Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts;  Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is the elite east coast engineering school, known for its high academic standard and lengthy history.   Founded in 1861, MIT stresses scientific research and close cooperation with industry.  It boasts over 80 Nobel laureates and is one of the most selective institutes of higher education, with nearly 20,000 applicants per year and an acceptance rate of 8%.  It’s current campus covers 168 acres along the north bank of the Charles River.

The open source movement has spawned the now infamous MIT OpenCourseWare, an initiative to put all of MIT’s educational materials from its undergraduate and graduate level courses online, free and available to anyone, anywhere.  Now in its 11th year, with over 2,000 courses available online, the initiative has inspired more than 250 other institutions to make their course materials available as open educational resources through the OpenCourseWare Consortium.  MIT is truly the leader in Massive Open Online Course (MOOC).

MIT is the one of the only institutions of higher education with its own on-campus nuclear reactor.  It is one of the most powerful university-based nuclear reactors in the United States. The prominence of the reactor's containment building in a densely populated area has been controversial, but MIT maintains that it is well-secured.  Other notable campus facilities include a pressurized wind tunnel and a towing tank for testing ship and ocean structure designs.  We were not allowed access to the reactor on our admission tour.

What we did find most interesting is the grading system for freshmen known as the “Pass/No-Record”.  The system relieves some of the pressure for freshmen to achieve, resulting in a grade of “Pass” or “No Record” for each class taken in the fall term of their first year.  In the spring term, passing grades (A, B, C) appear on the transcript while non-passing grades are again not recorded.  There are also alternative learning communities for freshmen such as Experimental Study Group, Concourse, or Terrascope.  One can’t help but wonder when the “kid gloves” will come off and students will actually be accountable for the amount of effort they put into each course.  Nevertheless, we were very impressed with the rigor and reputation of MIT’s curriculum.  MIT is ranked first in the world for its School of Engineering by U.S. News and World Report.  MIT counts astronaut Buzz Aldrin and architect I.M. Pei among its most famous alumni.

Students who applied to MIT, also looked at Harvard University, Stanford University and California Institute of Technology.  

For more information on Massachusetts Institute of Technology, visit  http://web.mit.edu/

Massachusetts Institute of Technology is located at 77 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139  (617) 253-1000

Stevens Institute of Technology

Located in Hoboken, New Jersey; Stevens Institute of Technology is a private, research university founded in 1870 with a bequest from Edwin A. Stevens.  Enrollment at Stevens includes more than 5,000 undergraduate and graduate students.  The university is home to three national Centers of Excellence as designated by the U.S. Departments of Defense and Homeland Security.  The current president, Dr. Nariman Farvardin, is the seventh president of Stevens. He took office July 1, 2011.  Stevens Institute of Technology also ranks #8 among "Best Engineering Colleges By Salary Potential".

Stevens granted several Ph.D.s between 1870 and 1900, making it one of the earliest Ph.D. granting institutions in the United States.  Stevens became coeducational in 1971. The Class of 1975 matriculated 19 women, and 40 years later, women make up 25 percent of undergraduates.  Stevens is within minutes of a subway ride to New York City.

Students who applied to Stevens Institute of Technology, also looked at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and NYU Polytechnic Institute.

For more information on Stevens Institute of Technology, visit http://www.stevens.edu/sit/

Stevens Institute of Technology is located at Castle Point on Hudson, Hoboken, NJ  07030 (201) 216-5000

Clarkson University

Located in Potsdam, New York; Clarkson University is one of the smallest nationally ranked research university, with a total student population of around 3,000.  Clarkson was founded in 1896 as a memorial to Thomas S. Clarkson whose favorite biblical verse, “A Workman That Needeth Not to be Ashamed” became the school’s motto.  The school’s colors, green and gold, came from Clarkson’s favorite flower, the goldenrod. Clarkson is an engineering school, boasting a whopping 95% job placement rate for its graduates.  The ‘Hired By’ video showcased on its homepage presents seniors holding up handmade signs displaying their employer’s names – Hired by GE, Hired by IBM, Hired by Johnson & Johnson.”  The stats are quite impressive. 

Clarkson University also hosts Clarkson School, a bridge between the senior year of high school and the first year of college where 50 to 80 high school students each year complete a year of experiential living and learning experience on a college campus.  Upon completion, students apply and enter into university as a freshman with advance standing. 

Potsdam remains a small town, with little or nothing to do.  On the day of our visit, which turned out to be one of the rare (above 40 degree Fahrenheit) warm weather days in Potsdam, we were able to walk to the two staple establishments in town – Maxfield, a restaurant/bar and the Clarkson book store.  The dorms were another disappointment.  The rooms and flooring were run down, with no signs of any maintenance ever being done. 

Students who applied to Clarkson University, also looked at Rochester Institute of Technology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and Lehigh University.  For more information on Clarkson University, visit http://www.clarkson.edu/

Clarkson University is located at 8 Clarkson Avenue Potsdam, New York 13699 (315)268-6400.