<p>I am in the very fortunate position of being able to pick from HYPS, and after much gnashing of teeth and sleepless nights (not really), I have narrowed my choices down between Harvard and Stanford. I am a prospective economics major who loves to have fun as well as work, values collaboration over competition but thrives on both to some extent, wants both a lively academic and social scene, and is looking to enter the business field later in life.</p>
<p>So CC, how would you (objectively!) assess the schools with the diversity and quality of the student body, quality of extracurriculars, and quality of job placement in mind? I was also accepted at Wharton, but I am looking for a more holistic college experience as opposed to a pre professional one. I appreciate any and all help that the Internets would grant me.</p>
<p>First, wow. derrick and otech, you guys are amazing. i made it to hyp but stanford turned me down.</p>
<p>I don't know about the admitted students days. I hear campuses are literally transformed to put on a show for prospective students.</p>
<p>i'm choosing between harvard and penn's m&t at this point, but if stanford took me that would probably displace harvard. yes, harvard's name is irrefutable but some of my friends have said they didn't enjoy their first semester on campus. i did the summer program two years ago and i was a bit surprised at how decrepit some of the harvard yard dorms were. i'd say stanford.. beautiful place, beautiful school.</p>
<p>maanarchy has a good point, prefrosh weekends aren't representative of daily life on campus (that said - I think they're still incredibly useful, for meeting your potential classmates + seeing the best side of the school).</p>
<p>Harvard housing has character - both good and bad. Old dorms mean you sometimes end up with gorgeous fireplaces and hardwood floors. But you might also get peeling paint and the like. I don't think any are truly "decrepit" - especially in the Yard... Canaday is a little concretey and depressing.</p>
<p>I think the decision comes down to west coast vs. east coast, and city vs. suburbs.</p>
Not to throw a monkey wrench into your decision process, but at Wharton you can--and are encouraged to--take up to 43% of your classes in the arts and sciences; and 30% of Wharton undergrads graduate with dual degrees from Wharton and one of Penn's other undergrad schools (e.g., the College of Arts and Sciences):</p>
<p>^ Oh, and I should also mention that Wharton/Penn undergrads are allowed and encouraged to take classes in eight of Penn's grad schools, including the Law School, School of Design, Annenberg School for Communication, School of Social Policy and Practice, Graduate School of Education, etc.</p>
<p>As I said, unparalleled diversity, breadth, and depth.</p>
<p>When I saw Stanford's acceptance, I was thrilled and I knew I was going there. A few days later, when Harvard's acceptance came along, I didn't know what to do. I study in a boarding school in India and have never been to either of the two campuses. I am not sure what one would get from the "admitted students days". Then the cost of flying to the US and back is substantial and will keep me out of school for 10 days.</p>
<p>While the admitted student days are indeed somewhat of a dog and pony show, you will definitely get a good sense of the culture of the school. At Harvard you will see what it's like to live at a school that is integrated into its urban environment. You'll have an opportunity to attend classes. You'll sleep in the dorms and most importantly, meet current students and future peers. My kid still has friends that she met during the admitted weekend.</p>
<p>There was a fair amount of down time at admitted students weekend and if you stay Monday you can talk to people at the departments and visit a few classes. The schools really are very different, I can't imagine not having a preference.</p>
<p>"Stanford is to Harvard as the west coast is to the east. It tries to be as good, but fails at doing so."</p>
<p>ROFL</p>
<p>Harvard is the oldest, richest and possibly most prestigious universities in the nation.</p>
<p>That said, Stanford is a better school. In the entire range of academic disciplines (arts, humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, engineering, professions) Stanford is equal to or superior to Harvard. And those two schools are better overall than all the rest. And S allows you more flexibility to explore lots of different topics than H.</p>
<p>For prestige, Harvard is #1 but Stanford is shoulder to shoulder with Yale, MIT, and Princeton as #2 (if not a bit higher with Yale alone).</p>
<p>Stanford also has much better weather in a more cosmopolitan setting.<br>
Ultimately, the feel of each place will be a personal choice. You should visit both places before making a decision.</p>
<p>I think it would be difficult to argue that Stanford is a hands-down better school in every academic discipline as well as better for professions. Pure math, chemistry, applied math, and the life sciences all spring to mind, as do the fact that Harvard students are overwhelmingly more successful at landing jobs in certain sectors (aka Wall Street) than are Stanford's. That said, Stanford is boss at engineering.</p>
<p><a href="Stanford's">quote</a> more cosmopolitan setting
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</p>
<p>Really???? You raise some good points (like the differences resulting from quarters vs. semesters), but how can you call Palo Alto more cosmopolitan than Cambridge?</p>
<p>Palo Alto is a bit isolated. Cambridge is more cosmopolitan. People who have gone to school there say it is the best place for young people to go to school.</p>
<p>You have to understand that there are kids who don't want to go to an urban school. So of course people who have gone to school say it is the best place since they chose it because they like cities:).</p>
<p>It's not difficult at all h-bomber. Check US News, check the National Research Council, etc. Across the disciplines I mentioned Stanford ranks on average higher than Harvard. That fact has been true across the last twenty years. Academically, the true supernovas of universities (top ranked in a huge range of areas) have been Stanford, Berkeley and Harvard (in that order). MIT is great in sciences & engineering; Princeton is great once you adjust for their smaller size. But overall, it's Stanford then Berkeley then Harvard. Check Berkeley's own site - they crow about it all the time.</p>
<p>Re job placement, I would love to see ANY data you can provide that backs up your statement of H student's overwhelming success in landing jobs relative to Stanford. Any data at all Mr Bomber. Thx</p>
<p>There was one person from Stanford working at Goldman last summer in M&A, none in I-banking, none in Principle Investment, and a few in Research. Similar stories at Merryl, JP, and Morgan. The representation is even worse when you talk about actual analyst positions, which predominantly go to Harvard, Wharton, Yale, etc. Very little west coast representation, you guys mostly go to San Fransisco and play in the minors.</p>