Less selective schools “similar” to MIT

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. We hated the vibe at Harvard. I heard rumors, but kept them to myself. My DC said afterwards there was no way she was applying there after the visit. The whole tour had an air of self entitlement - the kids in the group plus the two different tour guides. Seems we are the only ones without a home in Aspen. 🙄

Was the expecting a similar vibe from MIT and was expecting everyone to be a bit more antisocial- and that was not the vibe at all. Kids seemed passionate about their work and we both got the sense that your economic background really did not matter to them. We also saw some projects being worked on and it truly seemed collaborative by the description- did not seem like an act they were putting on.

DC is interested in STEM and wants a school with a more equal gender ratio as well. Her current school is a bit cut throat and all about social mobility (at all costs) and our whole family wants out of that mind set. So seeing the collaborative aspect of MIT was so refreshing- but we know it will be a tough one to get into, so looking for schools with a similar vibe.

No one who has been to both MIT and Harvard, and is extremely familiar with both, compares the two, OP. No comparison.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Check out Carleton.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. We hated the vibe at Harvard. I heard rumors, but kept them to myself. My DC said afterwards there was no way she was applying there after the visit. The whole tour had an air of self entitlement - the kids in the group plus the two different tour guides. Seems we are the only ones without a home in Aspen. 🙄

Was the expecting a similar vibe from MIT and was expecting everyone to be a bit more antisocial- and that was not the vibe at all. Kids seemed passionate about their work and we both got the sense that your economic background really did not matter to them. We also saw some projects being worked on and it truly seemed collaborative by the description- did not seem like an act they were putting on.

DC is interested in STEM and wants a school with a more equal gender ratio as well. Her current school is a bit cut throat and all about social mobility (at all costs) and our whole family wants out of that mind set. So seeing the collaborative aspect of MIT was so refreshing- but we know it will be a tough one to get into, so looking for schools with a similar vibe.

No one who has been to both MIT and Harvard, and is extremely familiar with both, compares the two, OP. No comparison.

Yes I agree there is no comparison.

Two of mine went to MIT

OP your kid needs more of a state school. Schools similar to MIT are just as hard to get into.

My kids went to a variety of colleges except small Lacs. All of them stem majors of some sort. Whether it was engineering, CS or a combo.

Out in the real world connections, hard work and determination make their careers not necessarily the college they graduated from. Does it open more doors in the beginning maybe. Honestly all of mine ended up with great jobs coming out of school even the one that went to a state flagship that this board would hate. It is a engineering based one but ranked way lower. I Know DCUM hates that but it's reality.

Your kid is looking at this all wrong.

Have them find a school that the curriculum matches their interest, curriculum is not always the same. Requirements of courses are not always the same.

What companies come to career day for their major and internships etc. And matriculation to their major. If they can not matriculate after sophmore year at the latest they will have to change their major not that easy at many schools.

My guess is you are reaching too high for your kid and she needs a reality check in what she is studying and where she can get in.

Then again one of mine went to a school saw no one in PJ's in the food halls and said immediately "nope not for me". LOL

[Anonymous]

Why no-one recommends Georgia Tech? Georgia Tech is right on target for the toptic - less selective school similar to MIT with a strong engineering focus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why no-one recommends Georgia Tech? Georgia Tech is right on target for the toptic - less selective school similar to MIT with a strong engineering focus.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:WPI is the poor man’s MIT.

WPI: "Friends don't let friends transfer to MIT."

Clearly easier to get in, but WPI is exactly the atmosphere your student is looking for; collaborative, friendly, project-oriented. The professor-lead 7-week research projects abroad are fantastic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why no-one recommends Georgia Tech? Georgia Tech is right on target for the toptic - less selective school similar to MIT with a strong engineering focus.

I think the focus of the question is the atmosphere and the feel of the student body.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why no-one recommends Georgia Tech? Georgia Tech is right on target for the toptic - less selective school similar to MIT with a strong engineering focus.

I don't know GT, but OP mentioned all kinds of different attributes of how they view MIT other than academics.

I know kids happy at GT, but don't describe it as collaborative or whimsical or the various other things OP used to describe MIT.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Isn't it likely because there are no grades first year (or just pass-fail) (or course I am basing that entirely on an instagram reel I watched because I don't have a STEM kid)? I wonder is any other STEM heavy schools take a similar approach.

WPI does something different but has similar results. They have the NR---if you do not earn a C or better in the course, you automatically get the NR. So you don't get a bad grade to drain your GPA. You simply have to retake the course. You have space for 3 NRs I believe and can still graduate in 4 years with a single major.
I think it helps take the pressure off of kids. Lets you go thru the final and try, learn the material and see if you can get a C or higher. If not, your gpa is not tanked.

[Anonymous]

OP here. My DC is able to weed through data to find schools that check the boxes for majors etc and trying to get a good range of selectivity. She is having a hard time trying to find schools that match the vibe she is looking for which is why I posted.

We already visited Georgia Tech - currently not considering it. She thought the Georgia Tech kids all looked somber - it was a nice day when we visited and there was almost no one outside enjoying themselves. That stood out. For state schools we have Penn state, UMD & Virginia Tech on the list to look at.

Her current school is a pressure cooker and not collaborative and she does not want a repeat in college. It has become toxic and she is coming to us for help in finding more collaborative college options. She likes working on groups/bouncing ideas off others. Guidance counselor at HS is not helpful. Very different HS experience than my other DC who is at a different high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Isn't it likely because there are no grades first year (or just pass-fail) (or course I am basing that entirely on an instagram reel I watched because I don't have a STEM kid)? I wonder is any other STEM heavy schools take a similar approach.

WPI does something different but has similar results. They have the NR---if you do not earn a C or better in the course, you automatically get the NR. So you don't get a bad grade to drain your GPA. You simply have to retake the course. You have space for 3 NRs I believe and can still graduate in 4 years with a single major.
I think it helps take the pressure off of kids. Lets you go thru the final and try, learn the material and see if you can get a C or higher. If not, your gpa is not tanked.

Thanks for this info - sent it to DC. Will definitely add WPI to the list to look at.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MIT acceptance rate 2023 6.4%, CIT 6.4%, Rice 9%, Hopkins 11%, CMU 11%,

Selectivity isn’t only determined by acceptance rate. For example, most people who admitted by both MIT and Caltech chose to attend MIT. So in that sense, Caltech enrolling students had lesser quality than MIT.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Isn't it likely because there are no grades first year (or just pass-fail) (or course I am basing that entirely on an instagram reel I watched because I don't have a STEM kid)? I wonder is any other STEM heavy schools take a similar approach.

WPI does something different but has similar results. They have the NR---if you do not earn a C or better in the course, you automatically get the NR. So you don't get a bad grade to drain your GPA. You simply have to retake the course. You have space for 3 NRs I believe and can still graduate in 4 years with a single major.
I think it helps take the pressure off of kids. Lets you go thru the final and try, learn the material and see if you can get a C or higher. If not, your gpa is not tanked.

I am curious...can you take the C and just move on if you want? I appreciate the spirit of why they do it, but perhaps a kid tried really hard and received a C and would rather not retake that specific class.

[Anonymous]

Purdue, Virgina Tech, Georgia Tech, Michigan, Texas

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. My DC is able to weed through data to find schools that check the boxes for majors etc and trying to get a good range of selectivity. She is having a hard time trying to find schools that match the vibe she is looking for which is why I posted.

We already visited Georgia Tech - currently not considering it. She thought the Georgia Tech kids all looked somber - it was a nice day when we visited and there was almost no one outside enjoying themselves. That stood out. For state schools we have Penn state, UMD & Virginia Tech on the list to look at.

Her current school is a pressure cooker and not collaborative and she does not want a repeat in college. It has become toxic and she is coming to us for help in finding more collaborative college options. She likes working on groups/bouncing ideas off others. Guidance counselor at HS is not helpful. Very different HS experience than my other DC who is at a different high school.

Major? Must it be a STEM-focused school or are SLACs an option?