<p>I desperately need your advice, because I'm an international student form Russia, who has no opportunity to visit any of the above-stated universities. Among the colleges, which admitted me, I am choosing from Yale, Stanford, Columbia and Princeton. </p>
<p>I am a journalist, though I plan to major in political science, history or law (don't know exactly yet). And afterwards I am planning to apply to a prestige law school.
I like studying hard, but at the same time I want to have a bunch of the extracurricular activities in college. I've learnt a lot about these colleges in the previous threads, but I want to know what will be the best choice for a person with social sciences inclination. </p>
<p>So what college would you advise me, Americans?</p>
<p>With your choices, my first thought is Columbia. Did you apply/accepted to Georgetown? I don’t think of Yale, Stanford, or Princeton particularly as pre-law type schools or journalism schools, but I might be wrong and I’m certain others here will chime in.</p>
<p>Princeton has the Woodrow Wilson School for government and international affairs which would provide an excellent political science background. Many PU grads go on to law school. The extracurricular activities offered are amazing and varied. The campus is more bucolic and suburban than Yale or Columbia, of course. You can take the train from the campus to NYC and be at Penn Sytation in Manhattan in 55 minutes.</p>
<p>Columbia might offer more contacts for summer internships in journalism at the NY papers.</p>
<h2>“I don’t think of Yale, Stanford, or Princeton particularly as pre-law type schools”</h2>
<p>Why not? What exactly are the attributes of a pre-law type school?</p>
<p>FWIW, P, C, or Y would serve OP well. Stanford is by far the largest of the four, and while I don’t have any concrete data to back this up, I suspect the professorial interaction would be less, and the class size slightly larger than at Y or P, and maybe C too. I don’t see where OP wrote that he wants to continue working as a journalist during college…</p>
<p>I would rank them in order of strength of faculty in History and Poli Sci:</p>
<p>These are all amazing schools and all of them will offer you great academics and a plethora of extracurricular activities. I think that some questions you should ask yourself are whether you want to be in a city or not–Columbia and Yale are in cities, Princeton has a suburban location, which coast you prefer–obviously Stanford is in CA, while the others are in the Northeast and whether you prefer a school with major graduate schools (Stanford, Yale, Columbia) or whether you want a school where the undergraduates are by far in the majority (Princeton).</p>
<p>I don’t think you should choose based on major. Any of them will give you preparation in the areas you are interested. I would try to imagine if you are a California person or an East Coast person. If you are a California person, go to Stanford. If you are an East Coast person, pick between Yale and Princeton, based on what you have heard about those schools in terms of atmosphere, etc.</p>
<p>You could choose by writing the names on pieces of paper and drawing them from a hat. Seriously, you can’t go wrong with any of these choices. My bias is towards Yale, and I would put Columbia last (by a hair), but again, you can’t lose.</p>
<p>These are all so strong in the fields you’re aiming for that I don’t think post-graduate opportunities can distinguish them. Will you be able to visit and see which you feel most excited about?</p>
<p>They are all wonderful schools. However, there are significant differences. </p>
<p>First, I’d suggest that you read through the requirements to get a degree at each of them. Columbia, for example, has a required core. Then read through the courses offered by each of these schools in the departments of interest to you. </p>
<p>Second, read through back issues of the student newspapers at each of them–all are available on line. This will give you a “feel” of the school. </p>
<p>It wasn’t this hard for me to choose if I could visit the colleges. But unfortunately, I can’t. That is why I’m asking.</p>
<p>I’ve heard Princeton doesn’t have that friendly atmosphere as Yale has. And what’s more intimidating me, that at Princeton it is so hard to get the highest score, that sometimes students have problems explaining the employers that Princeton’s B is the same as Harvard’s A.</p>
<p>yuli, if, after all the research that you have done, this is what you believe, then you really should just take Princeton off your list…I personally don’t think that you would fit at Princeton…</p>
<p>All phenomenal choices and you can’t go wrong with any of them.
Have you been to the US before? Do you have a particular interest in any area of the country? </p>
<p>I think at this level, it becomes whether you enjoy the biggest city (Columbia), a smaller city (Yale), a somewhat-suburban (Stanford) or a smaller suburban / bit of country feel (Princeton).</p>
<p>And no one, ever, has to “explain” that a Princeton B equals a Harvard A. That’s not how employment and job searches work.</p>
a time honored sales technique.</p>