ralilu said:
depends on what u want to do. u dnt have to go to MIT...to be a really good engineer. group 2 is good enough. but if u want to be a nobel prize winning researcher then group 1 is the way to go.
I doubt the nobel prize is very relevant for a mechanical engineer, but even if it was you would be wrong according to Wikipedia (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobel_laureates_by_university_affiliation) the universities listed have the following number of Nobel laureates (I only counted graduate institution as that describes the poster's situation):
MIT: 27
Berkley: 25
Caltech: 17
Georgiatech: 2
Minnesota Twin Cities: 7
Northwestern: X
California San diego: 1
Illinois Urbana: 11
Cornell: 12
Purdue: 2
Clearly group 1 has a larger number, but you need to consider two factors:
1. Size of institution
2. Exceptional students (at the level of potential nobel laureates) tend to attend group 1 universities so I expect much of the bias is due to exceptional students choosing group 1 rather than group 1 creating exceptional students.
So by no means is group 1 the only way to go if your ultimate goal is a Nobel prize (don't see why it would be though).
I don't have any real experience with the American university system, but I will state my opinion anyway. From my experience with smart students they tend to be able to flourish at both group 1 and 2. An exceptional student will perform exceptionally at any institution and will be able to learn there too. Of course places like MIT and Caltech provide a different student population and atmosphere than some of your group 2 universities, but if you are proactive in furthering your own learning then I don't believe you will experience that much of a difference (note that your group 2 schools are by no mean bad, most are actually extremely good).
You state that you expect your chances at group 1 will be low. If this is a result of you being just about the level of weak MIT, Caltech or Berkeley students then I probably wouldn't bother applying. I have heard too many stories of people struggling through these institutions due to their high expectations and pressure. I think learning is done best at an institution where you are challenged, but have the ability to deal with it in a healthy way. If you truly believe you will be able to do great things at a group 1 university and that you have a chance of getting in then I would apply, but focus on group 2 schools.
Also listen to DukeofDuke's advice about actively taking a look at the research going on at the various institutions. An institution ranked in top50-100 may actually be in top 5 in a few narrow areas.
Personally I study math and I would like to refer you to the following two articles by Terrence Tao. They are strictly speaking about choosing a place to
study mathematics, but I believe most of it applies to engineering as well:
http://terrytao.wordpress.com/career-advice/don%E2%80%99t-base-career-decisions-on-glamour-or-fame/"
http://terrytao.wordpress.com/career-advice/which-universities-should-one-apply-to/"
