<p>I have visited Yale , Princeton, MIT, Harvard and some which are not worth mentioning. But the overall impression I got was that the HYP are very similar. Harvard had the worst looking campus after MIT. Yale was absolutely gorgeous. I mean, what kind of grass do they use? Seriously, with their architecture and very intelligent students they are definitely number one. MIT on the other hand was the most impressive in terms of technology. Huge plasma boards, gigantic robots, brand new computers, advanced labs. Some projector that’s worth like 30 K . Princeton was ok. Honestly, it felt a lot like Rutgers. I know they aren’t comparable in terms of academics but besides that they looked and felt the same.</p>
<p>ARGHHH!!!</p>
<p>How could anyone EVER compare Princeton to Rutgers!?</p>
<p>Seriously. I’ve spent a lot of time at Rutgers during high school and I attend Princeton now, and on a pure physical basis, the campuses look NOTHING alike. Not to mention Rutgers is a gazillion times bigger.</p>
<p>Let me preface this by explaining my bias: I was accepted to Yale SCEA and it is currently my top choice. However, I also applied to Harvard and Princeton (Harvard is my second choice, Princeton is kinda just… a place I applied to for lulz). I have also had an overnight experience at Harvard/Princeton (not organized by the schools, but rather just me staying with some friends).</p>
<p>Here’s my opinion:</p>
<p>I thought that the Harvard kids that I came into direct contact with (ie. had extensive conversations with) were extremely nice, friendly, kind, etc. The same goes for Princeton/Yale kids. But I will say that I found the general populations of each school to be vastly different. I’m the type of person that will give a friendly smile/wave to randomz walking along the street and at Princeton I was very often given the cold shoulder. People were reluctant to help me out when I asked for directions - and people even laughed at me when I was lost (laughed at me, not with me). There was a palpable air of pretense that I experience whilst at Princeton. Additionally, I was confounded by the fact that even though it was truly the most beautiful day I had encountered that fall, literally NO ONE was outside. Rather, people were inside studying. The general feel of Harvard kids was slightly warmer, but Yale’s general population was definitely the warmest.</p>
<p>I will say however, that I had loads of fun at Princeton! My friend’s hallmates were… quirky to say the least (haha, very nerdy too :)), but they were all extremely welcoming. I did feel though that the average extracurricular involvement of each student here was a bit lower than that of students of H and Y. (Remember that these observations were made after only 2 days on the Princeton campus, so take this for what it’s worth).</p>
<p>At Harvard, there was much more diversity - Harvard is really proud to assert their “zomg so much diversity” thing and they really are being legitimate with their bragging. I like Harvard for that reason (I’m totally into the diversity thing), but I felt like despite this “diverisity” it seemed like EVERYONE had similar academic interests. Literally 90% of the people I engaged in true conversation with had medical-related aspirations (but then I met a lolzy guy who had dreams of majoring in Folklore haha). Like I said before, everyone was very kind, but Harvard also had an air of pretense (albeit, noticeably less than Princeton’s). Harvard kids are very much the competitive type, from what I’ve witnessed (but remember! 90% of the people I spoke with were premeds!! So I’m sure my opinion is skewed a bit).</p>
<p>Yale was the most benevolent of the three for many reasons. I saw it as a happy medium between Harvard and Princeton. It’s kind of in a city (like Cambridge… Massachusetts), but it’s still got that small town feel (like Princeton!). The students seemed to be much more heavily involved in various activities and the sense of school pride was very apparent. Yale’s graduate schools are also very involved with the undergraduate community. Students can watch productions put on by the School of Drama, go to exhibitions from the School of Art, take classes at the School of Business, and listen to concerts put on by students at the School of Music. The same cannot be said of Princeton or Harvard (obviously because neither Harvard nor Princeton have these grad schools - save Harvard for business). But the kids at Harvard told me the Business school doesn’t do much for them (which was something one really great kid I met was in the process of changing! - those Harvard kids have admirable initiative!).</p>
<p>I also felt that the Yale campus was a happy medium between the Harvard and Princeton campuses (campi?). It had all of the beauty of Princeton, with the urban feel of Harvard. The Housing system at Yale reigns supreme! Harvard is better at sports, but Yale is better at arts, and Princeton is kinda just there… idk. I guess it’s all about personal preference. They’re truly all amazing. I had fun every second of my stay at each (but then again, I’m the kind of guy who makes myself have a good time no matter where I’m at).</p>
<p>^ Hahaha I love how your post was like lulz and serious at the same time. Prob why you love Yale as the “in-between” school.</p>
<p>Which reminds me of Oprah lol. I wonder if the people outside of the Stanford boards know who he is…</p>
<p>This discussion will not be resolved in this thread. It hasn’t been resolved in the other 50 threads with the same subject line, so why start now? The answers are so subjective that they become useful only as a way to bolster already-established opinions.</p>
<p>Beatles vs Rolling Stones vs Eric Clapton … which one is best? Discuss.</p>
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<p>Kind of off-topic, but I think MIT has the best-looking campus ever, and I’m not an MIT student. Definitely not averse to Harvard either. =P</p>
<p>I think the biggest differences between HYP are location and climate. Princeton is pretty suburban, whereas Harvard and Yale are both urban. Also, Harvard is right by Boston. Also take into consideration that this may affect your safety during college and whether you will be able to participate in fun activities off-campus. As for climate, Princeton weather is much much milder than that of the other two. If you go to Harvard (and you’re not from a cold place), you will freeze during the winter. Guaranteed.</p>
<p>Actually, it’s 4 degrees in NJ right now so don’t expect to be toasty in the winter time :).</p>
<p>I was in the same situation as “eating food” at this time last year. I had been accepted to Yale early, and then was accepted by Princeton and Harvard in the spring. It was truly a wrenching decision, but now I know I’ve made the right choice, since my first semester at Princeton has been the best time of my life. Originally I was absolutely set on Yale: loved the hyper-intellectual environment (was planning on doing Directed Studies), the architecture, the people. I was also incredibly tempted by Harvard (mostly because it was, well, Harvard). When I visited, I was pretty disappointed. The newly accepted students seemed quite self-satisfied and smug. The current students seemed manic-depressive: insanely giddy one moment and absolutely miserable the next (which lasted much longer than their giddy moments). </p>
<p>What I really loved when I visited Princeton was the proportion of the prototypical well-rounded students. Of course, there are the one-hit wonders: the intense engineers, the hyper-focused cello players etc. but what I saw the most were the kind of people who were really interested in their classes, played sports (it’s a really athletic campus), were involved, and had great social lives. I got some hints of this when I visited as a prefrosh, but now that I’m here, it seems like Princeton’s defining characteristic. </p>
<p>Another big factor in my decision was, in fact, the social life on campus (mainly because I felt that I would get a fantastic education at all three schools). I found that at Harvard and Yale, the social scene was very fractured. Both were centered on room parties, which cloisters students off to obscure parts of campus, instead of integrating them into one cohesive social scene. Also the “established” social scene at Harvard and Yale both encompass a tiny portion of the student body. Harvard’s final societies and Yale’s secret ones are limited to very few people. </p>
<p>Princeton’s social scene, on the other hand, seems to me incredibly inclusive and broad. More than three quarters of upperclassmen are in eating clubs, with room for every one else if they chose to join. There are also clubs for every kind of person on campus. Though the greek scene is probably larger than it would seem, there are plenty of social opportunities to pursue as underclassmen that are completely separate (St. A’s, for example). And freshmen and sophomores seem to be welcomed with open arms to any party at the clubs. There’s also a lot of school spirit here. Not that everyone goes to the football games (though many of us do), but we have a lot of pride since we really love our school. </p>
<p>I have found Princeton to be the most welcoming, warm, intellectually-driven, socially active, happy place I’ve ever been, and that seems to be the general consensus of my friends and acquaintances. This is not to say that it is the right school for everyone. I know people who would be much happier at Yale (ok, I’m not sure about Harvard). But I know that this place was definitely right for me.</p>
<p>Ok a few things I forgot: </p>
<p>First a note on architecture. All three schools have some beautiful, though slightly different architecture. Also, each one is a completely mixed bag. Yes, Yale has some beautiful gothic quads, but it also has the ugly new residential colleges that they don’t quite show you on the tour. And, since they’re in the process of renovating each college, even those who are assigned to one of the beautiful ones might have to spend a year or two living in the terrible swing housing. Harvard Yard is incredibly gorgeous, but the science library is an eye sore. Princeton’s upper campus with Nassau hall and the gothic dorms are stunning, but we too have some ill-thought out remnants from the 70’s (although much has been knocked down to build the beautiful new Butler residential college). </p>
<p>About location: I felt that the towns surrounding each school were really different and did affect my decision. Harvard is definitely set in a small city, with all the hustle and bustle that implies. I was not such a big fan of the hobos wandering around campus, and felt that the school, especially the housing was intertwined with the town in a way that made it really feel like a city school (like NYU). The area directly around the Yale campus was fine, some good shopping etc. but just be sure not to walk too far in any direction or you find yourself in the middle of New Haven, which is not such a pretty sight. This also hampered socializing a bit, since the fraternity houses are off campus, and involve walking through New Haven at night. I’ve really love the small town feeling of Princeton, incredible shopping and restaurants (more than you’d ever imagine), all within walking distance of campus. Great coffee shops, and more ice cream stores per capita than I thought possible (If you come to visit, you have to try out the Bent Spoon and Small World Coffee). This is the kind of place where you could walk around at any hour of the day or night and NEVER feel uncomfortable (my parents were particularly happy about that one). Unlike New Haven-Yale, town and gown relationships could not be better, the University bringing business and intellectual fire-power, and the town giving us a beautiful environment.</p>
<p>This is really helpful bc i’ve been accepted to Princeton and Yale and can’t decide which to choose.</p>