Princeton vs. State School? My brain is dying.

College Search & Selection
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<p>So here's the deal. As a NMF, I get a pretty sweet deal to a pretty average state school. But my family's financial situation also qualifies us for a pretty good deal to Princeton. The cost actually ends up being about the same. No-brainer, right? </p>

<p>Not. It's funny, because as the year went on, my state school got more and more difficult to refuse. First, they gave me guaranteed acceptance to their medical school. Then, they accepted me into this selective leadership program. And then they threw in another couple grand just in case I was still wavering. </p>

<p>The thing is, I really want to go into business, and I think college is a great time to start exploring these types of things, and try to discover what I might do outside of my "planned" career as a physician. I'm no longer even sure I want to go into medicine, but having an acceptance in hand sure makes undergraduate years a ton less stressful, and it'll allow me to actually explore those other areas of the professional world without much pressure to impress med schools. Princeton has such an academic-oriented focus that I'm quite a bit concerned about having the time and energy to be able to thoroughly explore other career options. </p>

<p>On the other hand, Princeton is such a good opportunity, and which medical school wouldn't take a hard-working Princeton grad? The name itself gives you an aura of intelligence - not to mention the academics. Plus, it'll be a very good choice if I do end up doing something other than medicine (which is somewhat likely at this point). And the connections - OH THE CONNECTIONS.</p>

<p>But then again, I'm planning on going to graduate/professional school, and wouldn't it be better to be a total star at a state school than an average kid at an Ivy? My state school does send a few outstanding kids to Ivy graduate schools every year, and I would love to be one of them. And plus, that whole "being able to explore the world" thing is very very very important to me. </p>

<p>But then again, it's Princeton, with all of its opportunities and resources… and it would cost about the same as a state school!</p>

<p>Any advice, CCers? Your wisdom is much appreciated.</p>

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<p>Hmmm… You are in quite the predicament, indeed. </p>

<p>First of all, CONGRATULATIONS on getting accepted to both colleges and having those offers. Like, wow.</p>

<p>Secondly, I would suggest sticking it with Princeton. Princeton would provide you with a more holistic education and- like you said- something to, in a way, fall back on. If the medical thing doesn’t work out, you’re fine if you’re at Princeton; you can really pull a subject out of a hat, and it’s bound to be of the utmost prestige.</p>

<p>But ultimately, it’s your decision.</p>

<p>Please answer my question! It’s under the “Chance me” section, about Cornell!</p>

3

<p>It’s a tough decision. But at the state school you’ll receive a lot of attention and be able to “explore those other areas of the professional world without much pressure to impress med schools.”</p>

<p>At Princeton, you have the name and the connections, but the atmosphere would be much more competitive.</p>

<p>Go to your state school. Congratulations on receiving such impressive acceptances!</p>

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<p>invisible, Without knowing your state, it’s hard to compare, but my advice would be go to Princeton. At this point in your life you don’t even know what doors are out there, let alone how to open them. Stretch yourself. Get out of your comfort zone. No reason why you couldn’t be a “total star” at Princeton too. This is an opportunity you shouldn’t talk yourself out of.</p>

5

<p>“But then again, it’s Princeton, with all of its opportunities and resources…”
“And the connections - OH THE CONNECTIONS.”</p>

<p>This sums up my feelings precisely.
As someone close to a number of Princeton alums I will tell you they are a breed apart.
For someone interested in business, these connections will outflank anything your state flagship (or any state flagship) can possibly offer. </p>

<p>And don’t be naiive about grad schools. You’ll have the opportunity at Princeton to do research/work with leaders in every academic field, people personally connected to colleagues at the highest quality programs. A personal call from connected tenured Princeton faculty trumps any GPA from any state flagship and any GRE score. Wish it were not so, but welcome to the myth of equal opportunity. </p>

<p>Time to don the orange and black, pass go, first base, and second base. You’re on your own thereafter, but third base makes for a great starting point.</p>

6

<p>People may be able to provide more useful advice if you indicate what state school you are considering. Not saying you have to (it’s obviously your choice0), but others will be able to give more specific answers.</p>

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<p>If you’re not set on medicine, go to Princeton, especially if prices are equal. You can always go to Princeton and decide to apply to med school, and if you go to the state school and decide not to do med, you will miss out on the connections/networking(Do not underestimate the value of these in the finance/business worlds) and will miss the name brand in case you decide to go to law or business school. For the record, Business schools (MBA) consider undergrad prestige-its not the most important factor, but its a factor.</p>

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<p>Princeton may, however, be disadvantageous for pre-med purposes, since it does not appear to have as much grade inflation as other similarly selective schools. See the list at the bottom of [National</a> Trends in Grade Inflation, American Colleges and Universities](<a href=“http://www.gradeinflation.com/]National”>http://www.gradeinflation.com/) .</p>

<p>Princeton: 3.28 in 2008</p>

<p>Brown: 3.61 in 2007
Stanford: 3.55 in 2005
Yale: 3.51 in 2008
Amherst: 3.48 in 2006
Harvard: 3.45 in 2005
Penn: 3.44 in 2004
Columbia: 3.42 in 2006
Dartmouth: 3.42 in 2007
Williams: 3.38 in 2008
Cornell: 3.36 in 2006</p>

<p>Since you do not mention what your state school is, it may be hard to comment on it otherwise, although Princeton will likely be advantageous for being recruited into investment banking and management consulting if that is of interest to you.</p>

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<p>Note that “guaranteed admission to medical school” is typically contingent on getting a high enough college GPA and MCAT score – often high enough to make you a competitive medical school applicant anyway, although you would be in just by meeting the thresholds, rather than having to apply, interview, etc. and hope not to get shut out like about half or more of medical school applicants.</p>

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<p>Perhaps it isn’t a ‘no-brainer,’ but in your situation i’d go to Princeton and wouldn’t look back. Few universities can match Princeton’s resources, faculty, and opportunities for its students and alumni. It’s likely that your state school isn’t one of these universities.</p>

11

<p>If I were in your shoes I would pursue Business at Princeton. There is a significant amount of rigor involved at an Ivy League school, and a huge coursework load to boot, but the benefits are tremendously worth it. </p>

<p>I’m glad you recognize the connections aspect, which could likely make the biggest difference. I would build as many connections with professors and other faculty as I can. As an undergraduate Business student, NETWORKING makes the biggest difference as far as obtaining a lucrative job. Having contact information and positive relationships with influential figures in the business world can be gold and arguably worth the huge price tag of college to obtain it. As far as “OH THE CONNECTIONS,” you have picked the right field, my friend.</p>

<p>In addition, at my state flagship university there are several Business societies/fraternities (separate from social fraternities) that meet with business professionals and and get involved in conferences, competitions, etc. I’m sure Princeton has these opportunities in abundance, and if you choose to attend there you NEED to get involved in them. Keep building those connections…</p>

<p>Lastly, as far as prestige is concerned, being a Princeton grad will not necessarily get you straight into a job. However, you will likely have greater opportunities for INTERNSHIPS during the summer. Not sure what your summer plans are for your 4 years, but make internships a priority. College is perhaps the most pivotal time for obtaining work experience, and building your resume is key to getting that sweet entry-level job you’re probably imagining. In addition, you’re building more connections…</p>

<p>I hope you utilize these next few years well, you have such an incredible opportunity in your hands. Don’t squander it. Good luck, Go Tigers!</p>

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<p>You’ll always regret not going Ivy League IMHO.</p>

<p>Forget about connections. 5, 10, 20 years from now, an Ivy League diploma on your wall means more to patients considering hiring you.</p>

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<p>You are not sure about medicine. Go to Princeton!</p>

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<p>“You’ll always regret not going Ivy League IMHO.”</p>

<p>It’s not just the Ivy League, it’s Princeton. HYP set themselves apart.</p>

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<p>Might be hard to do that, given the lack of such a department and major:</p>

<p>[Princeton</a> University - Departments & Programs](<a href=“http://www.princeton.edu/main/academics/departments/]Princeton”>Areas of Study)</p>

<p>Of course, the investment banking and management consulting recruiters still recruit there based on the generalized prestige of the school, though the operations research and financial engineering major appears tailor made for the investment banking aspirants.</p>

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<p>Ah, I did not realize Princeton didn’t have a business school. I must have assumed too much. Looking at what programs are available there, I’d say that while there is no “Business major” there are still ample opportunities for you to pursue a Business School education.</p>

<p>Remember that your undergraduate course of study does not set in stone your career industry or graduate school. Choose the area of study that interests you the most and hone your interests, with the support of faculty and other students, into building the education and career that you wish to achieve. I would still go with Princeton in this regard.</p>

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<p>Thanks for all the advice guys! I live in Arkansas. </p>

<p>And sorry about the confusion… By “business” I mean entrepreneurship, as in starting my own start-up. I think my main thing about Princeton is that my head would be totally buried in studies and I wouldn’t have the opportunity to explore. Entrepreneurship doesn’t exactly require extreme academic talent, and my backup (medicine) at U Arkansas would be totally covered.</p>

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<p>Also I feel like I’d get more leadership opportunities at a less competitive school?</p>

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<p>Invisible, I’m glad you’re not being swayed by all of the votes for Princeton. Yes, by all means you would have more leadership opportunities at a state school. If you want more specific information, please feel free to PM me.</p>

20

<p>Not sure if medicine is really good as a “backup”…</p>

<p>However, Arkansas medical school is relatively inexpensive for Arkansas residents, so if you really want to go that direction, you might be able to graduate from medical school with much less debt than you would otherwise.</p>

<p><a href=“https://services.aamc.org/tsfreports/select.cfm?year_of_study=2013[/url]”>https://services.aamc.org/tsfreports/select.cfm?year_of_study=2013&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;