<p>Woohooo... Go Princeton!!!</p>
<p>By 6 years out, Harvard students (who are actively encouraged to defer a year, or to take a year off to mature or explore life) eventually graduate at the rate of 98% - the highest rate of any undergraduate institution in the United States of America.</p>
<p>Princeton - much less flexible, more traditional and hide-bound - slips behind Harvard in graduation rate at the end of the day, as USNews documents.</p>
<p>princeton has the highest freshman retention rate, highest four-year graduation rate, and second-highest six-year graduation rate (by one percentage point, possibly less) in the country - works for me. as for H's leave of absence policy, it may not be such a good thing, according to this crimson piece:</p>
<p>That article doesn't really work, in my opinion, because how you enjoy your time off is ultimately very much dependent on you. Not to mention that these are just a few people with mediocre experiences; everyone that I know who took time off (and it's really common) loved it.</p>
<p>Scottie, why don't you go back to the Princeton board - shilling for the "eating clubs" etc etc rather than trying to fuzz over the fact that more than 3 out of 4 common admits regularly choose Havard over Princeton?</p>
<p>Head to head, its no contest, and it hasn't been a contest for decades.</p>
<p>"Harvard remains an institution that essentially hands its students a degree with a well-known name on it on a silver platter, honors or not."</p>
<p>Heh. If that were true, everyone I know would be a lot less tired and much less stressed.</p>
<p>"I visited Harvard and didn't like it at all. Harvard College offers a mediocre education at best, and everyone there seemed to know that."</p>
<p>I guess it depends on who you talk to; everyone I know here loves it here, and if they're miserable, it usually isn't because the school itself is making them miserable.</p>
<p>Just because 3 out of 4 cross-admits choose Harvard over Princeton doesn't make it better, Byerly. </p>
<p>The education is still extremely graduate-focused and completely lacking in any concept of intellectual "core curriculum."</p>
<p>Those who have a choice between the two don't have a problem, Palo Alto person.</p>
<p>It is likewise true that more than 3 out of 4 who have a choice opt for Harvard over Stanford.</p>
<p>Sadly, you didn't have the choice; the fact that you now spend so much time hanging around the Harvard site dumping on Harvard rather than at the Stanford site boosting your own school is the best evidence of what seems to be a feeling of regret and lost opportunity on your part. Even Yale didn't work out, Ivy-wise!</p>
<p>Byerly, why are you so obsessed with Harvard? Are you the College's president or something?</p>
<p>(no offense intended)</p>
<p>Just the facts. And annoyance with carping critics who have an agenda of their own.</p>
<p>"Those who have a choice between the two don't have a problem, Palo Alto person."
Apparently they do, judging by that COFHE survey!</p>
<p>I much preferred being an "ambassador" than a "person." </p>
<p>"Sadly, you didn't have the choice."
I didn't want the choice!</p>
<p>"the fact that you now spend so much time hanging around the Harvard site dumping on Harvard rather than at the Stanford site boosting your own school is the best evidence of what seems to be a feeling of regret and lost opportunity on your part. Even Yale didn't work out, Ivy-wise!"
That's completely fallacious. If I wanted Ivy League, I could have done that. But I didn't, now did I? I was looking for a good education and a good social atmosphere, and I didn't apply to H, P and Columbia for those reasons. </p>
<p>Judging by your started threads on the Stanford site, like "Girl picked Harvard over Stanford, etc" you certainly seem to miss not attending what is the most dynamic institution in higher education.</p>
<p>The Stanford site at CC certainly isn't very "dynamic" , is it? Not only do you yourself find it insufferably boring, but the moderator has to goose the site by starting threads for you because the "locals" don't have much to say themselves!</p>
<p>See, for example: <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=105291%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=105291</a></p>
<p>"Scottie, why don't you go back to the Princeton board - shilling for the 'eating clubs' etc etc rather than trying to fuzz over the fact that more than 3 out of 4 common admits regularly choose Havard over Princeton?</p>
<p>Head to head, its no contest, and it hasn't been a contest for decades."</p>
<p>i fail to see how this is responsive, or relates in any way, to my citation (without comment) of the top schools by four-year graduation rates. in any event, i will not confine myself to the princeton board, just as you have consistently refused - for good reason - to confine yourself to this one. you've made literally hundreds of posts on the princeton and yale boards. finally, i elected to spare you the embarassment here of certain recent headlines you've made, but if you persist in this attitude, i may have to reconsider the decision. your ball.</p>
<p>Here is an interesting comparative chart on various graduation rates, including graduation rates by sex and for minority students:</p>