Euphoriet said:
Umm if you know of anyone that got into MIT that didnt state their major and got in.. let me know.. heh.
Well anyways... I guess the classes don't sound too bad but I was reading elsewher on the net about the assistants and about the tests.. being extremely hard, design so almost no one can get close to a perfect score.. with things not really taught but still expected to have been learned. In your personal experience.. was this the case?.. or did you Ace almost all the exams?
I also read that all freshmen must take calc. and physics.. Did you take calculus in high school or any other class beyond that?
How does the MIT gpa system work.. an -A gets you what?
Thanks
What about .. the tuition... and you have to live in the dorms your first year right?
stating your major probably won't make a big deal. if you want to be safe, say comp sci and you'll be in good company. however, it really won't affect you.
well, my first test (math) was abysmal. i blamed it on the summer break and also not having learned the material in high school, unlike a lot of my friends who were coming from exeter and private schools, etc. however, i also realized that i had to learn how to study, coming from a high school where pretty much everything was a breeze. after that, my tests dramatically improved and stayed there. of course there are only 2-4 tests plus a final for each class each semester, and they usually account for a huge percent of your grade. however, they're not impossible - I've gotten a quite a few perfect or near perfect scores on tests and finals, and plenty on psets. you'll find some of the larger classes such as chem and diff eq are easier. however, I've yet to score above a 90 on a physics test, but that's more because i took the advanced versions where a 80+ semester grade got you an A. in my opinion, the standard physics at MIT is a joke - it's taught in a very tech-oriented environment (everyone gets a laptop, pretty pictures, etc.) still in early stages, so they curve the grades and make the material easy to make the program look good. if you decide to go physics, definitely go for the advanced stuff.
all freshman must take calc and physics, or have AP credit for it. you can probably find that info on the MIT admissions site. in high school i only had calculus, and got a 5 on the AP. make sure your background in calc is strong, though, even if you do get a 5 - you can always opt to give up the credit and take one of the calc classes there. or if you're going to major in math and think you can handle it, take analysis - average test score, around a 40.
the GPA is on a 5.0 scale, with all As netting you a flat 5.0, all Bs 4.0s, etc.
quality of TAs and profs vary depending on the class, usually you can always find someone to help you who suits your learning style. i know i skipped more than my fair share of classes just because i didn't like the teacher and I'm doing just fine.
total cost of education is quoted at 40K a year. of course, only 30K of that is tuition, and they give pretty good financial aid for those like me who need it. one of my friends pays only a g each semester for tuition. you do have to live in the dorms first year, but you have a good selection and they're pretty nice. west campus = pretty normal college dorms, just with the average bed time shifted a few hours later. east campus = stereotypical crazy MIT genius types, but they're not really all geniuses, just weird, e.g., they like to blow things up. not bad to visit but i couldn't live there. and of course with the average size of the wallets attending MIT, there's a VERY healthy greek life, and you'll have no trouble finding frat parties to go to each weekend or free surf and turf dinners during frat rush. and of course there's boston. etc, etc.
moonbear, glad to hear that you're happy with where you're going. maybe in a few years i'll be saying similar things about my current plans, eh?
PRodQuanta said:
Hey DarkEternal,
Are you taking the physics/engineering major plan. I know there's 3 physics plans, one's for straight physics, one's for physics/engineering(computer/electrical), and the other's for physics/?other?.
Do you know what I'm talking about, or am I blabbering to no avail?
Paden Roder
yeah, I'm taking straight up physics. the second you mentioned, course VIII-A (everyone talks about courses in numbers up there) is physics and course VI, which is comp sci, EE, etc. VIII-B is physics and some other area, such as bio. it doesn't really make a difference and the degree is the same, it just helps plan out your courses better i guess?