This page is still under construction. So far, I've only added a short list of questions, and brief answers... Since building a website turned out to be much more time-consuming than I had initially anticipated, it might be a while until this section is complete.
A combination of factors. The most important was probably the opportunity of getting a better and broader education, in a system that actually acknowledges the value and effort put behind such an "endeavourment".
It certainly passed the criterion in (1) :). Plus, I was reasonably familiar with the application procedures, the universities were very generous with the financial aid for international students, and ... I spoke English far better than French or German.
A complete answer would be rather long and technical. This separate page outlines some ideas, but is by no means comprehensive.
In one version or another, this is one of the most frequently asked questions, so I've decided to dedicate an entire page to the answer.
Hard to say. If you go by the numbers (like ratio of people applying to positions available), then it's probably more competitive as a transfer. But the two applicant pools tend to be quite different, so that won't necessarily say much. I would add that 'easier' also depends on the strengths of the applicant, since the emphasis laid while analyzing the two applications can be on different issues. For example, it's my impression that the importance given to SAT scores and extra-curricular activities tends to be larger with freshman applications, whereas letters of recommendation and prior (college) grades tend to count more in transfer applications.
The main reason was probably because I felt that I needed to learn more, and I wasn't eager to commit to a particular profession. I was excited about several fields (from computer science and engineering, to quantum mechanics, and even neuroscience...), and had rather few practical thoughts in my head at the time. If we add to this the fact that I arrived at Yale as a junior, and had very little time to figure out the standard procedure for applying for an internship, the only recipe that made sense at the time was ... grad school.
One of the main reasons why I chose to go to Harvard in the first place was the (apparent) freedom that a student had in terms of choosing the specific area of research. Since I wasn't sure about the exact area to which I wanted to devote the next 5-6 years of my life, and my initial adviser at Harvard seemed very open to many research questions, the choice emerged as only natural. However, things turned out to be more narrow than I had initially pictured them; with my research interests converging to an area in which my adviser at the time had little interest, and other Harvard faculty had limited expertise, the only logical decision was to switch to a place where I could find both interest and expertise...
In Wikipedia's words, it is "an interdisciplinary branch of applied mathematics and formal science that uses methods such as mathematical modeling, statistics, and algorithms to arrive at optimal or near optimal solutions to complex problems. It is typically concerned with optimizing the maxima (profit, assembly line performance, crop yield, bandwidth, etc) or minima (loss, risk, etc.) of some objective function. [...] Some of the primary tools used by operations researchers are statistics, optimization, probability theory, queueing theory, game theory, graph theory, decision analysis, and simulation. Because of the computational nature of these fields, OR also has ties to computer science...".
The two main reasons why I chose this area are: (1) it is a practical field, at the interface between science and business, where most theoretical tools are developed as an answer to a clear, real-world, applied problem; (2) I find it to be a wonderful mix of several scientific fields (see the long list in the quote above...), allowing researchers a surprising degree of flexibility and innovation.
While it would only be fair for me to compare the two in terms of the engineering and applied sciences programs that they offer, given that this is the only "common ground" that I can speak about with a slight degree of knowledge, such a comparison would immediately place Harvard at a disadvantage (after all, MIT is a technological institute...) That being said, insofar as the above-mentioned programs are concerned, I believe the two live in rather different leagues, not just in terms of the breadth and depth of the courses offered, but also in terms of faculty size and range of research interests. On the other hand, in terms of available resources, the balance is probably reversed...
Yes and yes. There are certainly many good aspects about life in the US, but Romania is also moving in the right direction, having joined NATO and the European Union. Therefore, under the right conditions, I would certainly be interested in returning to my homeland.
Perhaps the best thing to do is to register on the mailing lists of the student organizations in the area: at MIT, and at Harvard. The Romanian honorary consul in Boston, Mr. Dan Dimăncescu, also maintains a website with useful information. Another option to meet several Romanians are the Romanian Orthodox churches close to Boston, in Woonsocket, Chelsea and Wakefield.
Well, Boston is definitely a good place to ask that question :). Have a look at this list...
Depends on what you're looking for. For groceries, you'll probably find the best value for your dollar at Market Basket and Shaw's / Star Market (in this strict ordering). For higher quality, organic food, you should definitely check out Trader Joe's - they also have decently priced beverages, and a nice collection of deserts. If you insist on the highest quality organic, and do not care much about the price, then you'll probably appreciate Whole Foods (they really do have some of the best meats and fish around...). If you like certain ethnic foods, especially Eastern European specialties, like eggplant salad (most likely found under two variants: Israeli salad or Babaganoush) or Russian salad / Salade du boeuf, then your best bet is in Allston, with several Russian stores: Berezka (to my taste buds, the best eggplant salad and the best liver pate around), Bazaar, and Russian Village (the latter is actually in Brookline, and I've never been there myself, but I have "consumed" some of their merchandise - they have very nice smoked salmon, and their eggplant salad is decent).
If you are interesting in clothing items, then the best value for the dollar in Boston is probably at Filene's Basement, a very nice discount store with two locations close to the city center. If you have a car or are willing to drive for about 50 minutes, then an even better option is probably the outlet in Wrentham. Or, if prices are not your concern, then you can find all the famous brand names in stores on Boston's beautiful Newbury Street.