<p>i think there is a degree of pride in beating princeton, though princeton may not care the same, i do recall princetonians getting all bent out of shape when we almost beat their admissions rate, it was the first time i recall direct hate mail to columbia, but princeton often tries to belittle (remember the article when columbia beat princeton 38-0?) - which is funny because that is kind of playing into their elitist stereotype.</p>
<p>i think going to columbia makes you dislike princeton more because of the obvious pomp that you will find especially because you’ll find princeton grads in the city talking about how they went to school (near) nyc. going to princeton makes you think you’re in a cloud and therefore you don’t think of others. innocence is bliss.</p>
<p>^after waitlist activity we did beat their acceptance rate that year (two years ago) this year we should comfortably beat their acceptance rate.</p>
<p>hey adgeek!
could you post the link to any of the articles at the daily princetonian that you were speaking about? either the one after we nearly beat their admission rate and/or the one about beating them 38-0? or any other article pertaining to the columbia -princeton rivalry as such?</p>
<p>it would be pretty interesting to read what could possibly be their end of the ‘rivalry?’ :)</p>
<p>i mean this is pretty great too, and more recent: “perhaps the Princeton is receiving more “mature” and “sincere” applicants than other competitive schools. At the risk of sounding elitist, I know of kids with utterly unremarkable credentials applying to Harvard, Yale, Columbia, and Stanford just because they’re infatuated with the names.”
[Comments</a> on “Web Update: Applications rise 3.3 percent for Class of 2015” - The Daily Princetonian](<a href=“http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2011/01/19/27394/comments/]Comments”>http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2011/01/19/27394/comments/)</p>
<p>i think a lot of columbians have a biting sense of humor, very dry and sarcastic, and that especially comes out at orgo night and the varsity show. </p>
<hr>
<p>and to actual princetonians and those interested in princeton. this is just fun. in the end princeton is a great place for some, a horrible place for others, and each of us needs to figure that out on our own. but if any of us are lucky enough to get into princeton i think that is an achievement to be proud of. in reality this kind of barb is so disconnected from the realities that most students face, but it is done mostly to keep sanity and levity in our daily lives. i can’t say i hate princeton because i respect so many people that go there and have went there.</p>
<p>the danger of arrogance is when it isn’t at least in part sarcastic. and if folks don’t realize that on wikicu or even my posts here there is a sarcasm (and a self-conceit of its own ridiculousness) in its arrogance and columbia chest-thumping, then you are missing the joke. my problem with princeton at times and i can be very honest about this, is the fact that this kind of world-realization that princeton (or harvard or yale) is not the center of the world does not compute. indeed i have been told with extraordinary seriousness about how great (pick one) institution is. and i find that troubling, as i would find someone who wouldn’t label their love of columbia anything but irrational.</p>
<p>to fold two posts into one, i think that c was more prestigious in terms of the ‘public’ in the early 20th century than y and p, if even it wasn’t within WASPy circles. in part because the cultural consciousness of the world really centered on the kind of nyc world - and columbia played a demonstrative roll as the academic acropolis, as commentators often called columbia. </p>
<p>but there is something that concoll has said, and that prezbo has often said. if there is a school that could break the hyp grip it would be columbia - in many ways it represents the vision of the future: an urban university in an increasingly urbanized world. as the school in new york city it further reinforces a lot about our own national expectations, and how so often we focus those expectations on nyc. lastly because of its stronger emphasis on diversity and the way it mirrors nyc, it strongly mirrors the world that the US will become over the next 30-40 years.</p>
<p>none of this is ‘absolute’ but it is in many ways the hope and aspiration of the institution, and one of the few institutions with the lineage, history, academic breadth and sheer drawing power to accomplish such an ambitious move that 30-40 years ago would’ve seen impossible.</p>
<p>not that there’s really any point in fighting over who’s “better,” but i would argue that columbia has produced much more impressive alumni and has overall done a lot more for the world than has princeton. obviously princeton is an amazing school nonetheless, whether better or worse as an undergraduate college who’s to say. but it just seems to me that columbia has been a more important factor in the world and created some real world-changing individuals. can’t say i’ve really seen or heard the same about princeton or its alums</p>
<p>"If Princeton was all that great, it would rely less on legacies. According to the Princetonian, one cannot walk on the campus without bumping into these privileged scions. Roughly one in every eight undergrads at Princeton are legacies. Plus the athletes and the URMs and one finds that hardly twentyfive percent of the undergrads have been selected on their merit. "</p>
<p>You claim to dislike Princeton for the very reasons that make Columbia more diverse and a better representation of what America looks like as your comment on legacies and athletes might pass muster your implications that URMS are not qualified applicants—is really over the top and racist. Latinos URM from South America scores are maybe 40 points lower on SATs than their caucasian counter parts, Mexicans slightly lower, and PR slightly lower but to say that Columbia does not factor in the inherent differences in opportunity that these URMS have in the equation thus making a Latino raised in a largely white affluent area or say of mixed heritage is totally disrespectful of your peers at Columbia and your peers at Columbia have a far greater percentage of URMs than the other ivies. Are you then saying that your fellow URMs did not deserve to be admitted on thier own mertis–because I would argue that they deserve far more than any other category to get in as they more than likely are a lot smarter than a kid who went to a great suburban school and had life very easy, did not have to work etc. Not saying its always fair 100 percent but affirmative action is IMHO fair and Columbia, being one of the most liberal colleges I would suspect would highly disagree with your lumping in of URMs into that fairly immature statement about Princeton in general. I understand your point on legacies, as the only reason they get a boost is mom and dad gave money to the endowment, but that is a valid reason and Columbia also uses it, so while there may be more legacies at Princeton there is not a lot of difference on the whole admissions method, Its the kids that are attracted to Princeton and given the choice choose a more diverse and city environment college that probably make Columbia and Princeton polar opposites in many ways while clearly equal in academics in most areas…just as a parent of a Latino child who has 2250 on her SATs I don’t feel like my kid is unqualified to match up to any other applicants period.</p>
<p>If you’re discussing influence and power, most Supreme Court justices and a good deal of politicians have done Princeton undergrad (and then Yale/Harvard law). Of course, some have done Harvard undergrad, and a lot of politicians have gone through Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.</p>
<p>And… the greatest per capita production of nobel laureates comes from neither of these schools. But to the OP’s question: Columbia and Princeton are qualitatively on a par, and one’s choice could be made on the physical setting (urban or not), strength of specific undergraduate programs and the vibe (more preppy at Princeton and more intellectual/liberal at Columbia).</p>
<p>All my friends would chose Princeton over Columbia. They’re definitely different environments, but Princeton has more resources for their undergraduates. As educational institutions, I’d say that Columbia has had more impact on society. It does have a law school, business school, medical school, and various Ph. D and master’s programs. </p>
<p>However, for an undergraduate, I think Princeton is hands down better. There are more resources at Princeton for undergraduates to take advantage of. Columbia is a sprawling bureaucracy where each school (CC, SEAS, Barnard, various graduate schools) controls their own funds and opportunities - there isn’t much sharing.</p>
<p>It depends on what you like. If you like going it alone, not really being administered/mentored, and enjoy the city more than the campus, then Columbia is fine. I don’t know about Princeton but I’ve heard of many engineers who’ve hated it. However, I get the general impression that for those who get into Princeton, they have a pretty good time. For all I know, it could be because Princeton accepts many wealthy kids who enjoy networking and the “elitist” culture. Regardless, Princeton is perceived to be more prestigious and for many HS students facing this dilemma, I would be hard pressed to find many that wouldn’t take Princeton over Columbia (always exceptions but I’d say majority).</p>
<p>a pretty fair assessment from beard. not surprising in his/her conclusions, but also evenhanded. though beard, your conception of ‘resources’ for undergraduates is fair (no university spends as much endowment dollars per student as pton), but there is also the reality of having more ‘opportunities’ living in nyc and going to a bigger and broader university. for some that outweighs or counterweighs the money that could come to them.</p>
<p>well then you’re friends with prestige obsessed whores. I actually have two close friends who each turned down princeton to attend Columbia and thanked the stars they did after visiting during college. Princeton has more resources within the university, but is a suffocating environment, with preppy kids and exclusive clubs. I have been impressed by how smart princeton kids are and amazed at how imbalanced and often socially ■■■■■■■■ they have been as well. After visiting several times and have good friend who go there, I can say with confidence, that princeton would have not suited me at all, I would have hated it and I wouldn’t have done as well.</p>
<p>perhaps your friends (you as well?) should stop chasing prestige and think more along the line of fit, when debating two top 10 schools. Columbia got me a great job out of college (and it was Columbia, I’m not special), and now my alumni network is phenomenal - I can interview at pretty much any industry I want because of it. </p>
<p>Beard - your posts are always putting down your school and questioning what the school can do for you. but do something for you and for the school and you’ll see everything fall into place.</p>