Harvard vs. Yale?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
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<p>This may seem like a happy (and perhaps show-offy) dilemma, but I really, really am torn and confused. I got into both, and, having visited both schools, am more confused than ever. </p>

<p>I liked the atmosphere/campus of Yale better than Harvard (I don't know.. it seemed like it was friendlier at New Haven than at Cambridge, but then again, I only stayed for about a day at both so I may have seen only a piece of each school).</p>

<p>But as a biology major (I am hoping to go to medical school after finishing my undergrad), I also think Harvard may be a better choice than Yale.. and besides, Harvard is offering a bit more financial aid than Yale. </p>

<p>I have friends at Harvard (both of whom have told me to come to Harvard, no bias, of course), but do not know anyone at Yale (but the people were so friendly when I visited..).</p>

<p>The admissions officers at Yale have told me that barely anyone from Yale undergrad gets accepted to Yale grad schools, and, asking around, Harvard seems to have more undergrads going into its grad/medical schools than Yale.. (.... can anyone confirm this? I tried doing some research but came up with nothing)</p>

<p>I've tried making a pro-con list, talked to people at both schools/visited classes and dorms at both, and even tried flipping a coin to see where I should go. </p>

<p>It's so difficult to choose one over the other. =/</p>

<p>I don't want the "prestige" to factor into my decision more than the quality of education and life I would have for the next four years.</p>

<p>Can you please give me any advices? Especially from current Harvard and Yale students? I would greatly appreciate it if you can please tell me if there is anything you DON'T like about your school. (I am also posting this question to "Harvard" and "Yale" sections of CC..) I welcome all other inputs, as well!</p>

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<p>You’re right that it’s a good choice to have, and I think your impressions are accurate. Yale is more heavily oriented toward undergraduate teaching than Harvard, and there is a stronger sense of community – which may partly be because there’s less to do off campus. There are fewer students at Yale who feel significantly unhappy with their undergraduate experience. Most Harvard undergraduates are happy campers, but there’s a significant minority who see it as a chilly, uncaring place with brilliant but remote professors who don’t care much for undergraduates. Harvard works best for those who are confident self-starters.</p>

<p>On the other hand, Harvard’s biology department has a stronger reputation, though that may tell you more about the strength of the Ph.D. program than the undergraduate major.</p>

<p>I’m surprised someone in Yale admissions would tell you Yale undergraduates don’t go to graduate school at Yale – many do, and I think they often have an advantage over students applying from elsewhere. (I know a number of people with both undergraduate and graduate degrees from Yale, including a close friend who went from Yale College to Yale Law before getting a Yale Ph.D.) The Wall Street Journal did a study of feeder schools a few years ago that provides some data on this question: <a href=“WSJ in Higher Education | Trusted News & Real-World Insights”>WSJ in Higher Education | Trusted News & Real-World Insights;

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<p>Look below this thread and you will see another thread of interest to you entitled, "Here’re my thoughts … (H or Y)
My D is visiting H right now and she has found the students so friendly - truly the nicest (opinion of course) of any campus we have visited - her hosts are amazing and have taken so much time to make sure she is having a good weekend. One thing we have been especially impressed with is how much time and effort (five weeks this summer using an extensive and specific survey) H takes to match up roommates. We just visited Y for one day and toured around with one of my husband’s former students so our basis for comparison isn’t as good as spending three days at H. My D came to H with a definite preference for an excellent LAC, but I can see the decision has become much more complicated, as she finds herself fitting in so well here. The energy of the students is incredible and the ones we have encountered seem so happy. At the student led orchestra concert last night, I have never seen kids so excited with such big smiles with such a quality performance. The H prof who was the piano soloist, seemed also so truly happy. Sometimes excellent music has a much more serious tone but you could tell how much the students all cared for each other. The quality was serious but the performers’ enjoyment came through so clearly. It is not something I would have expected from what non-H people have said about H. We met with a proctor (like an older resident advisor) we know and she and her husband both commented that they don’t know why H students have a reputation with non-H people of being sad. She has 23 very happy freshmen in her care and has connections to so many other frosh through her proctor friends. They think it goes back to before H had such a generous aid policy and now admits such great diversity of students. You have a difficult decision, but as people have very generously told my D, you don’t have any bad choices.</p>

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<p>I’m in exactly the same position; its tearing me apart as well. Like you I don’t want to make this choice for the wrong reasons (reputation etc.), but to be totally honest I want Harvard to be the better place. In the end I think I will make a decision based on which school is better (undergrad focus, extracurriculars et al). </p>

<p>I’ve talked to quite some people as well, from Harvard as well as Yale and I got some feedback on the social scene. You’re probably right in that Harvard has a GENERAL attitude that may be less relaxed than Yale, but that doesn’t really mean much. If you’re a relaxed person you will find your relaxed niche. A friend from Harvard admitted that “Yale probably has 500 cool people out of the 2000 whereas Harvard has 400, but that doesn’t really affect you”. The Yale guy told me that I won’t have a socially worse time at Harvard than at Yale (I seem to have pretty honest friends). Wherever you go you will be comfortable socially. For that reason I’ve eliminated that social factor from my decision-making process. </p>

<p>A HUGE factor for me is the raw academics. From what I’ve heard Yale does have more of an undergrad focus; the yale guy told me that the college is the centre of the school. That, however, doesn’t preclude Harvard from being the same. Maybe that reputation is just the collateral effect of Harvard having the best graduate schools? Theres also 36 vs 32 classes, though as far as i know that might just be the minimum amount of classes (if someone could please confirm that…), meaning you could do say 36 at both if you want to.</p>

<p>Also, their focus on academics is different. The Yale guy told me not to come if the sciences is my thing; humanities are Yale’s strong point. However, Harvard does have amazing Government/Economics courses, which is my most likely direction. Basically, so does Yale though. On the whole I think the Sciences/Humanities dichotomy holds, though again, this is like 98% perfect courses vs 99% perfect courses.</p>

<p>Theres also Cambridge/Boston vs New Haven; I feel Cambridge wins hands down, though at the same time the lack of things to do in New Haven means that the Yale administration is probably more tolerant of things happening on Campus.</p>

<p>Houses and Colleges are basically the same, don’t let Yale people burn Harvard’s just because Yale’s were founded like a year earlier…</p>

<p>No double majors is the same as far as i know.</p>

<p>The bottom line is I don’t want to be the person who made the choice because Harvard was better known and all that. As a person I think it’d be a sign of personal strength to make the decision that’s really right for you and not be pressured by public opinion. As I said, I wish Harvard were the best for undergrad as well as better know, but if it isn’t, so be it. </p>

<p>PM me if you wanna talk more, I dont know anyone else in my position either…</p>

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<p>32 courses is the minimum for a H degree. You can take more if you wish and my freshman D has taken 9 this year. You are only limited to four in your first semester so that you get adjusted, but after that it is up to you.</p>

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<p>I’ve got two kids at H - a senior and a sophomore. The paragraph above very accurately summarizes the types of experiences they’ve had there as well. At first, we/they never considered H because of outdated stereotypes we’d heard - stuffy, elitist, non-undergrad focused, not fun, etc. None of those stereotypes have seemed remotely accurate. They’re having the times of their lives there.</p>

<p>FWIW, I think that the H and Y undergrad experiences may be the two most similar in the country. Pick something that you love about one over the other and never look back - it’ll be wonderful and life-changing either way.</p>

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<p>“the college is the centre of the school. That, however, doesn’t preclude Harvard from being the same.”</p>

<p>It is the same. Harvard College is the oldest, largest, and richest school at Harvard; it occupies the physical and spiritual center of campus for a reason. The other schools radiate out from the Yard, which is the domain of College freshmen and the top administration officials. Anyone who, like me, attended Harvard as an undergrad and returned for a post-grad degree will tell you that the College is the real Harvard.</p>

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<p>I find Hanna to be completely correct; the commonly cited non-undergraduate focus argument is clearly mistaken. It is merely an indiscriminate assumption that Harvard presents a tangible imbalance due to the uniform strength and reputation of its graduate programs.</p>

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<p>2014collegebound-</p>

<p>I share your agony – I have been pulling my hair out trying to decide between Princeton and Yale. My heart tells me Yale but my Dad, a tiger alum, tells me Princeton.</p>

<p>The chemistry just worked between me and Yale. I can’t exactly put my finger on it, there was just this general sense of happiness, pride and well-being among Yalies I didn’t feel in the same way at Princeton during Preview days or at Harvard when I visited. Yalies seemed extremely engaged in their coursework and extra-currics, but I didn’t sense the same level of stress or competitiveness I sensed at Princeton and especially Harvard. And everyone really is so friendly – students, faculty, staff, New Havenites. I even loved quirky, blemished New Haven. (The polished, shopping mall quality of Princeton and Cambridge to some extent kinda turns me off; it reminds me of the affluent, cliquey New York suburb in which I now reside).</p>

<p>Anyhow, looks like I’m gonna go blue tomorrow. I hope you’ll join me in New Haven!</p>

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<p>the college and house systems are not the same. They seem like they should be, but they are not.</p>

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<p>My D had to make this same decision this time last year. She also chose Yale. She always felt strongest about Yale–the people, the residential colleges, the sense of community, the happiness factor that Harvard seemed to lack. It seemed a fairly easy decision.</p>

<p>One evening, however, she got together with a local girl who attends Harvard. After a three-hour meeting over coffee my D came home and declared that she was almost certainly going to attend Harvard instead of Yale. Her primary reason, after that long talk with the Harvard student, was that Boston was a cooler city than New Haven.</p>

<p>It was obviously her decision, but my gut told me that she would be happiest at Yale and that she may have regrets. I kept my mouth shut. The only thing I suggested was that she be make the ol’ pros and cons list about each school. After arriving home late the next evening I noticed her list sitting on the table. Clearly Yale was the winner and as expected, she announced her final decision the next morning.</p>

<p>Unbeknownst to my D, I kept the list for her memory box. I just looked at it and Harvard racked up just 5 items in the “pros” list; the most compelling being “Boston.” Yale, on the other hand, had a list of 12 items on my daughter’s list (my sense is Yale’s list could have been even longer but she saw the light by that point).</p>

<p>After watching my now-Yalie daughter have the most enjoyable freshman year I could ever imagine for her, two of the items on her Yale “pros” list stand out as having been especially spot-on: “community atmosphere” and “people=easy to get along with, laid back.” Yes, the academics are superb–arguably better than Harvard’s with its disproportionate graduate school focus. And yes, the faculty has been beyond accessible as my D is on a first-name basis and in regular communication with most of her profs. The majority of her classes have been small (less than 20) encouraging plenty of interaction and dialogue with the professors and other students. The extra-curricular opportunities are rich and endless. The university is blessed with amazing financial resources (e.g., my D received a generous grant to study abroad this summer). And the distinguished speakers that come through Yale on a weekly basis are astounding. The myriad speakers and Masters teas provide wonderful, stimulating enrichment to Yale students. Despite all these wonderful characteristics, I am confident that my D would tell you it’s the extraordinary people that make Yale most special.</p>

<p>My D’s fellow students are brilliant, caring, interested, engaged, fun-loving, informed, arts-appreciating, tolerant, supportive, collaborative, and HAPPY. I’m not sure you will find the same type of people or sense of community at Harvard.</p>

<p>Think long and hard about your decision. The prestige factor is irrelevant when you’re talking about these two world-renowned schools (and by the way, Yale happens to currently hold the #1 spot for “student selectivity” in the 2010 U.S. News and World Report rankings–above Harvard and Princeton).</p>

<p>If you crave the highest level of intellectual engagement as well as emotional and social fulfillment, choose Yale.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

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<p>teachcounsel - I’m glad your daughter is loving Yale. That said, you could replace “Yale” with “Harvard” in your post, (and “Masters Teas” with “IOP Forums”) and you’d have described my freshman year to a t. I loved the community atmosphere and I found my roommates/classmates/friends incredibly easy to get along with.</p>

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<p>I am in the exact same Yale/Harvard situation as some of the above posters, and I’m absolutely agonizing over my decision! </p>

<p>Everyone’s experiences are so…individual. I hope so much to be happy wherever I end up, and I somehow can’t get over the feeling that no matter which school I choose, I will always somehow hold some regret that I didn’t go to the other one. </p>

<p>I returned from both Bulldog Days and Harvard’s Prefrosh weekend with renewed perspective. Unfortunately, far from helping me, I think that the visit days have left me even more conflicted than ever before! I thought for sure I would experience a “gut feeling,” but I got that oft-talked-about “positive sensation” from both schools. At Yale, I was overjoyed, after I settled in and met some people–I felt like it was summer camp or something. Everyone loves the school, though it definitely has certain drawbacks (New Haven, for instance), and come Wednesday when the program ended, I was pretty ready to matriculate. When I got to Harvard, though, things were surreal–at first it was just extremely overwhelming, and then over the course of the three days I grew to love it, as well (though, like Yale, it also has its own problems). By the time I left Monday afternoon, I was ready to buy a sweatshirt–to me, that means commitment! Now, sitting back home here, a little more removed from it all, I still feel 50/50. One moment I can see myself as a Yalie, and the next as a Harvard student.</p>

<p>I’m so stuck! This decision is killing me. I’m losing sleep. Please, keep contributing! These posts are so helpful…does anyone else have any advice?</p>

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<p>Captivated wrote: >>I am in the exact same Yale/Harvard situation as some of the above posters, and I’m absolutely agonizing over my decision!</p>

<p>Everyone’s experiences are so…individual. I hope so much to be happy wherever I end up, and I somehow can’t get over the feeling that no matter which school I choose, I will always somehow hold some regret that I didn’t go to the other one. <<</p>

<p>Not worth worrying about. When choosing between Harvard and Yale, the odds are very, very high that you will fall in love with whichever you choose.</p>

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<p>Congrats on getting into Yale and Harvard! </p>

<p>That said, you just cannot make a mistake. It is as simple as that - going to either one of the two will be a success. </p>

<p>I think that one thing that might help you in making the decision is deciding on what you want to study once you graduate and where. If your going to do something related to science then Harvard definitely is the better place to go to. If, however, you feel like doing political science, law, government, etc, Yale prevails. Especially, if you think of going to the law school of Yale, it might be a huge asset going to Yale as an undergraduate student. </p>

<p>Do not spend too much time thinking of it. Historically it is proven that making important decisions quickly or even right at the spot leads to successful outcomes…You have stressed out enough around the AP’s, SAT’s and maintaining excellent performance at school…Take it easy! No wrong choice here…</p>

<p>Good luck and be happy wherever you decide to go! :)</p>

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<p>if it make’s any difference:</p>

<p>[The</a> Yaliens Among Us | The New York Observer](<a href=“http://www.observer.com/node/125502]The”>10 Best CBD Companies to Buy From in 2023: Honest Reviews & Guide | Observer)</p>

<p>Its not obvious. I would have been very skeptical of this article at first but the off-campus community at Yale has been a huge part of my life. Its a hotbed of creativity and “different” thinking whereas Harvard, at least from the 15-20 people I know that go there, do more of the same. Harvard is sort of the typical way to go…</p>

<p>also New Haven >>>>>> Cambridge…don’t let people tell you Boston is better. New Haven is the MOST DIVERSE place I’ve ever been to and is a great American city. Go to Boston if you want the “most” college town. Go to New Haven is you want something different…</p>

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<p>On the phone from his offices the other day, Mr. Stein (class of ’95) wistfully recalled his days running with the Yale off-campus crowd—by his description, a group of uncommonly intense and creatively inclined undergrads who ate meals and drank with grad students and professors, and who saw each other all the time and partied together.</p>

<p>“There was a sense that the institution made room for freaks,” Mr. Stein said. “It was a place where there were bars and cafes where you’d bump into people you really looked up to and wanted to learn from. There was a lot of self-directed reading going on. My friends were the kinds of people who often cut classes but took reading very seriously.”</p>