<p>To me, they seem like such totally different schools that I wonder why so many who apply to Harvard apply to Princeton, as well. My son is an SCEA admit this year and didn't apply to Harvard or Yale (did apply to Penn). Princeton was by far the better fit for him for many reasons.</p>
<p>Do many kids just apply to Princeton because it's one of the Ivys without really thinking about it, but their real hope lies in Harvard? Is that most every kid's hope who applies to all the Ivies? Is it because of Harvard's reputation as being "number 1"?</p>
<p>I agree that Princeton focuses on its undergrads much more than Harvard. Ok, so kids want the most recognized name brand rather than any specific qualities of a school. Interesting.</p>
<p>I don’t think that’s true for everyone. Some people prefer Boston or want the ability to cross register with MIT. I think you’d get more of a balanced response if you posted this on the Harvard board too.</p>
<p>I believe Harvard has the biggest name, especially if you look outside the US borders. Because it has the biggest name, many assume that it is also the absolute best without really considering other aspects. While I know not everyone has this mindset, I believe the Harvard brand has a charm.</p>
<p>Personal anecdote: everyone at my school knows Harvard, but less than 10% has even heard the name Princeton. FYI, I’m a Princeton SCEA admit from Thailand somewhat forced to apply to Harvard RD by my parents.</p>
<p>While it is certainly true that some people may choose Harvard based solely on its name recognition, there are many other reasons why someone might prefer it to Princeton. Again, Harvard students who made this choice would be better able to give you an unbiased answer to this question.</p>
<p>I agree with Rkanan. I’m from Canada and I only applied to Princeton (plus a safety school in Canada). When I visited Princeton I absolutely felt in love with it, I wouldn’t go anywhere else. I can’t speak for Havard because I haven’t seen it. </p>
<p>When people ask me where I applied, I tell them Princeton and it’s like the first time they hear about it. I explain them it’s in the Ivy League – they have no clue what it is. Until I mention Harvard, then their eyes open, they know Harvard. Everyone knows Harvard.</p>
<p>I personally don’t like the name of Harvard. After you leave the college, as soon as you mention you went to Harvard, you immediately get labelled and judged by everyone you meet, work with, date, etc. I would hate having that stigma every time I have a conversation with someone. On the other hand, going to Princeton will provide me with just a good undergraduate education (if not better, as it is stronger in many departments but I concede not all) with enough prestige that’s not as underwhelming as Cornell but not as overwhelming as Harvard. (Not meant to be an attack on Cornell… but let’s be real here)</p>
<p>Fascinating about Harvard. We don’t come from an area where people have heard of most colleges but I guess most would have heard about Harvard.</p>
<p>I’m not questioning why people choose Harvard, as I know it’s got amazing programs and classes (like Math and Chess that was offered a few years ago). </p>
<p>I was just wondering why so many who apply to both schools overwhelmingly choose Harvard and it does seem that it’s the Harvard name that tips them. Again, they just seem like very different schools but perhaps I am myopic in my thinking.</p>
<p>Decillion, you make a great point about the Harvard label. Just look at Jeremy Lin. You can’t have 1 article without mentioning his Harvard past. What If he went to Princeton? I doubt it would have been as strongly marketed.</p>
<p>Harvard overwhelmingly wins most cross-admits battles, both on the merit of the institution and because of the name. But it does look like P loses more to H than some of its peer schools, which I imagine has to do with a previous lack of SCEA (which, before P instated this year, gave Y and S months to woo early admits before they got the big letter from H) as well as a fear of grade deflation and an outdated reputation for prep that it can’t seem to shake.</p>
<p>I haven’t visited Harvard, so I can’t comment on the people there, but my experience at Princeton was the opposite. My son’s two friends at Princeton were gracious beyond measure and the folks in the Princeton Evangelical Fellowship were so welcoming. </p>
<p>My son also liked the people he met at Penn. He felt they were even more down to earth than at Princeton but the people at Princeton seemed to go out of their way to serve and be kind.</p>
<p>It’s easy to have a very good or a very bad visiting experience because you see such a small amount of the campus for such a short period of time. </p>
<p>Lagging, on my visits, it was Harvard that struck me as particularly closed-off and high-minded. (Ultimately, while I knew that didn’t have to be the case, I also knew I wasn’t quite the unrelenting go-getter I needed to make my own stellar H experience.) My Princeton tour was lovely if bland, and I was bored out of my mind at Princeton Preview. I always laugh watching tour groups go by because they’re telling visitors such silly things–I might be deep in a book for my Humanities class or on my way back from wrestling out a logic pset with a new friend or headed to catch a bus to a Broadway show, but no one on the tour could know that.</p>
<p>In short, it’s hard to get a real sense of what life, daily and otherwise, will be like just from a visit. (Although if you want to be in a city, a Princeton visit should make why abundantly clear, etc.) Sometimes–at least IMO–I think your pro/con list will tell you more than a visit. In the end, I knew the opportunities I wanted (emphasis on schoolwork relative to ECs, creative writing, interaction with professors, proximity to NYC, and a kind of slap-happy school pride) were available at P in a way they weren’t at H. You guys, if given the choice, might feel differently.</p>
<p>Seriously? So it really gets hot there in the summer? We were there on April 1st and it snowed! Ick. I am a So. Cal. weather wimp but my son thinks he’ll like cold weather and thought the snow was great. Good to know there’s warmth there, as well.</p>
<p>^Where were you on campus? While my dorm doesn’t have AC, many (most? it’s hard to tell with the residential college system) do. The pretty, brochure-worthy part of campus (up-campus) is where most of those old, un-airconditioned buildings are.</p>
<p>@glassesarechic- While touring experiences/students may vary, one thing that was the biggest turn off for me about Princeton was the professors. I met with one professor who I knew I’d be taking classes with and out of every single college I visited this was the only professor I decided I could never work with. </p>
<p>I knew if I went (and kept my intended minor) I would have to work with him. For me that trade off wasn’t worth it. </p>
<p>That being said, obviously there were great things about Princeton (as with every other school). I’m sure most of the profs are great. But the one in my field of study was not one I’d want to study with.</p>