From: "Phillip M. Hallam-Baker" <hallam@ai.mit.edu>
Date: Tue, 28 Jan 1997 14:13:48 -0800 (PST)
To: "'cypherpunks@toad.com>
Subject: Re: Best Computer School?
Message-ID: <199701282213.OAA04786@toad.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain




Erp <erp@digiforest.com> wrote in article <5cjlg0$2ij@life.ai.mit.edu>...
> 
> 
> 
> On Mon, 27 Jan 1997, SpyKing wrote:
> 
> > This is a little off topic but maybe someone can help. I've got a teenage
> > son (HS sophomore) who's interested in majoring in computer science in
> > college with a particular interest in cryptography. He's leaning toward MIT.
> > Any suggestions from list members as to colleges to investigate? 
> 
> Well in reference to MIT..  I hope he has a 4.0 in highschool, is an
> allsport, has a 1600 on his SAT's, and a prefect on his ACT..  Just to
> even think about going there..  Let alone to include how well he'll have
> to do on his interviews etc..  Also you may wish to have him look again at
> what he wants to be before he goes to some major college such as MIT,
> because tuition at MIT costs approx 100,000$/4 years. 

Actually MIT does not take notice of SATs, GSATs and other IQ nonsense.
Basically the tests are meaningless at the upper end of the scale which
is where most MIT students would score and a low score does not in itself
demonstate stupidity. 

If he can get in then its difficult to imagine a better school for crypto in the
US. There is a finacial support program and admission is "needs blind" so 
that grants are matched according to need.

> I know pretty well positive that
> MIT is excellent, but when you get down to the basics MIT is more of an
> engineering school than a science/philosophical school which Computer
> Sciences falls under..  Another good school from what I've heard is UCLA..
> then again you can discredit anything I've said, because I'm still a
> HighSchool senior myself and have been looking into Computer Criminology
> for the last three years, and I'm positive it is what i want so *shrug*..

Actually there is a reasonable school for philosophy just up the 
road but its not so good for computer science (it did produce Bill 
Gates.) The AI lab does have a number of people who lean quite
heavilly to the philosophy side.

	Phill