Massachusetts Institute of Technology Top Questions

Professors: Very capable at research not always at teaching. Some are very good though. Students: Study varies by person. Little competition between peers.

In intro classes, professors do not know your name. As a sophomore, it's still hard to pick a favorite class because they're not EXACTLY what I want. So far, I've like organic chemistry and biochemistry. Some students have intellectual conversations outside of class but most of the time, when you take a break, you really want to take a break. Students are not that competitive. My philosophy is - "Don't Complain. Don't Ask About Test Scores. Don't Tell." Education at MIT is definitely geared towards learning. The school tries to teach you to think outside the box in a creative way. Therefore, biology is not just memorizing but it's seeing the big picture and being able to zoom in at the same time. It's our ability to analyze things that makes MIT students attractive to the work force.

Academics at MIT are really good (in science / math / engineering / business / etc.). (Don' t come here for languages or music, although if you try hard you can get those too.) We do definitely have intellectual conversations outside of class, all the time. Everyone here is very competitive (although not really with one another, just in general). People don't spend time with professors outside of class except for in office hours. I feel that MIT's requirements are very fair--they allow a lot of flexibility within degrees, knowing that many people will want to specialize in more specific areas or broaden out to get other majors / minors / concentrations. A lot of people here are definitely geared towards getting a good job when they graduate. The education here is geared towards making you really well educated in your field--for grad school, job, or whatever you are aiming for.

Classes are completely hit or miss, and the course catalog is not to be trusted. Trust the reviews of people you trust, and people whose interests more closely align with your own. Always remember: courses may be insanely better in one semester due to a prof switch.

Let's face it, MIT is not easy. We have a rigorous number of required courses (general institute requirements) that include two semesters of calculus, two semesters of physics, and several other science/math based classes. Apart from that most of the school consists of students in either Engineering or Science. As such, the courseload for most students is very difficult. With that said we have some of the best faculty in the world. There is a great feeling of comraderie amongst students in the same major, and many like to work together to help one another succeed. An education at MIT can easily be considered one of the most intense and rewarding of any institution in the world.

Classes are long and tough. Hard core classes are HORRENDOUS.

Everything, from science to finance to engineering to humanities, is strong at MIT. Everyone knows that when you come to MIT, you sacrifice nothing in the department of academics.

Although this may or may not play a big role in your life as an undergraduate here, the research that goes on here is astounding. The guys that invented the world wide web and TCP/IP, those that discovered quarks and developed the theory of quantum chromodynamics and the MIT-bag model of quark interactions, those that seqeuenced a huge portion of the human genome at the Whitehead Institute, and one of the developers of the Black-Scholes equation in economics, they're all here. No matter what field you go into, you'll run into people who invented it. Seven of the people who won Nobel Prizes in 2001 studied or instructed at MIT. Stuff happens here, and it happens fast. And it's a pretty exciting place to be. And that's pretty cool.

The professors are generally quite accessible. As a freshman, I took classes with Chomsky, the guy who discovered the world's oldest rock, and the guy who discovered Uranus' rings. One of my classes was only 2 people. Getting UROPs (research jobs, $8.75/hr to start) is ridiculously easy; I emailed a prof saying I was interested in what he was doing, and within a week I was hired.

Do professors know your name? Do you spend time with professors outside of class? Most of my professors don't know my name, the classes are in general too big for that. But there are ways to get to know the faculty-- you can do research in their labs, or meet them through extracurricular activities. All students also have academic advisers in their department who meet with them at least once a semester. Tell us about your favorite class. Least favorite? My favorite class was a biology elective. The class was small, only about 20 students. We read two papers from biology journals each week and students took turns presenting the papers. We learned from literature, not textbooks (which is how you learn in the real world) and there was a lot of discussion. Our professor was there to guide us and answer questions but not to lecture. My least favorite class was definitely thermodynamics in the chemical engineering department. It's a very difficult topic and the teaching was pretty awful. The professors taught the subject very quantitatively, using only equations and no explanations. How often do students study? Students study a lot here. During the week, I usually spend 4 hours a day on homework or studying. I also study most of the day on either Saturday or Sunday and either Friday or Saturday night. Is class participation common? It depends on the class. Most professors are open to questions.. but lectures are primarily for professors to talk, not students. Do MIT students have intellectual conversations outside of class? Students like to talk about their projects or research outside of class. But we don't talk about intellectual stuff all the time. We like to have fun too! Are students competitive? Not usually. There are some rare exceptions, but most students rely on one another to work on homework and study. How do you feel about MIT 's academic requirements? MIT's science requirements are fair for a technical institution. The humanity requirements are pretty strict though-- we have to take 8 courses in the humanities to graduate. Students complain about this a lot, and it will probably be restructured in the future. Is the education at MIT geared toward getting a job, or learning for its own sake? This question depends a lot on the person and the department. In general, the engineering departments teach very practically, prepare students for jobs.