Harvard or Stanford?

Lately I’ve been super stressed on choosing between either Harvard or Stanford. Obviously I know both are great colleges but I was wondering if anyone had any personal feedback for me. I’m thinking of pursuing economics/finance but also am interested in history/philosophy/political science for law. One thing that is holding me back from Stanford is because of the “name” of Harvard. Obviously Harvard is better known worldwide, but I was wondering if it makes a huge difference to companies/ graduate schools. Additionally, I’m curious on which school has a better social life and if the students at Harvard are as competitive as people make it seem. Finally I would like to hear people’s opinion on the weather. Being from the north I’m used to cold, dark winters and the more temperate climate in Palo Alto is tempting, but are the winters at Harvard that bad/ does it affect your mental health a lot? Thanks for the help!

Didn’t you have to choose 1 school by now? Is this hypothetical? If so, make that decision when you actually get in and have had a chance to visit both schools. As far as jobs, law school or other grad programs are concerned, which school you go to makes no difference. It will be completely dependent on academic and other accomplishments and test scores.

It could be because Harvard just took some people off the waitlist.

My son had narrowed his decision to those those two last month and agonized between them. My advice to him was that upon graduation every door is open, but for each some are wider open than others. They are equally prestigious.

He chose Harvard mainly because it was much closer and he didn’t see himself in tech, something Stanford is much better yet. If Harvard was further away, he would have chosen Stanford.

I do not think that it is obvious that Harvard is better known. I think that both are very widely known worldwide and both are very highly regarded. Both are certainly very close to ubiquitously known by employers and by graduate school admissions.

“They are equally prestigious.”

That is my view, particularly outside of engineering and high tech (the areas where Stanford is stronger).

Harvard is of course right in Harvard Square, and a moderate subway ride to Boston. There is a lot to do in Harvard Square and in Boston in those rare moments when you will not be studying. Stanford is in a more suburban area. There are some things to do in Palo Alto but really not nearly as much as in Harvard Square.

I did not attend Harvard. I did attend a university that is just down the road from Harvard (same weather), and then did graduate school at Stanford. However, I happened to be at Stanford during a drought – it did not rain one single day the entire time that I was there. I did like the “sunshine every day” weather during the drought at Stanford. However, when it rains it can rain fairly hard. Also, the Stanford campus is huge (and very attractive when the sun is out). The weather down the road from Harvard never bothered me.

Many of the students at Harvard will indeed be very competitive. I do not think that this will be all that different at Stanford. However, since I was a graduate student at Stanford I was of course running into students who were a bit older and a bit more mature about the entire process.

Stanford is on the quarter system. I liked this because you get to take more classes during an academic year. However, the end of the quarter comes up very quickly. You do not want to fall behind in your classes.

As long as you can afford both and want to work hard and as long as you keep up in your class work then I do not think that there is a wrong choice here. You will be at one of a tiny handful of the strongest universities in the world either way.

You might want to just have a good night’s sleep, then decide to attend whichever university you want to attend.

There is no right or wrong answer . Go to whichever school feels like the right fit. And once you decide, never look back.

Academic peers. Grad/professional schools & employers will not favor one over the other. One is urban and one is suburban. Besides CS & Engineering, Stanford has an entreprenurial vibe. That said, it is also strong in lit & humanities, as well as Econ. Stanford has D1 sports, although its school spirit is only average. Harvard sponsors more athletic teams than any other college.

If you are considering law school, HLS has a tendency to take more of its undergrads. (Dunno if Stanford Law gives any benefits to its undergrads.)

No bad choice here.

This thread is a year old. You might want to start a new thread about this topic.

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