DS is interested in economics, and policy and environmental issues and is not very business or stem focused.
He is athletic and outdoorsy but also a classical singer. The Princeton choral director has reached out to him and he would likely audition into their glee club. They travel internationally during their spring break/Christmas break every other year which sounds fantastic. Stanford may do the same but would need to look into it
Princeton seems like a great fit for him but the biggest negative (for me) is that he would be limited in the amount and type of courses he could take. Stanford seems to allow a lot more flexibility in their curriculum and with the quarter system he would be exposed to many more topics than with Princeton’s traditional curriculum.
We visited Princeton for admitted student visit days and my son really liked it and could see himself there. The one big con was that at the academic fair no one from the economics department came. Not a good sign and this is the one area my son is definitely interested in.
He heads to Stanford next week but because of the late date of the visit, he will have to make his decision on the plane ride home.
If he studies economics, he may find a lot of classmates trying to fast-track to Wall Street (especially at Princeton). Also, economics can be math-intensive.
More courses, but “smaller” ones.
Has he looked at the course offerings to see if either has more or better offerings in his areas of interest?
With regard to the Economics Dept. no-show, you have a legitimate question. I suggest that you call the Admissions Office and ask your question. There could be a perfectly reasonable explanation for a last minute cancellation, i.e. death in the family, illness, etc. I wouldn’t draw inferences without more information. But I agree that it’s not a good sign if there’s not a good explanation.
Princeton is a school that comes with benefits. For example, their High Meadows Environmental Institute provides fully funded summer internships and other experiences. That’s a nuce perq. There are others.
Princeton offers an Environmental Studies major/minor. Stanford offers Environmental Sciences and Engineering majors. Two different things. Which is your son more interested in? On the face of it, Environmental Studies seems like the preferable choice fir someone who’s interested in policy. California is ground zero for the climate crisis. I was surprised not to see an Environmental Studies major there. I’d ask about that in your visit.
Congratulations to your son! College choices don’t get any better than this.
Thanks. He is ok with math intensive but he is not a Wall Street type with no interest in business. I actually have a friend on the faculty at Princeton and he suggested that my son consider Stanford…
Where does he want to end up living after college? While there are exceptions, most Stanford grads do end up in California, and most Princeton grads end up on the East Coast.
Good point. He is likely wanting to work in DC non-profit or government as he is interested in policy. California is exotic to him… we are from the east coast
California and Stanford are the place to be if you are interested in working with the environment. If you are focused on econ and policy, Princeton might be the better choice. Regarding working in DC, you will have excellent opportunities from both schools. If he goes to Stanford, he might not come back. Are you okay with that?
Stanford has an entire college focused on the environment. Additionally, they are opening a new college this year to focus on climate and sustainability.
Yes I know, I am afraid he won’t come back but in the end it will be his choice. Sort of regretting encouraging him to apply. Yes he mentioned the new school in his essays. He definitely won’t be an environmental scientist but more a policy analyst focusing on the environment. He says he wants to understand the problems by getting experience studying them but the reality is he doesn’t have the patience to do real environmental research (: nor really the interest. More likely to read about other people’s research so at most he would do a minor . Princeton will pay for him to work at a non-profit for 2 years after he graduates, plus pay for internships at the High Meadow Research Institute during undergraduate studies. Will have to see if Stanford has something similar.
I’d say Stanford based on his interests. But either would be fine.
One thing to consider regarding singing ( I’m assuming you mean the acapella group the Nassoons). It can take a lot of time. Both practices and travel to other schools is involved. Can be a great thing. People make friends for life and the camaraderie is excellent, if that matters to him. A family member did and it loved it. He spent many weekends traveling around and it was his main activity.
Thanks for all of the replies. Just a few days left to decide. I think that Princeton is the smarter choice for him because they guarantee paid internships each summer and they will support him working at a non-profit for up to 2 years after graduation. He would audition for the glee club and perhaps the more select group and there would be lots of opportunities with these groups. He enjoyed the students he chatted with at the student club fair.
To be honest it seems like Stanford would be more traditionally fun and they certainly organize their admitted student days to highlight that whereas Princeton’s was informational but not particularly lively. My son arranged to talk to a Stanford student and he had a good chat with him but came away with the idea that the campus was very business focused.
I also called Duke admissions to ask if they would match offers and they very clearly said no and that they would only consider changes if our situation had changed so we are not pursuing that option. Too bad as I think Duke has excellent programs.
