MIT basically invented STEM!!! Go there!
But after reading this entire thread there IS something you’re not looking at that is SUPER important.
That is worldwide (not national) reputation.
As someone who’s well educated and works nationally (NYC) and abroad (London) here’s what you may hear when you mention these two schools:
Stanford = “Oh Great school! I hear the weather there is nice in California!”
MIT = “OMG!! You went to MIT?!?! Wow thats incredible! You must be some sort of genius!!”
I’m not gonna choose a college based on that… Most people don’t even know that Stanford is more competitive than Harvard.
@HisTYNess @potterfan In terms of international reputation and prominence the three U.S. schools at the very top are Harvard, MIT, Stanford so you are not sacrificing that by choosing one vs the other.
There was a time, not too many years ago, that Yale would have been right there as well.
@danstearns Yale definitely isnt right there now (it is just a notch below) and I dont think it was before either. The simple reason for that is that Yale s graduate schools as a whole are not as strong as H/S/MIT and Yale is not a research powerhouse to the level that the aforementioned 3 schools are. The combination of prestige (mainly grad school) + being a research powerhouse is what detrmines global perception.
Yale has always been (and prob will always be) slightly overshadowed by Harvard, while MIT and Stanford have broken out of Harvard’s shadow because they offer completely different things and are leaders in fields where Harvard is relatively lacking. As someone who has lived most of his life outside the US and in various places (Europe, Asia, Africa), my experience has been that the US schools perceived as the very best, most prominent have historically been Harvard, MIT and Stanford has joined them in the last 15-20 years. Yale and Princeton are right behind these 3 but not on the same level exactly.
I think I’m gonna pick Stanford, but for some reason, I still can’t commit.
Majors+location +30 years.
The name of any of the three will bear what you have achieved today. If you are strong enough, you should not care where you go.
@proudparent26 The culture of the Stanford Shopping Center and downtown Palo Alto has nothing in common with that of Beverly Hills, though some of the mall’s stores may be just as high end. I live in Southern California and lived in Palo Alto for many years (and have visited frequently for years) and am familiar with both “cultures,” though I’m not part of either myself. I also worked in Cambridge for a couple of years. I think it’s important to distinguish between Stanford the university and its surrounding area. Palo Alto, Menlo Park, and other towns have changed enormously with the growth of Silicon Valley—in my opinion, for the worse. They’re now unaffordable for anyone who didn’t buy there decades ago or is extremely wealthy now. Cambridge too has changed—it’s become oppressively congested and costs a bundle to live there these days, and many of the stores and restaurants around Harvard Square are just as expensive as their counterparts in the Stanford Shopping Center.
In any case, though, Stanford University isn’t part of the Stanford Shopping Center and downtown Palo Alto, and its students don’t frequent them all that often—just as most Harvard students aren’t likely to regularly patronize the extremely expensive shopping and dining (and parking!) options nearby. Both Stanford and Harvard are diverse environments, with a broad spectrum of students and faculty pursuing their academic and vocational passions, not spending their limited time and money shopping at outrageously expensive stores or dining in restaurants likely to set back their budgets for months. That’s a lot different from the stereotypical shoppers and diners in Beverly Hills (many of whom, by the way, are tourists).
@planner, I live not too far from Stanford and have a kid at Harvard. From what that kid tells me, the Harvard kids * do * spend a lot of their time exploring the eateries and shops in Harvard Square. Harvard is an urban school. Stanford is not. That’s neither a pro nor a con but it’s a real difference.
OP, I honestly would not put much stock in the myths that get circulated on CC. I think I fell prey to that and was desperately worried about how my daughter would fare in the cold, uncaring, competitive, snooty environment of Harvard. It’s been a fantastic year for her and I wish I hadn’t paid so much attention. She’s met great kids and professors too, she’s more relaxed than she was in high school, she * loves * being in an environment where she can walk or T to so many attractions. There are opportunities and diversions everywhere, on campus and off. And Stanford, as gorgeous and wonderful as it is, is not immune to the same pressures of competition and elitism. I can’t urge you strongly enough to form your own impressions and believe in them. The great thing is that you can’t go wrong with either choice.
Interestingly, the CA kids we know who were admitted to both schools unanimously chose Harvard. I can see the opposite happening with the non-California kids. It’s healthy for people to experience different environments. Just don’t be put off by non-issues.
@3girls3cats I agree that Stanford isn’t an urban school—it’s suburban (though it still has access to urban environments, albeit at some distance).
I personally know of two California kids (my son one of them) who chose Stanford over Harvard. Another California kid I know chose MIT over both Stanford and Harvard. I myself don’t know any California kids who chose Harvard over Stanford, but I know they exist, and I’m guessing in higher percentages than the reverse, just because “Harvard is Harvard” and, for students here, Harvard is a more novel environment.
@planner My kid chose Harvard over Stanford and one of their best friends from HS chose Yale over Stanford. So now you know one
@proudparent26 My point was that many students choose Harvard over Stanford, probably more percentage-wise than the reverse, but that I personally didn’t know any—the few I know chose Stanford or MIT. Just like the students @3girls3cats knows who chose Harvard. We’re all speaking of the students we know, not ones we’ve heard about elsewhere or on College Confidential. It really doesn’t matter, anyway—both schools are great, and each will appeal to different students (and parents). It seems pointless, though, to continue equating Palo Alto with places like Beverly Hills and implying that the relative wealth of Silicon Valley is something most Stanford students are involved with on a daily basis. They’re not—they’re just busy studying, working hard on campus at part-time jobs, and trying to survive. They’re not going on shopping sprees at the Stanford Shopping Center or on University Ave.
@planner I don’t disagree with much of what you say. However the relative wealth of Silicon Valley and Stanford just like the relative wealth of Harvard has an effect on these kids. Right now I am sure whether it is good or bad
@potterfan Congrats!!!
I am a junior this year and I’m trying to collect as much info as I can. Do you mind sharing your standardized scores, GPA, and other stats if you feel comfortable sharing? Thanks!
@Lagging: The suicide rate at MIT has in no way been attributed to a happiness/unhappiness factor among its students, and has recently been understood to be attributable to areas of student and faculty life that are not constrained to, if even related to, the courseload or course-related stress.
@Waiting2exhale Either way, I think the point still stands that a higher than average suicide rate is something to consider.
@Lagging, I think only 12 schools provided that data for the study you’re referencing. Stanford, I believe, declined. Still, this is from an article in the Stanford Daily,
“This has created a crisis: CAPS (Vaden’s psychological services wing) is so flooded with demand that it can’t adequately accommodate the number of students seeking its services. When two student suicides occurred last year, there was silence on the part of the administration – not even a candlelit vigil in White Plaza. Are we afraid of what would happen to us if we voice our sadness and our confusion, or even worse, our grief?”
The illusion of a utopian campus is nothing more than a carefully constructed marketing plan.
Yes, and I’ve PM’ed parents and written in threads about the way MIT has handled these matters as of late, meaning how it has sought to identify contributing factors (where this is even possible), and how it has engaged the student and parent community - informing both of the counseling and support services available, the increase and establishment of offices and office hours for counseling, and seeking input from all corners on how best to support our students.
The larger point on stress is not to be overlooked, and I think we would not find ourselves in any disagreement on that issue. Stress is a concern for kids on every college campus, as it is during this undergraduate/graduate phase in our lives when mental illness can present itself, seemingly derailing the hopes and dreams of everyone involved. I do not think we disagree at all on this.
The happiness point was one I sought to address here, however.
“The illusion of a utopian campus is nothing more than a carefully constructed marketing plan”
I agree
I do too, for all these schools. That’s why looking at the specific attributes and offerings of each school is so important. They all want you to apply (and, if you’re chosen, matriculate), and I can’t think of a single school whose brochures, websites, etc., don’t make it sound idyllic. No place is paradise.