<p>I am currently deciding between Harvard and Princeton. I feel that Harvard's location in Boston would provide strong internships and opportunities. However, I also think that since it has such close proximity to the city, that many students would often feel attracted to the city life and this could potentially detract from the community lifestyle and prevent Harvard from feeling like 'home.' Any thoughts on this?</p>
<p>Both will provide amazing oppurtunities if you work hard and do well, regardless of location. You’re talking about the two best schools in the country here…</p>
<p>They’re both amazing schools. As a Harvard grad, I will tell you that there’s so much going on in Cambridge that you could spend four years at the school without going into Boston more than a handful of times. But it’s there if you want it, and it’s nice to have a city with tons of things to do just a short ride on the T over the Charles. Harvard also has a very strong campus community - something like 95% percent of the students live on campus, and campus life is loosely modeled on the Oxford/Cambridge experience, where students live and study at one of the colleges for their entire college career. At Harvard, all of the freshman live in Harvard Yard, and then you are assigned to one of twelve upperclass “houses”, where you live for the rest of your time at the university. Each house has its own dining hall, common areas, etc. and the sense of community in most of the houses is very strong. </p>
<p>I can’t speak to Princeton, as I never visited. I would visit both schools and see if you can talk to the students, but for what it’s worth, Harvard does have a strong campus community and I had a blast there.</p>
<p>It really depends on what kind of a setting you like. When I visited Princeton, it seemed to just pop out of the middle of nowhere. The campus basically dominates the entire town, and it has a very quiet, rural feeling. On the other hand, at Harvard, it is immediately obvious that you are going to school in a more urban environment.</p>