<p>My son was admitted to HYP and is having some difficulty deciding which would be best. We are Americans living overseas, so our son was not able to attend any of the preview programs this month (although we visited these colleges during the summer). He wants to major in pure mathematics, but also loves acting and hopes to find extracurricular theatre opportunities--perhaps improv. He has also been on his high school's speech and debate team and hopes to continue debating in college. He has heard that Princeton's undergraduate caters to the upper echelon of math majors and that it fails to provide a solid grounding in fundamental math. Of course besides his major in math, he would like to have a great overall undergraduate experience. As you know, he has to make a decision soon! I would really appreciate your thoughts regarding this dilemma.</p>
<p>Hey I know it's quite a bit late but I hear Princeton has the best program for math majors. I may be wrong but so far thats what's been said in my presence in significantly different situations. As a prospective math major myself, I would hope that your son makes the decision on his needs and capabilities i.e. if he needs an extra cushion ("solid grounding in fundamental math") to solidify his mathematical abilities, then Princeton is most likely not the best choice seeing that it "caters to the upper echelon of math majors and that it fails to provide a solid grounding in fundamental math."
On the other hand, if your son is very comfortable and SURE that he can take the 'rush' of delving right into 'heavy' mathematics, I would be glad to hear that he chose Princeton.
Either way, I'm sure he would be fine wherever he chooses to go...you must be really proud of him...HYP and all...g'luck to u all.</p>
<p>Harvard's in Boston, probably best opportunity for acting and and summer internships, whearas Princeton and Yale (while amazing) probably dont offer the big city</p>
<p>As far as the quality of the math major goes, you cant go wrong with any of them. Its up to him but either way he's making a great choice</p>
<p>After careful consideration, my son has chosen Harvard. He is really happy and excited about all the opportunities that Harvard and the Boston area have to offer. I appreciate you comments. Thank you.</p>