| I went to MIT for undergrad in EECS and am currently in the MEng program here. I think the education you get at MIT is well executed (although I took a kind of weird path) with a lot of great classes. On average, I would say they're reasonably well taught. However, one thing to keep in mind is that EECS is a huge department--intro CS classes will have hundreds of people. (I happen to currently be TAing one of those giant classes now haha.) They will be a well oiled machine generally taught by good lecturers with a lot of staff, but you probably won't get personal attention from professors in your intro algorithms or programming courses. Regarding grad school specifically: as others have pointed out, doing undergrad at MIT can actually hurt your chances of doing a PhD here, but it varies by my department. Looking at my lab group (which is part of CSAIL), I think only one of the PhD students did undergrad here. However, if you're interested in a masters (specifically a two to three semester long MEng), it's a completely different story. The bar is actually kind of low for getting in, but it's only available for MIT undergrads. (Because it's so easy to get in, getting funding for your MEng is more stressful, but that's a whole other can of worms.) Some insane portion (like a third or something) of EECS undergrads stick around for the MEng. I think when I was considering undergrad schools, I didn't really internalize the connections aspect of college. I kind of assumed that the benefit of MIT for jobs would just be resume clout (which I'm sure is there) but in terms of finding jobs, the real benefit is the connections you make. I got the interviews for my current job offer and my last internship because I knew people already at those companies. The network effects of just knowing a lot of people who are smart and have similar-ish life goals are very powerful. This one is the most fuzzy, but I do think that the culture stuff should also weigh into your decision. For whatever reason, I have found it way easier to make friends and interact with others at MIT than I ever did in high school, and it's made a huge difference in my life. If you haven't already, read the MIT admissions blogs--obviously a specific sort of student signs up to write those, but they can be a helpful guide. Also, FWIW: I don't know your gender or anything else about your background, but I am female and the almost even gender ratio at MIT was a big deciding factor for me. I know female students in STEM classes experience a lot of difficulties at other schools, but based on my experiences (and the experiences of my female friends), it's much less of an issue here. Last thing I'll say: unless you are a once in a generation genius, MIT will kick your ass. It will suck. But it happens to everyone, and it will make you a better person to get knocked off of whatever pedestal you occupied in high school. Hope that is helpful! |