Princeton or Stanford?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Stanford University
1

<p>2 days ago I was accepted by Princeton and a few other colleges. At that point of time, the choice was clear-cut. Then the email from Stanford came, and now I'm fortunate enough to be facing this dilemma: Princeton or Stanford?</p>

<p>I intend to study Economics for undergrad and then either work in finance or go straight for PhD in Economics. Both schools have strong Economics departments, but I think the network is more important. However I don't have a clue which one will offer better internship opportunities and career prospect in finance.</p>

<p>I am an international student from Vietnam, so I can't afford to visit either school. The financial aid awards aren't all that different: Princeton asks for $2000 of parent contribution while Stanford offers full aid. Both are loan-free.</p>

<p>I'm not sure how I'll fit at either school. I'm an introvert, but I do enjoy interactions with friends (just not too much), concerts, seminars, etc. How would you compare the life at the two schools?</p>

<p>Princeton's grade deflation worries me a little, as I'm not exactly the most hard-working student. I can be if I want to, but that stresses me out.</p>

<p>Do you have any advice or insight that would make this decision easier? Btw I'm posting this in the Princeton forum as well. I really appreciate your help.</p>

2

<p>In economics, they’re both ranked at the top, neck-and-neck, by US News, ARWU, etc. In the QS ranking for [econ[/url</a>], Stanford comes out a few places ahead, and for [url=&lt;a href=“http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2011/subject-rankings/social-sciences/accounting-finance]accounting/finance[/url”&gt;http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2011/subject-rankings/social-sciences/accounting-finance]accounting/finance[/url</a>], it comes out several places ahead. In terms of pure [url=&lt;a href=“http://academic.research.microsoft.com/RankList?entitytype=7&topdomainid=7&subdomainid=0&last=0]academic”&gt;http://academic.research.microsoft.com/RankList?entitytype=7&topdomainid=7&subdomainid=0&last=0]academic</a> prowess](<a href=“http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2011/subject-rankings/social-sciences/economics]econ[/url”>http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2011/subject-rankings/social-sciences/economics) in econ, Stanford has an advantage. But I think most would agree they’re about the same in this respect.</p>

<p>In terms of finance jobs, they are equal as firms recruit heavily at both. Despite the distance, NYC firms also recruit heavily at Stanford partly because of its business school (ranked #1 this year and last year), and recruit undergrads as well. While Princeton is an hour from NYC, Stanford is in SV, which in itself is a major economic region with plenty of non-tech positions, either as an internship or as a job. The “Wall Street” of Silicon Valley is Sand Hill Road, which is the western boundary of the Stanford campus and where all the venture capitalist firms are. It’s also not far from other economic hubs: San Francisco and LA, both among most important financial centers in the country ([this[/url</a>] puts LA at #2, SF at #7). </p>

<p>I would give a slight nod to Stanford in this respect, if only because it has a business school while Princeton does not. Undergrads at Stanford are able to take some business classes, major in things like MS&E (for the engineering+business type students), and get involved in a variety of business opportunities, like [url=&lt;a href=“http://bases.stanford.edu/]BASES[/url”&gt;http://bases.stanford.edu/]BASES[/url</a>], the [url=&lt;a href=“http://stvp.stanford.edu/]Stanford”&gt;http://stvp.stanford.edu/]Stanford</a> Technology Ventures Program (STVP)](<a href=“http://www.businessinsider.com/gdp-by-city-2011-3]this[/url”>25 Cities Ranked in Order of Importance), and more.</p>

<p>Neither will offer you better internship opportunities in finance, since firms recruit at Stanford for internships as well (I’ve had a lot of friends intern in finance, esp. in LA or NYC). Stanford is also part of an internship network with other elite universities like Penn and Harvard. In terms of general networking, the two are equally strong, although Stanford’s alumni network is larger (190,000 living alumni vs. 83,000 living alumni at Princeton).</p>

<p>Both Stanford and Princeton are naturally very social places, given the type of student that usually attends these universities. Princeton though has a social structure in place that may or may not make it difficult to shy away - eating clubs. Part of the reason I turned down Princeton when faced with the choice was simply the eating clubs, which as far as I could see promote the “social elite” feel that I got there. Those who turn down Princeton for another university frequently cite eating clubs as a reason. That said, many if not most of those who do choose Princeton seem to love the eating clubs, so that’s up to you to decide whether it’s the kind of social scene that you’re looking for.</p>

<p>As you probably know, you can’t go wrong with either, and both will be a great stepping stone for your career. Your choice should mostly come down to personal preferences and “fit.” Here are some questions that I posed to other students:</p>

<p>Do you want to be close to a city? Do you like a natural landscape as well? What are your other academic interests? What sort of extracurricular opportunities are you looking for? Are you looking to do research? What climate do you like? Are you interested in an intense environment or a laid-back one? etc.</p>

3

<p>If you’re considering a phd in economics, keep in mind that you essentially need to do a math major as well or at the bare minimum take similar coursework.</p>

4

<p>I’m wondering if the quarter system at Stanford will make it more/less stressful than the semester system at Princeton.</p>

5

<p>The quarter system is definitely more intense than the semester system. A month after the quarter starts (which goes by fast), you start midterms; before you know it, it’s dead week and you have finals soon. This intensity puts more of the learning on you (i.e. you have to learn material more quickly than those on the semester system, and less time is spent in class on it). It’s part of the reason that I’m okay with grade inflation: no matter what your grade is, you had to work hard for it, and the quarter system keeps you focused and on your toes. There’s little to no room for slacking off, or else you’ll quickly get behind. The quarter system also lets you take more classes in a greater variety of topics and move more quickly to advanced material.</p>