<p>I was talking to a friend of mine at Harvard who said he chose Harvard over Yale and Princeton because of its name. Personally, I visited Yale yesterday and loved it. However, I'm still stumbling on this whole "name" thing. I mean sure, if you go to an average person in America and ask what the best school is, they'll say "Harvard." The name "Harvard" has been drilled into the minds of people everywhere. Does the name really even matter that much? And if I do somehow get into both Harvard and Yale, should I pick Harvard over Yale just for the name? (doing this if I like both schools equally well)</p>
<p>Well, that is a personal decision. just look at the course offerings for the major you're interested in, and then choose. I'm not saying I side with one, but ideally the "name" shouldn't be a factor in your decision.
but then again, we're talking harvard and yale...</p>
<p>I would feel really sad for you if you felt that the "name" was the most important difference.</p>
<p>Exactly....</p>
<p>I see your point Predator. Actually, that is a real big issue and most people are not willing to admit to. Just like food....said, ideally the "name" should not be a factor but very often... it is. In another thread, someone was describing how the only thing that he did not enjoy while visiting Yale, was the overwhelming need that the Yalies he encountered had of saying how Yale was just as great as Harvard ( a subtle inferiority complex..dont u think? ) On the other hand, he found Harvard students way too arrogant. I think we need to choose on the basis of where we "fit" in the most, taking everything into consideration. If a "name" is part of your personal equation, then you will need to consider it. No need to rationalize it any other way even in some people feel "sad" for u.</p>
<p>honestly, in terms of prestige and name recognition, Yale, Harvard, Princeton and Stanford are all the same. you should definitely choose the one that fits you most personally.</p>
<p>Last December my neighbor had been picking up my mail and noticed my son was getting a lot of college pamphlets. I said that should stop now that he was accepted to Yale. My neighbor said, "Yale? Where's that? I know Harvard's in Boston and Princeton's in New Jersey, but where's Yale?" So, yes, you may have to give up that #1 name recognition that Harvard has, but it's four years of your life so you better pick the school that is the best fit for you -- not the one your neighbor will best recognize!</p>
<p>well in discussions of name recognition i think the professional/prospective employer's opinion is slightly more important than that of the neighbor</p>
<p>You yourself said you loved Yale. Who cares about the name? If you said you loved Harvard but only "heard" good things about Yale or Stanford, etc. then I'd ask you: Why aren't you choosing Harvard?</p>
<p>Having graduated from Yale, I can tell you that there are plenty of EXCELLENT folks from Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Univ. Washington, Michigan State, Valparaso, Holyoke, Caltech, etc.... </p>
<p>THe whole "US News and World Reports" name prestige is VASTLY overblown and I feel bad that HS students and their families buy into it. It's a bunch of baloney. I never feel bad that the kids I interview don't get into Yale because on the whole, they are extremely impressive and I'm confident that they'll do ABSOLUTELY fine whereever they attend and won't exhaust all that their chosen college will have to offer them.</p>
<p>Ask me if I care that people don't know Yale is in New Haven? And ask me if I care if a person would judge me harshly because I was a Yale alum vs. a Harvard alum. Why should you?</p>
<p>If you're in the plum situation to choose Yale or Harvard or other places, find out which is the best fit for you. I loved Yale and couldn't have imagined being in Cambridge. But that's me. You gotta figure it out yourself. </p>
<p>Dump that "name" garbage -- really.</p>
<p>Ah, don't bash the OP! I'm sort of in the same boat. I applied early to Yale bc it's my first choice. It's only an hour away from where i live, it has a large gay community, and it's freakin' yale! Still, i applied RD to harvard, and if i get in i'll be tempted by the presumably better science depts, location, and name. It's hard to resist harvard!</p>
<p>Yes please do. You certainly won't be able to drop the H bomb on your neighbors going to Yale.</p>
<p>MovieBuff, I had exactly the same experience on my Yale tour. The tour guide was going on about how the library was the second largest (to H) but how Yale was so much better in other ways like residential colleges, people etc. I think it's great that there's a competitive spirit at Yale, but I wouldn't feel too happy at a place where people are always trying to measure up to another college.</p>
<p>On the other hand, I liked how there was no mention of Harvard and Yale on my Princeton tour.</p>
<p>Ha, on my Princeton tour the girl told us about the Yale bulldog inscribed in the pipe on some building.</p>
<p>Anyway, as everyone else has said and is going to say, your #1 factor for decision should be which school you like, not which has "more prestige." No one would ever scoff at the name Yale, whichever way you look at it. It's nice to have a name like Harvard, but it's nicer to be happier where you're going to school.</p>
<p>There is a whole art to how to drop the H bomb, you know. It was illustrated to me just this past February when the father of a student mentioned he (the father) had gone to a small New England college and then when I made the mistake of asking which one, he said "Harvard." I asked if that's a graduation requirement, learning to drop the word Harvard just so. It truly seemed studied.
And, you can all continue to have all the fun with my neighbor story that you want, but it is an apt example of how the poster above was wrong in saying Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford are all the same -- they're not. Harvard is the gold standard to the general public and no other school has that cachet. But, I'm a proud mom of a future Eli and I'm glad that he had the wisdom to choose the best school for him, not the most recognizable.</p>
<p>I did not say that all were equal in name power - certainly, Harvard is the "gold-standard" to the general public. But bear in mind that Yale is Yale and Princeton is Princeton... and no one who knows anything about all three would say "Oh you only went to YALE."</p>
<p>Yale is a pretty well known name too.</p>
<p>In China, most people know Harvard and Yale but not Princeton :(</p>
<p>Soryusen,</p>
<p>We're in agreement. Sorry if it seemed I misunderstood your post.</p>
<p>
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In China, most people know Harvard and Yale but not Princeton
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</p>
<p>In China, you're not allowed to access Wikipedia.</p>
<p>Seriously...who cares? Not trying to be racist at all (I myself am Asian). I just don't think it's relevant what people in China think when you're choosing which college is "worth it" for you.</p>
<p>come on its "HYP" for a reason....Yale is undoubtedly a big name. With employers and with the general public, Yale is extremely prestigious.</p>