<p>Tokenadult:</p>
<p>I’ve posted a few times about Yale engineering in various forums, but here is a summary of thought. Let me know if you have specific questions. </p>
<p>Let’s say your choice is between MIT and Yale (I’ll compare these schools because I have personal experience at both). </p>
<p>First, why would you choose Yale?</p>
<ul>
<li><p>If you have an interest outside science/engineering that is not covered as well in the MIT curriculum such as literature or foreiqn languages. MIT does have great business, music, and econ programs, so if those are of interest to the student then perhaps this is not as important. </p></li>
<li><p>If you are not sure science is for you. There are so many miserable kids at MIT who don’t want to be majoring in engineering. Come senior year, they’re stuck in advanced courses and hating every second of it. At Yale you could switch to a major like history, pyschology, or english as late as junior year. There are many majors at Yale that only require 12 classes. </p></li>
<li><p>If you’re a dilletant. Do you hate being told what classes to take? At Yale you have much more freedom than at MIT.</p></li>
<li><p>Undergraduate research experiences at Yale are generally great. Because lab groups at Yale tend to be smaller than at MIT and because there are fewer undergrads competing for spots, it may be easier to land an amazing research opportunity early on in your Yale career. And when you get a research position at Yale, you are more likely to be treated like a graduate student and assigned a larger role in the project than at a large science school where you may find yourself to be an assistant to a graduate student.</p></li>
<li><p>If you like the residential college system. If you want a dining hall to mingle with people who are not scientists.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Why choose MIT?</p>
<ul>
<li>The curriculum and teaching standards in the sciences at Yale leave something to be desired. MIT and really cares about undergraduate education in the science (there are so many undergrads!). There are many dedicated professors at Yale, but undergraduates are not always a departemental priority. At Yale, if you are considering grad school, you will probably be taking mostly graduate classes by senior year. Basically at Yale you are left to push yourself; at MIT, you are pushed.<br></li>
</ul>
<p>Finally, if you are thinking of grad school. MIT and Yale can both prepare you equally well; it’s up to you to take advantage of this.</p>