Stanford vs. Columbia

Colleges and Universities A-Z Stanford University
1

<p>I applied to pretty much every top University and I am weighing Stanford, Columbia, and Princeton. I got into engineering in both Princeton and Columbia and also the Egleston scholarship in Columbia, which means you get a $10k research grant, better financial aid (don't know if this will help or not yet), guaranteed internships, extra advisors, and a few more things.</p>

<p>I'm interested in biomedical engineering (thinking about other engineering), medicine and economics/business. I love having the very strong core curriculum at Columbia. Stanford also has that very strong core to some degree. I also like Princeton, but the town doesn't seem to compare well to Stanford and NYC. Also NYC is simply unbeatable as a college location, especially with all the job/internships options it has to offer. </p>

<p>Princeton seems to be lagging behind the others now because I really didn't like the idea of having eating clubs as the main social venue and it also seems to be more of an "Old boys' club" than the other 2. All three have equally beautiful campuses, even though Stanford's weather is slightly better (I don't mind east coast cold though). The only negative I've heard about Columbia is bad dorms, but that doesn't seem to be a huge issue. </p>

<p>I'm not completely sure about the strengths of the specific programs, but I need some help weighing the options and deciding. Also, is there a big "prestige" and name difference between the three?</p>

2

<p>No, as I am a Christian.</p>

3

<p>I don’t really understand how that has anything to do with it. Could you explain please.</p>

4

<p>Forget akman159.</p>

<p>Honestly, you cannot go wrong. It seems to me that you’ve narrowed your choices to Stanford and Columbia. Seeing that you’re interested in engineering, I would advocate Stanford.
But if you’re looking for a solid social life and girl-company (I assume you’re male?) NYC is the way to go.</p>

<p>Actually, you know what? I really can’t find any fault with these universities–They’re all prestigious. In fact, Obama graduated from Columbia, Woodrow Wilson graduated from Princeton, and Herbert Hoover from Stanford. Perhaps Princeton and Stanford are slightly (though certainly not by a huge margin or anything like that) more prestigious.</p>

<p>I suggest you go VISIT them personally before you make your decision. Good luck!</p>

<p>Personally, I’d pick Princeton, but that’s just me! I love the JErsey Shore ;]</p>

5

<p>I have actually visited all of them (albeit some time ago), and I’m still having some trouble deciding. Is the marginally less prestige in Columbia going to give me a disadvantage in finding jobs/ getting recruited for a job or getting into graduate school? </p>

<p>That is one major concern I have, even though I don’t really understand which is more prestigious and why. According to most ranking systems that I found Columbia and Princeton are very close with Princeton pulling ahead a tiny bit and Stanford a teensy bit above both. Also, does Stanford have an advantage when it comes to the Sciences?</p>

6

<p>I think that here in the NE, Columbia has a very strong reputation in engineering, particularly in biomedical. Furthermore, the best hospitals in the USA are quite possibly in NYC, which could end up mattering for that field. And if you’re getting great financial aid too, which was a big drawback for us with Columbia, I’d say Columbia is the best choice for you. The only other potential negative we saw to Columbia was that our tour guide confirmed what we had been told that the college’s social scene mostly takes place off campus in night clubs, etc. So while there is obviously tons to do in the city, it wil cost you a lot in cab fares, cover charges, etc. compared with another campus where you’d be more likely to engage in less expensive activities on campus. So be sure to include that in your calculations.</p>

<p>Also, a lot of Columbia students aren’t fans themselves of the Core, so ask some more questions about that.</p>

7

<p>For engineering: </p>

<p>Stanford = #2
Princeton = #18
Columbia = #21</p>

<p>[Rankings</a> - Best Engineering Schools - Graduate Schools - Education - US News and World Report](<a href=“http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-engineering-schools/rankings]Rankings”>http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-engineering-schools/rankings)</p>

8

<p>Note that those rankings are for graduate programs.</p>

9

<p>Same difference. For (undergraduate & graduate) engineering: </p>

<p>Stanford = #2</p>

<p>[Best</a> Undergraduate Engineering Programs - Best Colleges - Education - US News and World Report](<a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/spec-doct-engineering]Best”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/spec-doct-engineering)</p>

10

<p>I saw that list, but the only criterion is peer-institution professor and dean ratings or something, and Columbia often loses marks because it’s not as engineering focused due to its core. Either way, using US News rankings to decide where I want to go isn’t something I’d like to do because it just gives you a few numbers. Thank you for posting that though. Any help weighing the pros and cons of all of them are always welcome.</p>

11

<p>I think in terms of undergraduate experience, Stanford and Columbia will be very different. At Stanford the students stay pretty much on campus, where at Columbia they go all over the city. It kind of depends on which experience you think you would like.
My daughter got into both and decided to go to Stanford - the admit weekend really helped he make up her mind.
Can you make it to admit weekend - it’s a different experience than visiting on you own because you meet the kids you will actually be going to school with.</p>

12

<p>To the OP:</p>

<p>If you visit Columbia, ask the engineering students there (who applied Regular Decision) whether or not Fu was their 1st choice? That should help crystallize your decision.</p>

13

<p>^I believe the question is whether (and more importantly, WHY) the RD Columbia student selected Columbia over Stanford, not whether Columbia was his or her first choice. My Columbia son, and many other Columbia students, had no interest in attending Stanford; not because Columbia is “better” (whatever that means), but because the Columbia experience is dramatically different from the Stanford experience.</p>

<p>Most importantly, I don’t know why the college decision made by a stranger met at Columbia should have any bearing on whether to choose Columbia or Stanford. One may as well ask a Stanford RD student whether Stanford was his or her first choice. If the answer is “yes,” then the “why” question can possibly inform. For many, the “why” question will be answered honestly with “because it’s the best school in California, where I come from.” For many others, the honest answer will “because it’s the highest ranked school to which I was admitted.” Neither of those answers are very helpful, but maybe you’ll gain some insight from more thoughtful answers.</p>

14

<p>Hi, I’m a tour guide at Columbia. Just to state the facts, approximately 45% of Columbia Engineers in a typical year are admitted under Early Decision. So at the very least nearly half of each engineering class at Columbia chose Alma Mater first. I’m sure there are many RD admits who also picked Columbia first, but I won’t speculate too much. Roar!</p>

15

<p>

</p>

<p>Just to state the obvious. Many students apply Early DECISION to schools that are not their REAL first choice, but only the “first choice” among schools at which they have a reasonable chance of acceptance.</p>

16

<p>

</p>

<p>Yes. Here are the NRC (graduate available only) rankings for STEM fields related to (PRE-) MEDICINE:</p>

<p>Biochem & Molecular Bio</p>

<p>Stanford = #2
Columbia = #11</p>

<p>Cell Develop</p>

<p>Stanford = #6
Columbia = #18</p>

<p>Ecol, Evol & Behavior </p>

<p>Stanford = #1
Columbia = unranked</p>

<p>Molec & Gen Genetics</p>

<p>Stanford = #5
Columbia = #12</p>

<p>Neurosciences</p>

<p>Stanford = #5
Columbia = #6</p>

<p>Pharmacology</p>

<p>Stanford = #16
Columbia = #24</p>

<p>Physiology</p>

<p>Stanford = #8
Columbia = #10</p>

<p>BioMedical Eng</p>

<p>Stanford = #12
Columbia = unranked</p>

<p>Chemistry</p>

<p>Stanford = #3
Columbia = #7</p>

<p>Math</p>

<p>Stanford = #6
Columbia = #10</p>

<p>Physics</p>

<p>Stanford = #9
Columbia = #12</p>

<p>Stat/Biostat</p>

<p>Stanford = #1
Columbia = #22</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.stat.tamu.edu/~jnewton/nrc_rankings/nrc41.html[/url]”>http://www.stat.tamu.edu/~jnewton/nrc_rankings/nrc41.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

17

<p>

</p>

<p>I understand what you were responding to, but if you want to bring up the yield argument, Stanford’s yield defeats Columbia’s despite the lack of a binding early decision program.</p>

<p>iamtbh, NRC rankings are outdated by about 15 years.</p>

18

<p>The Yield/Admit ratio is a reflection of what the school wants: low admit rate and high yield. Besides HYPSM and Chicago etc, schools like Columbia have EDs so they locked a big chunk of kids for 100% yield.</p>

<p>For Class of 2012:</p>

<p>YAR , College , Yield , Admit Rate</p>

<p>9.57 , Harvard , 76% , 7.9%
7.90 , Yale , 68% , 8.6%
7.48 , Stanford , 71% , 9.5%
5.96 , Columbia , 60% , 10.0%
5.90 , Princeton , 59% , 9.9%
5.56 , MIT , 66% , 11.9%
4.00 , Brown , 55% , 13.7%
3.70 , U Penn , 63% , 16.9%
3.65 , Dartmouth , 49% , 13.5%
2.22 , Cornell , 46% , 20.7%
2.01 , Notre Dame , 54% , 26.7%
1.98 , Caltech , 34% , 17.4%
1.81 , Duke , 40% , 22.4%
1.52 , Rice , 35% , 23.0%
1.44 , Vanderbilt , 37% , 25.3%
1.38 , Wash U , 30% , 21.7%
1.35 , U Chicago , 38% , 27.9%
1.21 , Northwestern , 32% , 26.2%
1.20 , Johns Hopkins , 30% , 25.4%
1.05 , Emory , 28% , 26.6%</p>

<p>The Projected Yield/Admit Ratios for Class of 2014</p>

<ol>
<li>Harvard – 76.5/6.9 = 11.08</li>
<li>Stanford – 69.9/7.2 = 9.71</li>
<li>Yale – 66.8/7.5 = 8.91</li>
<li>Princeton – 58.9/8.2 = 7.18</li>
<li>MIT – 63.9/9.7 = 6.59</li>
</ol>

<p>I am using last year’s yields, and I think that this year’s yields will be grossly lower.</p>

19

<p>

</p>

<p>I understood what you just did, but I don’t understand why you did that. Are you just trying to show Stanford is overall more selective and desired than Columbia is?</p>

<p>In any case, those statistics even compound the issue of early decision and action plans. Early decision grossly increases yield and both decrease the admit rate (although early decision to an obviously larger extent).</p>

20

<p>If you have a “reasonable chance” of being accepted to Columbia, you have a “reasonable chance” of being accepted to any top school. I’d venture to guess the vast majority of ED students at any top school actually prefer that school.</p>