<p>Somehow I've been accepted at both Stanford and Harvard-- yay!!! --and now I am trying to decide which one I will attend this fall. I am torn between majoring in chemical engineering and economics but have not decided between the two. (Also, I live in TX so they're both equally far away and equally different from what I'm used to = both good) Could anyone offer some ideas about which would be better and why? Thanks!</p>
<p>Oh, and on a side note: how prevalent is the greek life at Stanford? At MIT and Penn, for example, there is apparently a very large percentage of frat/sorority people.</p>
<p>I had the same dilemna in deciding where to apply early. I ultimately chose Stanford because I wanted a mix of an incredible academic experience and a great time. Princeton Review Ranks Stanford students as that happiest in the nation, whereas study after study have found unhappiness at Harvard. I also liked the idea of the laid back attitude at Stanford, and the lack of northeastern pretention that is often found at Harvard and its Ivy peers. So for happiness and the collegiate experience I chose Stanford. </p>
<p>In terms of your subjects would say Stanford in generally stonger in engineering, and both Stanford and Harvard are amongst the best economics departments in the country.</p>
<p>Also, mlee88 if your intersted in both chemical engineering and economics you can double major at Stanford. Harvard does not give you this option.</p>
<p>As much as I like Stanford, I don't trust rankings. The Princeton Review can say whatever they want, but I don't believe they should be taken seriously.</p>
<p>First of all, congratulations. They are both great schools, and to some extent you won't go wrong either way. If you're seriously considering any type of engineering major, Stanford is much stronger.</p>
<p>My own perspective is that I have recent degrees from both schools, and liked both of them. Do you have specific questions?</p>
<p>Three quarters of those who have a choice opt for Harvard over Stanford, for whatever reason. I advise you to visit both before deciding, if you have the opportunity.</p>
<p>ChemE is a very, very strong program at Stanford. You will receive the best engineering education if you come here.</p>
<p>The economics department focuses on good teaching and it is a very prominent department.</p>
<p>Greek life at Stanford is there but it does not dominate the social scene. If you want to go to a frat party on Friday night, they exist, but there are many, many options. A lot of students never go to the frat scene at all.</p>
<p>For engineering, I would recommend Stanford in a heartbeat. Does Harvard even have an engineering department? Don't you have to take most of the classes through MIT?</p>
<p>The personality types of these schools are soooo different it's really surprising for me that someone can find both of them equally satisfying. One is East Coast traditional elite, the other is West Coast yuppy laid back. One's not better than the other. You just have to pick the one that appeals to you more.</p>
<p>I vote for Stanford based on weather, the student atmosphere, and my own perception (i.e. not scientifically researched) that Stanford students seem to be happier than Harvard students.</p>
<p>dulce2, although it is generally wise not to trust rankings, I can tell from my experience at Stanford that everyone I meet seems to be very, very happy here. I have talked to several people who didn't love Harvard, but I have yet to actually meet someone who doesn't love Stanford. I know I had a good friend who was deciding between the two and came across several Harvard students and even a prof who said she should go to Stanford! So she did. And she loves it :)</p>
<p>Yeah, agreed ^. If other people tend to like it here more, then you will proabably like it here more, and that's what really matters in a college. I've talked to someone from swarthmore who was talking about how a lot of people were talking about finding ways to transfer out and stuff like that - I couldn't even imagine that here. Really, everyone likes it a lot. Haven't talked to anyone who hasn't.</p>
<p>About the prestige thing, come on, man. Stanford all the prestige you could need - no one's going to turn you down from a job because you went to stanford, not harvard.</p>