<p>So, where should I go? I am so lost.<br>
I am not sure about my major, but probably study science rather than humanities. But I also want to be well-balanced.
I like Yale, but I fear Yale's curriculum is too humanity-based.
I like cities, and prefer Boston to New Haven. But Princeton's campus is so pretty.
MIT Sloan offers very decent business majors for undergrad, but not sure I want to study business as an undergrad!
And plus, does Yale enjoy a better name than Princeton or MIT?
Help me!</p>
<p>You have many options in a Yale curriculum. It's non-science requirements are not heavy at all -- plus you'll probably hear about some fantastic lecturers that will draw you to them. </p>
<p>Is Yale's name better than P or M? For whatever it's worth, they've all attained a magical status -- my perspective is that they're all equal or only shades of differences.</p>
<p>Definitely visit and spk w/many students.</p>
<p>Go to Yale. New Haven isn't bad, the buildings are nicer than Princeton's, and Princeton is too rural to me (it takes longer to get places, which I really hate). The academics are awesome at all three of these schools, but you have smaller classes at Yale, you have the residential college system, more resources, cooler sweaters, more school spirit ... I could go on.</p>
<p>Yale does enjoy a better name than Princeton or MIT, but the difference is miniscule among employers.</p>
<p>Also, the general views of Princeton as snobby (mostly due to the Eating Clubs/bickering) and MIT as geeky hold true to a certain extent (especially the latter notion).</p>
<p>Of course, what you really should do is visit the schools and talk to the students and go to the one that you like the most.</p>
<p>PS: I think you're right about not studying business in college. Most financial institutions have training programs anyway. You're better off taking some econ and some math.</p>
<p>First off, congrats on your wonderful acceptance list! </p>
<p>You should definitely visit the schools. You cannot go wrong with your choices, but they all have a unique culture and you will hopefully have a gut reaction about where you'd be most happy when you visit. I was choosing between these schools too and now, several years later, I have had the opportunity to be at all of them). Below are some of the things I considered:</p>
<p>1) MIT has a core science curriculum. You will take math, bio, chem, and physics. Your major will have a very specific set of course that you must complete. Yale and Princeton have distribution requirements, but they tend to be a lot more flexible. The result: with an engineering or science degree from MIT, you wil have a very strong background in anything you should possibly know. At Yale and Princeton you can create this strong background for yourself. They offer the courses you need but will not necessairly make you take them to graduate. On the flip side, Yale and Princeton have a lot more humanities offerings than MIT. Many MIT students go to Harvard for advanced language, literature, and history offerings.</p>
<p>2) Living and eating. This might sound pedestrian, but it is important. If you're the type of person who likes pretty buildings, dining facilities with all-you-can-eat options, regular meal times, go to Yale or Princeton. If your someone who likes nerd culture, have science experiments running in your room, eating at odd hours from food-courts/restaurants, MIT is a better choice. </p>
<p>3) Atheletics. MIT is Div 3 and Yale and Princeton at Div 1. The talent required and the time commitment at Yale and Princeton is much more substantial than at MIT</p>
<p>4) The school schedules are different. Yale has long summer and Christmas breaks. MIT has January off. </p>
<p>5) Location. MIT is in Cambridge (and some housing is in Boston), but Princeton is close to New York. New Haven has the best cheap eats and free stuff like concerts. Boston is the easiest to fly in and out of.</p>
<p>6) Prestige wise, the schools are the same. As long as you do well and take challenging classes, no grad school or company is going to look down on you.</p>
<p>
[quote]
New Haven isn't bad, the buildings are nicer than Princeton's, and Princeton is too rural to me (it takes longer to get places, which I really hate). The academics are awesome at all three of these schools, but you have smaller classes at Yale, you have the residential college system, more resources, cooler sweaters, more school spirit ... I could go on.</p>
<p>Yale does enjoy a better name than Princeton or MIT, but the difference is miniscule among employers.</p>
<p>Also, the general views of Princeton as snobby (mostly due to the Eating Clubs/bickering) and MIT as geeky hold true to a certain extent (especially the latter notion).
[/quote]
I disagree about the buildings being nicer at Yale. :D Also:
1. Princeton is rural, but very close to the most urban city possible: NYC. Students very frequently go to NYC for conferences, shows, even classes (my suitemate takes a dance class in NYC).
2. Princeton has a smaller student body than Yale, so I rather doubt that Yale could have smaller class sizes. I've had classes with as few as 6 people (and with a full professor!).
3. Princeton has a larger endowment per student than Yale ($1.68 million vs. $1.34 million). Factor out all of Yale's professional school endowments, and Princeton has significantly more resources to spend on each undergrad student than Yale does.
4. I can't say whether Yale or Princeton has more school spirit, but those who go to Princeton certainly love the school, as evidenced by Princeton having the highest alumni-giving rates.
5. Princeton isn't any snobbier than Yale or Harvard. They all go for the same types of high school applicants.</p>
<p>But I agree that it would be way more useful to visit both campuses.</p>