Disagree 100%. The connections one makes at MIT are worth as much as the degree. Get the brass rat of MIT. One's undergraduate degree is not a lifetime commitment. If one decides to continue with, say, physics then one can get into just about any second tier graduate program or a some first tier graduate program with a positive recommendation. But I get the distinct impression that the original poster will be lucky to get into U of M.
We'll have to disagree on this one. The original poster perhaps should have learned - get the degrees FIRST. Only THEN spend all your time on BigSoccer.
If you are serious about physics, you should know that grad school in physics would be free. For your Ph.D any school that doesn't offer you a full tution waiver and stipend isn't worth your trouble. If a school isn't serious enough about you to put up the money then you should not be serious about them. In physics the school you attend for your B.Sc is not very important. What's important is doing good research, getting an outstanding GPA, and, most of all (sadly), scoring well on the GRE subject test. Where going to a school like MIT really pays off is in the first part, research. If you work on a project at MIT, prove yourself competent, and get a good letter of reference from a MIT prof, that opens many doors in grad school applications. However, for the most part, MIT profs are extremely busy, and have high standards, thus getting to work with them can be a bit difficult. Boston is a great place for physics, having Harvard and MIT close, and then BU, NE, also in the area, and Brown is accesible by commuter rail. Having said all that about MIT, ultimately, it doesn't matter too much where you do your B.Sc. Being at MIT has the potential to open doors, but there is also a large potential for disaster (ie. failure, change of major). Both of the other schools are quality physics programs, you would have no problem getting into any phd program in the US if you went to one of those schools and did well. Not to scare you, but 75% of people that I knew that entered university as physics majors changed majors within one year. About 50% of people that in currently know in physics went to university with another major in mind, often very different than physics (fine art and political science for example. Anyways, good luck, and never lose sight that the first objective is just to get accepted to these schools.
100% correct--not just about physics, though. Welcome to bigsoccer, rl! Making sense is only optional.
if you decide you don't want to continue with physics, will MIT be a smart choice? (unless you want to go into econ) UofM will offer the 'typical' college life. great sports, a traditional college campus, lots of open space, greek life, a huge intramural/club athletics program, etc. UofC and MIT are both urban schools, with both drawing many of their 'things to do' from the city in which they are located, not the typical college stuff. UofM is a great school, and with in-state tuition, you can't go wrong (especially if you are as left-of-center politically as the many people on these boards). But, having a bro at MSU and a father who is a grad of OSU, I'd advise against UofM. I'd go to any of the three for grad school, but undergrad, no. Northwestern, DePauw, Kenyon, Denison, Wittenberg, Vanderbilt. any of these before those three.
Well, let's look at it from this perspective: What do you plan on studying? What do you plan to do with your degree? You really need to answer those questions first. Assuming you have and these three schools are your top choices and you've been accepted to all three, here is what I would suggest: MIT - You don't turn down an invitation to MIT, period. Chicago - same as MIT, but it depends on your area of study. U of M - I would put this school well down the list from MIT and Chicago. As a matter of fact, I'm perplexed why it's even in your top 3. I'd suspect it has less to do with what you'll study than some other reason. Just advice - take it or leave it.
Why in the world not? MIT is good for hard sciences and econ, but beyond that, why would you go there? If I wanted to study history First, its not all that tough to be invited to Chicago, to be honest - its a very self selecting group of people. And it IS where fun goes to die. However, there are few intellectual disciplines that are poor there. (I say this as someone who almost went to Chicago for undergrad.) Likely because its so much cheaper due to being in state.
You're insane. Hyde Park has a lot of charm. Hell, there are mansions in Hyde Park. The campus is beautiful... old gothic buildings... great book stores. My mother lives in Hyde Park.
In fact, the #1 complaint about Hyde Park that U of C students make is that it's boring and there's nothing to do.