<p>I just want to know things to help me choose colleges. I haven’t applied to any yet but I’m just trying to get a head start on the game if/when I get accepted to them. For example: Say I get accepted to MIT(I prob wont but whatever) and Penn state for nuclear engineering. Undergrad btw.</p>
<p>As of right now this is what my thought process would be.</p>
<p>Reputation wise MIT is the engineering god. Even though Penn State is an excellent engineering school MIT is simply in a class of its own. </p>
<p>But then Penn state would have a much better social atmosphere(am i correct?). I mean when I think of MIT I think of the nerdiest group of kids you can get. No football or anythign like that. Just academics. I had a friend tour Cornell and he said the place was just packed with the nerd type of kid(the 2300 SAT, 4.0 GPA, and 10 APs type of kid) and MIT has got to be the same. I mean I have nothing against those kids but I just don’t think I could hang with them day in and day out for four years. I would have the social atmosphere vs reputation dilema. </p>
<p>O and I plan on grad school, so that is another benefit to MIT.</p>
<p>Another example is that I have heard that Georgia Tech’s social atmoshphere is horrible. You pretty much get locked up in your room needing to study all day (this is just what I have heard. DO NOT criticize me for what derogatory comments I have stated. Thats why I am posting this. I simply don’t know). </p>
<p>Point I’m trying to make is, I want more information so I can be prepared to make tough decisions like that. I can find positives for schools anyday and all day long. I know what schools have good intern programs. I know what schools are ranked highly. What I want are the negatives. Its hard finding those. Now I know I don’t NEED anything like this yet. I mean I’m not even accepted to anybody yet. I can wait to cross the brige later when I actually know who I’m accepted to. But I hate sitting around and not knowing what I would do for every scenario. All my life I have been able to stay ahead of the game and not being able to do it now is BEYOND aggravating. </p>
<p>Colleges I’m looking at: MIT, Berkeley, U of Michigan, U of Illinois, Purdue, Penn State, Texas A&M, Georgia Tech, RPI, U of Florida, Missouri University of Science and Technology(or whatever it is. It used to be Rolla). Another benefit to knowing criticisms is that I can elimate which ones to apply to.</p>
<p>1) Engineering at any halfway decent school is going to be populated by a large number of “nerds” and most of us have come embrace and love that fact.</p>
<p>2) If you plan to go to grad school, you will especially have to get used to having “nerds” around and socializing with them, because if you think for a second that you are going to come across as single engineering grad student who isn’t at least a little bit nerdy, then you are misguided.</p>
<p>3) Every school you listed is in the range of good to excellent. You really can’t go wrong with any of them, and it all comes down to personal preference. A good place to start would be to go to all of those schools’ forums and ask what people like and don’t like about the school. Then when you get acceptances, narrow it down, and absolutely go visit the ones you narrow down to.</p>
<p>*Weather
*Quite a few professors who speak horrible English
*Winter
*Weekends when it seems like everyone NOT in engineering is out having a blast, and Im worried about exams Mon, Tues, Wed next week, plus hw, etc. —true story, like um this weekend
*December
*January
*February
*and half of March</p>
<p>Say you go to a really really fun social school that also is really great in Engineering. You’re probably going to have to spend all your time studying especially after Freshman year so you aren’t going to have time or energy left to do those really fun social things. You will become the nerd.</p>
<p>“Engineering at any halfway decent school is going to be populated by a large number of “nerds” and most of us have come embrace and love that fact.”</p>
<p>Thats expected</p>
<p>“If you plan to go to grad school, you will especially have to get used to having “nerds” around and socializing with them, because if you think for a second that you are going to come across as single engineering grad student who isn’t at least a little bit nerdy, then you are misguided.”</p>
<p>O I understand that but I want to be able to hang out with atleast a couple of people who would prefer to watch football than talk about thermodynamics on monday night. I’m nerdy too. I’ll admit that. But I don’t go around proving it either. I mean I would much rather talk sports than school. </p>
<p>“Every school you listed is in the range of good to excellent. You really can’t go wrong with any of them, and it all comes down to personal preference. A good place to start would be to go to all of those schools’ forums and ask what people like and don’t like about the school. Then when you get acceptances, narrow it down, and absolutely go visit the ones you narrow down to.”</p>
<p>I didn’t think about each individual forums. good idea</p>
<p>-thx purduefrank. And I guess if I like winter then all those months you got up there wont be so bad huh?</p>
<p>-Good point mrego. </p>
<p>-nshah I would love to vist these colleges but they are all out of state. I’m in VA. And we simply don’t have the money to be flying out to these places.</p>
<p>FWIW, Madison is am amazing city, especially for college. You just have to put up with the winters. Even that is kind of neat, it just lasts too long IMHO. They have one of the best gameday experiences during football season though. It is really pretty cool.</p>