H vs. P vs. Y

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Alright, here's another indulgent make-my-decision-for-me thread.
I would normally be reluctant, but people seem all too willing to help out with opinions so I'd love to hear what's out there. I live too far away to do campus tours, and know next to no one at college in the states...</p>

<p>Possible concentrations: Comp Lit, Econ, Sustainable Energy/Development, Language, Politics. </p>

<p>Thoughts so far (feel free to confirm or rip apart):</p>

<p>Pro H: name, students (because of name), star fac, cambridge/boston, seems preference for cross-admits
Con H: inaccessible fac, stressed out kids, grad focus</p>

<p>Pro P: undergrad focus, 'vibe', senior thesis, PEI, accessible fac, sexy neo-gothic architecture
Con P: preppy/elite (allegedly), very suburban, less name (well in australia anyway)</p>

<p>Pro Y: name, chilled happy students, good balance, DS, journalism program, gilmore girls
Con Y: new haven (allegedly), not the edge academically on H or P, not the reputation on H or P</p>

<p>[i set up an h v p a while back but it got taken over by trolls and racists. please no, lol]</p>

2

<p>Roll a die and see which number you get.</p>

<p>1 or 2 = Harvard, 3 or 4 = Princeton, 5 or 6 = Yale.</p>

3

<p>or mix it up a bit,
1,3 = Harvard, 2,4 = Princeton, 3,6 = Yale
Hope this helps :D</p>

4

<p>I’d say do it 1,6= Harvard, 2,5=Princeton, 3,4= Yale</p>

<p>(P.S.: you can cross out the “allegedly” next to new haven xD! I’ve been there… )</p>

5

<p>These are three wonderful schools! Congratulations. :slight_smile:
It’s really up to you and your personal preference about the pros and cons above.<br>
Just know that whatever decision you make, you will have a wonderful experience. </p>

<p>Good Luck! :)</p>

6

<p>

Hmm, that shrank considerably with the nonsense taken out.</p>

7

<p>I think Princeton would be the most enjoyable experience.</p>

8

<p>If you intend to work outside the U.S.–</p>

<p>he Harvard name will be much more recognizable. I’ll bet Berkeley and Chicago are as well known outside the US as Princeton and Yale are.</p>

9

<p>Princeton probably offers the best overall undergraduate education and experience, but culturally it may not be the best fit.</p>

10

<p>lol naminator wrote 3 twice, once for H and once for Y.
so if you roll a 3 you have to enroll at both.</p>

11

<p>lol, i guess then you would flip a coin :D</p>

12

<p>I’m faced with the same decision and am picking yale :)</p>

13

<p>I live in CT and i would recommend against Yale. The city isn’t nice, there is no benefit due to location and the campus is only beautiful until you hit the edge. At least Harvard has Boston and Princeton has beauty.</p>

14

<p>just askking – one can never be dispassionate or reasonable about one’s own back yard. Long ago someone very close to me was admitted to Stanford, and Cornell. Having lived some time in Menlo Park, Stanford did not seem very rare, or special, so Cornell it was. The weather almanacs were not consulted. It is very true that often familiarity breeds contempt.</p>

<p>That decision was later regretted, but rectified vis transfer!</p>

15

<p>A couple of us (me as a parent; the other as a student) responded to a post yesterday about the “inaccessible professors” tag at H and concluded that it’s got a lot of urban myth to it. Both of my daughters at H have had great relationships with profs - even superstar profs. D1 has been to dinner at a prof’s house, both Ds use office hours and feel welcome and encouraged. Plus, there are faculty who live in apartments in each residential college as House Masters (D1’s has a Nobel Prize and eats with the students every day). That’s pretty accessible - frankly, it’s more accessible than I found the faculty at my Alma Mater, which with 3,000 undergrads prided itself on close faculty relationships.</p>

16

<p>FWIW, DunninLA, having spent this summer in New Haven, the last 4 years in Providence, and my whole life in the shadows of NYC…</p>

<p>New Haven is a dump. Even some friends that visited me told me they had a poor impression as well.</p>

<p>There are some very decent things about New Haven–night life around campus had quite a bit of variety for the 21+ crowd, but overall… not my kind of place.</p>