| The gap between these is so immense, using the same word “college” masks the difference. For all that is holy, go to MIT. This is from someone who went to a larger school and dropped out, with zero regrets. The top 3-5 schools put you on a different plane of existence. The people you meet will be in the elite, you’ll be surrounded with the future top people in your field. The academics don’t remotely matter. College is all about network. By being surrounded by elites, you are friends with elites, and you’ll live a different life. I have a lot of friends who went to top schools, especially MIT. Much of their success and their network, into their 40’s, is still interconnected with their MIT network. You will be treated differently. You’ll get a glow on your life from the status. Life is a relay race between generations. By choosing MIT you drastically increase the chance of elevating your blood line into the upper class. That’s no small thing. I’d strongly urge you to take the long view here. |
I would frame the following advice as: know thy self.
If you want to go into the engineering/sciences and eventually get a PhD, do not go to MIT (wait until grad school). ~$200k debt is not worth it since you will likely end up in a similar type of job.
If you want to start a company related to CS and make that a focus of your life for the next decade or so, go to MIT, but realize that most fail at this and end up at regular tech jobs. (I am now in the midwest because cost of living is incredibly low for people with >2 kids).
If you struggle with mental health, be weary of MIT, as course 6 is incredibly intense.
You will have classmates at MIT who will already have started one or more tech companies while in high school. Your international classmates will be in the top-10 of intellectual achievements in their respective countries. My undergrad math students from China were publishing papers with professors as co-authors.
Some people get depressed with the big fish > small fish transition, but if that’s not you, enjoy the ride!
Here are undergrad hacks: get more sleep than your classmates, do socialize even if you aren’t comfortable socializing lest there be no advantage to going to MIT when compared to their free online courses, if you don’t enjoy drinking (like me) - hold a red cup with water, be an ideal friend