@OhPearl One cool thing about MIT is that MIT undergrads can take Harvard Graduate Law and Government courses that Harvard undergrads can’t even take.
I think you’d basically be set for public policy with that. Also, during an Economics UROP tour I heard them say that their Econ department was ranked best in the world. I don’t know any specific information on the others, other than that there are people majoring in it. Honestly, MIT is so big you can definitely find people with the same interests as you.
On that note, I think the most important part of finding friends would be to find a dorm culture you like. I too, felt lonely during CPW because everyone already had friends they explored with or were super outgoing or just followed another group, none of which was true for me (I’m international, somewhat shy, and somewhat independent). However, we definitely can’t have been the only ones who felt this way, so perhaps all the loners could get together and be friends? Regardless though, everyone was really nice, and I actually really enjoyed spending time with my host and her friends, so I’m sure I’ll find a group of friends I’d enjoying being with (and I’m sure you will too).
Now, did I destroy all your reservations about attending MIT?