Princeton V. Stanford/ with a Chance

Colleges & Universities A-Z Princeton University
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<p>My daughter did not apply to H,Y because of urban feel of the two. She has applied to several other Ivies, a few of which she has visited. Can someone who knows, contrast Princeton and Stanford with pros and cons. She is considering a number of other schools too, and she is all about the right fit. Also, is there a view of her chances at either given her resume- she is from the Southeast:</p>

<p>-white, female
-ACT 35; Writing 11/12
-SAT II: 750 Math 2c, 730 Chem, 710 Lit
-Nat Merit Scholar
-National AP Scholar Anticipated
-National Honor Society
-Region Pathfinder Nominee for Academic Excellence
-GPA: 4.20/4.5 (Last semester- 5 APs + Honors Physics= 5 A+'s, 1 A
-Valedictorian Candidate: Top 1% class of 100- regarded small college prep school
-Senior Superlatives Class Vote: Best Overall
-Numerous book awards for best student in subject
-Yale Book Award
-Two year captain of basketball team
-Varsity volleyball and lacrosse
-Created Her Own Foundation for community service fundraising- Haitian relief, kids with cancer
-Board member of another foundation that helps raise travel expenses for disabled kids needing distant medical treatment. Taught herself sign language to communicate to some of them.
-Intel Science Contest Entry Pending regarding energy and the environment
-All School Representative to Area Industry Student Leadership Council
-Paid internship at U.S.'s Largest Public Utility, with papers and projects on nuclear and other forms of sustainable energy
-State Champion, Spanish Team and Perfect Scores in poetry and improv
-Numerous extracurriculars and community service efforts, including bible school teacher, Haitian relief, Habitat for Humanity, Special Olympics event coordinator, Race for the Cure, etc.
-Chairs various social and community service clubs and events
-In my opinion, excellent essays and applications that bring out her high vocab skills, writing skills, and ability to paint passions.</p>

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<p>I applied to both also, here are some of my ideas of the pros and cons. </p>

<p>When it comes to weather, obviously Stanford wins hands down. You cannot overestimate the effect good weather has on student activity. People are generally more willing to go across campus to meet up with a friend or go to the startup meeting of a new club or even just go to class when they don’t have to worry about the freezing cold.</p>

<p>Location, besides weather, I would probably give to Princeton. I don’t know much about the town around Princeton but I know it’s definitely more of a college town than Stanford’s Palo Alto. Compared to most campuses this may be good for Stanford because that keeps more things on campus, but when a school is as old and has as many traditions as Princeton, that is probably a non-issue. </p>

<p>Academics, you really can’t go wrong with either. I wouldn’t base your choice on academic caliber if you end up deciding between those two because when you’re on campus you won’t notice a different. Both schools will provide everything you could ever need. </p>

<p>Reputation, really depends on where you are. If you want to be out west Stanford has a better rep, east coast Princeton is likely slightly better. Anywhere else, they’re equal, but Stanford is in Cali :). But, one thing that you take on when you go to Princeton that you don’t take on at HYS is the “snooty, rich” stereotype that many people have of Princeton. There is just something about the way it sounds when somebody says they went to Princeton that just sounds really pretentious instead of intellectual. But to people who will matter as far as employment, that won’t make a difference.</p>

<p>Students, Stanford and Princeton, from what I’ve seen, have slightly different ideals of a student body. While Stanford looks for a very diverse group of kid incredibly passionate about a variety of things even though they might have lower SAT scores, Princeton tends to look for kids who are straight-up powerhouses. Both schools will have amazing students, Princeton will just be more traditional intellectuals. </p>

<p>Atmosphere, it all depends on your taste. Stanford will have more of a laid-back Cali vibe which is good for student happiness, but sometimes causes political apathy among the students. Princeton has more of the competitive traditional ivy-league vibe and will likely provide more of a traditionally intellectual atmosphere. I have also heard that Princeton is a little more east-coast preppy and economic status is more noticeable. </p>

<p>Social Life, it is a take your pick kind of thing. Stanford has great weather and great athletics, so you can actually get a little taste of a strong sports school at Stanford. Princeton has been around a lot longer and has more traditions and I’ve heard more drinking but this may or may not be true. One caution is that at Princeton, the old money boarding school thing is a lot bigger at Princeton. So the kids who “look” like they’re having the most fun will be those old money wealthy kids. I also have heard the eating clubs can be highly exclusive in who they let in.</p>

<p>Really, you can’t go wrong with either school. My post is likely a little biased towards Stanford even though I tried to be objective (Stanford is my #1 with Princeton and Yale tied at #2)</p>

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<p>I think your daughter is higly qualified to attend either Princeton or Stanford (or any other ivy for that matter), but I’m sure you probably knew that. :)</p>

<p>As far as chances for acceptance, I think that in this case, it really depends on how your daughter presented herself. For instance, reading that long list of extracurriculars, I didn’t really get a feel for who she was or what her passions were, although they were a little more revealing than many I’ve seen. If she chose to list activities that related to each other and really impacted her life (I’m fairly certain you can’t list all of those on the application, right?), and if her essays presented her as well as you say, then I think that she has a great chance at acceptance.</p>

<p>Best of luck!! :)</p>

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<p>Tyler09 has a great post despite him not being a student at either school :slight_smile: While I’m also not a college student yet, what I’ve heard from my Stanford friends is that Stanford is still insanely competitive, with quite a few classes with insane curves. It’ll of course depend on your major. They’re both Economics majors and they’re both internationals who, true to the stereotype, study a lot, but they still find Stanford incredibly hard. Thing is, don’t expect to be “laid-back” academically at HYPSM as long as HYPSM 1) admit the best students and 2) grade on a curve.</p>