College Visit: MIT, Harvard

To be positive: To be mistaken at the top of one’s voice. Ambrose Bierce (1842 - 1914), The Devil’s Dictionary

The above quote doesn’t actually have anything to do with my visit to Cambridge, but it is funny, so I thought I’d share Bierce’s misanthropism with the wider world. =) This man makes me look like a sweet, idealistic (or my favorite word, quixotic) girl, and he’s just crazily bitter. My kind of guy.

Anyway, so, I just got back today (well, technically yesterday, because I’m being an insomniac as usual) from Cambridge, a 6 hour drive away. I’ve been there before, but this was the first time I went there willingly- the first time I was a sullen girl of 13 or so who didn’t really think the slushy Boston scenery was worth the long car ride with her parents. This time, thankfully, it wasn’t winter, and I got to witness the college town in late summer. You know, very picturesque, vibrant green grass, white church steeples, big boulevards, etc. etc. Except it rained the first day I was there, visiting MIT. -.-

But on the plus side, I got a limited edition MIT poncho- 3, in fact. Quite exciting; I kept one in its plastic casing to preserve for future generations, maybe take it to Antiques Road Show one day. (Could I get any more nerdy?) So in defiance to the weather, a miserable drizzle, we donned our sporty white bag-like outerwear and spent an hour stomping around in puddles, seeing what was one of the most unsightly campuses in the States (voted on the list three years in a row). We had a cool tour guide who told us that, among other things, presenting a pretty clear picture of the school- she pretty much sold me on the idea of going there. Before, I just had some vague memory of a brown hallway; this time I saw the hallways were actually white. (Though MIT does give the impression of being brown due to its general architectural nondescriptness.) So it was pretty nice. The only bad thing is I’ll have to battle my way through the legions of other Asians who’re going to apply there.

Now Harvard is a big name. Maybe the big name. (Though recently it seems to have been usurped by Princeton.) In my opinion, the info session and tour are just a formality, really, because the school’s academic records and prestige overshadow what tiny concern I might have for campus, student life, etc. Apparently, I’m not the only one who thinks so, because on Saturday, when I visited the aforementioned institution, its visit experience just wasn’t as memorable as MIT’s. Very skeletal tour, though I suppose it wasn’t really our tour guide’s fault so much as Harvard policy- most of the buildings are closed to the public. Also, right after we finished our tour, there was apparently a group of Harvard students who were running a rival group that seemed a bit more…uh…candid. But we passed on that. (Though I do salute the pro-active attitude.) And I felt that while it was certainly pretty and fit the description mentioned above very well (and it helped that it was sunny), the atmosphere just didn’t fit my brand of nerdy. (What brand is that? No idea. Chalk another one up for vague abstract classifications.) But like I said, its academics are just so stellar I’ll still apply just for fun. (And get denied and cry, just for fun.)

At the end of the day, here’s the score: MIT: 1, Harvard: 0, and Yale: 1, just because of the crazy architect guy whom I love.

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Published:
08.27.06 / 3am
Category:
College