<p>HI, I was wandering if anyone tried to choose b/w Princeton and Yale.</p>
<p>I know they are two totally different schools,</p>
<p>but how do they differ in atmosphere, ppl, fun, etc??</p>
<p>lol... well, i really shouldn't be answering this, because I HATED yale. New Haven really sealed the deal for me. It is not a nice city at all, and I met more creepy people than i can count there. I know that everyone says that Yale is fenced in and therefore removed from all of that, but I felt like i couldn't escape it, not even in the middle of campus. Now don't get me wrong... Yale is absolutely beautiful on the inside. I'm really just not a city person, especially in a non-college-student-oriented city, so i guess it freaked me out and gave me a bad bias for the rest of the visit. Princeton, on the other hand, is in a very safe and surprisingly large town that has a lot for college students. I felt very at-home :)</p>
<p>I went back and forth between Princeton and Yale. I think they are similar in some respects. The education is obviously top-notch. Yale also claims an undergrad focus to an extent. A lot of people like the residential college system at Yale (it's 4 years, instead of 2 at Pton). </p>
<p>I'm not sure how one can judge the atmosphere, ppl, fun, etc, because each school has a variety of individuals, and it's very hard to make generalizations about them. I would say that both schools are intellectual, but know how to have fun. The stereotypes are of course, that Yale is the "gay ivy" but then again, Princeton's supposed to be the pretentious one. </p>
<p>The differences between the campuses really surprised me. Looking online, I thought that Yale was all lush and closed in, but I visited and it is quite busy and bustling with traffic. The city campus thing wasn't that appealing to me. Princeton is of course, suburban, and the campus is bound to be safer than a city like New Haven. </p>
<p>I did apply to Yale and had I gone there instead of Princeton I think I would have been perfectly happy as well. But as it is now, I can't imagining loving another school.</p>
<p>princeton and yale are both fantastic schools for undergrads, possibly the two best among national universities, and they're similar in many other ways. still, as koala suggests, location is a big distinguishing feature between them. like koala, i had a very negative experience and reaction to the city of new haven when i visited - so negative that i never considered applying to yale. still, i can grant that yale's city environment, whatever its warts, will appeal to many applicants moreso than princeton's upscale and rather quiet small-town environment. the only way for you decide, bono, is to visit, explore, and talk to as many people as you can. </p>
<p>good luck with your decision.</p>
<p>f.scottie, your comments will get you in trouble with our beloved Token Harvard Representative.</p>
<p>hmph. it seems like it's been realized by most that at least princeton's, if not yale's, undergraduate is better simply due to the fact that they actually focus on the undergraduates as a priority. I'm not saying this makes them better than harvard, but it seems like they just are better in terms of the focus. Token Harvard Representative, (THR? lol) please feel free to counter this statement; I'm just making an observation.</p>
<p>Actually, I was referring to someone else as the THR.</p>
<p>um, i didn't mean you. I meant whoever was the THR. i didn't want to get yelled at or anything, so I just put up a disclaimer</p>
<p>Oh, well he might left you off easy because you aren't citing sophisticated academic studies and newspaper articles to support your case.</p>
<p>I am in a similar position to people who posted above, but I chose Yale. (The bottom line: You can't go wrong choosing either. Remember that advice when April comes around, you got into both, and you're freaking out about making your decision, as I was!)</p>
<p>Both cademically and socially, I got the feeling that Princeton was tough and intense. Not to say that Yale is easy. In fact, I think I preferred Princeton's academics. But I sensed a different attitude.</p>
<p>I just thought the people at Yale were more like me. Yale's Bulldog Days and Princeton's April Hosting Weekend helped me decide this. Yale gave me a sense of community that I'm feeling now. I'm proud of my university, my residential college, and myself.</p>
<p>I had until recently considered Yale my first choice, but now I think I prefer Princeton...I read on another website that Yale students are unfriendly, unhappy, live in a bubble, etc. and that too many classes are taught by teaching assistants - overall I got a very negative impression. Comments? (I haven't visited either campus yet, by the way)</p>
<p>And what exactly do people mean when they say Princeton is 'preppy'?</p>
<p>Literally, Preppy mean prep schoolish.</p>
<p>Indeed, about a half of Princeton students are coming from some private (non-public) school system (aka college preparatory).</p>
<p>But hey this is not a bad thing after all - More rich kids coming in, more sholarship money u will get :)</p>
<p>On a serious note, Pton peeps are very kind, welcoming & accomodating.</p>
<p>Smart students, great professors, and lots of opprtunites await </p>
<p>P.S> Guess I posted this on other thread, but wth</p>
<p>Princeton gives out all those MET opera tickets free !!</p>
<p>Boheme, Traviata, Lucia, Cosi Fan Tutte and so on...</p>
<p>Tell me wat other school can do these kinda things?</p>
<p>I would choose Princeton over Yale, I think. Mainly because the laundry is free, the Frist hot dogs are great, and the people seem pretty cool, even though a few tend to have an inflated ego.</p>
<p>on a more important note, I would choose Yale over Princeton if you like Pizza. Yale's pizza was ranked #1 by USNEWS and Princeton Review's "All around Pizza Experience". Go to sally's or pepe's when you visit yale, and I assure you there won't be any choice to be made come april.</p>
<p>Marina and Bangoo: The prep school statistic is somewhat misleading. First of all, some of these students are graduates of religious schools, rather than of the traditional bastions of elitism. Second of all, even the most prestigious prep schools now offer financial aid packages that make it hard to generalize about the background of their students. </p>
<p>And, of course, even those students who are genuinely priveleged are not necessarily either snooty or even "preppy" in the traditional sense of the word.</p>
<p>Marina - I would be wary about what you read on a random website (even this one... lol). A lot of times websites are biased either for or against the school. The only way you can get a genuine impression is by visiting.</p>
<p>I really hope I do manage to visit a few campuses, but not living in the US makes it difficult :( (and causes an excessive reliance on websites, lol)</p>
<p>That's a shame since your impression of yale from websites ("students are unfriendly and unhappy") seems to be wholly inaccurate. Read these boards and others with a major grain of salt and realize that places like princeton, harvard and yale are actually far more alike than different - particularly with respect to the caliber and qualities of their students.</p>
<p>Marina - lol i didn't realize you lived outside the US. In that case, I would read a lot of college guidebooks and yes, surf this site, because i think that this is probably the best website for getting a real feel for a college. For college guidebooks that really get a feel for student body, I'd recommend The Insider's Guide to the Colleges, though I have heard that Fiske is good too. :)</p>
<p>what's music like at princeton? i mean as a minor, of course. specifically piano. who are the teachers and is there an orchestra like Yale?
i'm also trying to decide which is better. leaning towards Princeton at the moment.</p>