Worth going to MIT, Stanford or Harvard for undergrad?

cellardweller
Tue, 15 Feb 2011 10:13:57 +0000

Gadad is right that the undergraduate experience plays a huge role in one’s future life and career.

I do disagree, though with the intimation that the experience gained would be similar at Harvard, MIT and Stanford. Each has a very distinct culture and peer group. Harvard despite its reputation is not an especially welcoming destination for engineering or science majors. Harvard certainly does NOT have any “right of first refusal” on candidates strong in those fields. Most top engineering/CS candidates would not even consider Harvard as a destination. According to the Crimson, the Harvard newspaper, more than 80% of engineering majors drop out of engineering for another major before graduation. Your peer group will be overwhelmingly non-techie, unlike MIT and to a lesser extent Stanford, where you will find many more people with similar interests.