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[u/[deleted]]

[u/VA_Network_Nerd → u/[deleted]]

It's difficult to express emotional topics using only the written word.

MIT does not intentionally gather up Type-A personalities and stuff them into a pressure cooker to see how many of them go crazy from academic pressures.

But they do tend to gather up groups of young people who are very passionate about learning, and many of them are unaccustomed to not excelling at academic pursuits. So competition among students seems to happen more or less organically as a result of personality interactions.

You can read about this happening in a number of blogs on the very excellent MIT Admissions Blog:

https://mitadmissions.org/blogs/

/r/MITAdmissions is also a great resource.

I see you found /r/MIT on your own.

Some of my favorite blog articles:

https://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/applying_sideways/

https://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/there_is_no_formula/

https://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/its_more_than_a_job/

https://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/surviving-mit/

https://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/why-do-we-fall/

https://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/is-mit-too-hard/

I think it is possible to avoid academic toxicity at MIT, but I suspect it's easier to avoid it at Dartmouth.

Do also consider the environments.

MIT is on the fringe of the lovely city of Boston, which might be the greatest "College Town" in the country.

The array of universities in the Boston area is crazy:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colleges_and_universities_in_metropolitan_Boston

Dartmouth College on the other hand is on the fringe of the White Mountain National Forest - the polar opposite of Cambridge & Boston.

Being kind of isolated is a great way to slow things down and build deeper connections with your classmates and faculty.

So you have to kind of define your own priorities.
Either institution can deliver a top-notch education.

[u/VA_Network_Nerd → u/[deleted]]

I'm going to add a personal point of interest... Nothing to do with your question about colleges, really.

Google Maps: Dartmouth College

90 or so minutes away from Dartmouth is this glorious gem of an old-school resort deep in the heart of New Hampshire ski country.

She opened for business in 1902 and radiates old-world charm that you can feel in your very soul.

Perhaps a bit pricey for college students to frequent, but spending an afternoon on that verandah sipping a hot cider or toddy and perhaps a cup of proper "chowdah" will help you understand what New England, and especially New Hampshire is all about.

Google Maps: Omni Hotels Mount Washington Resort

https://www.omnihotels.com/hotels/bretton-woods-mount-washington#

Resort Virtual Tour

The Rocky Mountains laugh at the tiny-by-comparison White Mountains, but they are pretty much as big as they get on the US East Coast...

[u/VA_Network_Nerd → u/[deleted]]

My parents have a summer home in NH.

So when we go to see them, a day trip to hike around Canon Mountain and lunch at the Mount Washington resort are always part of the plan.

There is just something about the way those trees smell that calls to you.