<p>I am deciding between Yale or Princeton early action. Can anyone with a good sense of both schools give me a bit of advice as to which school I should choose for early action? (which school I'd have a better chance at early, which one fits my interests better)</p>
<p>A few stats:</p>
<ul>
<li>Asian American</li>
<li>2390 SAT </li>
<li>800 Chemistry / 800 Math II Subject Tests</li>
<li><p>National AP Scholar (perfect score of 5 on 8 AP exams) </p></li>
<li><p>Extremely dedicated cellist (many national & regional awards, have been playing for 10 years)</p></li>
<li><p>Heavily involved in science-related extracurriculars, lots of regional/state awards</p></li>
<li><p>Both of my teacher recommendations are excellent. My English teacher told me I was one of the best students he's had, and I'm sure my math teacher wrote me a great rec as well (and both are great writers). </p></li>
</ul>
<p>I am considering either a chemistry or music degree in college.</p>
<p>@Wiggins: I’m sure people on an advice forum for Yale admissions just love seeing people with your rationale. If you could spread that gospel, I’m sure the Yale aspirants would be very grateful.</p>
<p>@Natrod: the Y vs. P discussion can be found both here and on the Princeton forum. If you search, they won’t be hard to find. </p>
<p>Applying early to either will NOT boost your chances. So if possible, try to visit both. Good luck</p>
<p>Stats wise, you are very qualified for both, so I think the question you need to ask yourself is: If you get in both, which one is the one you are more likely to attend? Then EA to that one. That way, although as T26E4 pointed EA is not boosting your chance, in case you are waitlisted in the early round, you’d have another shot for that school in the regular round.</p>
<p>Have you visited both schools? They are very different in terms of location and atmosphere and what that brings to the college experience. At least Yale seems to favor kids who can relate to that difference. In other words “fit” is very important and it probably is true that many students will fit more appropriately at one school more so than the other. </p>
<p>At our high school early admission acceptance at Yale is typically much higher than regular admission. Last year, out of 7 acceptances, 6 were early. The Spring admit was with a likely letter. Class size was 250.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for all of the great advice! This really is very helpful to me </p>
<p>A question about the social scene: to anyone intimate with Yale’s atmosphere, how competitive is it? Is there “cutthroat” competition? I do expect the academics to be very intense, but are the people there really great people to be around or are they locked up in a room studying? Are there a lot of sociable, friendly people or are there a lot of “stuck up” people? </p>
<p>Thanks in advance to anyone who takes/took the time to answer my questions (financial situations prevent me from making college visits - I live in Lousiana and plane tickets are so expensive these days).</p>
<p>Princeton and Yale are both great schools. However, the town of Princeton is very different than New Haven. If you like suburbia and a bucolic setting, then Princeton may be a better option for you. If you enjoy the vibrancy of city life, you may lean towards Yale. My son was lucky enough to be accepted to both Yale and Princeton and he choose Yale because the sound of lawn mowers, leaf blowers and birds on a Saturday and Sunday morning just seemed a little too boring for him. He felt the students at Yale were more energetic, enthusiastic and had more get-up-and-go. But, I’m sure someone else feels the same way about Princeton.
Are you more of a city mouse or a country mouse?</p>
<p>The little that I have gleaned from conversations with my son, who is a freshman, is the following:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>During the week, the students are pretty academically focused. He told me that if he does 5-6 hours of homework per day during the week, his weekends are for the most part homework free. YMMV. He said that there are easier classes that don’t require as much time commitment, but he didn’t choose Yale to coast.</p></li>
<li><p>People are friendly and sociable. My son is in an a cappella group; therefore, he has met many people and made quite a few friends since the beginning of the year.</p></li>
<li><p>My son’s roommate, who is in the Directed Studies program, goes out with him on the weekend. Last weekend, they came in both nights around 4 a.m… I think many Yale students like to have fun and are very sociable. I witnessed this during move-in day.</p></li>
<li><p>The musical opportunities at Yale are incredible. You will meet many musicians of a very high caliber. </p></li>
<li><p>If you are a student with high financial need who is admitted to Yale, Yale will probably pay for you to visit the campus in April.</p></li>
<li><p>Check out the Why I chose Yale YouTube video. [That’s</a> Why I Chose Yale - YouTube](<a href=“That's Why I Chose Yale - YouTube”>That's Why I Chose Yale - YouTube)</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Yale is by no means easy - The difference between expectations for high school students and college students is fairly large. Yale really pushed me to round out my intellectual abilities and to go to a whole new level academically. But thanks to some amazing professors (of which Yale has many), I have become a much better writer, speaker and thinker. If you come to Yale (or if you go to Princeton, for that matter), you will be very busy, but if you throw yourself into your work, you will take a lot away from it as well. Oh, and don’t worry, if you manage your time well, you will also have plenty of time for extracurriculars. In addition to classes, I’m in a touring a cappella group, a political justice organization, a tutoring volunteer program, a bible study, and I work two jobs. And I have time to sleep, eat, work out, and relax as well. </p>
<p>And Yale students are the best people to hang out or study with - fun, down to earth (i.e. not pretentious at all), incredibly talented, and really talented. When my parents visited Yale for the first time to visit me, they were struck by how normal everyone seemed. Yale is a very comfortable environment.</p>
<p>The Yale music scene is great. There is a niche for every interest (and a downright insane number of a cappella groups, which are also tons of fun).</p>
<p>Regarding chemistry and your potential interest in science, you should know that Yale is currently pouring loads of money into their science programs and heavily recruiting science-oriented students. Science at Yale is alive and well, evidenced by the University’s recent announcement regarding a new biological sciences/chemistry building being built in order to accommodate more science professors and more students interested in the sciences. You would have many many resources at your fingertips.</p>
<p>Anyway, best of luck in your decision. There’s no right answer here!</p>
<p>Honestly, I think you should go with Yale. I have toured the science section at Yale, and any future scientist would absolutely love it. There are tons of opportunities there for scientists (as there are for Princeton). But here is why I think you should apply to Yale Early (btw I have been to Princeton as well): </p>
<p>I think that the humanities and science departments at Yale are both stellar whereas Princeton’s arts seem to outweigh their sciences (or their sciences are highly underrated). But obviously, both schools have fantastic programs. I think that Yale is a better fit because you will be able to grow both of your interests equally. I know someone at Yale who chose it over Princeton for the music department and does not have a single regret! </p>
<p>My daughter went to Yale . . . I wish she had chosen Princeton instead . . . I know this is not a popular response on a Yale forum, but you asked, and this is my honest opinion . . . Why? I do not want to go into great detail for personal reasons, but I would really look closely at both schools . . .</p>
</p>