Harvard vs. Yale vs. Stanford vs. Princeton

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
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<p>Hi!</p>

<p>I was accepted to Yale SCEA and am now choosing between Yale, Stanford, Harvard, Princeton, Brown, and Dartmouth '18. I think I am mostly interested in attending one of the first two for a variety of reasons, particularly the combination of top-tier academics alongside social scenes that other top-tier schools seem unable to match.</p>

<p>My question (since this is on the Harvard forum, I'm also posting on other forums) - Why Harvard over the others?</p>

<p>An answer like "because it's Harvard" is exactly the kind of thing that makes me not want to go there. Even just the people in the Facebook group - seemingly more pretentious, more arrogant, and less friendly than the people in some of the other groups. Dartmouth and Brown are more expensive and I can't imagine myself choosing them over the others. The atmospheres of Harvard/Princeton seem very competitive, not laid-back, not social, etc., which turns me off to both of them.</p>

<p>A couple of things about me:</p>

<p>I live in Connecticut, which would make going to school in the northeast much easier. I love California however and would consider myself to be more "chill" in terms of exhibiting a west coast vibe. I may like to end up on the west coast at some point in my life. My girlfriend will be in high school still (CT) and so going to Stanford would make the relationship extremely difficult. My mom also wants me to stay close. I like having access to a city, but don't mind not being directly in one. Boston is great, and I have always grown up as a Red Sox and the Celtics fan. Yale and Stanford are close to New York and San Fran, respectively, though, and I find each of those cities to be more interesting.</p>

<p>Princeton gave excellent financial aid, Harvard close behind, Stanford's is not great, and I have yet to hear back from Yale. I'm hoping some matching will be done.</p>

<p>I am interested in science/technology stuff (maybe like physics or green energy or something), although I very well might end up going into business/finance. I enjoy the arts immensely - going to concerts, seeing plays, and just generally associating with people interested in these things. I will participate in a cappella in college. I enjoy anything outdoors like skiing and hiking. I enjoy watching sports as well as playing sports recreationally (think intramural). I'm not sure if I plan on being involved in Greek life, but I definitely want to be in a social environment. I also very much value a community atmosphere--I think Stanford and Yale each offer these in different ways. Yale the residential colleges (which I love), Stanford the "bubble" of campus and the unifying sports scene.</p>

<p>I understand this is all just splitting hairs, but I still would be incredibly grateful for any input.</p>

<p>Thank y'all in advance!</p>

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<p>Congrats on the schools; some great options here (I’m silently hoping that you do choose yale). However, if I may make one suggestion: please don’t let your GF’s location play a huge role in where you ultimately enroll. I think the same goes for best friends, etc. It’s just tough to predict where you’ll be in 4 years, and you don’t ever want to say “what if?”</p>

<p>EDIT: I recently (about a month ago) chose yale over harvard (Yale SCEA, Harvard LL). My reasons revolved around Yale having a star-studded history dept. (not that harvard doesn’t) and overall student happiness. I’m sure that I would have loved harvard too, though; there’s no wrong choice between the two. I can’t really speak for stanford, as I was never into the whole “west coast best coast thing”… Maybe it should be east coast elit(st)e coast? haha.</p>

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<p>I’m surprised (and saddened) you got a negative vibe from the Harvard '18 facebook group. There are a few obnoxious posts (e.g. who wants to join my startup?), but I’ve had a positive experience with it overall and think it’s a motivated and friendly group. While Harvard’s, or any school’s for that matter, social environment doesn’t appeal to everyone, I wouldn’t characterize it as high-brow or stuck-up. Of course, that’s just my experience. I’d wait to come to conclusions until Visitas. </p>

<p>CC may not have the answer for you in regards to how competitive or stuck-up a school is; I think it depends on your major and the crowd you associate with. A Harvard Economics concentrator in the finance club will have a different experience with competition than an English concentrator in social activist clubs. Keep that in mind and try to see what students with similar interests are like at the admitted student days – hopefully you’ll be confident in your decision by May 1st! You have enviable options. </p>

<p>I considered applying to Yale, Princeton, and Stanford and visited the latter two. I’m also interested in the arts, and I felt like Stanford was the worst for that because it felt so STEM-oriented, not to mention its distance from an urban center. Yale is probably the best of the four, but Harvard is very close, because it has its own resources and those of Boston. Princeton was okay, but if you really want to experience art/culture you’ll have to go to New York now and then. But the academic options for humanities/arts students were more than satisfactory, so I put it above Stanford.</p>

<p>Have you looked into the House system at Harvard? It definitely promotes a community feel, and by having a three-year housing system (you enter a house sophomore year), the freshman class socializes in a way you might not experience when it’s already put into residential colleges. There are pros and cons to both systems, and which is better is for you to decide. Both, ultimately, put you in a community that feels like a home.</p>

<p>Honestly, I don’t think there is much difference between Harvard and Yale regarding housing, if not in general. As fun as it is for Harvard to hate on Yale and visa versa, the two schools are probably the most similar schools in the ivy league. The main differences are Harvard’s strengths in STEM, Yale’s in the Arts, and location.</p>

<p>I really would recommend making this decision on your own based on your visits; if not, try looking at ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■, which tries to quantify some of the factors you speak of. Ultimately, one place will feel “right” and have that <em>je ne sais quoi</em> fit to it. Best of luck and congrats man!!! :)</p>

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<p>Congratulations! Since you live in Connecticut, I would suggest that you call the Admissions Office of HYP and arrange to visit each school on successive weekends. Spend a Friday and Saturday at each school, sit in on classes that interest you, talk to students, eat in the dining hall, walk around campus and see which school feels more like home. I would avoid each school’s Admit Weekends, as those events are not indicative of what your life will be like if you actually attend the college. You will get a more realistic view of college life, and be able to make a better decision if you visit at other times.</p>

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<p>lol are you that guy who has been accepted to all 8 ivies? </p>

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<p>No haha. I applied to 5 and was accepted at 5–no interest in being right in the big city! (columbia & upenn)</p>

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<p>Have you looked at the distribution of majors of the students at Yale vs. Harvard/Stanford? Yale is a very fine school but my daughter didn’t think Yale was science-y enough to apply there. As far as physics in particular (also an interest of hers), for faculty prominence anyhow, Yale is simply not in the same league as Harvard and Stanford.</p>

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<p>Just a recommendation, Dartmouth matches aid from other schools, in my case I emailed them with the better packages from a couple other schools and they matched it and then some.</p>

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<p>^^ If any college agrees to re-evaluate their aid after being presented with another school’s more competitive offer, you need to ask for a “side letter” which states that if your family’s income remains about the same, that your student will receive the same percentage of financial aid in their sophomore, junior and senior years as they are getting in their freshman year. Without that letter, you’re not guaranteed to get the “better deal” in subsequent years.</p>

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<p>@mathyone‌ </p>

<p>In my experience, Yale is quite science-y. The number one indicated major for incoming freshman in the class of 2017 was biomedical engineering. Physics was more often indicated than political science. Yale hasn’t been very science-y in the past, but the University is pouring money into the sciences in order to change that. The previous administration (different president and different dean) was not particularly interested in changing Yale’s reputation. It’s not that our science/engineering has every been bad, it’s that Yale Law School has kind of overshadowed it in the past.</p>

<p>Hundreds of millions of dollars have been allocated to scientific research and fellowships and funding for students. Additionally, the $300 million (I think) Center for Engineering, Innovation and Design was opened in August 2012. </p>

<p>Overall, I would say that Yale is pretty science-y.</p>

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<p>^^^^On our pre-frosh class of 2018 packets, it says the same about bioengineering. I verify :)</p>

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<p>Harvard: “50% of an entering College class expects to concentrate in biological, physical, or engineering sciences or computer science.” I’m sure STEM is quite popular at Stanford as well.</p>

<p>Yale:
Most popular undergraduate majors in 2012-13:</p>

<pre><code>Economics (11.0%)
Political Science (10.4%)
History (7.4%)
Psychology (6.5%)
</code></pre>

<p>Percentages of Junior and Senior majors in the Divisions:</p>

<pre><code>30% Arts & Humanities
37% Social Sciences
25% Biological & Physical Sciences
7% Other FAS & Professional Schools
</code></pre>

<p>Don’t really have time to research this further now, but feel free. Of course they have enough applicants to reinvent themselves anytime simply by changing who they admit. But for the older classes, you can see that they were not very science-y, not in comparison to Harvard, or to Stanford, which seems to be desperate for more humanities majors now.</p>

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<p>Yet, the numbers are increasing each year.</p>

<p>Also, you will have access to world-class facilities. You’ll still be surrounded by the best and the brightest. AND, you’ll be the same fish in a slightly smaller pond.</p>

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<p>The increasing numbers should become more apparent beginning with the class of 2016.</p>

<p><a href=“Yale’s STEM admissions outreach yields success - Yale Daily News”>http://yaledailynews.com/blog/2013/11/11/yales-stem-admissions-outreach-yields-success/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>As a californian, I’ve got to talk up Stanford a bit! (Although Harvard is my top pick). Stanford is an amazing school in a beautiful location, and considering you’re from Connecticut I’m sure you deserve some much overdue sunshine! But aside from location, Stanford is rising in academics and prestige, even among the ivies. Forbes magazine’s top two colleges last year were both from California (go Cali!) and the top was Stanford! Here’s a link to the Forbe’s article, good luck wherever you end up, I’m sure you’ll be a great addition to whatever school you end up at!
<a href=“America's Top Colleges 2013”>http://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinehoward/2013/07/24/americas-top-colleges-2013/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;