Princeton vs Oxford

Colleges and Universities A-Z Princeton University
1

<p>Hi everyone,</p>

<p>I know there's a Princeton vs Cambridge thread going on already, but it's hard to extract advice relating to my personal situation from that one, given how quickly the terms of the discussion shifted to selectivity and admissions criteria, something less relevant to someone who has already gotten in to both.</p>

<p>I've been accepted to read PPE at Oxford, and have also been accepted by Princeton. I have interests in art history and evolutionary biology, but at the same time, want an in-depth examination of my 'majors', or 'concentrations' - philosophy and economics. I'm interested in eventually ending up in law school; accommodation and receptiveness of university community to overseas students are also factors.</p>

<p>Hoping I could learn something new from you guys - so far, personal calculations have ended up with nothing decisive; so I love the British accent, but hey, Princeton's orange-and-black is gorgeous. Let me know what you think!</p>

<p>Thanks in advance.</p>

2

<p>I'm in almost the same situation as you. I have been offered a place at Princeton and at Oxford (to read history and politics). From what I keep hearing, Princeton's undergraduate programme is top in the US. You'll have access to excellent resources and great professors plus the atmosphere is genuinely academic (read about the junior paper and the senior thesis). Plus there's a whole list of other academic attractions that you won't find at other US colleges like free auditing courses, precepts (modelled after the Oxford tutorial), the field-study programme and an incredible open-stack library. Oxford, on the other hand, is incredibly prestigious and is famous for it's tutorial system. I wouldn't really listen to all that crap about 'brain drain' because it really isn't that relevant to undergrads. Oxford dons teach you to think in ways you have never imagined and the tutorial experience is truly extraordinary. PPE is quite a broad subject so there's enough there to keep you interested for three years (I have two friends who are doing PPE at Magdalen and Brasenose and they both agree). As for art history, you'll probably be able to join a number of societies that will keep you interested plus there's the Ashmolean museum which offers a number of internships for students. Accomodation depends on which college you got into at Oxford. The one difference is that almost all the rooms at Oxford are singles, whereas at Princeton you'll probably have one or more room-mates (although there are a number of singles too). I haven't made up my mind yet so I'm waiting to see what other people post! In your case, you should probably do PPE at Oxford and then go to Harvard or Yale for a post-graduate law degree.</p>

3

<p>This might help too. I found it a few days ago and it gives you the view of a Princetonian who did a year abroad at Oxford:
<a href="http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/archives/2006/03/15/news/14875.shtml%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/archives/2006/03/15/news/14875.shtml&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

4

<p>If you're interested in studying anything other than your PPE classes, Oxford isn't the place for you. Some colleges in England let you take a class outside of your concentration area, but Oxford won't. I suppose technically you could always sit in on lectures, but you couldn't take them for credit.</p>

<p>My friend applied to Oxford (although for Literature, and not PPE), and her description of the accomodation, which she stayed in during interview, was that it was very spacious, but cold to the point that she couldn't sleep! She was staying in LMH, though, and of course all college accomodation will be different. Some colleges also have strange rules, like not being allowed to walk on the grass.</p>

<p>Obviously, Oxford is in a city, whereas Princeton isn't. London is also very accessible from Oxford, if that's a factor in your considerations. And just to make sure you're aware, living in England is pretty expensive, and Oxford's an even more expensive area than most. We Brits like to complain that, if something's coming from America, they just replace the dollar sign with a pound sign, despite the fact that ?10 is about twice as much as $10!</p>

<p>For one on one work with professors, though, Oxford beats Princeton hands down. Even in Freshman seminars at Princeton, you're going to be working in a group, whereas at Oxford you'll have regular tutorials with professors that have at most you and one other student in them.</p>

<p>And as far as law school goes, you might not meet many people studying PPE in Oxford who are planning to go on to law school, as law is an undergraduate degree in Britain. People sometimes take conversion courses at the end of their degrees that usually last about a year (I think. I might be wrong), but a lot of people go straight into studying law after high school. So if you plan to return to America to study law, you might not get much support from Oxford, because it'll be extremely unusual. I'm just speculating with this one, though.</p>

<p>The social life will be very different, too. Oxford has three nine week terms, which are pretty intensive, and students aren't allowed to get jobs during term time because of this. British college culture is typically based around drinking as well, since most people in your class will have been legally drinking for a year, and probably illegally drinking for longer! Be prepared for lots of clubbing amongst the time spent in the library!</p>

<p>Congratulations for getting into Oxford - those interviews are tough! I know many extremely clever people who didn't make it. Whichever university you decide, they're both amazing academically, and they both do study abroad programmes, so you could still go to Oxford if you choose Princeton, or study at some American university if you choose Oxford. Good luck!</p>

5

<p>Wow a tough one. Which college did you get into? I hope not St. Hildas, :D? I'm just joking, everyone loves the Hildabeasts, ^^. Have you visited Pton before? I think if you get a feeling for the colleges, you'll be in a better position to judge. Academically, you can't go wrong with either one.</p>

6

<p>Even as a first-year student at Princeton, if you want to work one-on-one with a prof, you have no trouble doing so. Also, Princeton has easy access to NYC (and Philly), so I would consider the comparison with access to London a wash. </p>

<p>Princeton students have terrific access to internships, funding, and fellowships that enables them to work in the top firms, publications, government agencies, NGOs, nonprofits, etc. and/or to do research around the world every summer and after graduation. The networking opportunities are amazing. If you plan to live in the U.S., this is a major factor to consider.</p>

<p>Princeton's economics department is stellar. For starters, check the connections with the Federal Reserve. Economics students get some of the most exciting internships. </p>

<p>At Princeton you get a more varied experience: studying a range of subjects, learning with other students, and having the independent experience of 2 junior papers and a senior thesis (one-on-one with a faculty advisor).</p>

7

<p>I know little about Oxford, but you would be very well off with those majors at Princeton.</p>

<p>Art history is one of the smaller majors, but consequently pours huge amounts of resources on each of its concentrators, so you will overall probably get the same level of attention as at Oxford. Also, the Princeton Art Museum is well-known and a great resource.</p>

<p>Princeton's Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB) department is top notch (particularly among the Ivies), and Princeton even operates a research station in the jungles of Panama that EEB concentrators have access to.</p>

<p>Economics is one of Princeton's strongest departments, full of very well known professors who will teach even intro economics courses.</p>

<p>Philosophy is a smaller department but has a number of famous professors as well, so you get lots of attention and opportunities to learn from the top minds.</p>

<p>The academic flexibility and diversity at Princeton is truly extraordinary; even if you choose to take courses in only your favorite subjects, you will meet many amazingly interesting people (attracted by Princeton's diverse academic options) that will enrich your experience nonetheless.</p>

8

<p>Hi everyone, thank you so much for your replies.</p>

<p>Omar_e: Thanks for the article; I read it before elsewhere, and for the academically-oriented, I think it's provides strong support for choosing Oxford over Princeton. Have you made up your mind yet? :) According to an interviewer (speaking to friends of mine, accepted to study H&P as well) History and Politics is a relatively new course, which means that it is less established; but on the other hand, the university is very keen to develop this joint department. As a bit of a side-note, I thought the Ashmolean Museum was for Archaelogy and Anthropology students - they offer internships relating to art history to undergrads regardless of their degree?</p>

<p>Dallyra: Are living expenses really higher in Oxford than Princeton? </p>

<p>Pearfire: Hi Pearfire, 'Hildebeasts' cracked me up :) I applied directly to Merton, and was accepted. I'm an international student, and won't be able to visit either campus before the deadline to reply to my offers. Photos of the Merton campus are simply beautiful; what I can't find through web descriptions/pictures, though, is the social environment at Merton, which I'm curious to know more about...</p>

<p>aparent5, Lord Asquith: Wow. One question though, do you have the pick of the department when choosing your senior thesis adviser, and will professors be available to talk to you, even if you're not taking a course they are teaching? (I realise those are 2 questions)</p>

9

<p>The department in which you major is generally where you will find your senior thesis adviser; I don't believe this is a set-in-stone rule though, especially if you have a lot of interdisciplinary material in your thesis (which many do).</p>

<p>And professors are always available to talk to you, regardless of whether you are taking their course. As a freshman, I've already talked to many Woodrow Wilson School professors at special dinners, and WWS courses are generally offered to juniors and seniors only. Professors from all departments very frequently give talks and seminars where they are aiming to talk to students not necessarily in their departments. It really is fantastic. :)</p>

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<p>is a senior thesis advisor always a professor?</p>

11

<p>SilverBV: I recommend PM'ing nelle178. She was a very active poster on the Princeton board but will be attending Oxford next year. She will definitely be able to give you a breakdown of the 2 schools.</p>

12

<p>Senior thesis advisers are always professors, unless you're looking for someone else specifically.</p>

13

<p>If you're interested in Evolutionary Biology, both Oxford's Department of Zoology and Princeton's Ecology and Evolutionary Biology are extremely good, and since the time you spend one-on-one with professors is high at both schools, you really can't go wrong. </p>

<p>If you're interested in Conservation or Wildlife Biology, the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) within Oxford Zoology is one of the premier institutions for research in the field worldwide, with its headquarters in an aristocratic estate in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, UK, outside the city of Oxford. I have been in correspondence with a professor there for over 3 years, and I hope to spend either a semester out of Princeton or a summer interning at WildCRU. </p>

<p>The research opportunities in Princeton's E&EB are abundant and very worthwhile because the projects are often spearheaded by the department's best professors, like Martin Wikelski, Dept. Chair Daniel Rubenstein, and Jeanne Altmann. In addition, because of its proximity to New York and Washington D.C. you will be poised to get great internships at the American Museum of Natural History, the Wildlife Conservation Society (both in NYC), and the Smithsonian Institution. You also can get sponsored to do field work almost anywhere in the world for your senior thesis or other independent work. </p>

<p>Again, either one will be great for study in Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, or Zoology as a whole.</p>

14

<p>I think WoodyWoo at Princeton is better than Oxford PPE if you have other interests as well. Also, Princeton’s probably better for getting into an American law school.</p>

15

<p>OP: This won’t help at all. Opposite tastes. I’d consider Princeton if I was colorblind and Oxford if I was deaf.</p>