I am an International applicant and I am currently deciding between these two colleges. Since I don’t have any other resource to get to know these two colleges better I thought i’d ask for the opinion of those who are currently attending/have knowledge about these institutions and see what they have to say. Finances aren’t a problem since both colleges have given me a full ride.
A little about myself: I am not quite sure about what i want to study at college though I’d prefer Economics/History/Government or maybe something else related to the Humanities/Social Sciences. I am not an extremely outgoing person, but still I do enjoy a lively environment and the company of other people. I like to keep a small yet close social group. I would want to receive an education which best helps me prepare for life after college in a way that I graduate a better person overall. After college i don’t intend on pursuing a job in the corporate sector or otherwise and want to return back to my country to do something related to comm work either independently or through an NGO. Flexibility in choosing my courses matters a lot to me because I would want a diverse educational experience. I am more of a summer person though I am willing to compromise depending on which college is the better fit. A thing about Harvard is that it seems more welcoming( i got a LL) and the aid is also marginally better in that it’ll cover my extra expenses. I am looking for an inclusive community where the students value their academics AND life outside the classroom as generally I like to keep a good balance between my academics and cocurriculars/interests(though depending on the academic rigor i don’t know how that’ll work at college)
Since i won’t be able to visit either colleges my information is limited and since this is a decision which will determine how I will be spending the next four years of my life- at a college far away from home- it is quite important to me. Any information would be highly appreciated!
Btw apologies for my username it was supposed to be friend and not feind.
I don’t know enough about Stanford personally to compare them directly, but, given your description of yourself, two things to check out at Harvard are some of the special majors (called “concentrations”) and the housing system. There are a couple of VERY interesting interdisciplinary majors that might be of particular interest, " History and Literaure" and “Social Studies,” where you read across dciplines, have tutorials sophomore through senior year with others with the same interests (very small seminars), culminating in a senior thesis you write with a faculty advisor. In the housing system, you live in one of 12 houses (almost all students live on campus all 4 years, living in the same house sophomore through senior year), where you not only sleep, eat, and socialize in your house, but several faculty members and grad students are affiliated with the house, also eat with you, and also run some “sections” (iscussion grous affiliated with classes) in the houses. You really get to know people in your house over the years, and there’ a real spill-over effect between your academic life and your “home” life, discussions from classes spilling over into meals and the evening hours.
If you are interested in studying Humanities/Social Sciences at Stanford please read the blog of a current student. You can Google it “Cath in college W for Wisdom”.
The residential housing system at Harvard is definitely appealing and the courses you’ve mentioned seem pretty interesting as well.
Sure, I’ll definitely check the blog out.
As far as the aid is concerned I have to pay for health insurance and my travelling expenses at Stanford which is ~5k $ p.a. and nothing at Harvard.
@Darkfeind You cannot go wrong with either choice. At this very tippy top level (which most applicants can only dream of haha…congraats!! ) the major consideration is fit. Both schools are equally strong in your areas of interest and will provide you with comparable opportunities. Yet the campus vibe, atmosphere, academic philosophy, social life are quite different. i would suggest looking on CC for Harvard vs Stanford threads (there are plenty) to kind of get some idea of the differences between the two schools and think of any concrete questions you have. Also a google search yields some good results to stat your search.
Here are some good Harvard vs Stanford articles & posts:
Harvard has great government classes, amazing term-long visitors at the Institute of Politics, and would provide an excellent foundation for future NGO work. You would have train access to New York or D.C. for summer internships.