Is Stanford the "obvious choice?"

College Search & Selection
1

<p>cross-posting from Stanford Board:
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/stanford-university/1313811-stanford-obvious-choice.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/stanford-university/1313811-stanford-obvious-choice.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>I have been lucky enough to have been accepted to some great schools.</p>

<p>Dartmouth, UPenn (CAS), Duke, and now Stanford.</p>

<p>I am relatively "undecided" but I don't really think I want to be an engineer (although my HS transcript would probably indicate otherwise). </p>

<p>If I hadn't gotten into S, I probably would have ended up at Duke or Dartmouth. Dartmouth really appealed to me because I visited and felt they really did emphasize undergraduate teaching, but on the flipside, Stanford really is a research institution that has (potentially) even more to offer. </p>

<p>As a sidenote, I'm interested in Music Composision and plan to play in LSJUMB and the Wind Ensemble if I matriculate. I will probably study music to some degree. And I think that although Stanford is not Yale or Harvard in this regard, the program there would be comparable to Music Studies at Duke, Dartmouth, or Penn..</p>

<p>I haven't checked my aid yet but I'm guessing that Stanford's aid is going to blow the other's out of the water.... (upper middle class)</p>

<p>I'd really like some insight into my situation.</p>

<p>A later post of mine:

[quote]
Honestly, I feel a little "lost." I really have no idea what I want to study and realistically I could see myself focusing on anything from pre-med to pre-law with something like psychology or poly sci falling in between. I know that all of these schools encourages experimentation in new disciplines. </p>

<p>As far as climate goes, I'm from Florida and I don't like the heat at all, so any of these schools will be an improvement :P. Then again I'm not sure how I feel about the frigid Northeastern temps. </p>

<p>Access to cities... I live in the suburbs of a large, bay area city already so Stanford would be within my comfort zone. Additionally I have some family that lives within 20 minutes of Palo Alto. Realistically, I can totally see myself there. </p>

<p>I did get to visit UPenn, and the campus was beautiful, although people seem to hate the housing. Dartmouth was very nice, and very secluded and Hanover was pretty cool. Duke I haven't visited but from what I hear Durham is sub-par to nearby Chapel Hill. I hate for my decision to come down to something so superficial.</p>

<p>As far as research, that's definitely something I'd want to pursue as an undergrad.

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<p>
[quote]
Finance & econ also interests me and I know Duke / Dartmouth are heavily recruited. Seeing as Stanford has a great business school like Duke/Dmouth I'm guessing the same applies.

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2

<p>These are all strong schools and you wouldn’t go wrong with any of them. If you’re leaning towards a tech career Stanford would be the way yo go, for banking or consulting I’d pick Dartmouth.</p>

3

<p>bump (10 char).</p>

4

<p>“Duke I haven’t visited but from what I hear Durham is sub-par to nearby Chapel Hill. I hate for my decision to come down to something so superficial.”</p>

<p>It’s only superficial if you didn’t have a superior choice. </p>

<p>Stanford is the obvious choice.</p>

5

<p>Oh good grief, these are all completely comparable schools. Unless there is a significant financial difference, it’s all just personal choice / preference.</p>

6

<p>Yes, wait until all of the financial aid details come out before your final decision.</p>

<p>If net cost is comparable enough, then look at academic fit, career fit (including effect of location on post-graduation employment), and social / school environment fit.</p>

7

<p>For Music Composition, I believe Duke has the strongest program but this might be more relevant at the graduate level and the difference is pretty small.</p>

<p>[NRC</a> Rankings Overview: Music - Faculty - The Chronicle of Higher Education](<a href=“NRC Rankings Overview: Music”>NRC Rankings Overview: Music)
S-RANK
Duke: 9-20
Penn: 10-24
Stanford: 21-39
Dartmouth: not listed</p>

<p>All of these locations have their ups and downs. West Philly and Durham have some safety issues but Philly is an incredible city with a lot of cultural amenities while Durham has a lot of resources for mid-sized cities its size including a good restaurant scene and great performing arts.</p>

<p>[Official</a> Website Durham Performing Arts Center :: Home](<a href=“http://www.dpacnc.com/]Official”>http://www.dpacnc.com/)
[Durham’s</a> food scene earns New York Times mention, again | Big Bite](<a href=“http://www.indyweek.com/BigBite/archives/2011/01/11/durhams-food-scene-earns-new-york-times-mention-again]Durham’s”>http://www.indyweek.com/BigBite/archives/2011/01/11/durhams-food-scene-earns-new-york-times-mention-again)
[Duke</a> University | Music: Home](<a href=“http://music.duke.edu/]Duke”>http://music.duke.edu/)</p>

<p>Duke has a pretty highly regarded chamber orchestra and the music building is conveniently located on East Campus so it’s easily accessible by freshmen.</p>

<p>The quality of instruction will be high at all of these universities. I’ve had lunch with all 34 of my professors at Duke and they really go out of their way to meet undergraduates. In fact, the administration encourages it: [Duke</a> University | Student Affairs | OSAF (Office of Student Activities & Facilities) | FLUNCH](<a href=“Duke Student Affairs”>Duke Student Affairs)</p>

<p>You can’t go wrong with any of these schools so I suggest you attend the Admitted Days Student Weekend and go from there.</p>

8

<p>

That’s the bottom line. With all four of these schools, it’s really just a matter of personal preference and fit, and anything beyond that is counting angels on the head of a pin.</p>

<p>And by the way, Penn also has a take-your-professor-to-lunch program:</p>

<p><a href=“https://regstg.com/Registration/Introduction.aspx?rid=c62d86e5-d000-47f7-ba73-7ee5f7614e2c[/url]”>https://regstg.com/Registration/Introduction.aspx?rid=c62d86e5-d000-47f7-ba73-7ee5f7614e2c&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>I wouldn’t be surprised if all four of these schools do. :)</p>

9

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<p>Just wanted to add, Stanford has something similar: a tradition each quarter in all 80 residences is Faculty Dinner, which each residence has a dedicated portion of its budget for. It’s a very nice dinner, you personally invite a professor, and everyone spends an evening discussing all kinds of interesting topics over great food (if you live in one of the 30 houses, your chef/staff work overtime; if you live in the dorm and eat in the dining hall, it’s outfitted formally and restaurant-quality food is served). </p>

<p>If you live in the dorms, you can eat meals with your Resident Faculty member whenever. And since around 1,000 of the faculty members live on campus (in the “Faculty Ghetto,” adjacent to the “Freshman Ghetto”), it’s not uncommon for students to have dinner at a faculty member’s house (usually if you’re working with that professor, not just taking a class with them). Students even go trick-or-treating in the Faculty Ghetto - after all, it’s a short walk there, and everyone likes to be a kid again in college. :)</p>

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<p>I still haven’t been able to access my aid… But I used the net price calculator and it looks like my EFC for Stanford will be around 10k lower. This is obviously kind of a big difference. (The aid for the other three is comparable).</p>

<p>I don’t see myself attending all four admit weekends, but I will definitely have to visit Stanford, especially if that’s where the money points. Maybe I will narrow my choices down to Stanford and another school. Consdering I already visited Dmouth and Penn, perhaps Duke is worth checking out before I decide. </p>

<p>Ultimately, I think it’s going to be hard to come up with a $10000 reason to attend Duke/Dartmouth/Penn over Stanford… </p>

<p>I find it interesting that Stanford is ranked higher on the NRC list than some well known public schools that have semi-prestigious programs. Michigan, Ohio, and even FSU - which in Florida has the best program BY FAR. This reassures me that Stanford will be able to, at the very least, accommodate my interests.</p>

<p>Although Music Composition is an interest of mine, I’m not sure I want to pursue it professionally. I know a lot of universities allow students to major in music while following a pre-med track, is this possible at these schools? I know that they all allow for a double major. How feasible is this at these institutions?</p>

11

<p>Keep in mind that a) Stanford often surprises people with the financial aid they offer, and b) if you’re less than impressed and have a better offer elsewhere, there have been tons of cases in the past where Stanford gives a student more aid to compete with another school’s offer. If you aren’t able to log in by Monday, definitely call.</p>

12

<p>Agree all these schools are virtual academic equals. With your more niche interests in music comp and performance, you might be better served someplace other than Hanover, NH.</p>

<p>If money were not in play, I’d think you a best fit at Stanford. With money in play, Stanford seems pretty much a slam dunk.</p>

13

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<p>Count up the courses or credits needed to major in music at each school. Add the courses or credits needed to take the pre-med course work. Add in any remaining breadth requirements. If the total is fewer courses or credits than you will take at the school before graduation, then the combination is possible without overloading your schedule.</p>

<p>But note that music courses with performance and pre-med science courses with labs can be more time consuming than most courses.</p>

14

<p>FWIW, I’ve met Duke grads who had negative things to say about Duke. I’ve met actually a few Dartmouth grads who weren’t entirely thrilled with their Dartmouth experience. But I’ve never run into a Stanford grad who didn’t like Stanford. This includes grad students who did their undergrad at places like HYP so they could compare. So just based on years of listening to people talk about schools, I’d say, really focus on Stanford. And, as a Cal Berkeley grad, supporter and fan (go Bears) I don’t say this easily, lol. There IS something amazing about Stanford. Maybe it’s the palm trees and the sunshine. Maybe it’s the fact that Stanford is an Ivy-caliber school that doesn’t particularly care one bit about the Ivies themselves. I dunno. But it’s something pretty unique. (Go Bears anyway.)</p>

15

<p>I would chose Duke or Penn. The quarter system is a drag, and so that would knock out Dartmouth and Stanford in my book. But you cannot go wrong at any of these schools. </p>

<p>By the way, Duke’s campus is gorgeous, and Chapel Hill, one of America’s great college towns, is only seven short miles down the road. Duke also has a strong emphasis on research (especially biomedical, with one of the nation’s very best medical schools that takes lots of Duke undergrads, if you have an interest in that.</p>

16

<p>Stanford is the obvious choice, all things being equal. Assuming the cost of attendance and personal fit are not concerns, Stanford is a notch above the other schools.</p>

17

<p>As you can tell from this thread, there is no obvious choice. Everyone has their own opinions and they choose to voice them emphatically. Since you’ve visited Dartmouth and Penn, I suggest you visit Duke and Stanford. After that if you have specific questions, PM phantasmagoric if you have questions about Stanford. PM 45 Percenter if you have questions about Penn. PM bluedog, warblersrule, or me if you have questions about Duke and PM slipper1234 if you have questions about Dartmouth. I wouldn’t trust outsiders who don’t know specifics about any of these schools to give you meaningful advice one way or another.</p>

<p>Good luck and enjoy the rest of your senior year!:)</p>

18

<p>Thanks everyone for your amazing insight. Luckily I’m going on a family vacation for the next few days (spring break) so I’m going to talk to them about attending the admit weekend(s).</p>

19

<p>Definitely no ‘obvious’ choice, they are all great schools. Stanford unarguably has the most prestige but Dartmouth/Duke/Penn are not far behind. Either way, prestige alone doesn’t warrant attending one school over another, at least not to my mind. Dartmouth’s recent hazing scandal has been a bit perturbing, but friends who study there have assured me that it has been blown out of proportion. Other than that, they are all pretty comparable, I personally prefer the semester system and am a fan of warmer weather so I would probably have chosen Duke if I was in the same position, but Stanford is undoubtedly difficult to pass up.</p>

20

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<p>Let it be known, for generations to come, that a Bear DID say this. :p</p>