<p>So, I'm a HYPS. Got early admission to Stanford, and then found out Wednesday that I got in to Harvard, Yale and Princeton. A great day, but now I have to choose! I've narrowed the Ivies down to Harvard, but worry about the social life - rumors are that it's more overtly competitive and less friendly than Stanford. I think that both would suit my academic interests, I want to pursue sciences, but not for pre-med, for business opportunity. I also do a lot of acting, and recognize that Harvard probably has Stanford beat there. And for me, the weather isn't such a big issue (though I've never been through a North-East winter).</p>
<p>EA stanford? pick that. it’s a ***** to switch out, from what i have heard.</p>
<p>harvard people also lack a social life- this i heard from my second cousin who actually goes there, so i would take it seriously.</p>
<p>they are both very presitgious, and harvard is pretty much the benchmark for colleges academically. however, socially, it doensn’t even make the top 10. stanford is great all around. if i were you, you would probably be better off at stanford…</p>
<p>I am so happy with Harvard’s social life. I think one of the big differences is that we don’t need a car…? I never looked seriously at Stanford because I didn’t want to go to the west coast for college, but that’s my impression. Can you make it to both visit weekends? That would be a really good thing to do.</p>
<p>I would strongly recommend visiting both if you’re truely undecided. Harvard is very rich in history and prestiege, and Stanford is the rockstar college on the West Coast. </p>
<p>Boston, despite being <32° in the winter, is VERY beautiful. The usual weather is very light rain at 3-4am in the morning, followed by total sunshine for the rest of the day. It’s a wonder why God didn’t make the rest of the world like that. </p>
<p>Stanford and the coast/silicon valley have fantastic ocean sunsets no matter where you are, since the whole area is uphill from the coast. California weather, Silicon Valley spirit, etc.</p>
<p>Of course you know these things. Visit both. If you do pick Stanford over Harvard, it will most likely be due to degree orientations and personal choices. IMO I don’t think anyone at Harvard finds social life undesirable. 35k apply, so Mr. Fitzsimmons and his staff can hand pick a dream class.</p>
<p>As a undergraduate student at Harvard right now, I can definitely say I understand your pain. Harvard has been very limiting for me in terms of expanding my social life; its reputation of being filled with dry people has definite veracity. In actuality, I only ventured onto this thread because I am in the process of looking to transfer out of Harvard (hopefully to Stanford) and made an account, posting this because I don’t want you to make the same mistake I did… I had to choose between Stanford and Harvard: I chose wrong. Many of my close friends from high school chose to attend Stanford, and from what I’ve heard through Skype and reunions, they are all having a blast. Apparently, Stanford has the perfect mix of social vibrancy and world-class academics.</p>
<p>In sum, I certainly don’t want to make the decision for you but I hope you consider what I’ve written so you don’t end up in as miserable as a position as I am in right now. I only hope Stanford doesn’t take into account that I rejected their admission offer a year ago…</p>
<p>I don’t really buy the idea that Harvard lacks social vibrancy, at least from my experience here so far! It may be different for some people, but there are always parties at Harvard, parties at MIT, parties at Wellesley (if you’re a freshman guy and can’t get in to the former), etc. If partying isn’t your thing, you also aren’t alone, and there is a ton for you to do! Harvard is NOT filled with dry people as a previous poster suggests… maybe we have some but I haven’t met many and I know lots of people! Also, I wouldn’t cast Harvard as overtly competitive… there is tons of self-motivation here, people want to succeed, to push themselves, etc… but the atmosphere is still extremely collaborative.</p>
<p>Is that supposed to be ironic? Harvard has too many dry people for me, the sort of person who uses phrases like “definite veracity”? Also, Harvard is definitely the right choice for some people, like me. I hope you don’t make a mistake like mkn, but choosing Harvard over Stanford is not always–or even usually, I think–a mistake. It can be, definitely, but his/her experience is not universal. Pay attention to yourself, and don’t let partisans from either side sway you too much. Good luck!</p>
<p>You’re actually using the way I type/write to make a judgment on me? Nice one, you must have a dazzling personality to do something like that over the internet.</p>
<p>I’m not as extreme as mkn888, but I do agree with what he/she posted. </p>
<p>My advice: Remember that with acting you should be in California if you really want to “make it big”, Stanford is far closer to Hollywood than Harvard is, and they’ll be actively recruiting at campuses in California</p>
<p>This isn’t a response to the original topic of the thread any more, but @mkn, I’m sorry. I asked because I thought it was actually quite clever, but I thought I should check if you were joking before complimenting you on your wit. That misunderstanding would have been even more awkward than this one. I probably shouldn’t have said anything at all, but what’s done is done. You have my apology.</p>
<p>I grew up not far from Stanford , and as a California native , I can truly say both schools are great ,but the weather at Stanford cannot be underestimated .I now live in the east , married to a Harvard grad and have a Harvard freshman ,who is thrilled with all that Harvard offers.Both are great schools ,but the whole world knows about Harvard .That can not be said of Stanford ,though Stanford is the Harvard of the west coast !! Good luck !</p>
<p>The social life definitely depends on what you’re looking for. However, with the right friends, you’ll have plenty of fun. There’s always a great party if you know where to look.</p>
<p>I agree with 10jarsle. Maybe I’m just oblivious to some competition that is going on all around me, but I have literally never found the social scene at Harvard to be “competitive.” Extracurricular groups with selective membership are competitive, yes, but they don’t form the bulk of the Harvard social scene (though sometimes they think they do). Also, if you want to do theatre here, you’re guaranteed an awesome community of people to hang out with.</p>
<p>I’m also deciding between Harvard and Stanford for college. I visited Harvard last weekend and really liked it. Next week I’m visiting Stanford, and am pretty sure I’ll like it too since I love CA in general. I’m kind of stressing out about the decision and am worried that I’ll end up loving both and not knowing what to do. Are there any thoughts on which school is better for a pre-med?</p>
<p>Oooh lotus12, tough decision. Both Stanford and Harvard provide wonderful pre-med advisory if you know where to find it. They both are top universities that’ll give you an upperhand into applying to graduate/professional education.</p>
<p>Think of it this way:
If you go to Harvard and the time gets going rough, will you regret your decision?
If you go to Stanford and the time gets going rough, will you regret your decision?
Which of the two situations and locations would you regret more, that you didn’t choose the other campus?</p>
There’s always a great party if you know where to look.</p>