I visited a friend at MIT on two separate occasions this past year for a weekend plus an after-noon. The campus looked old enough to have experienced little change since my father's graduate school days, and most of the buildings are close enough together to prevent too much walking on cold winter mornings. The dorm rooms, while not large, were adequate, and the meal I ate was edible. The one classroom I saw, touted as the nicest at MIT, lived up to its reputation. The school's Boston location, not far from numerous other Boston colleges, is ideal because there is always plenty happening nearby. (Fenway Park is so close that it is visible from the roof of one of the nicest dormitories: McCormick!)

The best part of MIT, however, was the students themselves. While I did encounter a few stereotypical nerds, the majority of the people were friendly, and they all seemed happy with the school. The only deterrent for me is the focus of the school itself. lt is called Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and naturally requires many difficult math and science courses. While a friend's sister majored in English Literature at MIT, I would not recommend the school for anyone who (like me) does not particularly enjoy math and science.


Reviewed in 1990