<p>Studying math at MIT is superior simply because the math community here is the largest. Collaboration is very important in mathematics, and here, you will always be able to find someone at your level to work with. Think about it; you can be quite alone in other schools.</p>
<p>I wanted to take Math 55 at Harvard as a freshman. In retrospect, I strongly recommend against that. There is one fundamental problem with Math 55: too much material. It is very important as a math major to build a strong background in algebra and analysis. Doing it in one year means skipping a lot of detail and depth. Furthermore, if you are not a blue/black MOPper, you will probably not be able to keep up with the coursework anyway.</p>