Hello! I know there are hundreds of these up but I’ve finally gotten it down to two choices and want some help making the final cut.
So: I prefer the east coast (with its cold weather) and Princeton’s proximity to NYC, but I think that Stanford is seen as more prestigious overall and is more accommodating to the vegan lifestyle than NJ.
I think what will really be the deciding factor at this point is the opportunities each school can offer, because I know they are both excellent with regards to academics.
I would like to study law for my grad and am highly interested in internships at places like Google, Apple, etc. in the legal/PR/communications departments. Which school would be able to help me more in securing these kinds of internships? I know Stanford is in a more ideal location but I am worried that with the huge focus on STEM students I will be cast aside. On the other hand, I know Stanford has job fairs with recruiters and I don’t know if Princeton does anything similar to that or helps put their undergrads out there.
I’ve tried researching this but I haven’t found much so anyone with experience or more knowledge commenting would be highly appreciated.
There’s a bit of a disconnect here. You want to study political sciences/international relations and then go to law school… but you want to intern in PR at Google? In that case, why do poli sci or IR? Wouldn’t an internship at, say, the State Department make more sense for an IR major?
@katliamom I’m open to anything, really. Those were just a few examples, but I do have an interest in PR. My undergrad major isn’t set in stone so I’m just looking for internships in my general field of interest. I want to work for firms rather than the government, though, and I’m not such a big fan of the U.S. government so I don’t know if I’d want to intern at the state department.
If you prefer Princeton, go there. Don’t discount fit as part of the decision process. You are choosing between two elite universities and nobody would second guess whichever choice you make.
Well, then don’t study IR, lol. Especially not at a school that’s probably had the greatest influence on US diplomatic history!
PR is a funny field. At many firms, the people who work/run PR departments are former journalists whose strong writing skills, and knowledge of how the media helps to shape public perception make them ideally suited for the job. Many of the interns are business majors who also have a writing/media experience/background. In other words, as a political science/IR major you normally wouldn’t be considered to have the ideal background for these kinds of internships. Of course, as a Stanford/Princeton student, you would have a leg up over the competition through the sheer power of your school’s name.
I don’t think either would be better for opening doors. Obviously, geography can be helpful, and Stanford would likely open more doors in the Silicon Valley. OTOH, it’s not like there aren’t major tech firms in the East Coast where Princeton would help you get in.
Since you’re uncertain of what you want to study as an undergraduate, chose your school based on the breadth of its offerings and the ease of exploring/switching majors. And then on whether you want to spend the next 4 years in Princeton NJ (and probably interning on the East Coast) or Palo Alto (and interning in NorCal.)
@katliamom thank you for the advice, I’m just mainly wondering if one school or location is significantly better for opportunities. I wouldn’t be averse to doing an internship during the school year but I think NJ is too isolated for that. I think Stanford might just be closer to where all the magic is happening.
I know Princeton has the HireTigers system and from what I know Stanford has a lot of career fairs but the majority of them are STEM-oriented. Would you happen to know if one is better/more suitable for humanities?
Well, I for one wouldn’t recommend doing an internship during the school year. You only have 4 years on these amazing campuses. (I know it SEEMS like a lot, but it will go by more quickly than you could possibly imagine.) Stanford’s quarter system means classes are more intense - a few weeks in, and boom, it’s midterms. You’ll be plenty busy with your classes. And there’s SO MUCH going on campus - you should spend as much time on it as possible. Save your internships for the summer, when things die down quite a bit.
I’m sorry, I don’t know humanities-specific fairs. But I’ve known humanities majors at both schools who enjoyed all kinds of cool opportunities (including amazing summer abroad programs) and got jobs at on-campus fairs before they graduated. So it’s safe to say, you will interview even as a non STEM student.