Massachusetts Institute of Technology Top Questions

MIT is a school where people come and realize that there are people just like them in the world. It is a place where everyone was in the top in high school, but now they all have to fit into one school. Some people struggle, most succeed both academically and socially. It is intense, but you choose that when you decide to come to MIT. You will bond with friends over problem sets, and may choose one night a week to let loose, but will be up in the morning working on problem sets. MIT is an incredible place to push yourself and get involved in things you never thought possible. People are very involved in extracurriculars and there is everything you could imagine. If it doesn't exist, make it. MIT students do tend to live in their own bubble though and don't know what is happening in the world around them. Some students have never been to Boston (except for the ride from the airport) despite the fact it is only a bridge away. MIT is what you make it. If you choose to take advantage of what it will offer you, it will be one of the most incredible experiences of your life.

I'm an alum. I've been out of school for a while, and I still think back as MIT being the most encouraging and fun period in my life. In high school, like most of my college classmates, I was shy and inhibited, and generally scorned at for being into academics. At MIT i found that the more "nerdy" you were, the more you were valued. Can you make a Nintendo machine out of spare parts? Awesome. Can you rig up the toilet to flush from anywhere in teh world? No way. My friends are I were always dreaming - and trying hard not to fail out. Most of those people are graduating with phds or have started their own companies. It is a network like no other.

MIT just was the perfect school for me. It was a great size - a class size that offered a lot of activities and club but at the same time wasn't so large that I felt lost in the crowd. The people are amazing, the academics are awesome, and you can do pretty much whatever you want outside it - from saving the world to learning to juggle. The surrounding area is gorgeous, too. Boston's a great city. So much history, so much to see, so much diversity, and it's amazing to have it right in our back yard, a 10 minute walk from my dorm. I love how unusual we are, from our numbering system (buildings, classes, and majors are referred to by number) from our unique lingo (tool/punt/hack/IHTFP/etc). It's just a great place to be with plenty of opportunity to do whatever you want - and everyone can find their place here.

Telling people I go to MIT carries a lot of weight. I seem to get instant respect and people then think I can solve any sort of math problem. Overall, I really enjoy being here. There are so many opportunities for me to get involved in and so many new experiences for me to discover. I love being in Boston because there are endless things to do. I love walking along the Charles River and going out to eat with my friends. I absolutely love my major here. I'm a civil engineering major and I feel like my classmates have all become really close. We can talk freely to our professors and grow closer while working away on endless problem sets. Although it's hard, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. One of the experiences I have had here is being a member of the gymnastics team. My teammates are my closest friends. I'm also extremely grateful to have the opportunity to participate in a sport I love with coaches that understand when I need to leave practice early to take a test. There is a great balance here between athletics and academics.

The best thing about MIT is the people I've had the opportunity to get to know. MIT has a unique culture full of students that make everything seem possible. I did wish the school was a bit smaller, but probably because I come from a small high school of less than 400 students. The reaction to a student wearing an MIT sweater is usually a positive one, and when it's not, it may just be a reaction from a student or alum of a school that was ranked lower than MIT, if you follow that ranking business. I do spend most of my time on campus in the Reading Room and other study areas, but when I go home to my living group, I find it quite invigorating. MIT is in Cambridge, and there are many colleges within a few miles of MIT -- within a radius of, let's say, 5 miles. I don't consider MIT's immediate surrounding environment much of a college town, though, and that may be because we are islanded by the Charles from the bigger college town of Boston. I know little about MIT's administration, except that I happen to be good friends with many people who reliably comment on one or two racist and prejudiced administrators. MIT bureaucracy can be somewhat stagnating, but it seems that once students get things together for a proposal, for example, then MIT is usually cooperative and helpful. I complain much about the lack of good food, since our Student Center offers few options with menus that only vary from day to day in that suddenly one day, the eatery may be out of ketchup. I don't have much school pride, and although so many people wear their MIT sweaters, I suspect it is either just because of the cold, or because of the weight that three-lettered insignia carries. People hardly go to sporting events, and don't seem to show much interest in improving the school. Many just seem to be here to take care of business, not take care of the school, and move on; although there are a handful of groups dedicated to the betterment of MIT.

Would like more school pride, but it's rather difficult here at MIT. Instead, there's more pride for the Red Sox and the Patriots, which is good, I guess.

There are a lot of unusual things about MIT that few people know. One of the best, in my opinion, is the amount of freedom the students are allowed to have. It seems like the higher-ups trust us to take care of ourselves. There are many dorms where you are allowed to paint the walls however you want, have cats, and generally you're allowed much more privacy than in many of the other college dorms I've visited. Another unusual aspect of the social scene is that there's a pretty pronounced split between "east campus" and "west campus". The personalities of the living communities are very different, allowing you to make a choice about the type of college experience you want to have - its almost as if they're two different colleges. The east campus culture is very well-developed; it's a great community, and a lot of fun. I don't know much about west campus. MIT is very challenging. While I loved the experience, you're definitely going to learn to manage your time, and you're going to have to learn to relax to some extent. MIT will teach you, above all, that you can't do everything perfect, and you're not the most clever person in the universe. Cambridge is a great place to spend time, and there are so many other college students in the area - Boston is almost like one huge college itself. If you manage to get out much, you can meet so meet a lot of great people; more than you could expect of most college towns.

The students are the best thing about MIT. There is wonderful professors and most classes are masterfully designed, but the student body is amazing and really make this place what it is. MIT is just right. About half the students are undergraduate and the rest are graduate. When I tell people to go to MIT they think I'm kidding, that they would never be accepted. Many people think they are not good enough when in fact they are, and MIT Office of Admissions is not the kind that goes by SAT scores and valedictorian filtering. There is definitely a lot of school pride. MIT is a tough place and although we all suffer that, it feels wonderful in retrospective. There is a lot of unusual things about MIT. You may easily find yourself walking from your dorm to campus at 5am to get some food. Certain people walk barefoot, even during winter. Having a soldering iron in your room is definitely considered cool. The parties are pretty hardcore (people need to relax somehow). Professors are usually very laid back and friendly.

MIT is a pretty big school that mostly just cranks out engineers for the world. I feel that our mission is to improve the quality of life for humanity through science and technology.

Best thing about MIT: Everyone is capable of doing whatever they want. Something to change: The humanities requirment is to constricting Size: about right