Know What You're Getting Into - Graduate Student Researcher MIT Employee Review

3.0
May 4, 2012
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- Working for and alongside very intelligent, capable, and motivated individuals - Pervasive "can-do" attitude - Getting to work on projects of great significance - Being well-connected with collaborators (and future employers) at other top institutions - Quirky/nerd culture (e.g. yearly sci-fi marathon)

Cons

- Overbearing expectations; in the anarchy of academia, there is no such thing as having done "enough", even more so at prestigious institution like MIT - Lousy work-life balance -- creeping guilt whenever you're not working - Dearth of graduate student community/socialization - Campus and surrounding areas not aesthetically pleasing, exacerbated by frequently gloomy weather - Culture of misery (related to all of the above)

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5.0
Jun 20, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great School for doing a PhD

Cons

You have to do a PhD

4.0
Jun 19, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Brilliant colleagues A good degree of research independence Research funding sufficient for running experiments

Cons

Research divisions are mostly uncoordinated Administrative support is more reactive than proactive

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