Harvard vs. Yale vs. Princeton vs. other Ivies

<p>I've been lurking on this site for a while now, but this is one of my first posts. I'm a senior in Washington State, looking to go into business/finance in the future and probably major in economics. A little about me: 4.0 uw, strong extracurriculars for the field, and recently received a 36 on the act, which was a major bump up from my SAT score. I hadn't really even considered the ivies since I didn't think that I would be competitive, but now that I stand a better chance (I know, test scores aren't everything and aren't really even relevant after a certain point, but still).
So basically, I want to know what is the case for Harvard over the other tops schools. Or vice-versa. I have read that the econ department is large and can be somewhat bureaucratic, but you can still find the resources you need if you reach out. I'm also interested in how the social/party scene compares, as well as the vibe as the campus (don't have the money to fly out to the east coast to visit schools).
By the way, I am also considering Penn and have done quite a but of research on it, but am interested in learning more about the other ivies that don't have an undergraduate business school.</p>

<p>Do you like ice cream? What is your favorite flavor? Some kids prefer chocolate to strawberry or vanilla. It’s the same with HYP. May I suggest you do your due diligence and investigate the economic courses being taught at each school and the professors who are teaching them. For example, if you would like to study with Paul Krugman or Alan S. Blinder, then Princeton is for you, as they don’t teach at Harvard. </p>

<p>First off, all of the Ivies are completely different. The campus vibes are different, so they tend to all attract different types of students, (except for those people who apply to all 8… not a wise or even remotely calculated decision in my opinion), their strongest concentrations are different, the towns in which they are located are all very different, the social scenes are all different, for instance Harvard’s Finals Clubs, Princeton’s Eating Clubs, Dartmouth’s unofficially recognized, intense drinking culture… The dorms are different. The architecture is different. What each college stands for is different…
You can listen to the stereotypes about all of the schools, but really, you ought to do some research online. Watch youtube videos on the schools, especially “That’s Why I Chose Yale”. That might either pursued you to like Yale, or cause you to run for the hills, depending on your personality.
I’m not sure why there is a Princeton, Yale, Harvard debate because if you’ve really done your research, and you’ve talked to students, alumni, faculty, you’ve visited at least one or two of the campuses, there is no way you don’t know which one you like the best.
Seriously. If you just visit one of the campuses, you can get a good sense of what you’re looking for and what you hate
To me, Princeton and Dartmouth are very similar. They are both in very small, secluded towns. I guess Dartmouth has a little bit more of a woodsy vibe, while Princeton is slightly more pretty, yet has a very strong engineering program. Princeton is definitely the prettiest of all the Ivy campuses. (I’ve visited both of them, and ended up disliking both for different reasons, all very unique to me. You really can’t trust anybody else’s judgment for why they don’t like a college. There is a school for everyone. Just because one person doesn’t like Princeton, somebody else would kiss the ground at the admissions officers feet for an acceptance letter.)
UPenn’s campus is super modern and incredibly urban. Too urban for my taste. I like architecture with a little bit of character… But, the culture at UPenn is a little bit cut throat for my taste. Especially in the business scene. It’s a bunch of kids just looking to get ahead and make the most money. That’s really disturbing to me. Not that I don’t like money, It just isn’t one of my main values… Also, the kids are super preppy. Nothing wrong with that, its just my high schools is a lot like that and I am so sick of those people. I need more diversity.
Columbia is absolutely amazing. Very literary–I feel like. Also, there are so many people. The people at Columbia are a lot nicer than many of the people you’ll meet on the streets of New York. The campus is very condensed, since it can’t be spread out in New York. The boys basketball team is very attractive. Most guys are very attractive really. It does attract more introverted people I think. Because it’s in a major city, a lot of people like to go out and do their own thing. It’s not like being on a rural campus where all the fun happens in that one bubble. That’s so not New York. You’ve gotta be kind of independent.
Those are all the Ivy campuses I’ve visited. After that, the ones that I liked, I did research on their majors and minors, as well as trying to get in contact with students and learning more about their culture.
For the ones that I didn’t visit, I did the virtual tours and then the same thing.
In the end, I have chosen to apply to Harvard Early Action and Columbia regular decision.
I am applying to 8 other non-ivy schools, also with excellent academics, gorgeous campuses, and a friendly environment.
Remember. Don’t get caught up with going to an Ivy. Many people today are turning them down for other colleges.
The Ivy League is just an athletic conference, which contains some of the oldest colleges in the country. It has nothing to do with them being the best colleges in the nation. They just happen to be the most well known, thus have the highest number of applicants, and ultimately, the smallest acceptance rates, so it is considered very prestigious to get in. It’s not always the best atmosphere for most people, especially if you care about more than just prestige.
If you like business though, check out Georgetown, or Claremont McKenna. Both gorgeous, and incredibly business oriented. I find that Georgetown is extremely similar to UPenn–the campus vibe at least. Claremont McKenna is right outside of LA. So, that’s good for internships. The campus is a little smaller though, and there are no graduate students, so you definitely have access to all the resources you need. It’s not super well known by the general public, but in the business world, it is highly regarded by the people who matter. This also causes the students to be a lot nicer, and less snooty and elitist, because their name isn’t “Yale” or “Princeton”… Just something else to think about…</p>

<p>Hope this helps. </p>

<p>@oxoxhawja3xoxo thank you so much! That helps a lot. And I have been considering Claremont and some other schools, but I was wondering particularly about the ivies because when I began seriously considering some of them I realized I didn’t know very much about them</p>

<p>@ccggp101 great! Let me know if you have any more specific questions. I’m done with my college search and I’ve visited a fair number of schools, so I may be able to help you out. </p>

<p>[retracted by author]</p>

<p>Bumping this, my interview’s coming up. Any reflection on the “vibe” of the campus and what student life is like would be much appreciated </p>

<p>Not sure WHY (???) you are bumping this thread, as the information you are seeking can be gleaned from google. For example:
<a href=“http://www.harvard.edu/student-life”>http://www.harvard.edu/student-life&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/collegeadmissionsstudentblog/”>http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/collegeadmissionsstudentblog/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Sure i could go onto Harvard’s website and see all the wonderful things they have to say about themselves (which I have done) , but I want to hear from current students/people who have visited who could have me honest answers </p>

<p>Well, let me give you an honest answer. My daughter is a Harvard 2015 mid-year graduate; she took a year and half off after her freshman year because she hated the “type A personality” of her classmates so much – see: <a href=“Harvard College Introduces Pledge for Freshmen To Affirm Values | News | The Harvard Crimson”>http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2011/9/1/pledge-freshmen-students-harvard&lt;/a&gt;. </p>

<p>Even though we tried to get her to transfer to another college – one that might have been a better fit – she returned to Harvard because she could not give up the “name.” She was soooooooo name-obsessed that she would not even consider transferring to another school, like Yale, or Brown, or Dartmouth or UPenn, which may have been a better match. Bottom line: My daughter graduated three days ago, Phi Beta Kappa – in the top 2% of her class – but she will probably never return to Cambridge again. Hopefully her hatred of “the Harvard experience” will dissipate over time – I do hope so. Just like every high school is different – some being more rigorous than others – so too is Harvard and other colleges. From what I have observed, Harvard is harder and more intense than other schools. For example, my daughter, who just completed LS2 (<a href=“http://www.registrar.fas.harvard.edu/courses-exams/course-catalog/life-sciences-2-evolutionary-human-physiology-and-anatomy”>http://www.registrar.fas.harvard.edu/courses-exams/course-catalog/life-sciences-2-evolutionary-human-physiology-and-anatomy&lt;/a&gt;), had to identify every bone in the human body by week two in the course – something my wife didn’t have to do until medical school. Yes, it’s great training, but I wonder at what cost. It’s a splendiferous experience for some, and four years of hell for others. Be very careful what you wish for.</p>

<p>@gibby Thank you very much for your first-hand account. Recognizing that HYPS admissions is a crap shoot, my son (a junior) is on track to be at least a realistic applicant and is already starting to grapple with a little pressure (from others in our family, as well as some peers) to shoot for Harvard because “it’s the best.” However, he has a growing sense that it might not be the best place for him, and I shared your link with him as a conversation starter about what kind of community he would like to be a part of.</p>