<p>I got into both... Stanford SCEA and Oxford to study Politics, Philosophy, and Economics. I'm leaning a LOT towards Stanford, but still a bit torn. Any views?</p>
<p>You could go to Stanford, and do the study abroad at Oxford... Anyway, that is SUCH a big difference, that you must be able to decide, which one you like better...</p>
<p>Both universities are academically first-class. You cannot go wrong w/ either one.
United States or England? THe answer should guide your decision!</p>
<p>haha yeh... I mean I'm in love with Stanford, I think it's just the fact that I have to give up Oxford...</p>
<p>Oxford might have a bigger "wow" factor, but if you love stanford, then you should pick stanford!</p>
<p>which college at oxford? Your college will have more of an impact on you and your daily life at oxford than actually being part of the university.</p>
<p>Stanford definitely has a much bigger wow factor than Oxford. To compare the two in prestige is like comparing Harvard to UPenn. Stanford beat Oxford in "wow factor" a long time ago. Right now Oxford is comparable to UC Berkeley if anything.</p>
<p>The big plus about Stanford is that you can change your mind about your major and take many classes outside of your concentration. Are you likely to change your mind about what you want to major in? Do you plan to go to grad school?</p>
<p>marlgirl - Yeah that's why I like Stanford (well... just one of the many reasons) because I feel like I have more options. I felt constrained by other schools where you had to apply to a specific college, like Columbia with the college for applied science and engineering.</p>
<p>ubermensch, you have no idea what you are talking about... </p>
<p>"Right now Oxford is comparable to UC Berkeley if anything." That's an unbelievable statement!</p>
<p>ubermensch, you are entitled to your opinion. However, if you take a survey of people around the world, most would say that Oxford is more prestigious than Stanford.</p>
<p>Oxford is comparable to UC Berkeley??? well, that's not a bad thing at all, considering that Berkeley came in second in a world-wide ranking a few weeks ago.</p>
<p>uber is a dummy.</p>
<p>College life is the only factor you should be concerned about.</p>
<p>paulhomework, I am not sure if that's the case. Oxford is more prestigious in the old days for sure. However, I came from Hong Kong and it seems like Stanford is more prestigious (maybe the word "hot" is more appropriate) in Asia these days. Stanford definitely benifited substantially and became very visible to the world by the the success of Silicon Valley in the 90s. Stanford is also considerably harder to get in than Oxford if you are from Hong Kong. In Europe, I guess Oxford is more prestigious. I also think if you are talking about things like english and philosophy, Oxford would be better intuitively simply because it has the tradition and long history while Stanford, being young and so good in science/engineering, just doesn't register in people's mind that it's great in humanities/classics even in reality, it's very strong. In engineering/computer science, Stanford simply leaves Oxford in dust.</p>
<p>you're basically picking between seat 1a and 1b of first class. you'll get a great education either way. whichever you have a better time at, (visit them again if you can) and whatever your gut (NOT CCers!!) tells you at the end of the day is the best choice for you.</p>
<p>i like that analogy anycollege... the thing that I really like about Oxford is the tutorial system. Which is basically a few classes every week with only about 2-3 students and a proffessor, who monitors essays and discusses lectures etc. That's what really appeals to me about Oxford, but I guess I'll visit if I can and check out the college life there. I'm pretty much set on Stanford, apart from that tutorial system thing.</p>
<p>you are so awesome for getting into both</p>
<p>Acceptance to Stanford and Oxford! That is a "wow" factor in itself. Congratulations.</p>
<p>Both have great reputations and are internationally renowned. (However, I do not believe that Oxford is any less reputable than Stanford).</p>
<p>Assuming you live in the U.S., living abroad for the next four years can be expensive (I think). But if you like England, the atmosphere, the campus and can afford it, then by all means do go to Oxford. If you like Stanford, the atmosphere, the people, etc. then go to Stanford.</p>
<p>Either way, I have no doubts that you will do well at both. Again, my congratulations.</p>
<p>Living abroad might be expensive, but so is living in California. I think the only substantial difference financially (besides tuition, I don't know about that) is transportation.</p>
<p>Well guys, I think the fact that people from stanford and other major universities still apply for Rhodes scholarships tells you that Oxford is still considered very prestigous. I mean, they could probably go to their current university for 2 years for free if they got a company to pay for it, yet they still choose to go to Oxford. just food for thought</p>
<p>thanks eiffelguy. I'm really excited but it hasn't completely sunk in... I expected to be rejd from both! I actually live in Singapore, so they're both about the same distance away. Hmm just getting quite confused... half the people I speak to think Oxford is the clear choice, the other half think Stanford! I personally like Stanford a lot because of its atmosphere, and the fact that I can take loads of different classes in different subject areas, but at the same time, I love London and Oxford!</p>