Less selective schools “similar” to MIT

[Anonymous]

Another vote here for Ga.Tech.

[Anonymous]

If you can, definitely visit Rice and see what you think.
I think it checks all of your boxes - you can really tell the vibe on campus. Very friendly, collaborative - D loved it when we visited and it shot to #1 very quickly. She applied ED & got in - she is a STEM/ arts kid who wants to be able to explore different STEM majors.

If your DC is interested in LACs, check out Williams & Amherst.

We found the vibe at Carnegie Mellon & GATech were not what she was looking for, though both are amazing schools. Fit is important.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Northeastern definitely on top of the list.

- Both emphasize on CS/Engineering, business, design, etc. but also well rounded to attract various types of students.

- Both in urban Boston area with modern looking campus

- Both highly ranked in retention which indicates student satisfaction/happiness
MIT: #1, NEU: #3

- Most innovative schools - https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/innovative
MIT: #3, NEU: #8

- Top Coop/Internship
MIT: #7, NEU: #1

Classes have a lot of group/teamwork oriented projects.
There are many students who had MIT as high reach on their college list.

+100
People are throwing out school names without reasons or just because it's stem heavy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Your daughter sounds very rigid and difficult to please. My hunch is that she is not going to be happy wherever she ends up. If I were you, I'd work harder to calm her down and dissuade her from the notion that she's looking for a marriage partner. She isn't. It's just college. There's more than one perfect fit.

Maybe you need to do a reality check. Seems that she has been in a cut throat pressure cooker and can handle the academics and is looking for something different for college. How is that being rigid? I see that as being a positive that she is not willing to go to a school just to get prestige but wants to go to one where she will thrive. Wish my parents helped me like this when I was looking.

Agreed, that rigid comment seems way off base. Wanting a collaborative environment is the opposite of being rigid. And it doesn't sound like she is looking for a unicorn school or is inflexible in pursuing different avenues to find that perfect fit. I never understand the "it's just college" comment. This always sounds like it is coming from someone who didn't attend a college that left a lasting impression on their lives. OP your daughter is approaching this the right way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

My decided not to apply to GA Tech for the same reason- no one seems happy to be there!

VA tech is a yes for my STEM kid also reaching for MIT.

My child had a positive experience during his GA Tech visit. We visited on a weekend. We saw students out playing soccer, frisbee, chess, having picnics, listening and dancing to music on the lawn, riding scooters and bicycles around campus. He actually spoke with a few students that were sitting down having a picnic. They were approachable, warm, and answered all of his questions. Towards the end of their conversation, they encouraged him to apply to Ga Tech.

During our visit we toured the new John Lewis Student Center. The students were happy and friendly during our visit. The vibe we received from GA Tech was studious, but down to earth students. I think the sunny weather and being in the south really added to the overall vibe of Ga Tech.

[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.

Is this Blair or TJ? I have a Blair kid who was in a similar place when applying. Very happy at Brown.

I also posted upthread about Brown, Olin, U Roch, WPI, RIT, Drexel etc

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Your daughter sounds very rigid and difficult to please. My hunch is that she is not going to be happy wherever she ends up. If I were you, I'd work harder to calm her down and dissuade her from the notion that she's looking for a marriage partner. She isn't. It's just college. There's more than one perfect fit.

Maybe you need to do a reality check. Seems that she has been in a cut throat pressure cooker and can handle the academics and is looking for something different for college. How is that being rigid? I see that as being a positive that she is not willing to go to a school just to get prestige but wants to go to one where she will thrive. Wish my parents helped me like this when I was looking.

Yeah, she is not willing to go to a school just to get prestige but is looking at MIT OK

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Your daughter sounds very rigid and difficult to please. My hunch is that she is not going to be happy wherever she ends up. If I were you, I'd work harder to calm her down and dissuade her from the notion that she's looking for a marriage partner. She isn't. It's just college. There's more than one perfect fit.

Maybe you need to do a reality check. Seems that she has been in a cut throat pressure cooker and can handle the academics and is looking for something different for college. How is that being rigid? I see that as being a positive that she is not willing to go to a school just to get prestige but wants to go to one where she will thrive. Wish my parents helped me like this when I was looking.

Agreed, that rigid comment seems way off base. Wanting a collaborative environment is the opposite of being rigid. And it doesn't sound like she is looking for a unicorn school or is inflexible in pursuing different avenues to find that perfect fit. I never understand the "it's just college" comment. This always sounds like it is coming from someone who didn't attend a college that left a lasting impression on their lives. OP your daughter is approaching this the right way.

“A lasting impression on their lives is a little dramatic,” don’t you think?

I always read with suspicion threads like this one, started by someone who says their daughter wants to escape the current situation she is in, which is invariably horrible but is always everybody else’s fault. OP and her daughter are visiting college after college and coming away with dramatic negative impressions of entire student bodies after, what, a couple hours’ tour? There’s something to that if you ask me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

I have several family members who attended GT, and it’s a great school, but I wouldn’t describe it as warm and collaborative. It used to be a “look to your left, look to your right, in three years only one of you will be here” type of school. I think it’s a little better now, but students washing out is just part of the process there.

I’d suggest Rice, and lower on the selectivity scale (although getting more selective every year) but much higher on the “nice” scale, Auburn.

[Anonymous]

Auburn Engineering is great. I was there some 30+ years ago!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Northeastern definitely on top of the list.

- Both emphasize on CS/Engineering, business, design, etc. but also well rounded to attract various types of students.

- Both in urban Boston area with modern looking campus

- Both highly ranked in retention which indicates student satisfaction/happiness
MIT: #1, NEU: #3

- Most innovative schools - https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/innovative
MIT: #3, NEU: #8

- Top Coop/Internship
MIT: #7, NEU: #1

Classes have a lot of group/teamwork oriented projects.
There are many students who had MIT as high reach on their college list.

+100
People are throwing out school names without reasons or just because it's stem heavy.

+1

Be apprised, OP - there are one or two NEU resident DCUM haters who will try to disparage the school, but as far as CS goes, NEU grads are at the top of those we have employed in our large organization. NEU has always had, and continues to have, top CS and Engineering departments, in spite of DCUM. YOu should strongly consider applying, if your DC has strong grades, etc.

[Anonymous]

MIT grad from the late 1900s - heh. It was tough to get into but didn’t have the level of perfection that seems to be required.

Back in my day it didn’t feel competitive. Partly because the first year was Pass/No Record, partly because the kids I hung out with were all convinced it was a an administrative error that got us in.

BUT - really it was partly because it was so prestigious and selective, it didn’t matter if your were first or last - you were still an MIT student and that carried a lot of weight.

My brother went to another highly but not as highly ranked tech school (think CMU, RPI) and it was much more competitive. I got the same impression from the graduates of those schools.

Anyway - I have no idea what other schools are like that, OP - I was at a few other schools for graduate degrees and it never had the same feeling. My recommendation is to not look at the schools that are the fall backs for the kids who didn’t get into MIT - because a good % of them they will always have a chip on their shoulder.

Visiting schools back in the day - I really liked Swarthmore and Bryn Mawr.

[Anonymous]

Weird to have that "house in aspen" experience touring Harvard since those guides are on work-study.

My neighbor's kid went to MIT and had to move dorms bcs of a weird stalker guy. ("the odds are good ,but the goods are odd" was her refrain about dating at MIT and that was before the stalker).

Apply widely and see what shakes out. Then do the accepted students weekend which is a much deeper look that "the kids looked up happy in the library during the 8 seconds we walked through"

[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.

There is no such thing as perfect.

I have a freshman at Rice. STEM. Absolutely great school. Very friendly. Very collaborative.

But DC grinds and works very hard.

Freshman year has weed out classes. All the freshmen engineering and pre-med students taking chemistry are not exactly loving life. It's hard. And yeah, sure, they study together and share their insights. But they are still up at 2 am.

And these are really smart kids. And it's tested to the curve. There aren't any dumbasses to help things along.

Presumably MIT is similar. There's a marginal 4 or 5 percent difference in acceptance rates. But any selective STEMy school is going to be difficult for anyone.

Some schools like Rice and MIT are known to be pretty friendly. And some like CMU and Cornell have the reputation of being a little more cutthroat.

But if you are studying something difficult like engineering or pre-med at a top 20 school, there is no escaping the pressure cooker.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MIT grad from the late 1900s - heh. It was tough to get into but didn’t have the level of perfection that seems to be required.

Back in my day it didn’t feel competitive. Partly because the first year was Pass/No Record, partly because the kids I hung out with were all convinced it was a an administrative error that got us in.

BUT - really it was partly because it was so prestigious and selective, it didn’t matter if your were first or last - you were still an MIT student and that carried a lot of weight.

My brother went to another highly but not as highly ranked tech school (think CMU, RPI) and it was much more competitive. I got the same impression from the graduates of those schools.

Anyway - I have no idea what other schools are like that, OP - I was at a few other schools for graduate degrees and it never had the same feeling. My recommendation is to not look at the schools that are the fall backs for the kids who didn’t get into MIT - because a good % of them they will always have a chip on their shoulder.

Visiting schools back in the day - I really liked Swarthmore and Bryn Mawr.

in the 1990s, MIT admissions rate was 40%