<p>rd31, so you are sincerely proposing that at the very least, 94-96% of the recs are positive and a student wouldn’t be warned their rec is negative? And that no less than 6% of the applicants are unqualified for a med school of any choice? I’m not saying that you do not know what you are talking about, but I personally think you are trying to deceive us to better promote Yale. Career Services=some doctoring involved, whether you’ll admit it to us how it’s actually done or not is your prerogative.</p>
<p>Datalook,
Thanks for the data, but that is not what I want. I was looking for the MCAT scores of Stanford and Yale undergraduates who apply to medical schools to determine the successful rate for admission.</p>
<p>To the OP,
If you want a better known name, go to Stanford. If you want a better undergradaute education go to Dartmouth.</p>
<p>Stanford’s name is earned by its great gradauate and professional schools. Its undergraduate school is overrated. Its SAT scores are on par with Dartmouth and Duke and below HYPM. It is not an undergraduate focused school.</p>
<p>*If you want a better known name, go to Stanford. If you want a better undergradaute education go to Dartmouth. *</p>
<p>I think these are really unfair and unfounded assessments. Simply because Stanford cares about its graduate programs doesn’t mean its undergraduate program is lacking. For example, over 75% of classes are under 20 students and the vast majority of classes are taught by professors with TAs normally only used for supplementary discussion groups and labs. According to statistics, the prof/student ratio is about 7:1, which rivals Dartmouths. As most undergrads would attest to, the graduate population is really out of the way. So much so in fact that no one knows where they all are. </p>
<p>Furthermore, Stanford’s graduate schools enhance the undergraduate education in ways that Dartmouth can’t match. Undergraduates are allowed to enroll in classes in ANY of the graduate schools such as law, business, medicine, etc.
Additionally, Stanford’s focus on research also benefits undergraduates, in that it spends the most money out of any university in the US on undergraduate research.
Stanford’s overseas programs are also some of the best in the nation, I would maybe even say better than HYPM. </p>
<p>Lastly, using SAT scores to justify your point is rather silly. Take a look at the decisions thread. Kids with extremely high test scores were slaughtered while a lot with lower scores were admitted. If Stanford really wanted to it could easily have higher scores (even though they’re already some of the highest in the nation to begin with.) And if SAT scores = strength of undergraduate education then Caltech is the best college in the country, hands down, no question.</p>
<p>hippo- some people would argue that Caltech is indeed the best college in the country! (was ranked #1 at one point you know!)</p>
<p>^omgitsover - And there are also more graduate students than undergrads at Caltech, yet it can be argued that Caltech has the best undergraduate education in the country, as you said. So Stanford, despite its excellent graduate programs, can also offer a great undergrad experience as well.</p>
<p>Anyone who tries to claim that Stanford’s undergrad is subpar is really, really splitting hairs…</p>
<p>Wow. I’m even more undecided now than when I first started this thread.</p>
<p>But because of financial aid I think I’m going to pick Stanford… I hope I’m making the right choice.</p>
<p>I doubt you’ll regret it.</p>
<p>Great choice!</p>
<p>ehhh, can we get a heavy discussion for me too :)</p>
<p>I have Stanford and Brown to choose from… I live in VA, so def. more comfortable w/ the east coast. I’m pretty chill with everything, so I have no worries of adapting to west coast life. Though Stanford has given an awesome finaid package, Brown’s open curriculum is just the ****. I think its perfect for me, academically, because I don’t really have a concrete idea for what I want to major in. THe freedom to choose and explore and take whatever I want just fits me perfectly. Let the persuading begin :)</p>
<p>I don’t know, I mean it seems you’d enjoy Brown’s freedom. I’m curious, though, isn’t Stanford relatively free too? I know at least one girl who goes there who brushed off my asking her what her major was, even in sophomore year – it was I think sophomore year, second semester that she decided on something. She was definitely one of those “Oh, I don’t know what I want to study” types of people going into college, and things seem to have worked well for her. </p>
<p>To my knowledge, it is in general true that Stanford doesn’t require you to choose a major early on either, but hopefully Stanford students will correct me or confirm this.</p>
<p>Stanford doesn’t require you to declare until the beginning of junior year. But if you wait that long and then pick something completely out of left field (like you’ve taken all math classes, and suddenly decide to be an English major), you’ll end up taking five years to finish.</p>
<p>Duke is in nc, close to home and to the places and people that I like. It would be an easy jump, and Duke’s got a really nice campus and the whole place seems very comfortable. Stanford, is waay on the other side of the country, and I would be leaving everybody behind, but it’s got more prestige (potentially helpful later on when the job hunt comes), better weather, and (when all scholarships are said and done), marginally cheaper. Also, it’s cali duuuudddeee and it would be sweet. </p>
<p>As a reply to other posts…for people living in the South who have never had to live through a northern winter before, I would not underrate weather as a factor. It can get pretty brutal when you have days in a row where it’s just impossible to go outside. So, in answer to Dartmouth v Stanford, Stanford for sure, if you’re south of the mason-dixon</p>
<p>Stanford has one of the best overseas programs.</p>
<p>Stanford has some of the best professors in the world (I had chemistry from Linus Pauling and biochemistry from Paul Berg = both Noble prize winners). I had Shakespear from world expert in Shakespear and we often met at his home. TAs only in labs. Of the “Ivys” only the Stanfords of the East (ie Harvard and Yale) come close.</p>
<p>I’m currently on the waiting list for Columbia.</p>
<p>If taken off I might consider it.</p>
<p>Would you choose Columbia or Stanford?</p>
<p>^Columbia and Stanford present completely different lifestyles. My son, who spent significant time at Stanford, could not picture himself there (“it feels like a country club where people go to class…”). He loved everything about Columbia (the core, the city, the students, etc.). He applied ED to Columbia, got in, and never looked back.</p>
<p>If you have the chance to visit both, please do. Your choice should be immediately apparent. If you’ve been to both, you probably know, deep down, what your choice is. Remember, they’re both great schools, and how you want to live, day-to-day, for the next four years should carry the issue.</p>
<p>That’s a great point… thanks</p>
<p>I’m a non-traditional (33 yrs) resuming transfer student, former high school dropout, first generation, and just found out I’m one of 23 admitted transfer students at Stanford. Crazy!</p>
<p>Here are my choices:</p>
<p>Stanford (no financial aid info yet)
Reed (full ride)
Mills (very good award package)
University of Texas-Austin (no financial aid info yet)
University of Washington-Seattle (no decision yet)
University of San Francisco (crappy, impossible financial aid award)
Lewis&Clark (award not that great either)</p>
<p>Right now I’m hella stuck between Stanford, Reed, and Mills.</p>
<p>*I’m an Art History major and former professional journalist- looking to study both at grad level later.
*I have a dog and will be looking for good, CHEAP off-campus housing.
*I’m old as the hills and want to be around people my age if possible.
*I’m a lesbian and want to go to a school that offers good queer community.
*I’m flat broke and the financial aid package is VITALLY important.</p>
<p>There are only days in which to make this decision.
What would YOU do?</p>
<p>(Thanks :)</p>
<p>I just got off of Stanford’s waitlist and am now having to choose between Dartmouth and Stanford. The OP was leaning towards the sciences and I have read on multiple boards how superior Stanford’s science/tech department is compared to Dartmouth (or most schools for that matter), but I plan on majoring in economics and minoring in either government or linguistics and am planning to become fluent in as many languages as I possibly can. I have 7 days to choose and I have no idea what I want. Based off of that information what arugments do you all have to sway me either way?</p>
<p>My other major criteria for college is the environment that I’ll be in for the next 4 years. I don’t know how I feel about the whole graduate emphasis/undergrad opportunity debate yet with Stanford (I lean more towards the greater focus on the undergrad i.e. Dartmouth) but I do know that I really enjoyed the student atmosphere at Dartmouth when I visited. Everyone there was on a Dartmouth high that was quite invigorating. The “it’s in the middle of nowhere” and “all there is to do there is play pong and drink” arguments don’t phase me. I however have never visited Stanford, and that’s why I can’t decide because I don’t know what four years I’d be passing up if I chose Dartmouth over Stanford.</p>