<p>Hi,</p>
<p>I've been reading CC for a while now and I get the impression that Princeton is perhaps weaker in humanities than comparable schools such as Yale (for example). Do you think that this would make it easier for students wanting to study humanities to get in to Princeton? </p>
<p>Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>Princeton is stronger in science and engineering, that doesn’t mean it’s weaker in humanities.</p>
<p>I don’t think generalizations like “this top school is weaker than X than this other top school” make much sense at this level. Places like Princeton, Yale, etc. all have top notch departments in the humanities. The differences come down to maybe having a few professors with one set of experiences rather than another, or maybe differences in degree requirements or how the particular major works. </p>
<p>But more to your direct question, no I don’t think it increases chances.</p>
<p>That makes sense I suppose. I think in the UK to some extent there’s a culture of trying to split hairs when it comes to universities such as Oxbridge and such. What you choose to study also makes quite a big difference in admission statistics which is why I asked. Thanks to both of you for your responses though!</p>
<p>I would give Yale the nod in some humanities departments. But I don’t think it makes a measurable difference in admissions chances for students.</p>
<p>I mean our history, french, classics, philosophy, religions, etc. dept are all ranked #1…</p>
<p>In contrary, I heard that Princeton had great humanities programs but lacked in the engineering department? The engineering quad is separated from the main colleges… can an alumni/ current student attest to that?</p>
<p>Although I know for a fact that the math department there is amazing</p>
<p>@mojo377 where could you possibly have heard that about Princeton’s engineering? It’s a world renowned department. One related article: [Princeton</a> Engineering ranked 2nd in world in new report | EQN](<a href=“http://eqn.princeton.edu/2012/10/princeton-engineering-ranked-2nd-in-world-in-new-report/]Princeton”>Princeton Engineering ranked 2nd in world in new report | EQN)
My son is a 2nd year BSE student and LOVES his department. The geographic distance only creates extra travel time but is in no way isolating.</p>
<p>I don’t think there’s a meaningful difference between the quality of our science vs. humanities programs, not in such sweeping terms. Personally I’ve found our engineering school to be very strong.</p>
<p>If you have specific interests within those broad terms (e.g. late-19th century english literature or something, as opposed to “the humanities”…) I’m sure various schools would have fewer or greater specialists in different fields. But I doubt it pays to try to game the system by applying AB versus BSE.</p>
<p>I recently read an article about Yale’s science/math/engineering programs being somewhat inferior to those at comparable schools (Princeton, Columbia, Penn. . . etc.), so I do think a comparison is possible here.</p>
<p>That being said, an interest in humanities vs. one in science will most likely not affect your chance of acceptance.</p>
<p>@cantiger wow I was not aware of that. That’s great news, actually, since I prefer the sciences over humanities. This just makes Princeton sound a lot better!</p>
<p>I guess I heard the negative rumors from people who preferred tech schools like MIT and Caltech over liberal arts schools</p>
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<p>I think Yale often bills itself as superior in the humanities (vs. H and P) because of this relative weakness in their natural sciences and math. But both H and P have stunning humanities programs to complement their strong sciences. The fact that Princeton is strong on both fronts certainly doesn’t make our humanities weaker than Yale’s.</p>
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<p>Exactly (plus politics and a stellar creative writing department).</p>
<p>The creative writing department! It’s amazing that undergraduates take small seminars with the likes of Jeffrey Eugenides etc. I think the department is a real hidden gem of Princeton - just phenomenal. Arts at Princeton are an area of real investment, just read the planning documents on the “neighborhoods” being created.</p>