonline.com/intercepts/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/captobvious-738633.jpg[/url]](http://www.eiaonline.com/intercepts/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/captobvious-738633.jpg%5B/url%5D){kind=link}
<p>
How do you think these students would do at MIT … that is, if they can even get in in the first place. The topic of this thread is for the person who has the ability to be admitted to both school (and to Michigan with $$$).</p>