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Ask HN: I got into MIT. Should I go?
This is a really big decision that has been weighing a lot on my mind recently, and I would appreciate any candid advice that you may have.
Here’s the skinny:
I applied to two schools: MIT, and a bigger-but-less-prestigious school we'll call Z. Growing up, I always wanted to go to Z: my parents met there, my extended family lives in the area, and I have friends and cousins there. But MIT has also always been a dream (and I have friends there too). My original plan was to go to Z for my undergrad, then go to another school like MIT for grad school. I applied to MIT for the sake of completeness, and honestly didn't expect to get in. For that reason, it’s pretty easy to see how getting into MIT has thrown a big wrench in my plans.
To make matters worse, MIT hasn’t offered me any financial aid. My parents have saved enough money to help me pay for some of the tuition costs of Z (which I’m immensely grateful for). But other than that, it is clear that I’m fully responsible for paying for the rest of college on my own. (To contextualize how expensive MIT is: the college savings I have now are barely enough to cover one semester at MIT.)
On top of that, Z has offered me what essentially amounts to a full-ride scholarship. If I went to Z, I could realistically finish my undergrad in two to three years (from the college credit I’ve accumulated in high school) without going into debt. If I went to MIT, I’d be paying sticker price for a full 4-year degree: even with well-paying internships/work-study, I’d still be close to $180k in debt. (I realize that to some in the tech industry $180k may seem like nothing, but for an 18-year-old right out of high school, it may as well be like asking a dolphin to swim to the moon.)
After my undergrad, I want to pursue a Master’s/PhD in Machine Learning or Symbolic Reasoning. The problem with getting into MIT now is that I feel like I have a proverbial ‘foot in the door’: MIT has a lot of undergrad programs that feed directly into their graduate programs, which are top-notch for these areas of research. If I decided to go to Z, I’d have no guarantee that I’d be accepted to MIT’s (or a similar school’s) graduate program, even though I was accepted to their undergraduate program previously. (Of course, I have no guarantee that I’d get into grad school at MIT even coming out of MIT’s undergraduate program, but the chances are significantly higher.)
Additionally, just because I have no financial aid from MIT now doesn’t mean that I won’t have financial aid in the future. My siblings will be starting college in a couple of years; there are a lot of changing factors to consider.
Regardless of whichever path I take, I want to work for a larger tech company to gain experience before I bootstrap a sustainable startup (I mean, that's the dream, isn't it?). I would like to weave together some of the disparate threads I’ve started with my open source work to pursue an idea I think could have a really long-term impact on the way we communicate and collaborate.
So here’s my question: Although I know they’re both really good paths, how would you weigh this choice? I’d love to hear about your experience with college (especially if you went to MIT), your career path, and any advice you’d have for someone in my situation. Thank you!
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- throwaway7819 5y agoSome postscripts: P.S. — I started programming when I was fairly young (about 10 years ago), and I've spent hours each day since then programming, reading blogs, and poring over books (SICP, Let Over Lambda, etc.). I'm especially passionate about OSS, and I've contributed to a number of projects of varying ilk over the years. Academically, I've worked really hard in school (while maintaining a balanced social life, of course). I particularly enjoy mathematics (I’ve taken up through Linear Algebra) and the sciences (I'm taking AP Physics II, AP Bio, and AP Chem this year). I understand that I’ve been very lucky, and want to make the most of my situation so that I may one day make the opportunities I’ve had access to more readily accessible P.P.S. — I’m using a throwaway because, aside from this being a fairly personal matter, I've been active on HN for quite a while. A couple years ago, an open source project I started got a lot of traction on HN. Through HN, I have learned a lot from the blogs, books, and projects that have surfaced over the years. Needless to say, I wouldn't be in the position that I am today without your support, so thank you! P.P.P.S — If you’d like to reach out privately, feel free to email mit-dilemma@pm.me as I realize your replies may be, well, a bit personal.
- jart 5y agoI'd also cast my vote for MIT. If you're reading SICP and LOL then you're not going to have any problem paying off the student loans. So don't let worrying about money hold you back. Choose the school with the lower acceptance rate. Some knowledge can only be learned by socialization with smart successful people. If being a big fish in a small pond is what you want, then you'll be an even bigger fish if you do that after you graduate the best possible school.
- elteto 5y agoYou have an impressive resume. Kudos!
- taylodl 5y agoYou've studied hard - but what do you want to do? What do you want to do with your life once you're done with school? School isn't end-all, be-all of life. I'm a martial artist. Many people look at the martial arts and think obtaining black belt is the goal. Here's the secret - obtaining black belt is the start. Now you're ready to study the art! It's the same with school. Getting degrees isn't the goal, it's the beginning. The beginning of what? That's up to you! You already know you can learn on your own, so you should have learned by now you don't need school to learn. Your internships are going to be the most important thing you do - that's where the doors are going to be opened.