<p>Both Stanford and Harvard are fine schools. But after a total review, which is better? The princeton review ranked Stanford #3 for student life, and Harvard didn't make the list.</p>
<p>It depends on the sport. Stanford is definitely superior in football, basketball, baseball and tennis, but I think I'd go with Harvard in hockey, squash and crew.</p>
<p>I don't think the OP was asking about sports.</p>
<p>Thats another issue that sort of worries me about Harvard. No matter what academic ranking you look at, Harvard is the benchmark. Worldwide.
But if you look at social life rankings, Harvards very often not even in the list.
It seems to have the most lacking of all social scenes in the Ivy...</p>
<p>What is the reason for this? I mean its one thing to be focused and determined, but do most people really just view Harvard as a stopover before their fancy I-banking career?</p>
<p>I read a Crimson article the other day about how there is virtually no dating scene at Harvard but I can't find it any more...</p>
<p>One of the things I love about Harvard is it's location. I think in a big city with so many schools (like Boston), you kind of just go out and find what you want, as opposed to a school like Stanford where everything is there.</p>
<p>Peers School for Harvard: Penn, Dartmouth, Brown, Columbia,Pton, Yale and Cornell</p>
<p>Peer School for Sford: UCB, UCLA, UWA, UOr, CalTech, USC</p>
<p>Sford has 80% applicants and 50% admits from CA, so it resembles more like UC at Palo Alto.</p>
<p>Yes zephyr, I understand that. It was just my way of saying, "Oh please, not another 'which is better' thread." ;)</p>
<p>Harvard students LOVE to complain...</p>
<p>In any case, I had an amazing time as an undergrad...
worked my azz-off and studied like crazy during the week...
but always went to parties, hung-out with friends, or went into
Boston to explore the city on weekends... football games, hockey games...
plays & musicals, poetry readings, public lectures...
and many nights not doing anything but staying up late having great conversations... </p>
<p>this is the STEREOTYPE I've heard: Stanford students work their azzes off, but like to pretend on the surface that everything is just sunny and chill and laid-back... Harvard students work there azzes off, but love to b**ch and complain... almost as if its a competitive sport... nothing is EVER good enough.</p>
<p>Well, its a dumb stereotype, but maybe with a grain of truth to it.
I wouldn't have traded my Harvard experience for anything...</p>
<p>In the end, visit both and go with your gut... you CANNOT go wrong with either choice. Alot will depend on your own individual personality quirks as to which one feels right.</p>
<p>Oh... the obvious difference in terms of student life: Harvard is URBAN... cambridge is pretty continuous with Boston... getting to/from the city is ridiculously easy, cheap, and short. Stanford is very suburban... though SF is not too far, it is not exactly easy to get to from campus... and most students don't go very often... at most a couple times a semester. Then again, the campus is pretty beautiful and there is plenty to do on campus, so you would never get bored... again, it comes down to PERSONAL PREFFERENCE.</p>
<p>with Asia rising, stanford may be more known than harvard in asia.</p>
<p>No it won't. Harvard is HARVARD. Stanford is santfrod.</p>
<p>I highly doubt that Stanford is more well known than Harvard anywhere, including Asia. Let's face it. Whether you like it or not, Harvard has the best name brand in all of higher education. </p>
<p>Stanford offers a broader and more balanced education, particularly because of its strength in engineering. However, Harvard still has the big brand name.</p>
<p>The Asian issue is more complex than the mindless statement that "Harvard is HARVARD." Many economies in Asian countries are increasingly dominated by engineering and science ... this is true in the USA to some extent as well. Harvard's engineering departments are nowhere near the quality of Stanford's, and their science departments are comparable. The culture of innovation and technology transfer at Harvard is falling way behind those of Stanford, MIT, and Berkeley. Larry Summers understands this problem, and is trying to invest tremendous resources into engineering, science, and interdisciplinary research to get Harvard caught up again.</p>
<p>In this regard, many people in Asia <em>do</em> have much higher regard for Stanford than for Harvard. But bottom line = both are fine schools. Harvard is much older and has more "prestige" among the general public. Who cares. You should do what you're comfortable with.</p>
<p>Well the difference is like this. Most people will agree that harvard, yale, pton, stanford are all great schools (with mit too). they are the best in the nation. if someone thinks about it, they will know stanford is great. but Harvard and to a lesser extent, Princeton are the most recognized names in the world. so basically, when you ask a person about college, they dont even have to think to answer harvard, but if they think about it for a sec, stanford is right there.</p>
<p>Personally I'd chose harvard, but stanford rocks also. still, i really doubt i will be fortunate enough to get to have to make a desicion like that.</p>
<p>Edit: Why are we saying that they are "fine schools" and "great schools" The University of Wisconsin at Madison is a "fine school" or a "great school" HYPMS aren't "fine schools" they are the best schools in the world. By saying they are only "fine" makes it seem like they are the norm instead of being extremely special.</p>
<p>Btw: im not trying to be pretentious, im just annoyed that people assume you are going to a "good school" like harvard when most people (probobly me) wont even be admitted.</p>
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<blockquote> <p>with Asia rising, stanford may be more known than harvard in asia<<</p> </blockquote>
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<p>It's not even close. Asians are obsessed with Harvard to an almost pathological degree, especially Korea and China. Two different Asian coeds in class of '08 wrote how-I-got-into-Harvard books and both of them were best sellers back in their home countries. There is a highly popular television series in Korea that is set in Harvard and follows the exploits of a group of Korean students at Harvard. There are no comparable books or TV shows about Stanford.</p>
<p>Stanford is a wonderful school. In terms of real quality there is not much to separate them, but Stanford has a long way to go to catch up with Harvard in Asian cachet.</p>
<p>Shark_bite- my mom does the same thing. Every college I bring up is a "great school" or "super hard to get into" according to her =D</p>
<p>Oh, it has to catch up to the big, bad, overrated HARVARD, but it is starting to do so.</p>
<p>Stanford out-fundraised Harvard this year. More early apps. More Rhodies. It's really hard to argue that if we were to isolate brand from the past decade, Harvard has done more great things to justify its greater public status. Stanford did birth the New Economy after all.</p>
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<blockquote> <p>Asians are obsessed with Harvard to an almost pathological degree, especially Korea and China. + Taiwan</p> </blockquote>
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<p>I'll tell people where I applied (Purdue, UCSB, UC Berkeley, USC, U of Maryland, Carnegie Mellon, Stanford, Harvard) and purposely say Harvard last to reserve any reactions from the other schools. Usually it's all "Uh-huh"s until Harvard when its "WOAHOW."</p>
<p>They've heard of all of those other schools (Actually Purdue is quite popular for some unknown reason) but they'll tell you that without a doubt Harvard is the best school in the world.</p>
<p>That doesn't mean it is.</p>
<p>I didn't say it was either haha. To tell you the truth I'd personally pick Stanford over Harvard anyway.</p>
<p>i don't think anybody can argue that Harvard IS THE school that is known practically everywhere around the world. but to me, i pick Standford over it anyday. :D</p>