<p>what are the pros and cons of MIT?</p>
<p>interesting question! I would like to know that too!</p>
<p>That’s a really broad question – broad to the point of being unanswerable. Can you narrow what you’re asking at all?</p>
<p>here’s a specific question that can pertain to this: how FUN is the undergraduate experience, both on a day-to-day and overall basis?</p>
<p>So we all know MIT is tops in math/science, so I’m gonna focus on the non-math/science stuff.
What are the pros and cons of MIT in terms of:
the people (how helpful/unhelpful, how friendly, how cooperative)
Location
Business School (compared to Wharton)
the dorms
leadership training
alumni connection</p>
<p>thanks</p>
<p>I’ll take on some of this.</p>
<p>@ham - Day-to-day depends entirely on you. My first two terms here, I wasn’t doing much on a day-to-day basis. Now I have several things to go to each day (ranging from doing poi to a programming group to a community service group to social events at ILG’s…). I can’t do all of them but generally do one a day. It keeps me sane 
And then, of course, there are bigger events throughout the year that are loads of fun.</p>
<p>@theforgotten - Have you read the admissions blogs (not just the ones currently up, but poked around the archives)? They can tell you a lot about the people and dorms, and some about the location. I don’t know much about Sloan compared to Wharton and haven’t taken advantage of any alum connection so I don’t know how that works. There are various leadership programs at MIT through different means.</p>
<p>I think I’d be more helpful if you get more specific :D</p>
<p>
Well, the school part is about as fun as you’ll generally find school to be. But for me, even in the days that weren’t so fun, I could find ways to have fun – working on homework, for example, was a lot more fun when I did it in my floor lounge with my friends.</p>
<p>
There aren’t really any cons for this one. MIT has a very collaborative culture, and everybody helps everybody else. People tend to do problem sets in big groups, which is a lot easier than trying to do them yourself and often involves a great deal more ordering pizza.</p>
<p>
MIT is located in Cambridge, which is an urban location. I think MIT is somewhat ideally situated in Cambridge, because it’s just a quick walk over the bridge to Boston and a quick bike ride/subway ride up to Harvard Square in Cambridge, but being down where it is means the more unsavory Cantabridgian elements don’t frequently find their way to campus. I liked being in close proximity to everything – if I had a long lunch, I’d take the subway into Boston and eat lunch in Boston Common, or go shopping on Newbury Street.</p>
<p>
You get to pick where you live, so the pros and cons of each individual dorm are more relevant than the pros and cons of the dorms in general.</p>
<p>In general I think the biggest pro/con pair is that MIT may be awesome, but is quite definitely NOT FOR EVERYONE. Obviously the academics are excellent, there are lots of activities, lots of nerdiness leaking out all over the place if that’s your thing…but it is INTENSE. Some people thrive in that, others don’t. At all. You need to figure out which type you are.</p>
<p>One con is that MIT, for all its efforts in broadening its offerings, still does not have the wide range of coursework and offerings in the social sciences and (especially) the humanities that other more holistic schools can provide. Granted, this con is greatly attenuated by the Harvard cross-reg system and will be further reduced as MIT continues to widen its catalog, but the fact remains that somebody who truly doesn’t know whether he wants to major in a technical or nontechnical subject probably is better off at a school like Stanford.</p>
<p>The other con, obviously, is the weather. It’s already late March and the temperature is still sub-freezing - what’s up with that?</p>
<p>Global… nevermind.</p>
<p>When I was a student it snowed in May one year.</p>
<p>this question is so broad an unanswerable… makes me ask another similar question:</p>
<p>True or False? The meaning of life.</p>
<p>@mcb52: Trivial. True, 42. </p>
<p>@sakky: I agree. I think MIT is a much better fit for those who are almost certain they are going to concentrate in a science/math/engineering field.</p>
<p>I hate the weather here. Hate.</p>
<p>Con?! I personally love the weather here. I was bored of the constant heat in California. I’m a big fan of snow (though only as long as I don’t have to drive in it - but most MIT students don’t drive here anyway).</p>
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<p>Snow would actually be OK, if it just fell and then stayed put. The problem is that it doesn’t. Instead, it periodically melts and then refreezes into this nasty slush soup that you have to trudge through. The Infinite Corridor obviously helps immensely, as long as you want to remain within the confines of MIT. But not if you actually want to go out.</p>
<p>^ Eh, I don’t find the slush a huge issue. I’ve walked across the bridge when there was a bunch of slush (and ice… fell on my butt a few times). It’s certainly bothersome, but I’ll take it given the alternative of desert life.</p>
<p>Con: nerdiness. If you get offended by this comment, MIT’s for you. (Really, trying to be helpful here.) :P</p>
<p>Oh god I hate the weather so much. SO MUCH.</p>
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<p>yeah I thought that freshman year too</p>
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<p>When did that fade? This is my third term at MIT and it hasn’t shown any sign of fading in me yet :D</p>