<p>So I got accepted into Princeton (through the Questbridge scholarship program which let me apply early). I plan to study chemical engineering, and maybe get a certificate program (minor?) in math or economics...</p>
<p>The only thing straying me away from Princeton is the competitiveness. I also applied to MIT and Stanford early. So IF I were to get in to either of those, it would be a difficult decision...</p>
<p>What do parents have to say, with their experience?
I'm 70-80% set on Princeton right now. Anyone want to offer their advice/opinion? Would undergrad at Princeton, majoring in ChemE be a wise decision?</p>
<p>You worry that Princeton is competitive and yet you applied to MIT?? Okay…Stanford’s early round results are out- did you get in there? For what it’s worth, all 3 will be challenging, and Stanford students may APPEAR to be more laid back, but in reality are just as competitive as students at Princeton. MIT is another matter…</p>
<p>I suspect engineering is pretty intense at any of these three schools, but agree with menloparkmom that MIT probably has the reputation for being the hardest of the bunch. (Not necessarily competitive - there’s a lot of collaboration - just very hard.) If you can I’d try to visit all three places - they each have very different feels to them. I like one of them much better than the other two, but I’m not saying which - as it’s mostly my personal biases, and it’s not as though I’ve spent any significant amount of time at any of them.</p>
<p>I think Stanford and Princeton are really very similar – West Coast / East Coast versions of one another. The choice between them is really which affluent suburban power elite you want to hang with, which city you want to visit occasionally, and how important to you are clearly delineated seasons.</p>
<p>^^I think the towns of Princeton and and Palo Alto are similar, same upper-middle class feel. But beyond that I’d liken Stanford more to Harvard or Yale - with their many professional schools and large graduate programs that Princeton lacks.</p>
<p>As a university structure, Stanford is much like Harvard or Yale, sure. But on the undergraduate level I think it has a lot of the Princeton feel, which is less intense than Harvard, Yale, or certainly MIT. Something about the bucolic, affluent surroundings. (“Upper middle class” is something of an understatement for both communities. They are very wealthy places, and it shows.)</p>
<p>Here’s my experience: Princeton=suburban, smaller, undergrad only
Stanford=California, beautiful weather, lots of graduate programs
MIT=Boston, super-competitive (did you see that movie about the MIT kids who outsmarted the poker house?)
All=gorgeous campuses, wealthy communities, most-most selective</p>
<p>Given that you’re from CA, it’ll be less expensive to travel if you went to Stanford…but then again, you’d like a chance to be on the east coast.</p>
<p>^Princeton is nonbinding. So I can apply to other schools Regular Decision, which I did. Only Stanford and MIT. I’m pretty sure I will stick with Princeton now…regardless of the decisions of the other two.</p>
<p>OP, My advise as a Calif mom, and Stanford neighbor, is that, should you get in, you may end up feeling more “comfortable” at Stanford than Princeton or MIT for a number of reasons:
1: Stanford kids don’t dress “Preppy” as you will find back at Princeton, and take pains to not let others know how rich they are [or aren’t]. I think you will be able to blend in and feel comfortable at Stanford .
2: It will cost a LOT less, and take a lot less time and hassle, to travel home during breaks- you will probably find lots of kids driving home to SCal who you could could hitch a ride with during breaks.
3:You can’t beat the engineering program at Stanford.
4: MIT is HARD, " like drinking water out of a fire hose" intense, and attracts brilliant, scary-smart students, who live and breathe learning 24/7. If you are that type of student then MIT is your kind of place.
.</p>
<p>Based on how you opened this thread, I would recommend going to Princeton. </p>
<p>Princeton is probably the least competitive out of the three, yet has the highest ranking. It’s on the East which would be a nice change for you, but is not quite as brutal as MIT in the winter. You will love the campus which in my opinion is the most beautiful of them all. I have been to all three schools and have a lot of knowledge about Princeton and MIT. You can’t go wrong with any of them, but I do think the competitive nature at MIT and Stanford is higher than Princeton.</p>
<p>Some people really love pton. Remember, though, that they do have a commitment to grade deflation. I’m not certain how this is effecting grad school acceptances, but I’m sure somebody here will know, they always do.</p>
<p>Either way, congratulations! How fantastic to know all that hard work has really paid off for you. :)</p>
<p>You know what I did to consider my two schools? I created a huge chart in excel. I put each school vertically, and then made headings for the columns: financial aid, weather, location, competitiveness, student groups, etc. I gave each a ranking from one to ten (ten being the best). Whichever had the highest points won. Why don’t you try that with PSM? And besides - you haven’t gotten into Stanford OR MIT yet, so there’s really no point in laboring just yet.</p>
<p>First, huge congratulations!
Second, I agree that you should make an excel sheet. These are three terrific schools, but with rather different feel and locations. I agree that at the undergraduate level, P’ton and Stanford may feel more like each other than with MIT. Location in an affluent suburb near a large city; a varied undergraduate body. As opposed to MIT with a much greater focus on engineering and location in a large city. Consider also the weather. Princeton will be noticeably milder than Cambridge, MA and of course, Palo Alto will be even more so. My S thought Princeton too suburban for his taste, but all Princeton undergrads I have ever met have been extremely happy to be there.</p>
<p>In the case of Supreme Court justices it’s not a coincidental correlation. Where you went to law school is actually carefully considered as part of the vetting process by the congress, by the press, and by the public. Recall that one of the criticisms of Harriet Miers when she was nominated was that she had only gone to law school at SMU - a perfectly respectable law school but apparently not good enough for the rarified heights of the US Supreme Court. As I said, there is no official Supreme Court requirement to go to a top law school, but there certainly is a de facto one.</p>
<p>Since Princeton is non-binding through QuestBridge, even though you were matched, you still have potential options which is good if you are not 100% certain of what is best for you yet. And, I assume that your RD apps to MIT and Stanford also include your QB app, so I’m fairly confident that you have pretty good chances there, as well. Have you had the opportunity to visit any of these schools and talk with faculty and students? As a QB match, you should be getting a travel grant for accepted students’ weekends in the spring and maybe you should hold off on a final decision until then. The QB organization also has a network of students at their partner schools available to answer questions for you. Have you been contacted by anyone at Princeton who represents QB yet? If not, contact QB and ask for a student mentor at Princeton who has some of your interests to help you with your concerns. When you get your other decisions, you can do the same. If you haven’t already done so, join the QB facebook group, you might be able to find someone at each of these schools to answer questions–though I’d wait until finals are over for them!</p>
<p>My Dad went to Princeton, I grew up in New Jersey, I now live near Stanford.</p>
<p>The schools are very different. Both schools are in wealthy areas, but Stanford is suburban, right in Silicon Valley, whereas Princeton is rural. </p>
<p>Princeton has a more preppy, socially competitive feel to it. Stanford is more laid-back.</p>
<p>Princeton is a stunningly beautiful campus. Stanford has that ugly (imho) Spanish Howard Johnson’s architecture.</p>
<p>Stanford gives athletic scholarships and has big-time college sports. Princeton alums support their football team, but Princeton is not a sports school in the way Stanford is.</p>
<p>Both schools have superb academics, with brilliant professors and bright, engaged students.</p>