<p>How prestigious is Cambridge compared to Harvard or Yale ? </p>
<p>Isn't it ranked #2 or #1 ? Would you go for Harvard or Cambridge if accepted ?</p>
<p>The major would be a humanities subject... and no I'm not in the fortunate position to choose for those who are wondering !</p>
<p>Harvard is cheaper for a great majority of Americans, so there’s no question that if it were down to the two most people would choose Harvard. Having said that, prestige is a little different than you might think. Among people who are in spots to hire graduates, both schools are probably seen as equal; no reasonable person would penalize someone in the humanities for choosing one school over the other. However, if you just want to go waving a degree around, Harvard probably has more public prestige among Americans (Oxbridge would be regarded more like a Princeton or Yale). You hear stories of the “H bomb,” and I doubt you’d get a reaction of the same level with any other school even though academically they may be on par. I can’t speak for the internationals.</p>
<p>Pointless. What practical decision could possibly hang on such an abstract question? They’re both very prestigious. Trying to split hairs and say (Harvard is #1 while Cambridge is #2, or vice versa) is silly. For instance, why omit Oxford, Princeton, Stanford, etc.? Also, what humanities program are you interested in? In the field of Philosophy, for example, Oxford and NYU considerably dominate both Harvard and Cambridge. Anyway, such questions are kind of silly.</p>
<p>It’s also important to point out that your academic options in Cambridge would be much more limited, in the sense that pretty much all the classes you could take would have to be related to your major from day one. Harvard, on the other hand, as a liberal arts college, would give you much more flexibility to explore your interests and would allow you to take electives in subjects that don’t relate to your majors/minors. For students that are not very sure what they want to concentrate on, Harvard would be a better choice. Also, I second orangelogic, just because they’re #1/2 in general rankings that doesn’t mean that there aren’t other schools out there that offer better programs in your specific interests or that there aren’t other schools better suited for you in general.</p>
<p>A friend of mine chose Cambridge over Yale without any hesitation for English Lit (she did not apply to Harvard). She isn’t American or interested in American status wars, however.</p>
<p>I think a better way to approach this question would be to ask yourself what learning environment would suit you best. At Cambridge you would be delving deep into one or two subjects, your tutors would treat you as an adult, and you would be held to very high academic standards. Although there are ample extracurricular opportunities at a place like Cambridge, there would be no pressure or expectation to participate in them. (Most people end up involved in clubs and societies, but it’s not the same social scene you would find in America.)</p>
<p>At a university like Harvard, you would probably have a less focused education. You would have a wider safety net (it would be very hard to fail out of school, for example) and more readily available academic support. And you would be taken care of socially/outside of the classroom, which isn’t necessarily the case at Cambridge. If you find the idea of being corralled into various clubs and activities and being expected to show community spirit and having a highly regimented schedule suffocating, then going to school in America may not be the best option for you. If, conversely, you don’t want your entire grade to depend on your end-of-year exams and your social life to be fully dependent on your own efforts, you may not find going to university in the UK a great experience.</p>
<p>I would readily admit that Harvard has got more prestige than Cambridge (or any university anywhere on earth) simply because it’s richer, and has better professional programs (top 1 for medicine, top 1 for business and top 1 or 2 for law) – no school can come close to that. However, there are other factors that you might be drown to Cambridge despite having been accepted to Harvard. </p>
<p>Cambridge is in the UK, so if you’re an American and are looking for a different atmosphere, Cambridge would not fail you. The Cambridge town is totally gorgeous with full of ancient buildings. Those are real ancient castles, not replicas of 15th century structures like you commonly see in American schools. You will live there and hold classes there. </p>
<p>If you like to be pampered, Cambridge has a tutorial approach. Aside from the lectures you go to everyday, you’ll have tutors to guide you on your studies. That’s usually one-on-one approach closely monitoring you on your academic progress. Your tutors will do all the best they can so you won’t get lost with your academics. You will also graduate in 3 years in Cambridge instead of 4 years in Harvard. </p>
<p>And, as an American, you will gain a solid network in Europe where Cambridge has a powerful network. If you want to settle down in England, it would be a lot easier for you to establish there when you come from Cambridge as opposed to coming from Harvard. And, when you decide to go back to America, you can always do so as you are an American and Cambridge is highly respected in America. Now, if you’re not an American, I would advise that you go for Harvard. But for the affluent Americans who would want a different feel, ambiance, network, etc., Cambridge would be a great experience.</p>
<p>I was accepted at both Harvard and Cambridge. I ended up going to neither, but Cambridge was my obsession since I was 13 and my first or second choice whereas toward the end of the decision process, I didn’t want to go to Harvard at all.</p>
<p>Harvard, in large thanks to its ridiculous endowment, has amazing financial aid, and would have cost less than half of any other US school for me. Cambridge is expensive for Americans, but still much less than what Harvard is with no aid, as long as you’re not studying medicine.</p>
<p>I hardly think that Harvard is more prestigious than Cambridge. In America among laypeople, sure. A lot of people here haven’t heard of Cambridge at all. But I doubt that anyone who knows schools at an international level would bother ranking them.</p>
<p>If you are 100% sure about your course of study and want to delve deeply into it and it (pretty much) alone, then go to Cambridge. If you want to live in a different country and be able to travel throughout Europe and perhaps even North Africa with relative ease, go to Cambridge (although Harvard has some very nice study abroad programs). If you’re okay taking on a great deal of independence in your study, especially when it comes to preparation for huge end-of-year exams, go to Cambridge.</p>
<p>If you still want to explore a variety of subjects and get a more rounded education, go to Harvard. If you want to be very, very involved in your ECs throughout college and surrounded by people who are equally committed to theirs, go to Harvard (it’s a much bigger deal there than at other top schools).</p>
<p>orangelogic
Ghostt
RML</p>
<p>You speak with very level heads without much bias, hard to find on these forums. Good advice.</p>
<p>Cambridge obviously focuses more on one or a few subject(s) (although you are allowed to go to ANY lectures you wish as a right!) whereas Harvard sacrifices the depth for breadth.</p>