Hey guys, I don’t mean to sound arrogant or cocky, but I’m incredibly lucky to be in the process of deciding which of these amazing schools I should attend. As of right now, I’m 95% sure that I’ll pick Stanford, but I think I should at least consider the other two.
I haven’t decided on a major yet, but I’m split between biology and maybe something involving stem. I think I want to pursue medical school after college, but I’m not sure yet.
I haven’t visited these schools, but I prefer Boston over California and I’d like to experience a colder weather than the one I’m used to, so those are two pros of the eastern schools.
Stanford has always been a dream of mine, the campus, the people, the opportunities, etc. So, that’s why I’m asking you smart people to give me an input.
Congratulations – you are blessed with a wealth of choices! The one regret both my kids have is that they spent their 4 years of college slogging through east coast winter weather instead of going someplace warmer. Just saying . . .
Great problem to have, @ potterfan ! Stanford has it’s wonderful hospital and medical complex right on campus so you would have close access to lab jobs or internships. Harvard’s med campus is at Longwood, in Boston, a bit of a slog by bus or subway.
Harvard has the historical edge, lots of New England architecture, beautiful autumns and springs, the East Coast preppy culture, with lots of formals with tuxes and party dresses if you like that sort of thing. Also private clubs, frats, and sororities for a minority of the population.
Check out the Life Sciences programs at Harvard (thecrimson.com) if you will need the bio classes.
Stanford provides emerald lawns, fragrant eucalyptus groves, great STEM facilities, frats and sororities, and excellent outdoor activities, bike paths, and Silicon Valley opportunities.
Will you attend Visitas, the admitted student days at Harvard? Good luck!
Why are you 95% sure you will pick Stanford? Because it’s been a dream of yours? That doesn’t seem like a good reason, and I’m a Stanford alum and huge fan.
You are blessed with admission to 3 incredible schools. All are elite, and have incredible resources and opportunities. None is remotely like the other - 3 very, very different schools. The only thing that matters is which one is a best fit for you personally. I’d try to visit each and get a sense for where you feel you most belong.
@potterfan You have been admitted to the three very best, most globally renowned universities in the US (and the world imo). This is quite an achievement. I feel for someone who is interested in STEM but is more of a well rounded person and still wants to explore, Stanford is the best choice. MIT might be a bit too STEM focused and intense fir some people, while Stanford is still a top notch STEM schools but is also just as good in most other areas outside of STEM. i always think of Stanford as a place combining the strengths of Harvard and MIT and at a better location. (Although Boston is great too).
You are able to choose amongst the very very top of what US higher education can offer. You can’t go wrong here so go with where you thing you will fit the best, both in term of academic interests, culture, social life and overall environment. Try to research the schools as much as possible, visit the schools if possible, talk to alums etc. Also along with getting all the information needed to make an informed decision, trust you gut instinct as to which school draws you the most.
You might want to visit the campuses to make a decision. Once you are in, it is easier to get in to observe classes, even spend the night. Those events for admitted students can be useful, but sometimes it works better to visit on a regular day.
In our experience, half the students at Harvard’s admitted students day were deciding between several top schools, and the other half were walking around saying things like “I have no idea why I was admitted.” If you attend Veritas or any other similar event, you will be in good company and can discuss the schools with peers who are deciding. If you visit on another day, or are able to spend the night either way, you can discuss that particular school with those who are attending.
It’s April and here in the Boston area, we woke up to snow- after many of us started putting shovels away and putting flowers out. Welcome to New England!
@gibby how cold does it get in New England?? For some weird reason, I actually like the cold, but I’ve never experienced extreme temperatures.
@fauve sadly, I won’t attend any visiting day. I’d have to lose tol many school days, it interferes with prom and I have other school events to attend to.
@renaissancedad no, that’s not why. I got into stanford early, so I’ve had the pleasure of meeting amazing people and through the months, I’ve realized that stanford is the best fit for me, but I didn’t expect to get into all these fine places, so I really wanna consider all the options.
@compmom I’m guessing your daughther goes/went to Harvard? I’ve heard so many negative things about it, and I’m sure all colleges have bad things, but how do you think her experience was?
Thank you for your responses.
Btw, my mom wants me to pick Harvard, my dad prefers California and my brother loves MIT, so this isn’t easy!
^ You say “I’ve realized that Stanford is the best fit for me”. Why? If that’s true, then your decision should be simple, but I’m not sure why you believe that to be true. You will meet amazing people at all 3 schools. You will have amazing resources and opportunities at all 3 schools. The main issue - since finances doesn’t seem to be a factor - is finding the best fit.
Generally rankings place Stanford as the happiest of the three (and if I recall right MIT has the highest suicide rates of the three, which is probably related to the happiness level). It might sound like a silly thing to include in deciding on a school, but it’s definitely worth noting. The happiness might be related to the beautiful weather of course (Seasonal Affective Disorder is more common in places with less sun).
STEM at Stanford is great and, as others have mentioned, the hospital is right on campus and there are plenty of research opportunities for premeds. I believe you can take med school classes as well (some of my friends are in a class right now where they actually get to examine and open up cadavers which sounds really exciting even to me as a non-premed, each week they work on a different body part). “Clinic” is also quite popular where students go off campus to nearby lower-income areas and assist doctors with patients.
It’s also really easy to switch majors at Stanford (this might be true at Harvard and MIT as well?). You might also consider where you want to end up working. Most of the job opportunities marketed to Stanford students will be from the bay area, DC, or New York. The bulk of the opportunities will be around the San Francisco area although hundreds will be from the other areas as well. It’s probably the best choice if you want to work in California. The same would probably be true of attending Harvard/MIT and working in MA.
Lagging “Generally rankings place Stanford as the happiest of the three” Where is your data for that? We live near Stanford and there are a lot of jerks as well nice people in the area. There is also a lot of unchill people in the area. My kid goes to Harvard and is very happy there even though it is snowing there today. STEM at Harvard is great too. The research opportunities at Harvard are great also.
Whatever choice the OP makes should be about what they feel most comfortable with.
I grew up in the Cambridge area, and MIT and Harvard have VERY different cultures. My husband describes it in a nutshell, “MIT students are so much smarter smarter and extremely focused on learning, but Harvard students are smoother, more well-rounded and know how to schmooze, which MIT students have no idea about.” Generalizations, but lots of truth to it. The city itself has positive feelings towards students at both schools, but more negative feelings towards the administration of Harvard, which is seen as throwing its weight around much more than MIT. This is not anything that is likely to affect undergrads though. Harvard Square used to be super cool back in the day, but now that rents have gone up, it is dominated by boring shops like Panera and The Gap plus very expensive boutique stores that are out of student budget range. MIT is in a grungier part of town, and its campus is more utilitarian than Harvard’s. There are many more cheap ethnic restaurants near MIT. The two schools are very close to one another, though, and it is easy to walk or take the bus between both parts of town. Harvard is much more akin to Stanford in culture than MIT is.
^ “Harvard is much more akin to Stanford in culture than MIT is.”
I don’t understand this at all. I wonder if you have actual experience, or are just talking in generalizations. Having attended both, they are dramatically different. I’d say Stanford has at least as much in common with MIT as it does with Harvard, but its an entirely different environment from either.
@renaissancedad Have you ever been to the Stanford shopping mall or eaten in downtown Palo Alto ? I think the closest thing to it in terms of culture is Beverly Hills.
^ I went to Stanford. But your statement is a gross oversimplification. The Stanford mall is no different from the Chestnut Hill mall, aside from the weather.
proudparent26, I will grant you that Palo Alto has its fair share of entitled people these days, but with regard to the happiness of undergraduates (post #9), here is one piece of data consistent with what Lagging said.
This is from a book called The Alumni Factor which surveys alumni of various schools. Here are rankings among national universities on whether alums would personally choose to go to their school again, based on their experiences.
-Stanford #7
-MIT #34
-Harvard #40
That’s not to say the OP should necessarily chose Stanford but it is data on the point of overall student happiness.
Data from alumni/ae may not be pertinent since Drew Faust has instituted some changes and in recent years Harvard has had more focus on the undergrad experience, including more opportunities in applied arts, renovations of dorms, and more common spaces.
Guys I’m really grateful for all of your insights. I think at this point I’ve narrowed it to Stanford and MIT. I must say that I’m a little underwhelmed at Stanford, though. Since I got in, I have received maybe 3 emails from them; it’s almost as if they didn’t want me…
Anyway, between S and M, which one has a better STEM department?? Which one is better for a posdible premed choice??
@potterfan I don’t think the interest the school shows is an accurate criterion for your choice especially since Stanford is the most popular school nowadays. I am guessing the reason that MIT has shown more interest is that they know that you will have other top choices and they also know that quite a few admits have reservations about attending MIT due to its being way more rigorous and intense than Harvard, Stanford etc ( they are afraid it is going to be too much for them).
A key consideration for pre med is that MIT is way more rigorous and has more grade deflation than Stanford. For medical school you need as high a GPA as possible. Also of course in terms of overall STEM, MIT is at the very top but Stanford is just right behind it.
I just feel you will get a more well rounded but essentially as good technical education at Stanford relative to MIT. In any m case both excellent choices we re splitting hair here.
If you attend Veritas or any other similar event, you will be in good company and can discuss the schools with peers who are deciding. If you visit on another day, or are able to spend the night either way, you can discuss that particular school with those who are attending.