<p>Responses may be biased considering where I'm posting but...</p>
<p>Okay, so I'm a native Californian (never been to the east coast) and I'm debating between the more safe choice of Stanford and the scary (but exciting) prospect of Columbia. </p>
<p>In terms of prestige and academics, they are pretty much equal. But New York and California couldn't be MORE different. I'm planning on visiting both campuses so I can get a feel for whether or not I would be a good fit. Hopefully I'll love one and hate the other!</p>
<p>I'm completely undecided about majors but I know for certain I want to study English, Art History, Spanish and possibly Journalism. An extensive study abroad program is also VERY important to me.</p>
<p>Possible careers: Something in international politics (diplomacy??), magazine/newspaper editor, art museum curator.</p>
<p>Cost very well may be the deciding factor. Because of complications, I had to RE-SEND my family's financial info today. This means that it's very likely I won't find out about aid until AFTER May 1st. <em>sigh</em></p>
<p>Can anyone give me any info they have regarding how much each school typically gives to families making a little over 100k? Is there any room for negotiation after they come up with your financial award?</p>
<p>firstly lucky you, congrats! I'd be spoilt for choice.</p>
<p>"I'm planning on visiting both campuses so I can get a feel for whether or not I would be a good fit."</p>
<p>this is a great place to start.</p>
<p>In the areas you listed columbia is very strong, but I imagine Stanford too holds it's own. Look into the core, it has two semesters of required literature, 1 semester of required art humanities, and 4 semesters of required foreign language (which several place out of). While this might not be very important to you given that you would study these anyway, it reflects on the student body, because all your classmates will have studied these disciplines in addition to their own.</p>
<p>In case you don't get to go into nyc extensively, it's the arts and entertainment capital of the universe for a reason :). lots to do - museums, weird restaurants, art galleries, publishing firms, and more importantly internships during the summer and round the year.</p>
<p>columbia has a good study abroad program, but again, I imagine stanford does too. columbia for international politics is arguably the best in the country.</p>
<p>"how much each school typically gives to families making a little over 100k?'</p>
<p>I imagine each school would give between 25-35k per year, but this is baseless.</p>
<p>
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I'm debating between the more safe choice of Stanford and the scary (but exciting) prospect of Columbia.
[/quote]
funny, this is exactly how my S framed his choice four years ago. he chose Columbia, and was very glad he did.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Possible careers: Something in international politics (diplomacy??), magazine/newspaper editor, art museum curator.
[/quote]
Columbia's advantage in all these areas is, of course, NYC. Not just the world leaders who come through campus, but the internships that are available during the year rather than just during the summer.</p>
<p>I'm sorry I can't help with financial aid info. They are both great, obviously, and you won't go wrong. They have very different student atmospheres, as I'm sure you know. Hope you get a chance to re-visit both.</p>
<p>It seems to be a common rumor that the NYC setting provides a great deal of opportunities for internships for Columbia students. Is that actually true?</p>
<p>I have a bunch of friends working part time during the year at BB banks, p.e. firms, and small hedge funds, this helps them get summer finance internships. Another worked at the museum of natural history as a tour guide, a suitemate of mine works part time with a local political magazine. Working part time as an undergrad you are unlikely to get stellar work, but it can often be a great stepping stone, and networks you better at the very least.</p>
<p>Due to its location in Manhattan Columbia University is more involved with the finanacial and bussiness world than you would be in Stanford. I actually have a friend who is minoring in Economics in Columbia and he had an internship in Credit Suisse last summer and he made lots of money, and he is just in his second year of college. However both universities provide very good opportunities and education for the future, any choice you make will make you a good professional</p>
<p>This is a tremendously enviable choice. Stanford is perhaps the only school I might have attended over Columbia.</p>
<p>If you're talking about visiting and having a look around, it's no contest - Stanford's campus looks and feels like a paradise. Getting a feel for what makes Columbia tick really requires hanging out with some columbia students, for at least a day if not a weekend. Since you're already in CA, I'd say come to Days On Campus if at all possible. Long flight, but you want to make the right decision.</p>
<p>One point to add that may not be obvious: Columbia's educational curriculum is driven around making their students well-rounded. If you are not sure whether you want to do "English, Art History, Spanish and possibly Journalism" - those are VERY different disciplines! - then Columbia will give you exposure to most of those. And in the last case, Columbia's Journalism school gives out the Pulitzer and you can find ways to interact with it as an undergrad; Stanford does not have a J-school. You'll have a chance to try many things and not be pigeonholed early in your college career.</p>
<p>
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Possible careers: Something in international politics (diplomacy??), magazine/newspaper editor, art museum curator.
[/quote]
this further lends itself to being in NYC, as it is basically the center of all 3 of those careers.</p>
<p>lastly, as far as financial aid goes, if you've got big brass ones, you can negotiate with anyone. Fax your offer letter from one school to the other, and tell each of them they need to make theirs better. You can do multiple rounds of this. Do a sit-down with a financial aid officer if you visit Columbia. Tell both sides you want to attend but you're not sure the finances work out. Tell Stanford that you won't have quite as many lucrative internship opportunities as you would in manhattan, so they need to beat Columbia's offer. Tell Columbia that the cost of living in NYC is higher, so they need to beat Stanford's offer. It all depends on what you can argue with a straight face. Remember, underneath it all, both schools really want you to attend - their yield rate (% of admittees who attend) is very important to their rankings.</p>