Stanford v. Princeton v. Harvard

<p>So awhile back I was planning on applying to Berkeley, but I found out that they require a fine art (in fact all the UCs do), so I couldn't apply there. Now I'm looking for one and only one more school to apply to. As I really should decide which one ASAP so i can have my HS send transcrips and whatnot, I figured I'd askon here. Given what I look for in a school, which of the three schools, Stanford, Princeton, or Harvard would be good for me.</p>

<p>I want good math and physics programs above everything and by far. Nothing matters to me more than the academics of a school particularly in math/physics.</p>

<p>Also, apparenlty due to my finanical status, if accepted at Harvard I would get a full ride. That being said, I think Princeton was rated #1 in the nation for need-based fin aid.</p>

<p>The smaller the school (both population and campus wise) the better.</p>

<p>I'd like to go to school in Cali. A plus to Stanford.</p>

<p>The easier to get into the better. I already have 2 far reaches and I realize that no matter which one of the three I choose it will still be a reach; however, the smaller the reach the better.</p>

<p>Yeah so given my preferences, what do you guys think would be a good chioce for me?</p>

<p>Thanks a lot</p>

<p>What are your stats like?</p>

<p>GPA: 3.77/4.0 UW, 4.364/5.00 W
Class rank: 25/640
SATI (superscore): 680 CR, 800 M, 660 W
SAT II: 800 Math Lvl 2, 800 Physics, 790 Chem
AP:
5 BC Calc, 5 AB Calc subscore (not that this matters lol)
5 Physics C Mechanics, 5 Physics C E&M
5 Chemistry
4 AB Computer Science
3 APUSH</p>

<p>Senior yr courses:
PSC 111 American Government
ENG102H Honors English II
MTH 281 Multivariable Cal
MTH 286 Intro. to Diff eqns
MTH 288 Linear Algebra
ENG 315 Intro to the English Lang.
MTH 311 Numerical Analysis
MTH 358 Abstract Algebra
MTH 381 Analysis
MTH 424 Probability Theory
PHY 350 Electricity and Magnetism (just auditing this)
AP Stats (Just auditing this)</p>

<p>ECs/Awards:
Ind. Math Reserach paper (ones already written, one I hope to start over winter break) though nothing special. Some cool results I guess, but no applicants at all.
"working" with research with professor. I put that in quotes, becuase to be quite honest, it is so insanely difficult I really doubt anything will come out of it. I'm just not smart enough. I'm just going to try my best and if I contribute something, great. If not, at least I learned something :).
Some various science/math/Latin competition awards. Nothing speicial. The best I ever did in scieonce olympiad was 4th in state. The best in math was 16th in state. The best in Latin was 1st in state.
Work at Subway 20hrs/week. I know nothing special again, but I need the job because for the most part I pay for my own stuff i.e. not much parental help.
A couple of "best"/"one of the best" math/science studnets in school awards. School is kind of big w/ like 2600 kids, but this really still doesnt mean much because only a very small portion of those kids are competitive in the first place. So once again, nothing special.
Various other things. Most are math/science based. And nothing I can think of right now is worth listing.</p>

<p>BTW it's probably worth noting that I've gotten like 10 Bs in HS, 2 of which were in math/science. I got a B in Honors Geometry (8th grade), and a B in Honors Physics (10th grade). I'm hoping the fact that because one B was in 8th grade they wont hold it against me, and the fact that I got 5s and 800 on the Physics AP and SAT II repsectively will outweigh the B in Physics. As for the other 8 Bs in englihs/humanities, I deserve all of those, so they should hold those against me lol.</p>

<p>None of the above, sorry. your GPA is just not hi enough for those schools. I hope you have some safeties on your list. Is Harvey Mudd on your list? It should be for the majors you are interested in.</p>

<p>Harvey-Mudd is.</p>

<p>What other schools should I look at?</p>

<p>O and I don't know if it matters, but I think all but 3 or 4 of those Bs occurred before sophomore year. I think I remember hearing that Stanford/Princeotn doesn't look at before sophomore year, so would this make it even in the slightest bit possible to be accepted. Or should I just not even waste my time?</p>

<p>Thanks again.</p>

<p>University of Chicago</p>

<p>That's on the list too lol.</p>

<p>Mit, Caltech, Cornell, Hopkins</p>

<p>MIT and Caltech are there as well.</p>

<p>Cornell I dismissed because it seemed to be too much into engineering for my tastes. That is, I'm ocmpletley into the theoretical side of things, not the practical. Cornell's curriculum just seemed too much based around applied stuff to suit me. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's the impression I got.</p>

<p>I've never looked at Hopkins though, so I'll definitely have a look at that.</p>

<p>Ok so what are your safeties? Because non of the colleges that have been mentioned so far can be considered safeties these days.</p>

<p>All three of these schools are really reachish; from reading this thread; you seem to already have a lot of reach schools. I say you add safety instead of one more reach.</p>

<p>They're all far reaches. You need to reevaluate your list.</p>

<p>Let's assume there are already safeties on the list. Of the three you raised, Princeton is the smallest, and only Stanford is in California. All are among the most competitive in the country for admissions, and it would be impossible to predict at which one you might have a better chance. Given your course selection, it is not possible to make a meaningful evaluation of your GPA, that would require an admission committee carefully studying the rigor of your classes, not just the grades.</p>

<p>you have a much better chance at U of Chicago, but it is hardly a safety.</p>

<p>Even with all of the considerations of the previous posts in mind, Stanford, Princeton, and Harvard all have great programs in physics and mathematics. The math/physics curricula and faculty at these schools are on par with each other. They are also on par with MIT, CalTech, University of Chicago, and others. </p>

<p>Of the original three, Princeton has 4,798 undergrads and about 2,300 graduate students, less than Harvard and Stanford. The campus is also smaller than Harvard and Stanford (which I believe has the largest campus in the United States, but most of it is unoccupied open space). Both Harvard and Princeton offer a 100% financial aid grant for students with families making less than $60,000 dollars/yr.</p>

<p>For what its worth, Princeton students from California make up the largest group of U.S. students on campus. </p>

<p>I agree with the other posters that if you aren't currently applying to other schools than these, I would find some.</p>

<p>umm...i dont think it is so far of a reach. do you know how few ppl even attempt the 3 AP phsics tests? most schools dont even offer the test or the class. that is amazing that you got 5s. did you take the course in school or selfstudy? SAT II physics 800 is amazing too. physics is definitely your best subject it seems. if you declare a physics major, i think you have a good shot. gpa is not everything. national tests are what really prove what kind of student you are.</p>

<p>Unfortunately at most of the top colleges he is applying to GPA is very important. He still needs a safety just in case, if he doesn't have one beyond the colleges mentioned.</p>

<p>I have safeties, I just havent listed any because I've only mentioned schools that others have mentioend, all of which are competitve. The reaosn I was looking for a quasi-reach school is because I was looking for a school about as competitive as Berkeley (because that is the school I was trying to replace). I had 8 schools. 2 really far reach. 2 reach/high match. 2 match. and 2 low match/safety. Berkely was one of the reach/highmatch, so I was lookgin for another reach/high match, although the 3 aforementoined schools are admittedy really far reaches for me.</p>

<p>If it makes a difference, I recalculated my UW gpa not counting 7th, 8th, or 9th grade and it came out to be a 3.848.</p>

<p>I think if I had to choose from the 3, I'd go with Princeton but....do I have a decent chance? I mean, everyone has somewhat of a chance, but I don't want to have to go through the trouble of applying if I don't have at least close to a 40-60 chance (40 being chances for acceptance that is). Is it worth my time?</p>

<p>question: how the hell is this your senior year schedule?</p>

<p>"Senior yr courses:
PSC 111 American Government
ENG102H Honors English II
MTH 281 Multivariable Cal
MTH 286 Intro. to Diff eqns
MTH 288 Linear Algebra
ENG 315 Intro to the English Lang.
MTH 311 Numerical Analysis
MTH 358 Abstract Algebra
MTH 381 Analysis
MTH 424 Probability Theory
PHY 350 Electricity and Magnetism (just auditing this)
AP Stats (Just auditing this)"</p>

<p>not only is that simply an overwhelming amount of courses, but that is practically the first two years of a math major's curriculum crammed into a single year of highschool. how is that even possible?</p>

<p>It's 2 semetsers.
5 one semester 5 another plus 2 audited courses.
It's not nearly as hard as it seems. Seriously, I haven't had this much free time since freshman year lol.</p>