<p>I chose MIT, Harvard’s Campus Preview Weekend sucked. I felt the whole “fit” thing everyone talks about more at MIT. I don’t think one is necessarily better than the other, just go to which environment you feel you will fit into more.</p>
<p>I’ll agree with that. I mean, I love MIT, I love the culture here and everything - but I’m still looking into Harvard for grad school. It’s not that the little brick school up the road is bad, it’s just not what I want right now…</p>
<p>@ Steven, could you describe the “fit” thing you felt about mit and why you didn’t feel it as much at harvard?</p>
<p>Steven, I chose MIT after Harvard’s preview weekend too. Neil, about the “fit” the biggest aspect was probably that I just felt like Harvard undergrads did not have the same intensity as MIT undergrads. It’s hard to explain this, but I felt it from talking to a lot of undergrads - they just weren’t as enthusiastic about their interests.</p>
<p>Other factors: Harvard undergrads said MIT was antisocial because most people at MIT don’t eat at dining halls, but I found the dining hall annoying (more on that later). Most of the Harvard students I talked to party like crazy during the weekend. The weekend itself was not as jam-packed with events. </p>
<p>So, I found that I actually really disliked the dining hall system: I had to plan my days based on when I could have food, since I was on and off campus a lot. At one point, I’d get back to campus, and say, “Oh, look, ____ is still going on, I’ll go to that!” Then I realized, “oh crap, I’m going to miss dinner if I go to that, I guess I’d better go to dinner because I’m hungry”. Also, the music building at Harvard closes at 11, which is a big deal for me because I play piano and want to be able to practice whenever, since I envision being busy in college. And I just didn’t feel the same devotion to making the world better at Harvard - sure, Harvard students do research and community service, but I felt like it wasn’t that big of a presence, whereas at MIT, ESP, iHouse, UROP, and so many other groups have a pretty strong presence, I thought. And, I was really surprised that I actually did feel a sort of pretentious quality at Harvard’s a capella performance, which I didn’t feel at MIT. Granted, I’m sure Harvard students DO do research, community service, that most of them aren’t pretentious, but these aspects just weren’t as obvious as they were at MIT.</p>
<p>So… that’s a lot. But I just noticed a lot of differences between the schools, and I knew pretty immediately after staying at Harvard for a few days that MIT was the place for me, at least for undergrad. But yeah, Harvard might definitely be a good place for grad school. And there were some people who felt that Harvard was the place for them - the people who I talked to who felt like this wanted a more well-rounded education, and did not so much like MIT students’ intense math/science-ness. So, it all depends on what you want.</p>
<p>
What a non sequitur.</p>
<p>I lived in the dorm that’s stereotyped as the antisocial dorm, and I ate dinner every night in the company of my friends, but very rarely in a dining hall. ;)</p>
<p>^^ Yeah, it was so weird that the Harvard students mentioned that, but one girl had a reallllly long conversation/rant on how MIT is antisocial because the students don’t eat in dining halls. I thought it was kind of weird that Harvard students thought dining halls were necessary in order to be social? lol. What dorm is stereotyped as the antisocial dorm?? (…otherwise known as, what dorm did you live in? hahhaa) The only dorm I’ve heard of as being antisocial is Simmons, which is apparently only true on some floors/halls.</p>
<p>Mollie was in MacG( its basically all singles). If you actually visit, it doesn’t seem any less welcoming than other dorms.</p>
<p>my dorm tour guide said that he picked it because he feel that he’ll be able to interact with more people rather than limited to just him roommates. MacG’s entry lounges are really nice!! and Fantastic view!!</p>
<p>To me, the “fit” thing was kind of like, I felt at home at MIT. I also felt a connection with more people at MIT than at Harvard.</p>
<p>At Harvard I went to the theater open house, and I could definitely see being friends with those people. But at MIT, I could imagine potentially being friends with almost everyone I met.</p>
<p>Another thing that turned me off to Harvard was that I never got to see my host sober the whole time I was there, Thursday-Sunday.</p>
<p>If you want to you can talk to me on AIM: huntersblade2000</p>
<p>rainynightstarz is correct – I lived in MacGregor. </p>
<p>And it’s not really antisocial, either. :)</p>
<p>I guess it really is where you feel most at home.</p>
<p>When I did an overnight at MIT, I felt disconnected in a way. It felt like their way of life could never become my way of life. It may have just been the experience I had based on the person that I was set up with. </p>
<p>But congrats to everyone going to MIT, and I know that you guys will all do well there. It just isn’t for everyone I guess. Best of luck =)</p>
<p>^ Sorry to say this, but I am glad you are not attending MIT. I am on its waiting list right now, and doing my best to get off the waiting list.</p>
<p>Congrats on your decision to enroll at Harvard and good luck! You will do well there!</p>
<p>Have you done an overnight anywhere else. Eason? Because I felt disconnected at both of the overnights I went to =D But fair enough, best of luck!</p>
<p>Why the hate on dining halls…Adams House = win.</p>
<p>^^Lol… I stayed at Adams House during visiting weekend, though I ate at Annenburg… Don’t really understand why everyone wants to be in Adams house except that it’s close?</p>
<p>Because the food = win and my host’s block is full of chem concentrators, and they’re in Adams House too?</p>
<p>Piper- I have stayed on campus at other universities- whether it was because of a summer program, or a college visit/sleepover. I haven’t stayed at Harvard because I couldn’t make it to the pre-frosh weekend, but I have visited the campus and met students there. And it was just a different feeling for me at the other universities in comparison to my stay at MIT. </p>
<p>Again, I must say that this is pure opinion and is obviously different for every person. I lot of different things could influence thing, including the fact that it was snowing while I was at MIT so I was stuck indoors a lot of the times.</p>
<p>Fair enough (though it’s going to snow at Harvard…)</p>
<p>Haha, yes I know. Everything happens for a reason. I know it will snow at Harvard, but when I went to Harvard I got to experience so much more than at MIT, so it wasn’t the fact that it was snowing that I didn’t like it. It was that I really didn’t see much because of the snow and I guess didn’t get the full impact of MIT.</p>
<p>And good luck to all those on the waitlist =).</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Actually, GPA may be a significant factor in being hired by Google, depending upon whom you interview with. There is quite a lot of testimony online about applicants who’ve been passed over because interviewees did not think their GPAs were good enough.</p>