Stanford vs. Princeton vs. Columbia

Colleges and Universities A-Z Princeton University
1

<p>Time to do one of these icky posts, but I really do need some opinions</p>

<p>I got amazingly lucky during the admissions process and managed to get into some great schools. I will be a biomed engineering major with more of a focus towards the electrical eng side of biomed. Also I live in CA to help give you some reference. My family's not rich but we're not getting any fin aid as well so price is still an issue.</p>

<p>Princeton- $51k Haven't visited yet, but my interviewer made the engineering school sound really appealing to me. I like the tight knit culture, but I'm not very preppy (if at all lol) and I'm afraid I won't really fit in. Then again I don't think I can avoid some degree of rich privileged kids in any of these schools. I'm pretty serious about engineering and I don't want to become a patent lawyer or something non engineering in the future with this undergrad degree so I'm afraid it might not be too useful to go here. Princeton is filthy rich though and I'm pretty sure they'll have the money to fund whatever senior research I want to do. I really really really like the undergrad focus and unlike the other schools, this really is my only chance to go to Princeton, considering the pointlessness of going there as a grad student. Weather here is not my thing :/ But I've lived in MI so I won't die.</p>

<p>Columbia- $65k Why is this school so ridiculously expensive =.= I know Fu Foundation doesn't have a good engineering program, but I've been offered a name scholar award which gives me guaranteed research opportunities (honestly *** does this even mean o.O) and 10k funding for it. Basically it's there to draw me in, but is it really worth it for the extra $45k and relatively weak engineering program? I like the core here actually, but SEAS doesn't have as strong of a core as the college. Weather :/</p>

<p>Stanford- $54k Parents are adamantly supporting this school. They bleed cardinal. Stanford is the best engineering program I've gotten into (rejected from MIT and Berkeley EECS is too close to home). I'm an hour drive away so it's not too close to home, but this does give my mom the opportunity to come visit me every weekend. I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing. Grad focused school which really worries me. I'm wondering if it would be better to go for grad school than undergrad, but I also worry that I'll never have that chance. The weather here is beautiful even during winter imo. I also really love this campus. It makes me happy whenever I visit and I can see myself studying there, but I just don't know if it's the right choice academically. </p>

<p>I'm mostly arguing between Princeton and Stanford. Everyone expects me to go to Stanford because I'm from Cal, but I'd really like to hear the argument for Princeton from those who know it better.</p>

2

<p>I have one son at Princeton and another at Stanford. Both are Computer Science majors. They both are very happy with their schools. Honestly, pick the one that feel best to you.</p>

3

<p>I was accepted to both Princeton and Stanford and as a CA undergrad, I chose Stanford. My daughter was also accepted to both and chose Princeton. You can’t go wrong with either, although I must admit, she’s having a much better undergraduate experience than I did because Princeton’s primary focus is undergraduate, while as you point out, Stanford’s is on its graduate schools. My daughter is very happy that she took a risk and chose a college in the east as she is getting a brand new world outlook. She travels to NYC twice a month by train (there is a station right on campus) and has loved experiencing much of what the city has to offer culturally. She has taken classes at Princeton that include visits to the Opera, the Symphony and multiple museums (all paid for by Princeton and at no cost to the students). San Francisco has terrific cultural offerings, but not at the same world class level as New York.</p>

4

<p>Go to Princeton.</p>

<p>I live in California, my kids went to Princeton given this same choice you have. BTW, I’m a Princeton alum, but my father was a professor at Stanford in the English department, so we have close ties to both schools. My kids have graduated, live on the East Coast. Even though I miss them, it was the right thing to do, to go see another part of the world. I expect they will return, I mean, Northern California is the best place in the world. But I am so happy they’ve had the chance to see another culture.</p>

<p>Also, Princeton is smaller, and cozier than Stanford, and I think for most kids that is a good thing.</p>

5

<p>I wouldn’t worry about the rich preppy kids. If you’re not getting FA, then you’re family is wealthier than most, as most receive FA. Our family is probably similar; we’re fairly comfortable and didn’t really expect any aid, but have received some. My son is the farthest thing from preppy. His friends all seem pretty down to earth.</p>

<p>For him, too, it came down to Princeton or Stanford. Us living in the west played a part in his decision to chose Princeton.</p>

<p>PM if you have questions. If you want I’ll put you in touch with him.</p>

6

<p>Funny thing about the “preppy” image - my son is a freshman and athlete - he looks and acts and dresses like an athlete. His first comment when he got through his first week was that he was probably one of the preppiest kids in his class…and he’s really, truly NOT that stereotype. He thought there was a lot of creative freedom of expression amongst the student body. Sure you will see the Sperry’s and J Crew clothing but there are hipsters and artsy types and everything in between. What you WILL see a lot of on campus is Princeton wear…lots of orange and school spirit. I think it’s great!</p>

<p>PS - IMO the undergraduate focus Princeton has is truly unmatched.</p>

7

<p>I really don’t think we’re very preppy. :stuck_out_tongue: Our stereotype is exaggerated. But really, if you can, come to Preview and see for yourself! (My first Preview impression: oh my goodness, these kids are…actually pretty normal…!) And as sherpa pointed out, if you didn’t get FA then your family is wealthier than most Princeton students’, so socially I wouldn’t expect it to be an issue. Personally I really like our social life. But that’s a very personal thing…</p>

<p>Research funding: ALL upperclassmen must do research. Within engineering departments it varies how much you’re required to do, but research funding should really not be an issue.</p>

<p>I can’t really give you more advice…at this point I’d say visit Princeton, visit Stanford, think about which fits you better both academically and otherwise. We’re great! Stanford’s great too, obviously, so you can’t go wrong. :D</p>

8

<p>To clarify the FA thing. We recently moved and only then have my parents begun to earn enough not to qualify for FA. Before then, I think we would have been around full or at least very generous FA based on our previous income. Thus, money still really matters and I’m not expected to spend much of it outside of school tuition and textbooks. My family isn’t really wealthier than any other middle income family and I like it that way :slight_smile: </p>

<p>I guess preppy isn’t quite the word I should’ve used. What I mean is I’ve heard that a lot of people at ivy schools are pretty free with spending money. I’d just like to know if this is true or not. At Berkeley it’s fine to say you’re broke or something is too expensive for you and not feel embarrassed. I’m afraid that I won’t fit in if I were to say that at a private university. This applies to all schools though, but since I know Stanford a bit better than Princeton, I’d like to hear from your experiences. </p>

<p>Thank you for all your input already :smiley: Are there any Princeton engineers that’d like to talk about their experience?</p>

9

<p>Wendeli, I’m in a really, really similar situation. I’ve narrowed my list down to Stanford and Princeton and want to study engineering (chemical). I live on the west coast only a few hours from Stanford, so I really like the laid back, west coast vibe and the convenience of getting there. I don’t really like NJ weather and like CA weather, although I do like having seasons (I live in the Sierra mountains, so I’m used to some cold). I like all the things you do about Princeton-- the undergrad focus, research, etc. I also shared your concerns about the preppy things. But having just come back from the Princeton Preview, I don’t think this should be a concern at all. People do look a little better dressed and more clean-cut than the average 20 year old, but the people there seem really normal, down-to-earth, smart, and friendly (as opposed to the stereotype that they’re elitist or snobs). I loved interacting with every student I met there.</p>

<p>I love the close-knit community at Princeton and was SO impressed by all the classes I saw; classes were small and professors seemed to know their students. Research opportunities seem to abound there: when I asked a panel of engineering students if there were opportunities to do research before/outside of senior theses, they actually laughed at me, explaining how trivial it is to get research positions with profs. I’ve also never seen anything like the Princeton alum network; it is a tight-knit community that would definitely help when getting jobs. Incidentally, it originally worried me that so many engineering students at Princeton were rumored to go into finance or non-engineering fields since I too actually want an engineering education to become an engineer, not a banker. But after talking to plenty of students getting industry jobs, going to grad school, doing consulting, and other non-engineering positions, it’s clear that the diversity in jobs Princeton students get is a tribute to its versatile curriculum and a definite plus. Their education is a great stepping stone for graduate school or industry engineering jobs if you’re so inclined, but it’s also a golden ticket for pretty much any career you can imagine.</p>

<p>That being said, I still haven’t decided (though I’m leaning towards Princeton). I love the west coast and the weather at Stanford (Princeton weather was bleh when I visited), plus the student body seems really cool, passionate, and interesting. Its location in Silicon Valley and its higher rankings in engineering are also a plus. I’m not sure if this is a plus, but I think Stanford also seems easier. Because of its grade inflation, it would be easier to get good grades at Stanford (however, I’m not too concerned about Princeton’s grade deflation because this policy’s effect has been negligible in engineering fields, or so I’ve been told). Because I love the west coast, I want to get a job out here, so it would probably be easier coming out of Stanford. Stanford looks like a fun school between the athletics, laid back vibe, and weather. However, after talking to current students there I’ve yet to find anyone who refutes that the emphasis is on grad students or that there are huge classes or that you have to work harder to forge relationships with professors and procure research positions. I think I’ll go to admit weekend to confirm or debunk some of these concerns myself.</p>

<p>There’s something about Stanford I really like, but the same is true of Princeton. I’m not sure if anything I wrote helped (sorry for the long, rambling entry) since I too am undecided. But I’d love to hear what you’re thinking right now about your decision. Gah! I know this is a good dilemma to have, but this is such a hard choice!</p>

10

<p>Wendeli, S is in a very similar situation. He’s also admitted to MIT and Yale. He wants to study CS + finance (in this order). Originally he is trying to narrow down the choice to between MIT and Stanford b/c of Engineering/CS ranking. Now look like he should wait until his visit to Pton’s preview during April 22 -23 to make that decision.</p>

<p>I’m just curious, would you rather go to MIT instead of Stanford? S is not that familiar with Stanford (he will visit its admit weekend after Princeton). However his friends at MIT seemed eager to go to Silicon Valley after graduation. </p>

<p>I talked to a friend with sons attended Princeton CS and heard that her sons were complaining about Princeton does not allow double majors (taking certificates will restrict courses one can take) and does not offer 5 yr BS + Master program (MIT and Stanford do).</p>