<p>Just wanted the opinion of parents on this forum who are knowledgeable on this - what are the pros/cons of Stanford vs. Princeton for engineering? (specifically ChemE and EE) Are the differences significant? From what I've read, it seems like Stanford has an overall more prestigious engineering program centered on research and grads, while Princeton is intensely focused on undergrads. What would you say? Which school would be a better choice for an engineer hoping to go to grad school?</p>
<p>Bump .</p>
<p>until you are admitted to one or both, this is a moot point. Come back then and we’ll be full of great advice.</p>
<p>tomjones…my opinion is based on interviewing & hiring young engineers (including kids from Stanford & Princeton)…although I am a parent (non-engineering) also.</p>
<p>I am in the environmental engineering world, so I have more 1st-hand familiarity with chem e programs & kids than EE. Concerning undergrad academics, both Stanford & Princeton have great programs from what I have seen. I’d give the edge to Stanford, but either would provide a top quality education. I’d place Cornell a tad ahead of Princeton in engineering for the Ivies.</p>
<p>For what its worth, I seem to remember noticing more Wall Steet/finance internships on Princeton engineering resumes (interests outside of the engineering world?), but my sample set is pretty small here. I have personally been impressed with the Stanford engineering kids I’ve met as being very dynamic individuals. …more so generally than engineering student populations at any other institution. </p>
<p>Can’t help you with grad school placement, but I am sure each is fine, i.e., I don’t think one would be a significantly better choice than the other. Note that Stanford has a program called something like ‘co-term’ where its pretty easy to tack on a year for a professionally oriented MS after 4 years of undergrad.</p>
<p>Don’t know a thing about either school or either engineering program – but do know that at that tippy-top level you may be talking style preference because the “value” is already there. One may fit the personality of the student better than the other – like deciding if you are a “horses and hounds” sort or a “evening at the opera” sort. Either one can be upscale and satisfying (or so I have heard).</p>
<p>dragonmom, I have been accepted to both.</p>
<p>IF you think you will want to work in Calif in the future, then go to Stanford, if the east coast is your preferred future destination, then choose Princeton. Connections made in college will matter a lot in when it comes to future job placement.</p>
<p>TJITM, congrats on great choices. I don’t think a bunch of (however well informed) strangers can counter visits… can you afford to go back and see each campus?
FWIW, pay careful attention to how the undergrad advising works and make sure it will be really supportive.<br>
Ask about who does freshman advising and if you could get assigned to an advisor who isn’t a teaching prof and is at an off-campus lab, BEWARE.</p>
<p>Ok, thanks for the help! Right now, it seems like Princeton would be the better choice. The ORFE major keeps getting brought up by people…do any of you know much about it? Like, its future job opportunities, financial potential, etc.</p>
<p>Both great schools. This is an enviable choice. Papa Chicken has it exactly right. </p>
<p>If you want to study engineering to actually do engineering and change the world, go to Stanford where you will be immersed in Silicon Valley culture. </p>
<p>If you want to study engineering to ultimately work on wall street as a quant, go to Princeton. </p>
<p>They are both good if you want to ultimately go to graduate school.</p>
<p>That said, neither option is bad for either route, but they have different cultures. Also, fewer true technology firms recruit at Princeton because the engineering program is small and in terms of time and effort, from the recruiters point of view, the fishing is better in other places.</p>
<p>I would also add that Stanford offers courses in entreprenuership for its engineering students, along with support groups and clubs that steer engineers into that mode of thinking (start-ups, inventing, killer apps, etc.) . In my opinion (I am an OR grad and ex-Wall Street Quant-Analyst), Financial Engineering is a dying area.</p>
<p>FWIW, the Stanford students I know are all very happy where they are, and are very laid-back people. Princeton kids seem a bit more stressed out than average.</p>
<p>My two cents.</p>
<p>This is such a hard decision! Seems like most of you are advocating Stanford for engineering. Yet I wanted to go to Princeton (though without any real reason for wanting to). The statement “Also, fewer true technology firms recruit at Princeton because the engineering program is small and in terms of time and effort, from the recruiters point of view, the fishing is better in other places.” scares me. Would I really not be able to participate in “actual” engineering there?</p>
<p>Congrats on the likely letter to Stanford, tomjones! You’ve got two great choices. I think too that going to admitted students days at both schools can be a valuable part of your decision making process. Sometimes a campus just feels right or wrong. Another consideration is travel costs. Both schools budget for a trip home at Christmastime plus the one-way trips at the beginning and end of the year. Coming home at spring break or Thanksgiving would be cheaper for you at Stanford. But Pton has the advantage of exposing you to life in a different climate and giving you more of a cultural change.</p>
<p>You can’t go wrong. My guess is whichever you choose, you will initially feel regret over not choosing the other. But once that’s past, I bet you will love whichever one you’re at.</p>
<p>^Very enlightening. Thanks. I think I’ll just stop worrying about it and decide at admitted students weekends.</p>
<p>You really should see which one feels like the better fit. That being said, I think the engineering program at Stanford is probably stronger. Just my 2 cents. When you mention Princeton you don’t think of engineering, whereas Stanford is known for that.</p>
<p>As a former hiring manager in engineering in high tech in the Silicon Valley, I didn’t even know Princeton had engineering. I know engineers from MIT and Harvard, just none of the companies I worked at happened to recruit or hire anyone from there. (And Stanford engineers were considered plum pickins.) I’m guessing Princeton Engineering is much more well know in other areas?</p>
<p>^Are you referring to graduate schools or undergrad? Because after undergrad, I plan to apply to grad schools such as the ones you mentioned (Stanford, MIT, etc.) I’m assuming since most people apply for jobs after grad school that it would be more important than undergrad?</p>
<p>Both, we hired many a Stanford or MIT (and CAL and Illinios and CalTech and Michigan and Rice) undergrad and sometimes even paid for their grad school.</p>
<p>What area of engineering are you looking for? I would think that would make a difference.</p>
<p>I’m looking into ChemE or EE, but not completely sure yet. So you’re saying it would be difficult for an engineer who went to Princeton undergrad to get accepted to Stanford/MIT for grad school?</p>
<p>good golly no tj…get great grades & have stellar recommendation letters from a decent undergrad program to get into great grad programs like MIT & Stanford. Princeton is more than a decent undergrad program…the rest is up to you.</p>
<p>You’ll be fine with about any turn you decide to take with either choice…as all have said before, go visit & trust your gut.</p>