<p>Rubbing shoulders with "the best and the brightest from the whole world" can be either daunting or exhilarating - it's up to you to decide which. My son's attitude is that he can't wait to be surrounded by students who are as bright as or brighter than he is, and who won't consider him a freak for wanting to debate, say, Indian and Pakistani policy in Kashmir.</p>
<p>But I don't view this factor as a basis for distinguishing between Harvard and Yale. The quality of the undergrad population at the two schools is virtually identical.</p>