Hi @madredos … Congrats to both of your girls for having fantastic options! Hopefully I can be helpful having had to make a similar decision in the past (I’ve listed pros & cons of each as I know in an unbiased way…there are similar full rides vs. prestige threads everywhere on CC too). First off, your daughters should definitely make the decision for themselves but I suggest they do research, visit the schools etc, really think about their career paths (both Plan A and Plan B). Do you have a more specific sense of what they want to do besides their fields of interest as you posted above? Academia, professional schools, for-profit work, non-profit work? My guidance might change depending on those factors.
I had to choose between the UNC Robertson and a HYPS many years ago. I chose the Robertson and have been very successful in my path, beat out other HYPS grads for a spot at a competitive consulting firm, worked at top non-profit and for-profit institutions in line with my passions and interests and attended a top professional grad school on full scholarship again (and I had multiple scholarships to grad school). I’ve worked alongside and went to grad school with many HYPS grads and we ended up in the same place. Many of my Robertson peers have attended Harvard (PhD, Law, Medicine, Public Health, MPP, MBA), Stanford, Wharton, Yale, Johns Hopkins, Duke, UNC, Oxford, Columbia, Dartmouth etc for grad school. I’ve been very happy with my choice.
To be clear, neither a full ride nor Stanford is going to be a magical path. Both require hard work and dedication. I know many people who are Stanford grads or were on full rides who are normal (and happy) people working regular jobs and others who aren’t doing anything quite “remarkable” out of choice. Both paths will give similar results depending on how your daughters take advantage of their opportunities. For the things I have not achieved I cannot blame that on going to UNC instead of the bigger name school… At the end of the day the common factor is me. Honestly the thing that matters more is their major and industry in terms of financial success (if they do STEM/business anywhere among the top 30 schools they will be set financially, if they do non-profits/academia their path will be rockier just b/c of the sector).
Stanford Pros: Name recognition. Having lived in major cities, I’ve come to realize that HYPS name recognition is big in places like SF, NYC, Boston, DC etc. They’ll always have the name on their resume and it might open certain doors / get them more interviews if they are changing career paths mid-career. If they want to work in Computer Science, Tech, VC etc then it is a no-brainer to go to Stanford given the SV obsession with the Stanford brand. Closer to a big city with many exciting opportunities. Stanford might also set them up better if that want more flexibility and they are unsure of their path.
Stanford Cons: I didn’t go to the school so I can’t speak to this. I would be cautious to expect that Stanford is suddenly going to make their lives that much better especially if they want to go into something like non-profit or social impact work, where salaries are lower and the opportunities they’d get on a full ride might set them up better for success. Like I said before, don’t expect it to be a magic bullet.
Full Ride Pros: Going to a more “normal” and holistic university experience. Being a top contender in your school for resources and opportunities. You will also likely standout as a top student in grad admissions from your school. For the UNC Robertson, you would get so many extracurricular & summer opportunities in addition to attending Duke for a semester (honestly, I actually preferred UNC’s environment to Duke…the students were more grounded, less blindly competitive for no reason). Financial flexibility to set up your life post undergrad. My travel experiences with the Robertson were some of the most amazing in my life and helped me better understand what I actually wanted to do with my life. It really set me up well for my career and made me stand out when going for jobs.
Full Ride Cons: Your undergrad won’t be “Stanford”…and there is no guarantee that they’ll get into Stanford for grad school. Depending on the field, going to Stanford may set them up with more opportunities (mostly CS, Tech, VC).
My recommendation for your daughters:
- Visit both schools. Get a vibe. It’s so important they like the school. There is no point going to a higher ranked school that you don’t actually like or that you won’t feel comfortable with.
- Map out their four year plans in their areas of interests: Classes they’d take/majors, Extracurriculars, Summer Activities, Job Prospects. Have them do this for their Plan A (what they think they want to do) and for their Plan B (what if they change their mind? … I can’t tell you how many people end up switching their majors/interests).
- Compare their options and make a decision weighing everything both short and long term
Your daughters will make the right decision for themselves - and I emphasize let them make their own decision as it’s their lives. They will also be successful regardless because they are bright, hardworking and have perspective…I have no doubt about it.
Good luck to them!