<p>I am admitted under Yale's early action program to the class of 2012. As an international student, I am not very informed about US universities. What would you say is the biggest difference between Harvard and Yale? I would like to major in Econ, which school is better, regardless of finaid offers? Any insight is greatly appreciated. Thanks.</p>
<p>Biggest difference? The architecture: Red brick vs. Gothic stone.</p>
<p>Another difference: Freshman are assigned to houses at Yale, while at Harvard they wait till the spring which is supposed to foster class loyalty. </p>
<p>Yet another: Boston is a nicer city than New Haven. Lots of colleges, great public transportation, wonderful museums.</p>
<p>No idea about how Econ compares at the two schools. They are both great places to get an education.</p>
<p>Yale has a better golf course (HC has none). You cannot go wrong at either--bask in the enjoyment of having one great American univ.in your back pocket.</p>
<p>You always hear that some people at Harvard aren't happy because the focus seems to be on graduate students. But there are also people that say that isn't true, and they are very happy at Harvard.</p>
<p>General reputation (and there is a fair amount of anecdotal evidence to support this) is that Yale is more focused on undergraduate education than Harvard. This includes mentoring and advising, career services, extracurricular activities, traveling grants and stipends, individual research programs, etc. - Yale seems to do each of these better than Harvard. And that is because the entire university is organizationally focused on educating students at Yale College. </p>
<p>Also, (as stated above) the residential housing program and related social events are better integrated and more robust than at Harvard (which may simply be due to the social possibilities available in depressed New Haven vs cosmopolitan Cambridge, MA). </p>
<p>Yale has an older feel (the architecture) and is rumored to have (a) the largest percentage of students from blue blood families in the US as well as (b) the Ivy League's highest percentage of students from private schools (I can't vouch for either one of these statements). That said, both schools are socially and ethnically diverse (though not very economically diverse). Harvard is slightly more international in its student body and faculty roster.</p>
<p>Academically, the econ departments are roughly equal. The very very best programs in the US are Stanford, Chicago, Harvard and MIT (in no order). One notch below comes the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton, Yale and Northwestern (again in no real order). For undergraduate education, either cluster will provide a superb experience.</p>
<p>Overall,Yale and Harvard are the absolute pinnacle of prestige among American universities. You can't go wrong with either choice. You should visit both and see which appeals to you personally. That's the only real choice to make here.</p>