| lalaloo: Wait 'till you're actually a student. Hope your experiences are different from my child's and child's friends. You seem like an excellent match for MIT.
Many of the students who post on this board are bloggers, or bloggers-wanna-bes, and are, literally and metaphorically, MIT cheerleaders, so I think it's good to get some "balance" -- to see another perspective.
Most of the comments here are obviously subjective -- MIT can be seen through any number of lenses. My perspective is clearly different from yours.
I would simply like to see a greater level of consistency and competence in the teaching. I see some merit putting students through an occasional Sisyphus-type experience, but inconsistently graded psets, erroneous information, and professorial negligence should not be lauded or excused. Yes students can seek help from upper classmen/women but that can take a lot of time (on both parts). Seek an alternate TA -- well, it's possible only if you don't have class conflicts with other meeting times. Grad Schools not care about grades? Oh, do you have a surprise waiting for you! The idea that a low GPA from MIT will be viewed more highly than an excellent GPA from State U, is simply delusional (and a tad arrogant) -- just look at where many MIT TAs come from!
Of course many MIT students get into Harvard Med School, etc. But those are the elite of MIT. What about those students who are further down the MIT ladder? What about Mr./Ms. Average-MIT? Obviously they are smart, obviously they would do well at an institution where the competition isn't quite so searing. Are they in any way "protected?" Or do they loose out in the academic re-shuffle after graduation?
Sub par living conditions? Don't get me wrong here -- dorms were relatively low on both my and child's priority list. But compare MIT dorms with those of many other so-called "top tier" universities....
MIT is a great institution; the students are talented, kind, and considerate, and the opportunities are superb. But it could be better -- so why be complacent? |