Princeton vs. Columbia

<p>What are the major differences between Princeton and Columbia? (undergraduate and graduate) While U.S. News ranks Princeton as several spots higher than Columbia in national university rankings, many international rankings put Columbia just as high as if not higher than Princeton. I want to major in some math or science-related field. What are the the pros and cons? What are the impressions that grad schools and employers get from these schools?</p>

<p>one is in the city, one is not. one is more focused on undergrads (P), one is more focused on graduates (C), one has a huge core which turns many students off (C), both ivy league… ehh thats all i got</p>

<p>P is slightly more prestigious so i would go with that</p>

<p>Princeton is in the middle of an extremely boring suburb, Columbia is in the middle of gorgeous and wonderful NYC. </p>

<p>They’re both awesome school and practically equal IMO.</p>

<p>@Columbia, you have to look up those tall buildings, and @Princeton, you have to look down. Academically, you do the opposite.</p>

<p>Both are excellent schools, and I think they differ most in location (suburb vs cultural capital of the US) and the Core (which Columbia has, and Princeton doesn’t).</p>

<p>Princeton is better for the maths and sciences, or so I’ve heard. Their math department is ranked as the best or among the best.</p>

<p>Can somebody please explain this “core” thing?</p>

<p>Here you are: [The</a> Core Curriculum | Columbia College](<a href=“http://www.college.columbia.edu/core]The”>The Core Curriculum | Columbia College)</p>

<p>Princeton better in math and science? What rot!!! Why don’t you ask the scientists who fathered ‘The Manhattan Project.’</p>

<p>Michelle Obama = First Lady = Princeton…Given
Barack Obama = President = Columbia… Given
President > First Lady…see definitions of president and first lady
Columbia > Princeton…transitive property</p>

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<p>Right, because one major advancement must make everything about Columbia’s math and science department sooooo much better. :eyeroll:</p>

<p>Didn’t Einstein teach at Princeton rather than Columbia???</p>

<p>"Why don’t you ask the scientists who fathered ‘The Manhattan Project.’ "</p>

<p>Its director attended Harvard as an undergraduate. He died in Princeton, interestingly enough.</p>

<p>it’s so hard to decide which is better for math or science haha</p>

<p>why don’t you see where you get in first</p>

<p>You are unlikely to get into either. (That’s true of just about everyone.) So it’s not really a good question.</p>

<p>For math, Princeton definitely has the edge. For sciences they are roughly equal.</p>

<p>Columbia is better in my opinion.</p>

<p>Einstein taught at Princeton because the students there needed him more, not at Columbia ;)</p>

<p>Einstein was at the Institute for Advanced Study, as was Oppenheimer. While the Institute is in Princeton, it’s not actually part of the University.</p>