So, there's less than five days left, and I'm at a standstill. I never thought I'd have to decide between MIT, my dream school, and Princeton, and my gut instincts are telling me to to go with MIT, but I'm still hesitating because of a few things. It would be wonderful if someone could give me a few honest answers. I wouldn't mind (in fact, I'd be incredibly grateful for) a harsh dose of reality, if it comes down to that.
This is going to sound so over-discussed, but the reason why I'm hesitating is because I want to go premed. After hours of searching on collegeconfidential/the internet and reading arguments, the general consensus seems to be that MIT is a suicide route for premed mainly because of grade deflation and the sheer intensity of the material taught at the undergraduate level. I'm not the best when it comes down to tooling at a desk - I'm a huge procrastinator, but I do work well under pressure, and I've never balked at putting in all the time and effort needed towards school work. I guess I'm wondering if effort always correlates with how well you do on exams and such, or if the rumors are true that the material is so hard, it's impossible to grasp it all.
It would be easier if I was purely premed, but I really want to go on the md/phd track. I attended the prehealth session during CPW, but the panelists didn't comment much about the topic. I was wondering if anyone knew more about it, especially if MIT is the right school to choose (advising, placement, etc) when considering this track? And if Brian and Cognitive Sciences would be a good major instead of bio? I did a lot of neuronal research during the past few summers, and I'm really interested in continuing that, but a few people have said that it seems like such a specific major, and that bio would be a better idea.
I visited Princeton, and I'll be honest, the food and dorms were better, the campus seemed like it was taken straight out of medieval times. I feel like I'd have more of a "regular" college lifestyle, eating at dining halls, etc. Princeton people told me that I'd get more attention as a premed from professors because the school is so dedicated to undergraduate education and research, and that the opportunities at Princeton are equal to, if not better, than those at MIT. Is that true? I guess, the most important part is that, if I go to Princeton, my parents will have much less of a financial burden, simply because I'm an in-state student, and I get more scholarship money for that reason. I didn't think I'd be choosing where to college based on money, but I'm not an only child, so the financial aspect actually does come into play somewhat.
My heart tells me MIT. But my (too-practical) head tells me Princeton. I felt comfortable when I visited MIT for CPW and I felt like I could really see myself there for the next four years, and as cliche/cheesy as it sounds, I felt like I belonged. But I also know I'll be happy no matter where I end up. I'm really torn right now, and it would be wonderful if I could have some last minute honest insight to help me decide! Thank you so much in advance to anyone who replies!
And I'm terribly sorry for the huge post! It kinda helped to type out all my thoughts though
