Mit

[leemaj]

http://www.geocities.com/leemaj13/top.x
what do you guys think of MIT?

[coleslaw]

MIT is for a certain "breed" of people. It wasn't for me - at all. Also, there is a bridge near MIT that stakes claim to the single higest suicide rate in the world for a single location. If that doesn't tell you anything about the school, then nothing will.

[Kevster]

The two people I have had to deal with undergrad degrees from MIT were nothing special. Now, if someone had a graduate degree from MIT, that's different. A lot of research goes on there, and for good reason. They have MEGA funding. As far as undergrad goes, though, it's much more of a toss-up.

The funny thing about Engineering schools is that to be worth their salt, they are all ABET accredited. The key is to find a program that is getting reviewed by ABET every 6 years. That means that the ABET accreditation board is happy with the program and they don't see the need to review the school again for another 6 years. If you see a school that has been under review several times in the last 5-6 years, start questioning the program and look at what they are actually teaching - it may not either be up to date or not complete in everything you will need to know.

When I was an undergrad, one of the engineering schools in L.A., either UCLA or USC lost it's ABET accreditation for one of it's engineering programs (EE, CE or ME) and it was a huge embarrassment. They appealed and were put on probation for another year. I've said this before, but its not always a good idea to go to a school that is heavily involved in research. They tend to put the undergraduate student curriculum on the back-burner (as was the case for this school) and the undergraduate students pay the price.

If a school loses it's ABET accreditation, things can either get a lot better or a lot worse real quick. If they have enough money to get their program back up to speed, they might be able to retain the students and faculty. If not, the students will leave in droves because their degrees (if they decide to graduate there) won't be worth the paper they're written on because it's a non-accredited school. That's what happened to Northrop University in Los Angeles. They had a good engineering program back in the 60's and 70's but they lost their accreditation in the early 80's and they ended up closing in less than 3 years. There is now a paralegal law school at the site where it once was.

[Jeffbx]

This is true of a lot of schools -

It really doesn't make a big difference where your undergraduate degree is from - it's the graduate degree that makes the difference.

Take University of Michigan as an example - it's an excellent school, well respected, it's got one of the best business schools in the nation. However, go there for undergraduate study and you're lucky to get one or two classes a year with an actual professor. Practically every class is led by a graduate student.

I would suggest going to a smaller school where you have a better chance of getting classes with actual professors, then go to the big time school for a graduate degree. That's what makes the difference.

[attgig]

Originally posted by coleslaw
MIT is for a certain "breed" of people. It wasn't for me - at all. Also, there is a bridge near MIT that stakes claim to the single higest suicide rate in the world for a single location. If that doesn't tell you anything about the school, then nothing will.

uhhhhhh, aren't you talking abut the bridge near Cornell??????

as far as I remember, bridges near MIT's campus are PRETTY low....

[coleslaw]

Originally posted by attgig


uhhhhhh, aren't you talking abut the bridge near Cornell??????

as far as I remember, bridges near MIT's campus are PRETTY low.... OK, I just looked it up. You are correct. I blame the person that gave me false information. I will be speaking with my lawyers about this one!! :angry:

[attgig]

Originally posted by Jeffbx
This is true of a lot of schools -

It really doesn't make a big difference where your undergraduate degree is from - it's the graduate degree that makes the difference.

Take University of Michigan as an example - it's an excellent school, well respected, it's got one of the best business schools in the nation. However, go there for undergraduate study and you're lucky to get one or two classes a year with an actual professor. Practically every class is led by a graduate student.

I would suggest going to a smaller school where you have a better chance of getting classes with actual professors, then go to the big time school for a graduate degree. That's what makes the difference.

That's only if you're going to go to grad school.
My sister went to MIT
I got rejected by MIT......

My sister liked mit, but she had a tough time academically.
I've gotten to meet a lotta my sister's friends over at mit and well, they're cool....


as for benefits...
I think there was a thread about 'elite' engineering schools vs small schools....
IMO if you're going to go get a job right outta college, I think going to an 'elite' engineering school is worth it. Just having that name on your resume seriously goes a long way. Also, there are a lotta companies that are attracted to your school, just because your school is THAT good. If you were in a smaller school, you may receive a better education than say, UMich, GTech, or some other Huge public school with a highly rated program, BUT, companies aren't as likely to recruit at your school. SO, I think smaller schools are really attractive if you're planning on going to grad school cause where you come from doesn't really mean as much. Instead grad schools will look at what you've learned and what you wanna specialize in (something that you'll be able to get a better handle on in smaller schools). Also, recommendations will be easier to get (better prof - student ratio).

So, if you wanna work after 4 years, try to get into the best school you can.
if you wanna do grad studies afterwards, choose a little more wisely. smaller schools can offer you better advantages in terms of attention you'd receive, but then, there's always a possibility that you know what you wanna do and what faculty dude will take you there...so, you might just wanna go to that school as undergrad, and hunt that faculty guy down, to secure yourself a grad spot by like your 3rd year.

[leemaj]

Originally posted by Kevster
The two people I have had to deal with undergrad degrees from MIT were nothing special. Now, if someone had a graduate degree from MIT, that's different. A lot of research goes on there, and for good reason. They have MEGA funding. As far as undergrad goes, though, it's much more of a toss-up.

The funny thing about Engineering schools is that to be worth their salt, they are all ABET accredited. The key is to find a program that is getting reviewed by ABET every 6 years. That means that the ABET accreditation board is happy with the program and they don't see the need to review the school again for another 6 years. If you see a school that has been under review several times in the last 5-6 years, start questioning the program and look at what they are actually teaching - it may not either be up to date or not complete in everything you will need to know.

When I was an undergrad, one of the engineering schools in L.A., either UCLA or USC lost it's ABET accreditation for one of it's engineering programs (EE, CE or ME) and it was a huge embarrassment. They appealed and were put on probation for another year. I've said this before, but its not always a good idea to go to a school that is heavily involved in research. They tend to put the undergraduate student curriculum on the back-burner (as was the case for this school) and the undergraduate students pay the price.

If a school loses it's ABET accreditation, things can either get a lot better or a lot worse real quick. If they have enough money to get their program back up to speed, they might be able to retain the students and faculty. If not, the students will leave in droves because their degrees (if they decide to graduate there) won't be worth the paper they're written on because it's a non-accredited school. That's what happened to Northrop University in Los Angeles. They had a good engineering program back in the 60's and 70's but they lost their accreditation in the early 80's and they ended up closing in less than 3 years. There is now a paralegal law school at the site where it once was.

my dad went there back in the 70s (northrop)

[Kevster]

Originally posted by leemaj


my dad went there back in the 70s (northrop)....anyways, i was taken aback yesterday when i found out i got into MIT...so just wondering if any of you guys know peopel who go there or went there and how they are liking it.

Congratulations! :thumb:

That's going to be a hard decision - I would suggest seriously looking at it though. It's a long way from California (and a lot different in weather). It will mean a lot of changes, both for you and your family. It might be a great path into Grad School there if you do well. Considering how many places you've already gotten into, it sounds like you might. ;)

I got my Masters in EE and it has really payed off. I would tell anybody who's getting a BSEE and is staying in EE to seriously look at an advanced degree. Getting an MSEE early will help you specialize more into what you want to do and will be a little easier while you still have some time (before other major life changes start kicking in) and self-discipline. Getting an advanced degree doesn't hurt the wallet either (if your company pays for it).
;)

[leemaj]

still waiting for the ivys and stanford. 15 people applied to stanford from our school. last year only 1 or 2 applied. so i think we need to have a viewing of Orange County on the day stanford rejects most of those people

[mr2fan]

what caliber of student most of you, I want to compare my high school accomplishments to see if my goals for college are realistic

[BrewMaster]

first of all, college visits are lame. don't think you're going to go to a school and determine how good of an education you'll get. perosnally, i'd decide where to go based on where i'll have the best time because honestly, as an undergrad, you'll learn just about the same stuff no matter where you go. now MIT has an excellent reputation, and it is in a very neat place (boston) but you need to decide if you wanna spend 9 months out of the year across the country and whether you want to deal with that crappy weather. it all depends how much the MIT name means to you.

[zcloydster]

im just about as good as leemaj, i just have B's in classes where i had ******* teachers and he didnt. our schools pretty tough, the top 20 students are cutthroat competition. I don't like it.

I did better than leemaj on our last physics test :)

[SilverKJ]

so you're considering MIT?
hmm... how to begin...
so i am originally from new jersey, and am currently in my 2nd year undergrad at mit. i'll talk a bit about my experience here so far.

coming into mit, there were three main points that people should be aware of.

1. WEATHER! it may not sound like weather would be a big deal, but it is... boston and cambridge are in the northeast, we get tons of cold and bad weather, hell.. it was snowing [and accumulating for a bit] up here just a few days ago... a lot of people from warmer states might not be able to adjust well. it especially sux when i've gone to lecture halls, and half the people sitting around me are coughing away...

2. ACADEMICS- MIT is *HARD*! I can't stress this enough... last year, when i was talking to my friends who went to other ivy's and to other upperclassmen, i realized that other schools have a much easier time. places like princeton, yale, columbia were all pretty easy frosh year. even harvard is pretty easy b/c they work on grade inflation system. here, we have the Freshman Year PASS/No Record system [they are trying to phase it out, so i dont know what the incoming frosh system is like]. taking that into account, you don't have to worry as much about pulling good grades, and can take more time to build a social life... but classes/psets/exams are still gonna take up most of your time. you probably breezed through high school... but here, almost everyone feels stupid... MIT is a very very humbling place... and that's why there are so many people who get depressed....

3. SOCIAL- MIT's social life is extremely weak. the general feel of campus during the week is that most people are rushing to classes or burdened with work. there's not much school spirit, and definitely not much interest in athletics. however, Intramurals are pretty big here. on the weekends, there are usually frat parties and other MIT events [concerts, shows, etc]. but with the 2002 decision, MIT is looking to slowly shut down the greek life. frats and sororities play a big role in uplifting social life here, with their parties, mixers, and other events. yet, MIT has made the decision that all frosh must live on campus their first year. this prevents them from moving into fraternities, sororities, and other off-campus housing.. and also causes the greek life to lose a lot of income.. it's likely that within the next few years, several houses will not be able to sustain themselves. [This all was instigated by that idiotic Scott Kreuger, who drank himself to death...]

even though this was kinda rambling... i just wanted to give ya a taste of what life is like here.. my frosh year was pretty bad... i've talked to several advisors and most agree that frosh year at MIT is one of the toughest. but in my second year here, things are MUCH better... i'm doing pretty well in classes and have a great research project going [if you come to MIT, you *have* to get a UROP - undergrad research something something. MIT has some of the best labs anywhere, and having research under your belt and on your resume is always a plus]. so if you really don't mind working hard, and having a slightly weaker social life at MIT, [but you can compensate for that with all the social events in Boston, at Harvard, BU, etc.], you might want to consider MIT.

you've probably gotten stuff in the mail about Campus Preview Weekend.. come check out the campus.. a ton of freshmen come each year, and many of my friends said that the deciding factor to come here was CPW. I personally didn't go to my year's CPW, thinking it would be lame.. but it's actually pretty good. [If they call you up,and you act hesistant, they might even offer to pay your airfare, if you play your cards right =) ] so if ya do come up during CPW, give me a call. 5-7302. tony

latez, and good luck with your decisions man.

SilverKJ

[leemaj]

i moved the letter to the top post

[zcloydster]

that letter even feels cool. it has an aura.

[BadassBenners]

I'm starting to think maybe Brown or Harvard would be a better place for you.

[tweeteresa]

Congratulations!! :thumb:

[mr2fan]

Congrats, Ill be applying there next year, maybe an apexer reunion at MIT is in store for next fall lol
good job That has to be the best feeling in the world

[leemaj]

well mr2, if you wanted to know my stats:

710 verbal, 730 math, 720 writing, 720 iic, 720 chem, 720 ic, 4.50 overall GPA, 6 AP classes, scores 4, 4, 3...others pending. only gotten 2 Bs, 1st semester honors pre calc, 1st semester AP physics (have a C in the class now..need to get it up. and btw, zcloydster got a 9/13, i got an 8/13 on the last test). i started the shakespeare club, and was president, senior class VP, im in asb, nhs, csf, academic league, academic decathlon, speech, key club, i wrestled a year, tennis for 3...other random clubs too. yearbook for 4 yrs, editor for 2. one essay i wrote in 15 minutes, the other took me 2.5 months to perfect. oh yea, and my pic is below, so you can tell that im a minority, but MIT said that they didnt look at that kinda crap.

[zcloydster]

You're my hero

[modena]

Basically you can go to any college in the top 50 colleges and get a great eduaction. It is all up to the individual. I went to a private boarding school for a few years during high school. They pushed everyone towards Ivy league or schools of that caliber that aren't Ivy (ie Duke, MIT, etc). I got in many places, which entailed some Ivy's and some other highly rated schools. Although money wasnt a factor to my parents, I come from a family which has plenty of money (i suppose this is why i have both a 911 and a z3) i felt it stupid for me to head to a $30k a year school if I wasnt 100% sure of what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. The thing was this, I had always thought I wanted to be a doctor or a lawyer, since that is what my parents are, and they enjoy it. However, as it became time to select my college, I had an idea strike me, Have I ever considered any other job (besides pro athlete :D )?? No I really hadn't. Then maybe one of the best and most intelligent ideas I have ever had struck me while I lay in bed one night, maybe I shouldnt go to a school that has a focus on one particular aspect and is somewhat weak in other areas!! I talked with some people about this at my school and they really didn't offer me any good suggestions. Basically all I got was this 'These high ranked schools are good with everything, even the things they don't focus on as much'. But that didn't satisfy me. I needed something else. That is when I looked at a poster on my friends wall one evening and saw something with pointed me in the right direction. It said 'Go Nittany Lions' the slogan for the Penn State Football team. I looked them up, just for the heck of it, thinking 'this is a state school, they CAN'T be that good'. And right there I was awoken. I had found a school with what I wanted. Penn State, main campus, has 45,000 students, more then enough to ensure that every genre of majors would have others interested in it other than me. Also they have tons of money to allow for state of the art research and this is not only good for students. Since they had some of the top research facilities in the nation, professors flock to Penn State to get a piece of the money. With attracts other great profs. in search of colleagues. In conclusion (cause this is getting long) if you are sure on what you want to do with the rest of your life, make sure you attend a school that offers everything. I am now in IST (information systems and technology) with a focus on computer science and a background in computer engeineering. If you are ready to work in college, these big schools have the ability and budget to get you what you want. And if you live in PA it is only $13000 a year for everything, even the largest meal plan (lol). Out of state it is a little higher, but still under $20k. My suggetsion to anyone that doesnt know what they want for sure from college to come to Penn State and figure out what you want. If you are set on an Ivy league diploma, transfer out after two years when you know what you want. Everyone I know that has transfered to Ivy's from Penn State has done it with success (all though I dont know many who have). However a Penn State diploma is good everywhere, there are Penn State graduates in every corner of the world. 10,000 students graduate every year, which is the equaivalent of 3 graduating class at a lot of these Ivy's and such. Oh yea, Penn State is also in the Top 50 schools.:) :D :) (nope, i didnt proofread)

[leemaj]

well modena, im kinda like you since i dont know what i want to do, but for me its pretty much expensive ivy league or the UC system, which is a great state school system. im still waiting to hear from everywhere else, so ill have to see.


also, 2 other kids applied from my school and didnt get in. one is pretty damn bitter. he seems to think that since im a mintory (see photo in my sig) then i got in easier. this is probably true, but stil..its going around school behind my back, and its just more high school drama. thats ok though...

/me whips out my acceptance letter and all drama fades away


yea, pretend that the above line is small and in silver font..too lazy to do it.

[zcloydster]

leemaj, theyre only bitter because theyre idiots. that bitter guy doesnt even know that chlorine is a halogen. he belongs in 10th grade chem, not MIT. (he doesnt do his homework either)

[mr2fan]

Leemaj exacteley which minority are you, the pic is a bit blurry. I am Hispanic and hope to go to MIT. By the time i graduate i will have taken 12 science courses on top of the 6 years of math. My Sats are sitting at high 600s each, but I can always improve. I think I will need to take more SATIIs now. Your helping to define my goals a bit better because i am able to see what others are accomplishing. If any one else is a highly motivated high school student id be interested in hearing your scores as well as college situations. Okay thats probably one huge sentence so just ignore grammar/spelling
lol
thanks
later

[leemaj]

well, parents are from africa, so are grandparets. great grandparents on moms side are from india, so i put down african descent and asian descent and listed the countries (tanzania and india) if you are hispanic you should have a good shot. just try to get those SATs up into the 700s if possible, and the main thing would be the essay. they just like to see unique people all around, so there is really no one defining thing. i think that for me, they just said , oh he has good SAT scores, let me see what else he has, so they read everything.

[BrewMaster]

Originally posted by zcloydster
leemaj, theyre only bitter because theyre idiots. that bitter guy doesnt even know that chlorine is a halogen. he belongs in 10th grade chem, not MIT. (he doesnt do his homework either)
what the hell is this, the girls lockedr room where they gossip about everyone? save this crap for somewhere else cuz it has no relevance to anyone here...

[sbp]

Yet another problem with having a racial spoils system-it casts aspersions on those who legimately earn their spot. Not to worry though, that type of thing is slowly ending, no matter how much special interest groups will fuss. Race and ethnicity will have absolutely no part in hiring or admissions. Definitely looking forward to that day. :kawaii:

[BrewMaster]

Originally posted by sbp
Yet another problem with having a racial spoils system-it casts aspersions on those who legimately earn their spot. Not to worry though, that type of thing is slowly ending, no matter how much special interest groups will fuss. Race and ethnicity will have absolutely no part in hiring or admissions. Definitely looking forward to that day. :kawaii:

but that's a whole other thread...

we don't really wanna open up that can here, do we?

[Hopper1]

I don't know if my 2 cents is worth anything but

I went to Illinois Tech for 2 years and was going to be a Metallurgical and Material Engineer. I was awed by the research and prestige of the place. I had a half tuition scholarship (which isn't much when tution alone was 18k a year). I went into college knowing i was going to be an engineer and thought that was the place to do it. It was in Chicago, it had some of the best facillities it was private and top notch resarch...but it wasn't for me. It took 2 years and 40+k of debt to find out I didn't want to be there. I was dumb in the fact that I only applied there and didn't have many other options. I'm currently at a state school closer to home in a small rural area. I have one prof here with 7 patents in jet propulsion and lasers. Something I didn't think I would get at a small state school. But tranferring was the best idea I've had yet.

To get to the point choose wisely. As others have said choose where you want to be because you want to be there not because it has a good name.

[zcloydster]

Originally posted by BrewMaster

what the hell is this, the girls lockedr room where they gossip about everyone? save this crap for somewhere else cuz it has no relevance to anyone here...

why do you decide what we talk about? leemaj and i can discuss what we want, can we not?

[Aristo]

I remember back in high school, I had the same scenario on choosing the college I would go for the next 4 years. First thing first, there is no bad choice; only a better choice. You want to ask the schools, that they can provide you. Some school may offer a great academic program but it locates in the middle of nowhere. Do you like the environment, the campus? Do you want to live there for at least 9 months a year for the next 4 years?

Talk to your friends/family/relative/conselors who went to that particular school. Make a wise choice, the consequence that will follow you the rest of your life. Don't just choose that school because of its name.

Also, if money is an issue, perhaps you should take into the finanical consideration.

No matter which you choose, I wish you will have the best 4 years of your life.

Being a CSE major senior @ UCLA, I'm happy about my choice.

[modena]

I agree, there is no bad choice, just better suited choices for each individual.

[BrewMaster]

Originally posted by zcloydster


why do you decide what we talk about? leemaj and i can discuss what we want, can we not?

you probably haven't read the announcement at the top of each forum. you know, the one that says "Announcement: No Potty Threads, sig sizes and more (http://www.gotapex.com/forums/announcement.php?forumid=9)." You might wanna read it. it should clear up your confusion. it says:
This forum is not to be used as a personal chat room. Icq, aim and the GotApex irc room are readily available for people who wish to engage in chat.

Private messaging is provided for a reason-please use it for private discussions!

[modena]

brewmaster, all i can do is laugh, that cracks me up!!!

[leemaj]

Originally posted by BrewMaster


you probably haven't read the announcement at the top of each forum. you know, the one that says "Announcement: No Potty Threads, sig sizes and more (http://www.gotapex.com/forums/announcement.php?forumid=9)." You might wanna read it. it should clear up your confusion. it says:

i explained this to him tonight, but his argument was that he wants to make it public knowledge, therefore he can post.

[BrewMaster]

Originally posted by leemaj


i explained this to him tonight, but his argument was that he wants to make it public knowledge, therefore he can post.
his argument is lame. 'nuf said.

[zcloydster]

youre a swell fella :D

[leemaj]

indeed....but brew is a cool guy.

[BrewMaster]

Originally posted by zcloydster
youre a swell fella :D

save it. no one cares...

[zcloydster]

Originally posted by BrewMaster


save it. no one cares...

what am i saving?