<p>I am a female junior tennis player who is being heavily recruited by H, Y, and P (taking OVs to all of them). I'm a bright person with all As and some AP creds, but honestly, without my tennis I would have had to do a lot better to have a chance at any of these schools. I know there are a lot of threads comparing HY and P but I'd like to hear some opinions regarding the differences between their:</p>
<p>-undergraduate focus (but obviously also concerned about opportunities after undergrad)
-financial aid (sounds like P has the best, I have yet to complete financial aid pre reads)
-general mood (I hear Yallies are happiest, especially compared to H?)
-safe environment (I don't plan to go to clubs and late night bars. but still i'd like to know)
-travel convenience (my family lives in the south so I'd need to fly)
-residential system (i know this is probably hard to comment on unless you're a student, but how were the dorms, eating arrangements, etc?)
-campus (which do you think is the prettiest? easy to get around?)</p>
<p>Sorry for the long post, but I'm likely going to end up at one of these schools and need all the info in one place if I can get it! Thanks!!</p>
<p>I have a couple of comments. One, it’s Yalie’s not Yallie’s and they seem to be more laid back then Harvard. As far as financial aid is concerned, Harvard and Yale would probably be the best with Princeton a distant third. Travel is convenient, but more costly to fly directly to New Haven. My son takes the Metro train to and from NY and flies to and from LGA at a much cheaper cost.</p>
<p>The link below is a few years old but you can get an idea of cost based on different incomes for the 3 schools.</p>
<p>Yes, there are differences between the schools, but as a recruited athlete, you will be spending most of your non-academic hours practicing (and traveling) with the tennis coaches and team. My advice would be to go with the coach and the team that feels right. Everything else is kind of secondary to that.</p>
<p>In terms of financial aid: I have two kids; one is attending H and one Y. Although both schools are looking at the same income, Yale’s financial aid has been more generous than Harvard’s (by 3k per semester) . . . and both have been more generous than Princeton’s.</p>
<p>I have a son at Yale and many of his friends are at Harvard and Princeton. I believe he has had, by far, the best experience. The residential college system at Yale is absolutely wonderful, they matched him very well with his freshman suitemates. The whole freshman experience was a dream, especially compared with his friends at H (especially) and P. He has quite a few friends who are athletes at Y and are really happy there. I hope you choose Yale However, you did ask about safety, so I will tell you that you don’t want to venture too far off campus unless you are in a group. It’s a high-crime area but if you stay on campus (and there is PLENTY to do on campus) and the immediately surrounding area, you will be fine. Tons of excellent and inexpensive food. I don’t think you will be sorry. I hope you have a chance to visit all three and just get a feeling of where you will be happiest. Good luck!</p>
However, you did ask about safety, so I will tell you that you don’t want to venture too far off campus unless you are in a group. It’s a high-crime area but if you stay on campus (and there is PLENTY to do on campus) and the immediately surrounding area, you will be fine. Tons of excellent and inexpensive food. I don’t think you will be sorry. I hope you have a chance to visit all three and just get a feeling of where you will be happiest. Good luck!</p>