Trying to decide between Harvard and Stanford SCEA for next year. Yes I know these are the two hardest schools to get into and everyone wants to go there, but I thought if I am applying early somewhere I might as well go big. I have a 4.0 from a top prep school and a 1580 SAT and very good ECs so I feel I am not completely wasting my early app by applying to Harvard/Stanford.
What should I consider when deciding between the two? Planning to study either mathematics or economics or both.
What do you want to do after college? Where do you want to live after college? If you want to pursue a professional life say in Silicon Valley, Stanford opens more doors for you. If you want to pursue a professional life say in NYC or Boston, Harvard opens more doors for you.
Having said so, you cannot go wrong with either as long as you get in. Good luck!
You can honestly not go wrong with these two. Yes the typical response is if you you want to work on the west coast choose Stanford, if on East Coast choose Harvard but the truth is Harvard has an excellent presence in Silicon Valley too and Stanford has also an excellent presence in the major east coast cities ( but of course fewer grads wanna leave CaliSilicon Valley to go east nowadays than vice versa).
At this very top level the choice is mainly between fit. Both will give you comparable opportunities. Stanford and Haravrd have major differences in terms of culture and feel and chances are if you do a thorough research you will end up liking one more than the other.