<p>This Thursday, I was accepted to Columbia and Princeton. Of course, I am ecstatic, but also confused. I think that I want to work internationally (I am not yet sure if in the public or the private sector), and therefore applied and was accepted Early Action at Georgetown's SFS. Which school of these three should I choose? Georgetown, being located in DC, has great opportunities for those who want to study international relations and economics, but I would feel foolish to turn down schools like Columbia and Princeton for the SFS. It also seems to have a great social life and spirit. Columbia rivals Georgetown in location, but its lack of attention towards undergraduates is infamous. It does, however, offer the most languages and has a great Political Science program. Princeton, on the other hand, is the most selective and highest ranked of the three but, as far as I know, does not offer the international breadth that Georgetown and Columbia do. So...where should I go?</p>
<p>1) columbia doesn’t have a lack of attention toward undergrads - i am sorry you got this misinformation, if anything ugrads are the center piece of life on campus. most people who say that point to the raw size of campus which is north of 20k, but raw numbers never tell a full story, columbia has far more professional schools with their own faculty that on the one hand means it wont impact you, on the other it means if you do want a specialist in these fields columbia has them. when it comes down to it - the student to faculty ratio is lower than princeton’s, and i had some of the best experiences in and out of the classroom. i made friends with some of my professors and TAs, friendships that helped me get to where i am now. it is such a collegial environment, which is incredible to have particularly considering you live in the biggest baddest city in the country. </p>
<p>columbia is special because it is all about opportunity, and of the schools you have listed it far exceeds them. between the city and campus - you are going to have without question one of the most exciting, vibrant, unpredictable and challenging experience possible. you’ll graduate with stories and will find something peculiar under every corner. it was hands down one of the most engaging intellectual experiences (the core is the epitome of the university’s design toward ugrad centeredlife) and social experiences (the number of times you can watch the sun rise and it not be because you’re writing a paper).</p>
<p>2) dc is a nice town, but it is a town nonetheless, so i wouldn’t ever say it rivals nyc - who not only have many of the same kinds of institutions as dc regarding international exposure, but then tons more. i post a lot here about how great nyc is - it really is, you should visit, don’t see it as a tourist, but as someone who will be able to dig deep into the cities resources, its diversity, its sense of opportunity. nyc is the only place in the world where you can be </p>
<p>3) actually princeton is pretty great with their placement with international companies, and i forget what it is called, but like the 13th year program they have makes me jealous. overall, i’m a princeton hater for reasons of the culture (read the daily princetonian - if it turns you on, you’d like it, if it turns you off like me…). but the reason to attend princeton should have nothing to do with the ranking.</p>
<p>4) at the end of the day your three choices are great and from each of these you can seed your life in international relations - so don’t feel like you lose choosing any one of the three over the other. at this point it comes down to finances if that’s a question, but above all feel. if you like how gtown feels, go there, and never look back. but visit columbia if you can, its just a sneak peak, but it will give you a window into what makes columbia special - the people are chill and down to earth, and yet doing a thousand things, the campus is majestic and peaceful, and the city is brimming. its a place of incredible paradox, it’s special. i think that there are thousands of reasons to choose columbia, and hopefully you’ll find enough to get you to want to attend.</p>
<p>princeton!!!</p>
<p>come to columbia!
[YouTube</a> - Columbia University!](<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZG7gThoGME]YouTube”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZG7gThoGME)</p>
<p>If you want to work internationally it’ll make sense to go to the school that is most renowed internationally. Princeton. Easy choice. Princeton is also very undergrad focused. Columbia is well known but i think an princeton education will give you a leg up.</p>
<p>I got 99 problems, but a b!tch ain’t one…</p>
<p>Aha, meeeesh, you’re the bestest.</p>
<p>Let’s look at the architecture of these three fine institutions, as it is well known that aesthetics is the single most important criterion for choosing a college. My ranking, based on the beauty of academic and residential buildings, as well as overall maintenance of campus, is as follows:
- Princeton: nothing beats collegiate neo-gothic
- Columbia: I love the symmetry and order of fin-de-siecle Beaux-Arts design.
- Georgetown: Some very pleasing buildings, though the '70s monstrosity they call a library leaves something to be desired.</p>
<p>Aha, aka, go to Princeton?
Brookfield owns this thread.</p>