Criticisms about MIT

[molliebatmit]

<p>

Was it a big shock for a lot of people to go from top of their class to the bottom half?

Oh, absolutely. It’s also a big shock for a lot of people that they have to work for their grades for the first time, and that they have to learn how to study. And that there’s no longer time to do ten extracurriculars. There are a lot of ways you have to adjust your attitude.</p>

<p>As for the original question, the Dean of Student Life was quoted in the school newspaper when I was at MIT, saying this:

MIT is the kind of place you love to hate, but you really don’t hate it. What you hate about it is the enormous pressure that people put on you here and which you also put on yourself. What you love about it is the enormous pressure people put on you and you put on yourself and that you can accomplish and succeed and produce and learn… students are telling me they’re having a great experience here however you look at it. They’re exhausted, they don’t sleep enough, they don’t eat enough, they get frustrated and depressed, but at the end of the road, they have a fabulous experience, but, they hate how hard it was to get there.

In a way, the worst things about MIT are the best things about MIT – that there are unlimited resources available, and unlimited ways to academically challenge yourself, and unlimited activities and opportunities. And MIT admits the kinds of students who can’t help but gorge themselves on the buffet available. It just doesn’t breed a lot of moderation.</p>