Princeton vs. Harvard vs. Wharton vs. Yale vs. Stanford

Colleges and Universities A-Z Princeton University
1

<p>I feel very grateful for being accepted into these colleges. However, I am now faced with a difficult decision of choosing. (I did not have the chance to visit any of these colleges.)</p>

<p>So far, the financial aid packages I have received from all of the schools are terrible. (Still have not received one from Harvard yet though...) However, I have received a very nice scholarship from my state school, which is top 10 in undergraduate business, that pays between 30-40% of my total expenses.</p>

<p>I am interested in pursuing business/finance, but I'm not 100% sure. Yes, I am aware that most of these schools don't have business programs, just economics. I know many people say that I should not substitute business for an economics degree because the two fields are completely different, and I should only study them if I find it interesting. Luckily, I do find economics interesting so all is well.</p>

<p>However, I am completely confused on which college I should pick. All of them are prestigious definitely, so I do not think I can use that as an argument about which university is better. (Unfortunately, my parents are "prestige-oriented", which is super annoying, and they are kinda pushing me to go to Harvard, but in the end it is my decision.)</p>

<p>I have started doing research in each schools and I just find it so confusing. Every time I read student reviews, it all contradicts with each other. And of course, each school website I go to will boast of its programs in the positive light so I don't know what to believe in anymore.</p>

<p>I regret not visiting colleges, and I have one month to decide. I may visit Harvard on a weekend though, so we'll see</p>

<p>** However, from your experiences at Harvard, what is your opinion? How are the students' personalities? Is the atmosphere laid-back, pre-professional, intellectual, etc.? Are the professors accessible and are they good teachers, or just good researchers? Since everybody at Princeton is competing with each other to get to do research with professors and job opportunities, was it hard for you to secure those types of research/employment? Is the student life good?</p>

<p>**</p>

<p>Thank you very much for whatever comment you can give to help me!</p>

2

<p>You can’t go wrong with any of these. </p>

<p>Wharton is the best for a Wall Street career obviously (best recruiting for the elite hedge funds/private equity firms) except for quant hedge funds which would be math/physics/CS majors at Harvard, MIT and to a lesser extent, Princeton.</p>

<p>Stanford doesn’t place highly on Wall Street, probably because the tech industry takes many of the most ambitious graduates.</p>

3

<p>I’d argue Harvard is better than Wharton for Wall Street. People on CC overrated Wharton for some reason.</p>

<p>Also, “elite” hedge funds/PE firms rarely recruit from undergrad, even Wharton. I think Blackstone hired maybe 7 analysts last year in total?</p>