[smattiso]

You should go. I was all set to go to Caltech or the Ivies and turned them down for mostly, though not entirely, financial reasons and went to a state school instead. Worked out mostly fine but much harder to get foot in the door and the opportunities and experiences you get in a place like MIT last a lifetime.

If you don't go, many doors will become closed or so much harder to get into that it's basically equivalent. Want to join a think tank, become a quant on Wallstreet, easily raise VC money at 23? These are all much easier with the credibility a MIT degree brings.

"Normal" degreed people essentially live a life where everybody assumes you are stupid until proven otherwise. MIT people are assumed to be smart until proven otherwise. That is a tremendous advantage in almost all contexts.

Not to mention the quality of your peers and the education itself. Don't pass up the opportunity to really challenge yourself and see what you can do. Sure, it's just undergrad and you aren't really solving anything of note but just being surrounded by the leaders of your field is inspiring and will push you to be your best.

Sample size 1 over here but especially MIT I would go. MIT is big and diverse enough that you can go as technical as you want, or study business, or…?

Anyway my 2 cents from a 30 something that has been around the block.

Congrats and good luck!

[Throwawayaerlei]

> Want to ... become a quant on Wallstreet...? These are all much easier with the credibility a MIT degree brings.

Do enough hard math EE at MIT and becoming a quant as your first job is a common initial career step. The money you'll make will then help you do whatever you want going forward.

Not sure how this would fit in with the OP's desire to get a CS Ph.D.; on the science track it's very easy to fall off, I'd expect CS to have more flexibility but I don't know.