Princeton or Harvard Math

Colleges and Universities A-Z Princeton University
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<p>Hey Everybody,</p>

<p>So I never really believed I would be in a position like this; I really feel grateful and humble. That being said, I am finding the decision ridiculously difficult.</p>

<p>I guess in order for you guys to make a claim about which school I should go to; you need to better understand who I am, what I want to do with my life, what major I wish to pursue, and what I like?</p>

<p>Life is this big game, and I believe the experiences we under go grant us depth and clarity. I believe that because of my exposure to different worlds and situations I have a much clearer outlook on life, and therefore I am ready to learn.</p>

<p>I take opportunities seriously, I keep on looking for new ways to broaden my intellectual, personal, social, and spiritual horizons, and I love challenging myself. I am a hard worker, I am a positive person, and I will always give everything my best shot because I refuse to have any regrets when I look back. I realize that in everything we do there is something that can be taken away and learned, and I love meeting new people and immersing myself in new ideas. I am obsessed with improving myself as an individual, spending every second of my day productively and giving back to the international community, in essence, making the world a better place.</p>

<p>I wish to purse my major in Mathematics because it is something I enjoy immensely and feel incredibly passionate about. Tinkering around with concepts and phenomena regarding the abstract and physical realities of mathematics gives me goosebumps. I always walk away happy from learning new proofs and the interconnected world of mathematics makes me feel like there is an underlying aesthetic secret that we are all missing. In short, I LOVE MATH.</p>

<p>I am a very active member in whichever community I have had the pleasure to be a part of, and I like venturing out of my comfort zone. I play rugby, act in theatre, debate, make robots, and work with the underprivileged.</p>

<p>In the end I am working towards becoming any one of the following a Mathematician, a World Leader, a Quant, or a Police Officer.</p>

<p>I have just about read every post on this forum related to Princeton v. Harvard, and I feel the general message that comes across is that Princeton has the superior undergraduate experience. All the Princeton graduates have satisfied and full filled responses on this forum, while a lot of the Harvard graduates were not too happy with their experiences (especially their sections). Everybody I know has been pressuring me to accept Harvard, and now I feel that I have been swayed. </p>

<p>HARVARD:
I think Harvard will polish me to be a better leader.
I believe the connections I'll make there will prove useful later on in life.
I get to be closer to a much larger grad program.
I save $12000 and air fare (Pakistan) over four years if I go to Harvard.
I like the color crimson more
City life sounds like fun
My family, peers and random strangers all want me to go to Harvard.
It seems like the extra curriculars at Harvard are stronger i.e there is more to do aside from classes.
The admissions officer have sent me a personal letter, called me and has been emailing me throughout the entire process.
I got a likely letter from Harvard.
Harvard was the first school I ever got into. </p>

<p>PRINCETON:
I think I will get more attention from the profs.
People say they were happier that they went to Princeton more than any other school.
The large suburban area seems like it would suit me well.
The lounges sound like fun.
I like tigers more than John Harvard
I hear the undergrad experience is unparalleled.
Princeton's Admissions Packet looked better.
They say that the nirvana college experience is undergrad Princeton and grad Harvard. (I can't possibly expect that to work out though; Harvard might not be an open door later on in life).</p>

<p>I apologize for the rambling, and I hope the information I have provided will be useful. I would really appreciate any feedback. Thank you very much, I apologize for any inconvenience, and I would be very grateful for any advice offered. I am also really sorry the post is this long!</p>

<p>I have done a fair amount of research on these schools and I still don't know where I want to go, but what I will say is that regardless of where I end up going, I am just grateful and excited that I get to go. And I am fairly sure it will be a life changing experience (like everything usually). Thank you.</p>

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<p>Just flip a coin: heads for Harvard, tails for Princeton. </p>

<p>You literally cannot go wrong on this.</p>

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<p>Hi Qasim. My name’s Ali and I’m from Lahore, Pakistan. I’m as torn as you are, albeit between different schools- Princeton and Dartmouth- and looking at your list of Pros and Cons makes me realise how similar my own list is. My parents and friends all want me to go to Princeton, and they overwhelmed me with their interest. But somehow I want to go to Dartmouth.
I don’t know how one says no to a school like H or P, but I think you should just do what you feel is right. I swear no amount of reviews or suggestions or stats will make a difference- both of them are brilliant, brilliant schools. The only thing that’s a factor is the aid. Princeton covers airfare (check page 2 or 3 of your aid package) which basically means they give you 2000$ per year for one round trip, 5 or 600$ of which you can save with a good travel agent. They then give internationals 400$ more if they want to go home in December, so overall 2 round trips back to Pakikstan are pretty much paid for. As for the other $12000, I am sure Princeton will match Harvard’s package.</p>

<p>PM me and we can talk in depth. I too need advice. And congratulations!!</p>

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<p>OP,</p>

<p>Are you saying Harvard offered you $3,000 a year more than Princeton? And they offered you plane fare every time you want to go home? It sounds like Harvard is really wooing you more than Princeton. Is that accurate? I agree with the above post; immediately contact Princeton’s f. aid and appeal your aid package if you really think you might want Princeton. Princeton’s aid is incredible. (As is Harvard’s)</p>

<p>Having said that, Princeton does have a fantastic math program, the focus on u/g teaching that can’t be matched at other Ivies, and, to quote a young friend, “XXX feels like a kid in a candy store at Princeton.” There are so many opportunities and Princeton seems to come alongside you much more than Harvard does, simply because it <em>can</em>.</p>

<p>What do <em>you</em> want to do in your heart? What do you parents say in terms of paying for college?</p>

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<p>My son has decided on P because of a fantastic maths and engineering department.
Also one other aspect of P which made him decide on P was the undergrad focus.
One cannot beat THAT!!</p>

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<p>I’ve heard that it’s quite common for undergrad math majors here to take grad math courses, and that in general our math dept is really good…</p>

<p>Good luck with your choice!</p>

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<p>Thanks for the feedback guys.</p>

<p>@Ali: Thanks dude, I’ll look into that.</p>

<p>@sbjdorlo: The financial aid details I provided are fairly accurate. Do I just email them and ask them to match Harvard? Sorry if that was a silly question.
I always thought/dreamed of going to Princeton because it just sounded incredible; I was also trying to be different than most of the people I know who were obsessed with the idea of going to Harvard. As I learned more and more about colleges, to say I fell in love with Princeton would be an understatement. So then I got a likely letter from Harvard, and I didn’t get interviewed by Princeton, so I was 100% sure that I wouldn’t get into Princeton and I convinced myself I want to go to Harvard. Then I found out I got into Princeton too, and now I feel conflicted. I have two siblings who my mom is putting through college as well, so although she said she was willing to foot the parent contribution for Princeton, I don’t want to burden her. Last but not least, I feel like I will be just another number at Princeton, while Harvard has kind of made me special. Should that be a concern?</p>

<p>So my indirect answer to your plain question is: I am split evenly between the two: 51% Harvard, 49% Princeton (this number varies throughout the day). </p>

<p>This thing I found online doesn’t help too much either:</p>

<p>People: Harvard
Professors: Princeton
Possibilities: Unlimited at Both
Prestige: Equal
Parents: Harvard</p>

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<p>Same advice here as any adult would give you: Do whatever you feel like. You can’t go wrong. Whatever minor differences there are between the colleges will be completely swamped by YOUR reactions. You will do best at the college where you feel most comfortable, most excited, and most engaged, and at these heights no minuscule differences in prestige or connections would make up for a difference in that.</p>

<p>It’s silly, though, to say things like “Harvard will polish me to be a better leader.” Harvard won’t do a thing to you besides give you opportunities, just like Princeton.</p>

<p>One thing you don’t talk about: Math 55. The most famous math course on the planet. Are you a candidate for it? Do you agree with Princeton that having a course like that isn’t necessarily a good idea? For someone in your shoes, that’s probably worth some thought, because if you go to Harvard and take Math 55, it will pretty much be the main thing you do next year. What’s more, you may be right that Harvard is more extra-curricular-oriented, but you don’t hear a lot about the extra-curriculars Math 55 kids do. (And if you go to Harvard and don’t take Math 55, you may or may not feel marginalized relative to the star students who do take it. That’s really a question of your psychology.) If you go to Princeton your math education will, at least initially, take a different, slightly less intense approach, which could be better or worse for you, depending completely on your personality.</p>

<p>That, and the city/suburb thing, and the crimson/orange-and-black thing, not to mention the money, have much more practical importance for you than vague generalities like “undergraduate focus” or “prestige”.</p>

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<p>The princeton math department is awesome. We don’t have a class like math 55 because we don’t think it’s a good idea - the problem with that kind of class is that is causes great people to burn out, and it causes them to learn lots of stuff not very well. Instead, we have math 215, which starting this year will be splitting into two sections, one for people who already are comfortable with proofs, and one for people who aren’t. However, students with really strong backgrounds can start with whatever math course they want - the department is very big on letting students take whatever they feel ready for, even if they don’t satisfy the formal prereqs. We’re currently adding a lot more graduate classes, including ones that will be also appropriate for advanced undergrads. There’s definitely a sense of community in the math department, and undergrads can really feel like they’re a part of it - by going to tea (which happens every day), talking to people, hanging out in the fine hall common room, etc. The few complaints I’ve had about the math department at Princeton are all being fixed in the next few years, which is a testament to how awesome the people running the department are. The math department is a place where you can really soak up as much math as possible. I also think that the ability to do a JP is a big advantage, as if you choose to do it (some people go the easier route and instead participate in a junior sem where you take turns giving talks about a subject), you get to meet with a professor every week to ask them questions about the reading that you’re doing. It’s hard for me to make comparisons with Harvard, as I don’t know much about their math department, but I think that Princeton is an amazing place to do math as an undergrad.</p>

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<p>QasimO, I really don’t think that should be a concern at all. At Princeton, undergraduates are given enormous attention–professors are there because they want to teach and interact with undergraduates. You will have as much attention from faculty as you want at Princeton and the math department is exceptional. I think you should make a distinction between things that happened during the admissions process–i.e. likely letters, perhaps an admissions package with a better giveaway gift etc.–and what actually goes on during college.</p>

<p>Princeton has a much smaller undergraduate population than Harvard and is known for the quality of its undergraduate education and I have never heard that undergraduates feel interchangeable or ignored in any way at Princeton.</p>

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<p>I think you should decide based on suburbs vs. city, and centralized social life vs. distributed social life. The math is best in the country, maybe even the world, either place.</p>