<p>I've recently been admitted to Stanford, Columbia Rabi Scholars Program and Penn Vagelos Life Science & Management program. These are my top 3 choices and I was wondering if people could draw some comparisons among the 3 schools to help me understand my options better. I'm extremely interested in the neurological and psychological sciences, but have also have an interest in social studies/economics/anthropology. In short, I'm not sure I want to go into science even though I love science.</p>
<p>When I first got my acceptances, Stanford struck me as my top choice. It's probably considered the most prestigious and has amazing sciences. Plus, the students are generally happy, and the weather definitely is a huge bonus! But I'm from NY, so Stanford is far away and less convenient to attend than the other schools. My concern isn't home sickness, but rather lack of convenience in travel. Stanford also is traditionally known for their engineering and entrepreneurship. Although I'm open to these fields, I'm not sure how I would fit in if I chose not to study hard science. I'm not sure if my internship and job prospects would be comparable to other HYPSM schools. </p>
<p>I know of Columbia's professors best - everyone from Brian Green to Eric Kandel, who have inspired me in the sciences. The Rabi Scholarship seems super cool too, and it's nice to know I'll be funded for my research endeavors in college. Plus, NY is a great location with a plethora of opportunities. The Core is a bit concerning though because I feel I might not be able to have enough space in my schedule to figure out what career I want to pursue.</p>
<p>Penn LSM is also a sweet deal because of the dual degree and guaranteed paid/unpaid internships. BA in economics from Wharton and BS from the college. It seems like a perfect fit, academically, for my interests. However, my concern is the stressful preprofessional environment. I know people who struggle in the cutthroat environment and aren' thappy at Penn. I also know someone who is currently taking 7 classes in one semester! Further, I'm not sure the science education is as strong as at Stanford or Columbia.</p>
<p>Do you guys have any insights about the points I raised or about differences between the schools to help me come to a decision? Which do you think I should choose?</p>
<p>I would encourage you to visit the three colleges, attend a class or two in your likely major and talk to faculty. All your choices are extraordinary. Ultimately you can’t go wrong with any of the academic options.</p>
<p>Thanks guys! Also sorry for the two typos: I meant “and I also have an interest in social studies” and “aren’t happy.” Not sure how to edit the post though.</p>
<p>Congratulations @singer316. It sounds like you are very familiar with Columbia and possibly Penn since you are from New York. I strongly agree with fogcity to visit Stanford during Admit Weekend…since it sounds like you have only heard HALF of what makes Stanford special (from your post)…because… did you know that Stanford has the #1 ranked humanities and social sciences departments in the world…most people don’t because they ONLY want to talk about the billionaire tech entrepreneurs produced by Stanford…</p>
<p>…besides having the top ranked departments for psychology and neurosciences for which you may be interested in pursuing…if you change your mind at Stanford to pursue something else…you can without feeling guilty or being cheated…</p>
<p>…you can thrive pursuing whatever you desire at S…not just tech entrepreneurship or CS/engineering…moreover, they have top professional schools in medicine, law, and business as well…</p>
<p>…you can always look up the pertinent important information about all three schools to make your decision…</p>
<p>Thanks so much for your input! It was very helpful. I’ve seen those articles :). Stanford has amazing social sci and humanities. But from what I’ve heard from a current Stanford student, a culture of tech is dominant even though all departments are strong. I just wanted to get a sense of how other academic groups thrive and fit in at Stanford. But I’m so glad to hear that I can really do whatever I want at Stanford.</p>
<p>There are seniors in Stanford who have never taken a computer science class. Conversely, 80+% of English majors have taken at least one by the time of graduation.</p>
<p>I’m from New York too so I know what you mean about your difficulty in travels since I’m interested in going to school somewhere out there to. I think it would be 100% worth it though in the end though, especially at Stanford. </p>