Hi, after a very stressful, and rather surprising series of events, I’m blessed to have been accepted into both Harvard and Stanford. Now comes the hard part. I’m completely stuck on which school I want to choose. I want to focus on Cognitive Science or a concentration of Neuroscience (it doesn’t have to be biology-based or psychology-based, I’m more into exploring at this point).
Being that we are in the midst of a pandemic and traveling is not feasible before the May 1st declaration day, any advice or insight would be greatly appreciated. It has always been a dream of mine to go to Harvard but I always told myself that if I didn’t get into Harvard I would definitely want to go to Stanford. I was also accepted into UPenn and Duke if you guys believe those will benefit me in any greater way than Harvard or Stanford, but I think I have narrowed it down to these two. I don’t know, I’m really torn at this point.
I should also point out some more things. Both schools offered me ideally the same financial aid and I am more than willing to go to either coast. I am currently in New York. I do also realize that both campuses and locations offer very different experiences. I love Harvard’s location within Cambridge and the opportunities outside campus, as opposed to Stanford’s “secluded” campus. But I do like Stanford’s vibe and campus more than Harvard’s. I am very social so I would definitely like the social aspect of my college experience to definitely be prominent wherever I go.
I know this is long and I do really apologize. I am feeling very anxious because I think I am falling for the “Ivy status” pressure. That’s why I really just need some input so I can make the best judgment instead of falling for a title.
Thank you so much for your input, I greatly appreciate any and all of it!