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Offline manwincTopic starter

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Thinking about applying to MIT in a year.
« on: March 15, 2010, 08:51:13 AM »
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I'm presently enrolled at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. After taking a two year break, for financial reasons, I'm back attending classes, but because of changes made in the department I am under, I lost ALOT of credits from my first year. The majority of the credits that were Lost were also the classes I happened to have a good grade in as well so, my GPA went down the drain.

Within a year I hope to raise my GPA to between a 3.0 and a 3.5 ( low considering I want to apply to MIT) and i'm hoping that using some credentials I had from when I was in High School, Was a team leader for a $10,000 MIT Inventeam grant, multiple AP classes, credit for Univ Chem 1 & 2 from Ap scores, and a decent GPA, hoping to do well on the SAT when I apply, as well as trying to incorporate how far i've come with learning a programming language with 0 experience in 3 years, will compensate some for the lower gpa(Maybe a video of the army + some other scripts or something doing their thing).

Thoughts? Ideas? Schools you would recommend over MIT? (Know there is one in California that is supposed to build the things NASA uses, but can't remember what its called)
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Offline TrailMyx

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Re: Thinking about applying to MIT in a year.
« Reply #1 on: March 15, 2010, 09:00:40 AM »
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I never really had much use for the people with MIT degrees.  Typically something happens to the ego, and those individuals just become insufferable.  That's probably just my luck.  heh.
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Offline manwincTopic starter

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Re: Thinking about applying to MIT in a year.
« Reply #2 on: March 15, 2010, 09:10:59 AM »
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Thats why I was also asking for other schools people might suggest. I will admit that I did get a sense of peoples Egos when I visited MIT a few years back, but then I just laughed at all the male students jogging around campus in really short shorts and thought about all the resources at hand at the university.
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Offline Paulonius

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Re: Thinking about applying to MIT in a year.
« Reply #3 on: March 15, 2010, 09:52:28 AM »
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My take on a prestige school like MIT is that you need to know what you hope to gain from going there, consider what that is worth and what it costs, then decide whether that cost is worth it to you.

You already know about MIT's reputation and resources. Some other things to think about:

1. MIT grads are definitely highly respected and it is relatively easier to find a job with that degree over a degree from lesser known schools. This is great, but it's something that can be overcome in many cases by working hard and kicking butt once you are out of school.  Five years after you graduate, unless #2 applies, no one really cares where you went to school -- it becomes an anecdote about you that explains why you kick so much ass, or as a puzzler for why you don't.   

2. Are there career paths that you can only access by going to MIT or a similar school?  There are definitely some jobs you will not likely get unless you go to a prestige school. I don't even know what they are in the line of work you are considering, but be assured there are probably some.  I went to a big ten law school and I got an amazing education. Like you, I worked my tail off during school supporting myself and I fell just out of the top third of my class until my final semester when I squeeked into the top third. This mattered because where I was going to school only the top third of the class was really considered for the elite law firm summer jobs and clerkships.  I took classes in Summer instead.  At Harvard or Yale (law school MIT equivalencies) every student is a candidate for those jobs.  Those kids were not any better, or any better educated than me, but I made choices that eliminated those career paths.  Turns out it was the right choice for me, but it's something to consider.  So in that context, are there jobs you can't get if you don't go to MIT? Do you care?

3. What is the cost difference?  I went to a big ten school because it cost $4,000 a year and some of the more "elite" options I was considering were $20K a year and up.  I came out with plenty of debt from choices I made in undergrad programs and I am glad I didn't rack up more debt. 
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Offline manwincTopic starter

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Re: Thinking about applying to MIT in a year.
« Reply #4 on: March 15, 2010, 10:12:41 AM »
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Yeah, No way in hell would I ever consider going if I couldn't get enough scholarships/aid to cover for my classes. I'm pretty sure its around 50k a year with room and board, and I refuse to even go slightly in debt for school. I have a friend who is presently 100,000 dollars in debt with a music degree he can do very little with short of teaching at a high school level. The last thing I want is to have a degree, want nothing to do with it, and have to work the rest of my life to pay off the money it took to get that degree.
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" Oh I know, We'll make a Boss Encounter that requires 3 keys per player to enter, Then we'll make it not a closed instance so you never know if you are going to pop into a fresh room or a boss that has 1% Health left with 20 dudes smashing its face in, wasting your time and effort"

Offline manwincTopic starter

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Re: Thinking about applying to MIT in a year.
« Reply #5 on: March 15, 2010, 10:19:47 AM »
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I started looking up fields in Nanotechnology which is the field I was wanting to pursue, and the first 2 names that came up both are professors at the University of Arkansas where I attend..... so I guess I might just be in the right place after all?
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" Oh I know, We'll make a Boss Encounter that requires 3 keys per player to enter, Then we'll make it not a closed instance so you never know if you are going to pop into a fresh room or a boss that has 1% Health left with 20 dudes smashing its face in, wasting your time and effort"

Offline TrailMyx

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Re: Thinking about applying to MIT in a year.
« Reply #6 on: March 15, 2010, 10:40:25 AM »
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That's what I was thinking actually.  If there's no reason to move, then just make the best of your situation.  Since you are kinda starting over GPA-wise, then it doesn't make much difference. 

I found the same with my Engineering degree at the University of New Mexico.  I didn't really do much research about it at the time, but it turns out the Engineering program there is ranked amongst the highest in the nation.  At the time, I didn't want to go out-of-state for my education, so I just defaulted to my home school.  So I just lucked out.
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Offline manwincTopic starter

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Re: Thinking about applying to MIT in a year.
« Reply #7 on: March 15, 2010, 10:43:57 AM »
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Quote
At the time, I didn't want to go out-of-state for my education, so I just defaulted to my home school.

That's actually the same exact boat i'm in right now! Lol
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" Oh I know, We'll make a Boss Encounter that requires 3 keys per player to enter, Then we'll make it not a closed instance so you never know if you are going to pop into a fresh room or a boss that has 1% Health left with 20 dudes smashing its face in, wasting your time and effort"

Offline luv2luvlong

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Re: Thinking about applying to MIT in a year.
« Reply #8 on: March 15, 2010, 06:28:22 PM »
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Have you looked into international schools. You'll find that there are a lot of better financing (grants and scholarships) options for such a move.
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Offline NObama

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Re: Thinking about applying to MIT in a year.
« Reply #9 on: March 15, 2010, 06:42:06 PM »
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It's a TRAP!

(what about decent engineering state schools?  Univ of Michigan comes to mind)

 :)
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Offline manwincTopic starter

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Re: Thinking about applying to MIT in a year.
« Reply #10 on: March 15, 2010, 08:24:56 PM »
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University of arkansas has a pretty decent engineering department.

And Don't think I could do out of country. just too much I would have to leave behind.
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" Oh I know, We'll make a Boss Encounter that requires 3 keys per player to enter, Then we'll make it not a closed instance so you never know if you are going to pop into a fresh room or a boss that has 1% Health left with 20 dudes smashing its face in, wasting your time and effort"

Offline luv2luvlong

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Re: Thinking about applying to MIT in a year.
« Reply #11 on: March 15, 2010, 10:41:58 PM »
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Quote from: manwinc on March 15, 2010, 08:24:56 PM
University of arkansas has a pretty decent engineering department.

And Don't think I could do out of country. just too much I would have to leave behind.

Well just remember places like Delft in the Netherlands, a short train ride to Amsterdam,
and most classes there are in english.
As for stuff, storage units are great. (I have 3 in the states and others elsewhere).
If it's a signifigant other, well that's a different story.
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Re: Thinking about applying to MIT in a year.
« Reply #12 on: March 19, 2010, 08:16:37 PM »
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Go to a school that leaves you enough free time to finish N-Gen Army!

 :D
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Offline kenshin87

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Re: Thinking about applying to MIT in a year.
« Reply #13 on: March 29, 2010, 07:50:07 PM »
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Try Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. i went there and it is another very prestigious school. take a look at it and let me know what you think i still have friends there and could tell you whatever you would need.
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Re: Thinking about applying to MIT in a year.
« Reply #14 on: March 30, 2010, 09:37:46 AM »
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Just do it.  Being able to say, "I graduated from MIT." just sounds cool. heh  The only time it will matter is in an interview, and MIT gets the nod for cool factor there I'm sure. hehe
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