<p>I'm more of a social sciences kid and I am looking to have a broad liberal arts attached to a pre-law/government track. I got admitted to both Stanford and Harvard. I've read in this forum that Stanford is more about engineering/entrepreneurship, and not so much about Government and Law tracks. Is that true? I know Harvard has a lengthy record of successful pre-law/government track students and alumni. Should I go to Harvard then? However, I have visited Stanford and found it alright, but have not been to H because of crazy last week. </p>
<p>If you can possibly arrange to visit Harvard, you should. A motivated student can have a great experience at either place in your areas of interest. There is no wrong choice here. If you could articulate what you found about Stanford that was “alright” rather than “amazing” to you, you might be better able to figure out whether Harvard was more “amazing” for your purposes.</p>
<p>Yes, you will meet more engineers at Stanford than at Harvard. No, that doesn’t mean that Stanford is a bad place to study political science and to prepare for law school. It may even mean that Stanford is a good place to do those things – less of a feedback loop than Harvard, more distance from the center of power. But of course Harvard is an amazing place, and its Government Department and preparation for law and public service are right at the institution’s core.</p>
<p>You don’t have a bad choice. Neither is objectively “better” than the other, although they are somewhat different. Visiting is deceptive – if I had visited Stanford, I never would have gone to law school there, and that would have been a horrible mistake for me. If you are like most people who have been accepted to both colleges, it really doesn’t matter much which one you choose, since you will thrive either place.</p>
<p>So don’t stress, don’t overanalyze, and don’t engage in “the narcissism of small differences.” Consult your gut, and pick one, for whatever stupid reason seems appropriate. If you can’t think of a stupid reason, flip a coin or cut cards, and if you don’t like the outcome of that then choose the other college. It will be great either way.</p>
<p>First of all, the posters above me are absolutely correct: you cannot go wrong. Both are wonderful schools with great academics. I’d encourage you to visit Harvard and see for yourself which one you like best.</p>
<p>With that said, if you don’t have the time/resources to visit Harvard at this point, do some in depth research and, frankly, go on the official Facebook pages for the Class of 2017 of both universities. As a fellow admitted Harvard student, I’ve found the resources on the Facebook pages to be invaluable, and if you have a question, there are plenty of people on there (including current students) who are more than happy to give an answer.</p>
<p>Certainly, Harvard is better known for its law and government programs and Stanford is better know for its technology, engineering, and entrepreneurship, but that does not automatically Harvard will be better in those programs * for you. * With that said, I’d point out Harvard’s Institute of Politics. It’s world renowned, provides lots of internship/research opportunities, and just seems all around awesome. Good luck in your decision!</p>