I am a recruited athlete who has received offers (not scholarships or anything of the sort, but likely letters) from all three of these schools for the class of 2021. Besides being an athlete, I am to a certain extent qualified for these schools academically (2290 sat, 4.6 gpa, etc.). So with my academic stats, various EC’s, and the coaches’ help, I am fairly confident I will get in. That being said, I have been thinking tirelessly of where to commit mostly by looking at the pros and cons of each school. I have researched this rather thoroughly, but it would be refreshing to get some more objective viewpoints that focus on the future and overall undergrad experience I would have at each school, rather than simply stereotypes. I would truly appreciate any help at all as I try to decide where I should commit.
Here’s a little bit about me to help base the decision off of:
I have received offers from other much bigger “sports schools” but have politely declined because I value academics much more than athletics.
I am from just outside of LA, so I am sort of accustomed to an urban setting.
Weather is not a concern.
In my free time, I like to do anything from surfing/camping to going into the city and trying new restaurants.
I plan on studying either Economics, CS, or Mechanical Engineering (this could definitely change though).
I am not overly concerned with this, but if a particular school had some good looking girls, it definitely wouldn’t hurt…
Considering financial aid, the cost of all three schools will be nearly equivalent so there isn’t a financial concern.
I hope for a decent balance of “work and play.”
For the sake of my parents, I hope to get a job immediately after college.
I am willing to suffer for four years if it will pay off in the long run.
Again, any help, especially from personal experience, is greatly appreciated!
As a recruited athlete isn’t your first concern which athletic program you love the most and will thrive in? The academics and post-grad prospects are about the same at these Ivies, and they all will leave you the same amount of time to surf and camp on the Atlantic. (Zero.)
@Oregon2016 I have thought about it a lot athletically, but because all of these programs (for my sport at least) are extremely competitive with each other, it wouldn’t really matter where I ended up in that regard. Your comment about the academics and post-grad prospects is good to hear, because I certainly don’t want to be swayed to one school or another simply for the name. Lastly, my statement about surfing/camping (outdoorsy stuff) I sort of just put it out there hoping to hear something good, but I guess I knew the reality before hand.
I’ll tell you some of what I consider to be defining characteristics of the schools. You may have run across these in your research; if so, maybe the reinforcement will help you to decide:
Harvard:
The largest of the three by both undergrad and total student population
Probably the highest emphasis on grad studies (and students) of the three
Probably the most balanced in terms of intellectualism/academics and social scene
The biggest reputation, both here and in the US, of the three. Indeed, probably the biggest rep of any school in the world. (for what it’s worth…)
Final clubs
Princeton:
Probably the most focused on undergraduate studies (and students) of the three
Probably the most academically serious/intellectual of the three
Senior thesis
Eating clubs (some open, some requiring “bicker”)
The most rural/bucolic of the three
Brown:
Probably the most laid-back atmosphere and happiest students of the three
Probably the most politically liberal of the three
Open curriculum
Probably the smallest reputation of the three (again, for what it’s worth…)
Probably the least snobby/pretentious of the three
They all offer outstanding academics and opportunities both during school and post-grad.
Search for academic fit, both in curriculum style and majors offered; environmental/weather fit: city/rural suburb, weather, campus beauty, ability to get around, etc.; social/cultural vibe, mores, and opportunities; and housing/food. If cost is not a concern, I suggest judging them based on those fit variables. If you do, you cannot make the wrong choice.
I disagree here. While all are strong, Harvard and Princeton are superior to Brown. Harvard and Princeton are both top 3 in Economics while Brown might not crack the top 20. And mid-career, Harvard and Princeton grads outperform Brown’s by about 20% in terms of income.
@prezbucky thanks for your help! You definitely reinforced somethings I was unsure about and brought up some great points I hadn’t considered. What exactly do you mean when you say “Senior Thesis” under Princeton though? Is it mandatory for all students at Princeton whereas only necessary for the other two schools if you are in the “Honors track?”
@hebegebe the economics department at Brown (compared to the other two) is one of my major concerns… I have heard that in the long-run, Harvard/Princeton grads will earn more than those out of Brown, but what are your views on job availability immediately after graduation from each of the three? Is it negligible or does one school typically fare better in the job market than the others?
A motivated and self-reliant kid coming out of any of those three schools will have excellent job prospects. Your focus should be the athletic program, the emphasis the coaches/admin at each school put on athletics versus academics, and how well you click with the school and the other kids on the team and the coaches when you visit.
And you should visit. You’ll likely have the opportunity to take several recruiting trips next fall, and it’ll be in your best interest to take advantage of them.
@socalbum9, it’s my understanding that each Princeton student completes a senior thesis.
I first heard about it while reading a book titled The Rule of Four. The book served as the author’s senior thesis and did quite well in the book market.
You don’t have to write a book, obviously. You pick a topic and meet with a professor periodically to discuss your progress, to keep you on track, to toss around ideas, etc. It’s like an undergrad-level dissertation, a big paper in which you discuss a topic thoroughly that interests you. I think it’s one more thing that sets Princeton apart from the other top-shelf schools at the undergraduate level (the others being the emphasis on undergrads and the eating clubs)
And mid-career, Harvard and Princeton grads outperform Brown's by about 20% in terms of income.
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But you have to ask why in order to figure out if this is a relevant consideration for the OP or anyone making a choice. Because the academics and education are so much better at Harvard and Princeton? Seems unlikely. Because they’re bigger schools with bigger and/or more active alumni networks, providing the sort of connections that help build careers? Plausible. Because Brown, being the most liberal, produces more grads going into lower paying careers, for instance, as a lawyer, more likely to go into public interest law, become a public defender, go into academia, whereas perhaps Harvard and Princeton undergrad educated lawyers are more likely to become Big Law partners? Also plausible.
I’m sure if you’re smart, work hard and take advantage of available opportunities, you can have serious professional success, however you define it, coming from any of those three schools. (Or, studies show, from pretty much any school.) Dont pick H or P over B purely because you think the diploma on your wall will make you 20% richer at 45.
How strong is your mechanical engineering interest (both academically and actually working as a mechanical engineer or going to PhD study in mechanical engineering, as opposed to working finance and consulting)? If strong, that may influence your choice, since Princeton and Brown have ABET-accredited mechanical engineering, but Harvard only has general engineering.
On “Harvard - Probably the highest emphasis on grad studies (and students) of the three”
The folks at Harvard would find that to be a scathing statement. They go out of their way to emphasize that Harvard, for the undergraduate, is a liberal arts college experience.
This is extremely important to them, to hear them tell it.
@ucbalumnus it is decently strong as of right now, but I must say that I am definitely leaning more towards Econ or CS. I have never taken a Mech Engineering class so I am not entirely sure how “real” my interest is.
@1d51jklad1 All of the programs are very competitive so that surprisingly isn’t much of a concern. All of the coaches (and several of their players) have told me that it truly is academics over athletics (eg. one coach lets a few of his players miss two practices a week because they have a conflicting class). You are definitely right about clicking with the school and team. I feel that with any of the teams I will be fine, but I really do need to figure out which school will fit me best in terms getting a good vibe from my peers in class, professors, etc. I will definitely visit to figure this one out.
@millie210 you bring up some really great points. I really don’t want to pick any school simply for its name or the money it might bring, but rather for what will hopefully make me happiest in the long run. Thanks for pointing that out
@Waiting2exhale you are correct about the liberal arts experience Harvard has, but does that really mean they put more of an emphasis on the undergrads? Isn’t a liberal arts education more about knowing a little of everything and a lot about one thing? Could you elaborate a little bit on how they put emphasis on the undergrad education? Thanks!
On a side note, on a scale from 1 to 3 (1 being the most), how would you rank these schools for the competitiveness among the students (against each other)?
I was just basing it on numbers: since Harvard has the most grad students by % of total student population, and all else being equal, they must devote proportionally more resources to those grad students (and less to the undergrads) than P and B.
I’m sure Harvard, like the other two, tries very hard to provide a great undergrad education and experience – no offense was intended, in case any students, alumni or staff saw that comment. By most accounts, Harvard is, uh, pretty darn good. hehe
I agree that Cambridge trumps the other two areas by a lot. But I laughed when I read the post that listed Princeton as “The most rural/bucolic of the three”. Say what? Made me wonder if the poster had ever been on these campuses to compare them. All three have beautiful traditional campuses. Princeton Nj is hardly rural or bucolic. With a population density of “16,294 people per square mile (very high)” it can hardly be considered rural. Yes, that is less than Providence or Cambridge but still is far from rural or country-like. For that, you can look to Ithaca.