Summary
- Sheldon's original university choice, as portrayed in Episode 9, raises many questions among TBBT fans.
- Apparently, CalTech wasn't Shelly's first choice.
- There's a logical explanation for why Dr. Cooper hates the university he originally considered going to.
As May approaches, Young Sheldon is nearing its conclusion after almost eight years on the air. Season 7 of the hit CBS sitcom premiered in condensed form in February due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in 2023, but that didn't stop the new installment from being as exciting and hilarious as the rest of the show.
In particular, Season 7 of Young Sheldon has been very eventful, with Sheldon getting lost on a train in Germany, Mary getting drunk in a German bar, Missy becoming a mother to the Coopers at home, Georgie and Mandy embracing parenthood, and Connie getting arrested for running her illegal gambling room.
The recent ninth episode, for instance, explored the hunt for Sheldon by the top universities in North America following the publication of the article he co-wrote with his tutor in Germany.
Eventually, with the help of his parents, Shelly was able to narrow down his choices to two universities: MIT in Boston and CalTech in Pasadena. We all know from TBBT which one the young genius chose, but the spin-off still surprised us with the boy's original choice. Moreover, it created a massive inconsistency with the TBBT narrative.
Why Does Sheldon Hate MIT on TBBT?
Obviously, since CalTech wasn't Shelly's first choice of school, MIT was. On Young Sheldon, it is shown that George and Sheldon travel to Boston, Massachusetts, presumably all expenses paid by the university, to take a look at the institution. But as soon as they step out of the airport into a raging snowstorm, the two Texans reconsider and opt for CalTech in sunny Pasadena, California.
However, MIT is still Sheldon's first choice, which makes you wonder why TBBT's Dr. Cooper hates the university so much? After all, Sheldon constantly mocks Howard for graduating from MIT, let alone an engineering program.
Perhaps the reason for Shelly's future hatred of MIT is the rivalry between the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and CalTech, and as a graduate and employee of the latter, he was simply taught, even indoctrinated, to look down on the former. It's quite common for universities to tell their students that they're the best educational institution in the world, that there's no one who can challenge them. And Shelly, who entered CalTech in his mid-teens, must have adopted this way of thinking, even though he himself first chose MIT.
Young Sheldon Season 7 Episode 10 premieres May 2.