Massachusetts Institute of Technology Top Questions

One of the nicest things about going to MIT is how impressed people are when you say where you go. Nerdy and scientific audiences respect MIT more than any other school, and general intellectuals consider MIT as almost on par with Harvard and Princeton. The most frequent student complaint is definitely the excessive workload, however I hear this complaint at many colleges. I believe that MIT is only incrementally harder than many second-tier colleges, including liberal arts schools and technical schools (like RPI). However, MIT is much harder than Harvard, and much harder than most state schools. If you want prestigious AND easy, go to Harvard, Harvard is easy (I know, I have cross-registered, and I have friends there). But don't assume that a random liberal arts college is easier than MIT, because they can be hard too.

The big picture is that people are here to learn. Being here would be impossible if there weren't people around you all the time who were driven and inspired. If everyone is partying and you want to get work done, you feel ostracized. If, however, everyone is working, you don't feel so bad having to spend five hours finishing a problem. It's all about community and friendships. That's what gets you through the academics. There's also many facets to release pent up frustrations with the school. In general, it's hard and it's fun.

The culture..the people, you learn so much by interacting with them...each has his/her own talent and together they form the one of the most diverse and academically challenging environments Spend time mostly in my dorm, sometimes in the student center, reading room Just the right size of students They are usually impressed by me going to MIT. Controversy - administration's decisions and financial aid Yes, usually a lot of pride

Great people, most people want to help others out School size is JUST right, any bigger is too big and any smaller borders on irrelevancy.

Best thing: Undergraduate research opportunities program (UROP): some of the most important, high powered research in the world goes on at MIT and even as a freshman you can get involved and work closely with world-famous professors. UROP gives you $$$ and/or credit to do research and all professors are open and encouraging to undergrads working in their labs. College town: In Boston right across the river from Back Bay, the best, most fun part of Boston with shopping, restaurants, etc.

The people are definitely the best thing at MIT. I've met the more interesting, intelligent, fun, smart kids than i have ever met in my life, and i call all of them my good friends here at MIT. Yes, the institute is amazing, but the sort of people that it draws in is by far the best part of it!! If i could change anything, i would make Pass/No Record last foreverrrrrr!! Perfect size...when walking down the Infinite, you will see plenty of people you've never met before, most you recognize although don't really know them, but you will always see some of your friends around whereever you are on campus. "OOOoooo, you must be smart" or, i sometimes get the "Oo, where is that??/what does that stand for?" I hardly ever leave my floor. BURTON ONE is BY FAR the coolest place on campus!!!

For a number of reasons, I was a bit apprehensive about starting MIT. I wasn't sure I was going to like it, and I was worried I wouldn't have the best experiences there. Those concerns were completely blown away by the end of my first weeks there when I had built a soccer-playing robot, wrestled in tapioca, and enjoyed some amateur pyrotechnics. I made some wonderful friends, had some amazing experiences, and enjoyed opportunities I can't imagine being available anywhere else in the world. Of course it's a really difficult place to study. I have failed more tests than I care to recall, and I've wanted to drop out more times than I can count. But it's like climbing a mountain. There will be easy parts, and there will be difficult parts, and there will be parts when you swear you can take another step. And that's what makes finishing all the more fantastic.

My most frequent complaint about MIT is the workload. Or maybe the workload differential from major to major. Certain majors definitely require less work than others. For instance, Biology and Management are seen as the easiest majors - they have the fewest required classes and even those are not considered difficult. Majors that require a lot of work are Aero-Astro Engineering and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. These courses have more requirements , which are generally considered more stringent. I feel like I am constantly bombarded with more and more work. Every day. I am behind in work from the start of the semester until finals roll around. Sometimes it is frustrating because I feel like I am not taking full advantage of being at such a world class institution. There are so many opportunities to do so many fabulous things, but I never have time to partake because I can't even keep up with my classes. On another note ... I LOVE MIT. It is such a wonderful place. There is a real diversity in the culture here. During my years at MIT, I have spent time with rugby teams, frat boys, internationally-commended professors, and many many more. I love Boston / Cambridge - there is always something to do to get away from classes for a little while.

The opportunities to connect with some of the best minds from all over the world. I wouldn't change a thing. The school is just the right size. I often get an amazed, highly esteemed response when I tell people I go to MIT. I spend most of my time in between my dorm and interacting with people at various places on the campus. College town! MIT's administration is stellar. The biggest recent controversy was James Sherley, a black professor who claimed racism as a major reason in tenure denial. Yes there is a lot of school pride. The numbered majors and quirky pranks (hacks) are unusual at MIT. I'll always remember struggling through freshman year and having to ask for help. The most frequent complaints are around there being too much work or the work being too hard.

The opportunity to do hands-on research is the best thing about MIT. The Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program provides many undergraduate students a chance to get involved in current research projects and network with professors and graduate students. One thing I would change are the dim lights in the dormitories. They are not conducive to positive thinking when it's 2am and you are still trying to finish your problem set. I love the size of my school because it's not large enough to get lost nor small enough to lose one's sense of privacy. Most of my time on campus is spent at the student center since it has food, computers, televisions, space to meet with study groups, pretty much anything you need. Between Cambridge and Boston there are so many schools and events occurring that I would most definitely categorize this area as a college town. The biggest controversy I've seen on campus was Professor Sherley's hunger strike. Professor Sherley felt that his denial of tenure was racially biased and after his petitions were also denied, he decided to go on a hunger strike in front of the school. I think there is a lot of school pride, but it is not very apparent at first. The pride comes from the extreme workload we all survive and the feeling that we earn our grades in a way that we feel Harvard students do not. One thing that is unusual about MIT is that everything has a number such as course 6 corresponding to the electrical engineering and computer science major and building 1 corresponding to the civil engineering building. The most frequent student complaints revolve around the workload. The joke here is that of the three S's (sleep, social life, and school), you can only have two at MIT.