<p>I hope they accept at least one non-Olympiad winner, in which case some of us might still have a chance <sigh></sigh></p>
<p>@QuarkAssassin
Don’t worry about MIT, you’ve got an interview from Harvard! If you’re not sure whether engg is for you, Harvard would be a better fit with its liberal arts curriculum and you’ll be easily be able to find your bliss, not to mention the name brand. I think you should definitely go to Harvard, even if you do get accepted at MIT! If you don’t like it there or you get sure about engg, you can definitely transfer afterwards and go to a technical school like MIT.
Going to MIT first would not be a very good idea if you’ve even an iota of doubt about the career you want to pursue!
The question is, “What would you like to do with your life?” and after answering the question, you can choose a school accordingly! I don’t know your stats or even ECs, so I’m really not in a position to comment on your inclination, but if it comes down to Harvard and MIT, go with Harvard. And If you don’t get accepted at MIT, we’ll just say that the grapes are sour 
But seriously, if you get accepted at any of the two, the one thing that you should be absolutely sure of is that ** YOU’LL HAVE TO MENTOR ME!!!** Sorry for shouting. [-O< </p>
<p>@aviraldg
Ha ha, I feel the sentiment, but even if something like that happens, it’ll just be an exception and not the rule and I think it’ll take some time before it becomes a rule. Anyways, I don’t have the time to wait for MIT admissions to make changes in their policies, so I guess till then, I’ll just win a medal. Yep! I’m participating in the INO-IPhO this year, and have even bought some very heavy books from Flipkart, wish me luck >:)
[PS: Anyone with any tips about Olympiad questions, please feel free to inbox me, you’ll have my deepest gratitude.]</p>
<p>@QuarkAssassin:
Sorry about just popping up here, but just saying: see were you get in and find the place that makes you happiest. Yes, being unsure about your major and things are a concern, but ultimately, MIT and Harvard both have really great and strong programs, as do many other top schools. MIT definitely does have a more unconventional culture than many other schools. There are definitely some aspects that make it VERY different than the stereotypical view of MIT. MIT is NOT for everyone, even if MIT is very diverse in terms of interest. </p>
<p>I actually disagree with @peepingtom about necessarily choosing one over the other. The argument to choose one over the other does not take into account the natures of the school beyond the numbers and the stereotypical views. If you want pretty buildings, history and famous alums, famous visitors in all fields, strong liberal arts, but a limited science and engineering selection with a seemingly more “high class” experience, don’t choose MIT. MIT is very much about expressing yourself and following your passions through research and your classes, there are tons of STEM opportunities but limited humanities classes (although if you like the arts, you probably have more opportunity to find a professor who has time for you and can mentor you).</p>
<p>The other school up the river, IS better known and has a more liberal arts-leaning curriculum, but might have fewer opportunities for research in the sciences outside of medicine. (I know a number of students that actually go to MIT for research!) I know several students that love it there.</p>
<p>Wherever you end up, I hope you are happy. As for MIT decisions, best of luck! Whatever happens will probably be for the best, even if it doesn’t seem like it at first.</p>
<p>Disclaimer: I will admit to having a bias towards MIT, but I tried to be mostly objective. The other school and other schools in general are wonderful places, and while that other school might not have been a good choice for me, I am happy where I am :)</p>
<p>@liveforscience
I think it’s resolved that QuarkAssassin is not too sure about STEM careers, in such a case, don’t you think Harvard would be a better fit for exploring things? After he has everything figured out, he can easily transfer to MIT and even if he can’t he’s free to research and take courses at MIT due to the cross registration program. I know people who choose Harvard over Yale just because of this. Now don’t get me wrong, I love MIT and if given a choice, it wouldn’t take me a heartbeat to choose it over Harvard, but it’s not about me!
I never stereotyped any of the schools in my above post but I guess you weren’t talking about my post :-/
I only said that one (and I mean anyone) who’s not sure about the sciences should definitely not choose MIT, but I think you took it as an attack to MIT which I assure you, it wasn’t. Do you go to MIT?</p>
<p>@peepingtom: I am actually inclined towards a STEM major. I am really hoping to do extensive research during my undergraduate years and therefore was looking forward to MIT. That said, I would also love to explore other fields too and so I would love to go to Harvard too(who wouldn’t?). I just hope I get in somewhere :P</p>
<p>Buddy, if you’re sure that you’re more inclined towards STEM, then definitely go to MIT, cross registration works other way too (i.e. you can take courses at Harvard when you’re at MIT), but frankly, I feel the enthusiasm for the E and the M in STEM but what about the S and the E? (but it’s personal preferences here, I guess)
If your first choice is Engineering, what is your second? (My best guess would be mathematics)
I think you should also know that more than 50% of Engineering graduates at MIT go work for Finance/Consulting. It’s a running joke at MIT that the best engineers at MIT end up working for Goldman Sachs. ’
Consider what former MIT chemical engineering student Nicholas Pearce said:</p>
<p>"Even at M.I.T., the U.S.'s premier engineering school, the traditional career path has lost its appeal for some students. Says junior Nicholas Pearce, a chemical-engineering major from Chicago: “It’s marketed as–I don’t want to say dead end but sort of ‘O.K., here’s your role, here’s your lab, here’s what you’re going to be working on.’ Even if it’s a really cool product, you’re locked into it.” Like Gao, Pearce is leaning toward consulting. “If you’re an M.I.T. grad and you’re going to get paid $50,000 to work in a cubicle all day–as opposed to $60,000 in a team setting, plus a bonus, plus this, plus that–it seems like a no-brainer.”
<a href=“http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,1156575,00.html”>http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,1156575,00.html</a></p>
<p>I’m confused between engineering and physics. I would also love to go into computers or math. I still have to decide for sure whether I want to eventually research or go into the corporate world. But for now research seems quite appealing. I would be equally happy at both Harvard and MIT since they both have their pros and cons.</p>
<p>Haha I didnt get an MIT interview though. So I don’t think I have a chance, especially given the fact that those who do get interviews themselves have a high chance of rejection.</p>
<p>Wow, these 4 subjects intrigue me too, but I guess Chem and Bio are much research intensive areas,
Ever thought about going to UPenn for engineering/Comp Sc. and then enrolling at Wharton (dual degree) for business?</p>
<p>Yes I did think about that. I’ve applied to Penn’s Engineering program. Physics is very research based too actually 
</p>
<p>Physics has pretty much been stagnant since Newton discovered the law of gravity! And it’s very likely that won’t see any breakthrough until decades as of now, don’t you think?</p>
<p>Haha what are you saying! Physics has seen some.of the most bizarre and interesting developments! :O</p>
<p>I trust this guy. He’s a @QuarkAssassin after all :P</p>
<p>Can’t speak for others but I’ve heard Harvard’s CS programme isn’t all that great.</p>
<p>@peepingtom:</p>
<p>I didn’t exactly take it as an attack on MIT, but I don’t think people realize that there is MIT and then there is the view of MIT and they aren’t similar. Yes, I go to MIT and no, it’s nothing like I expected from the handouts I read. I understand that students don’t necessarily know much about a school beyond the numbers because of inability to visit, or just having been on a tour, but there’s so much more to every school that you only understand by talking to students. For example: hair-dyeing is actually a really big thing in certain areas of campus and people have a lot of fun with it. A few of my friends have literally gone through having hair every color of the rainbow. You choose your dorms based on “culture” (which is generally mostly stereotypes, not all of which are untrue) and some are more traditional and others have more of a building culture or you can paint murals in the halls. There’s a huge cooking culture on campus.</p>
<p>I think stereotype was probably the wrong word, but if you can, you should totally visit and go to admitted students weekends (generally there are ways to get stipends, if financials are a problem) at whatever schools you end up getting into or try talking to actual students. By actual students, I don’t mean the tour guides and even CC posts don’t always give the full picture. Ask about social life, diversity, support systems, classes, etc.</p>
<p>Sorry for the long post again, but while I love it here and wouldn’t leave, it isn’t what I thought it would be.</p>
<p>As for other schools, I really can’t say much. I also had applied to Columbia SEAS, Swarthmore and Cornell Engineering (maybe somewhere else… MIT was the first place I got into, so I didn’t apply extensively).</p>
<p>@aviraldg- You couldn’t be more wrong. In fact, Harvard CS is absolutely phenomenal; the only thing good about Harvard’s engineering. Plus, there are much much ore opportunities. It’s CS is not better than CMU/MIT/Stan etc., but it ain’t too far behind. Imagine having opportunities of research/internships being thrown at you simply because there aren’t too many CS majors. Plus, you may get individual attention :)</p>
<p>“Isn’t that great” is in relative terms Who are we kidding by trying to compare these schools? They are <em>all</em> world-class. If they weren’t, we wouldn’t be here on CC talking about them :)</p>
<p>Ohkk. lol. good luck :)</p>
<p>How many of these got in? I couldn’t…</p>
<p>Are results out?
Do you mean to say that you got rejected from Harvard?</p>
<p>NO! MIT resuts r out.</p>