Princeton v. Stanford!!! (Please help!)

Colleges and Universities A-Z Princeton University
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<p>Like many other students, I'm facing the HUGE decision of choosing between attending two amazing colleges. There are so many pros to attending both Princeton and Stanford University that I have no idea what choice I'm going to make come May 1. I've been leaning towards Stanford since that school has been my dream school since forever, but now that I have the opportunity to attend Princeton, I'm not so sure. Does anyone have any insight that would help me make this decision? I've listed some key factors below.</p>

<p>Academics: Would anyone be able to offer their insight for which school would be a better fit for a student leaning towards Economics/International Relations/Political Science? As of now I'm very interested in Princeton's unique undergraduate concentration in the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs but Stanford's Economics program as well as the vibrant entrepreneurial spirit are tempting as well.</p>

<p>Grades: As a student hoping to later attend law school, Princeton's grade deflation is a bit of a turnoff. How big of an issue is grade deflation for current students? After all, for law school it's important to maintain the highest GPA possible, regardless of the institution. Do law schools account for Princeton's grade deflation policies? And does Stanford practice grade inflation or deflation as well? </p>

<p>Environment: I'm a middle class African American student and am really curious as to what social life is like for minorities and lower-income students at both Princeton and Stanford. Which school is more open and welcoming to diversity?</p>

<p>Alumni Network: I've heard that graduating from Princeton opens students up not only to Princeton's alumni network but also connections with alumni from the entire Ivy League. Is Princeton's alumni network stronger than Stanford's or is there little to no difference between them?</p>

<p>Undergraduate Focus: It is widely said that Princeton is one of the best schools to attend because of its undergraduate focus. Do Stanford's graduate schools make a big difference in the amount of resources offered to undergraduates?</p>

<p>Research: Both Princeton and Stanford are top tier research universities but Princeton requires every undergraduate student to do independent research, culminating in a senior thesis. Nevertheless, Stanford has many research opportunities for students too. Which university has a better research program for a Social Sciences major?</p>

<p>Graduate School: I've also been told that it is easier to get accepted to a graduate school if you attended the same university as an undergrad. Stanford obviously wins out on this one since Princeton doesn't have a law school but is favoring undergraduate students actually practiced or do graduate schools not consider this?</p>

<p>This is pretty long but I'd appreciate any feedback from anyone. Thank you!!!</p>

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<p>For professional schools (Law, Medical, MBA), the answer is yes. Academic graduate schools (offering PhD programs), however, are often opposite. Stanford as well as Princeton actually encourage their undergraduate students to go on to other graduate schools to infuse new ideas and broaden knowledge basis.</p>

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<p>I have one son at Princeton and another at Stanford. Both are fantastic schools and both of my sons are very happy with their choices. Since this is the Princeton thread, I can tell you what bothers me about Stanford.</p>

<p>The “fuzzy” and “techie” split. I had never heard of this until my son explained it to me. It seems as though you are either one or the other. He has experiences huge gender gaps in almost every class he had taken. This includes the math/computer science classes as well as the intro sem he took in which he was one of very few males. </p>

<p>The influence of Silicon Valley on the culture. From my perspective it feels as though too many students are looking to “get rich quick”. </p>

<p>Less of an intellectual culture than I expected. Princeton wins this one hand down.</p>

<p>The grading is definitely easier at Stanford but this has the weird effect of making students feel as though they SHOULD get As. I feel as though at Princeton you just get used to the fact that you are going to get some Bs and you live with it.</p>

<p>If you are from the East Coast most of your summer internship offers will be on the West Coast. You will probably not be coming home for the summer.</p>

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<p>I went to Stanford and graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in Economics. My advisor actually never learned my name because his focus was on his grad students. He canceled countless office hours meetings with me, and we ended up only meeting once. Admittedly, he is a well known economist, but he apparently found teaching undergrad classes beneath him. In our one meeting, he mixed me up with another student and kept calling me Julie, which is not my name, even after I corrected him. </p>

<p>Stanford is fantastic for grad school, but for an undergraduate, I’d have to give the advantage to Princeton. My cousin attended Princeton and loved her experience there.</p>

<p>And check out this editorial from today’s Daily Princetonian:</p>

<p>Dear prospective members of the Princeton Class of 2017 - The Daily Princetonian</p>

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<p>Oops, here’s the link:</p>

<p>[Dear</a> prospective members of the Princeton Class of 2017 - The Daily Princetonian](<a href=“http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2013/04/11/32896/]Dear”>http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2013/04/11/32896/)</p>

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<p>Princeton. Focused on an all-around education so you become a leader. Focused on undergrads.</p>

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<p>Stanford. Grade deflation encourages meaningless competition among classmates and decrease time you have for meaningful interactions/reflections.</p>

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<p>The similarities of Stanford and Princeton are greater than the differences. Both universities have</p>

<p>An outstanding faculty
A large endowment
A diverse and talented student body
Great STEM and humanities departments
Undergraduate research opportunities
Similar four year graduation rates</p>

<p>Princeton has 5,200 undergraduates and 2,600 grad students. A student to faculty ratio of 6:1.
Stanford has 7,000 undergraduates and 13,000 grad students. A student faculty ratio of 12:1.</p>

<p>One of the biggest differences is Princeton’s devotion to undergraduate education. Most Princeton students develop a personal relationship with one or more professors.</p>

<p>Academics: Princeton has the best undergraduate program in public policy. Stanford has the edge in entrepreneurship but Princeton has many programs to develop entrepreneurs.</p>

<p>Grades: Attend Princeton Preview and ask students if grade deflation is a real problem. Grade distribution today are similar to the grade distribution before 2000. Princeton students were accepted to law schools then and are being accepted at the same rate today. Career Services reports that grade deflation has not negatively affected grad school acceptance. Princeton students have a team spirit and do not compete with each other for grades. Students want to do their best.</p>

<p>Environment: Attend Princeton Preview & decide for yourself.</p>

<p>Alumni Network: Small advantage Princeton but not significant.</p>

<p>Undergraduate Focus: See above.</p>

<p>Research: Both offer opportunities. Here are videos of Princeton students discussing their senior thesis. [Undergraduate</a> Program<em>-</em>Princeton Sociology](<a href=“http://www.princeton.edu/sociology/undergraduate-program/]Undergraduate”>Undergraduate Program: | Department of Sociology) </p>

<p>Graduate School: I expect that if you want to attend Stanford Law then Stanford undergrad is an advantage. Probably fairly equal for Yale, Harvard, Columbia, Chicago, Virginia, Michigan, Georgetown, etc.</p>

<p>Good luck where ever you decide.</p>

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<p>The primary differences are in location and size.</p>

<p>Do you want to be on the West or East Coast? And, it’s true, if you want to be in a solicitous environment, where your professors know their job is to connect with you, Princeton is better. If you want the tech corridor, hands down Stanford, just because of the networking.</p>

<p>I live in CA. Both my kids faced this choice, both went to Princeton. Both to see something different and because I never forgot how intoxicating the intellectual experience had been when I was there…</p>

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<p>Meaningless competition among classmates so far has been nonissue for my freshman D. In fact, when she added a course last minute having missed several classes, she was voluntarily offered class notes from another girl in her class. She was surprised and very thankful. She is also very satisfied with her classes and quality of teaching from professors.</p>

<p>Two most difficult issues she experienced so far are social scenes involving alcoholic beverage (she doesn’t drink at all) and difficulty of making deep friendship. I think the latter was mostly due to transition from high school to college. Now she seems to be making good progress in friendship although the depth of friendship is not comparable to high school yet.</p>

<p>These are two great schools, (my D was accepted to both, too), wherever you go, do your best and don’t look back, you will be fine!</p>

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<p>How friendly are people in Princeton?</p>

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<p>Thank you Soomoo.</p>

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<p>There’s not much competitiveness for competition’s sake (e.g. the bad kind) but…If you bring together a bunch of smart and hard working people there’s going to be competition.</p>

<p>People are really friendly and try to get to know you.</p>