<p>I was accepted at both Columbia and Stanford, and I'm planning to major in either political science or international relations. I would greatly appreciate thoughts on the quality of both programs at the two universities. Pros and cons.</p>
<p>Stanford tends to be stronger in Engineering department. Columbia is more active on those majors. Plus, it is located in the heart of New York.</p>
<p>Columbia: New York</p>
<p>Stanford: Country Club</p>
<p>Both excellent academically. For poli sci/IR, you couldn't go wrong at either one.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>How important do you think is Columbia's "Ivy prestige" and its New York location at the undergraduate level (especially for a major like political science)? Is there anything that sets Stanford's poli. sci. program apart from Columbia's (or vice versa)?</p>
<p>Both</a> are equally strong in the area you're interested in. Both are also equally pestigious in this area. Make your decision based on other factors (like whether you prefer the Core Curriculum at Columbia or the distribution system at Stanford) -- saying that one department is stronger than the other would make a distinction that doesn't exist at the undergraduate level.</p>
<p>I think Stanford is more prestigious, but I would strongly, strongly advise against making this decision based on such prestige factors. The differences are ultimately negligible in terms of what graduate schools you can get into, and otherwise, prestige is just a bragging right. And that's only important if you want to spend your life bragging.</p>
<p>Likewise, on an undergraduate level, the differences in academics are going to be fairly negligible between these two.</p>
<p>The differences you should consider are fit which will be tied to culture and location. Stanford is full of smart people, but my impression is the environment has no edge. On the other hand, it's a really pleasant environment. Columbia has New York. Some people really thrive in this urban environment; others find it too much. You need to find out which you like and which will be better for you so you can grow as a person and focus on your studies.</p>
<p>Being in NYC might give you UN interning opps, if that's what you choose to pursue in IR.</p>
<p>Go to Columbia, mainly becuase of 2 reasons: 1) Prestige: Part of the Ivy League. 2) Would offer you more programs/opportunities than Stanford as it is the hub of international and political buzz. Stanford is known for being extremely science oriented! Good luck with this process!</p>
<p>Stanford is JUST as prestigous as any Ivy. No one really differentiates and a lot of people confuse Stanford for an Ivy anyway.</p>
<p>Still, I say Columbia due to location.</p>
<p>tennismsk
stanford is just as prestigious, maybe even moreso</p>
<p>but
i would choose columbia cause of the location and other factors</p>
<p>if u want to go to grad school, ide choose columbia since NYC has the best political internships (figure that a majority of the polisci proffesors work for UN, DOD, or other stuff like that)</p>
<p>education is great at both
so yeah
go columbia if u want to go to grad school</p>
<p>stanford if not</p>