These are my top two schools, both of which I am heavily recruited by for my sport, and I need to decide soon which college I plan on applying Restrictive Early Action to. Both coaches have told me that I am in a great place academically and that I am one of their highest ranking recruits so, not to sound arrogant, but it is now a matter of choosing where I would want to go. Any opinions on where I should “commit” based on the overall experience of a STUDENT ATHLETE are greatly appreciated.
I think it would very much depend on your sport, major and atmosphere you are looking for. Playing football for Harvard is going to be a lot different than playing for Stanford. Hockey might be more competitive at Harvard. At Stanford, you’re going to be competing against USC and UCLA, while at Harvard you might be on a bus to Dartmouth and playing in front of a crowd of 100.
Stanford is big time for most sports while Harvard is competitive in its league but not as often on a national scale. Exceptions exist, of course, but it depends on what experience you want. You might also consider your skills, playing time, level of competition for your sport for either school. If you’re a swimmer or tennis player, you might shine individually at either school. Stanford has 31 athletes at the Olympics this year.
So many things to consider. What’s your sport? What’s your intended major/concentration? Are you planning to continue your sport after college? What’s your financial situation - is an athletic scholarship important or will you do better with need-based?
With all due respect, this is a little like the restaurant customer that asks the server, “should I order the Filet Mignon or the lobster?” They’re both great but very different.
As already noted, this is an unanswerable question. But FWIW, every recruited athlete that I’ve know who’s gone to Stanford has found it to be a remarkable experience. Not as much at Harvard.
Stanford seems like the obvious choice for just about every sport.
You should probably first decide how much time you are willing and able to devote to your craft in college. In many sports, if not all, the time commitment at Stanford will be substantially larger than at Harvard.
It depends on the sport and what kind of atmosphere you’re after.
Have you visited the campus and spent time with the athletes in your sport? On that same note have you sat in on any classes or met with a professor or two to find out the time commitment for your intended major? We know a few athletes who have gone to Stanford (gymnastics,field hockey and baseball) they were great students in high school but because of the sport demands did not pursue a very rigorous major. Also know a few who have gone to Harvard, Yale and Dartmouth. All enjoyed their experience at the school but spent most of their time between academics and athletics… but were able to pick more demanding majors. Besides the school environment you should find out how the academic departments support the athletes… mandatory study halls, classes to manage everything etc.
Stanford if you like your sport and want more people to see you play.
What is your goal?
Stanford
Obviously either is a fantastic choice and it comes down to what you want out of your college experience. Certainly the balance between the student part and the athlete part is different in the Ivy and the Pac 12 and it’s just a question of what you’re looking for.
- Depends on your sport
- Depends on your major
- East coast vs West coast
- Post graduate plans
“Stanford seems like the obvious choice for just about every sport.”
Perhaps not obvious, but I think squash, fencing, crew, lacrosse and hockey might be better at Harvard.
That being said, a student athlete at Stanford will have many more perks, benefits and resources than a student athlete at Harvard (or any of the Ivys for that matter).
Sports are just more important at Stanford and the athletes are treated like gods. Athletes at Harvard are treated like any other student.
“Sports are just more important at Stanford and the athletes are treated like gods.”
I am not so sure about the athletes being treated like gods. I was a freshman at Stanford back in 2007. There was a very tall female student in one of my section classes. I had no idea who she was. No one in the class knew who she was or took notice of her as anything other than a student.
Later I found out she was on the women’s volleyball team and arguably the most highly recruited prep volleyball player in the history of women’s college volleyball.
Getting back to the OP’s question, IMO he is the only one who can answer his question. His interaction with players and coaches on his team sport and his intended field of study would be way more important than random advice from strangers.
A friend had this same choice several years ago and chose Stanford. He said, “I felt like Harvard students looked down on athletes while Stanford students embraced them.” I’m sure this is terribly over-generalized, but he felt it. He loved, loved his experience at Stanford. As mentioned above, I’m certain you can choke down the lobster if you take a pass on the filet. Both are great, you’re very lucky to have these choices - congratulations.
@twoinanddone now that you brought it up, I’m not sure if I am ready to give up the feeling of playing in a pressure filled, “big time” game, and Stanford is where I would find that
@varska You are absolutely right. I didn’t want to be so vague, but at the same time, I felt it would be best to get advice from anyone who wanted to chime in, rather than people who have experience in my sport (water polo) because the community is so small.
@Ohiodad51 that is one of my major concerns, because I am willing to devote a large amount of time to my sport, so long as it doesn’t interfere with what I want to major in. After all, wherever I end up, I will be a student first.
@cheetahgirl121 “We know a few athletes who have gone to Stanford (gymnastics,field hockey and baseball) they were great students in high school but because of the sport demands did not pursue a very rigorous major.” That is probably my biggest concern. I have visited both campuses, and like them both (despite being almost polar opposites). I see myself getting along with the team and coaching staff at both schools. I have not sat in on classes however at either school. I do know that Harvard essentially provides next to no athlete specific academic support, as they are treated, for the most part, just like any other student. I’m not sure how this is at Stanford, however.
@texaspg haha I see your point
@ClarinetDad16 can you be a little more specific? Academically or athletically? Thanks
@raulhumber2 WHY?
@moscott 1. Better at Stanford 2. I’m probably going to apply undecided. I have thought about a few very different fields (BME, Mechanical Engineering, Econ, and Business are my top 4 however) 3. Doesn’t matter to me. I like them both. 4. I hope I figure this one out by my senior year of college haha. But, I most likely will try to go to graduate school or immediately enter the workforce
@pardullet “I felt like Harvard students looked down on athletes while Stanford students embraced them.” I have definitely heard this one a number of times. And thank you! I really appreciate your help
For people like yourself, able to excel in both classroom and athletically, there are 4 schools above all others that offer top academics along with top sports: Stanford, Notre Dame, Duke and Northwestern. Some other schools can match these four in one or the other, but no other schools do both at the top level.
@polodude, I would suggest talking with the Stanford coaches and if possible a couple current team members about things like academic support and potential difficulties with certain majors. I don’t know a thing about watercolor except that you guys are obviously in insane shape, but I would assume that as in virtually all sports, your practice and travel commitment along with the number of games scheduled will be far more extensive at Stanford. Some thing to consider.
^^ but they may be traveling in comfort. I don’t think the Stanford teams are too taxed. Going from Harvard to Cornell or Dartmouth may not be so easy.
Sort of joking, but my daughter’s first year involved a lot of travel that wasn’t good. They went on 10+ hour bus rides (each way) three weekends in a row to very rural schools. It was also toward the end of the semester, so the girls were scurrying to get labs made up and homework done. They were exhausted. Last year, when the coach had a year of experience and a little more pull, they had one travel weekend, by plane. Next year, there is one bus trip with multiple games, and the rest of the travel is all instate.