<p>Just wondering what you guys think. There's a reason that while such schools like Rice or Emory (and Northwestern, WashU, Chicago, etc) are considered to be great, Harvard and Stanford (and Yale, Princeton...etc) are considered the BEST, right? Or is there a reason? I honestly want to know, I'm not trying to spread an opinion here. What makes Harvard better?</p>
<p>two words: grade inflation LOL</p>
<p>Prestige, Selectiveness, and location. Emory, WUST, Vandy, Duke, and Northwestern, no matter how similar they are to HYP, will never be considered "ivies" because they are not in the Northeast.</p>
<p>Selectivity. Kids who get waitlisted at HYPS walk into Emory or WUSTL with scholarships.</p>
<p>200+ National Academy members on each faculty. Top researchers.</p>
<p>if u are a recognizable figure in your field, u can teach at rice/emory. u have to be very well known to be able to teach at stanford/harvard.</p>
<p>But what makes it better for students, disregarding location. Is it substantially better academically?</p>
<p>I think it depends on when you are looking to go. For example, Harvard may not be superior for undergrads as compared to some....</p>
<p>How about if you're offered full tuition to somewhere like Emory - Is Yale or Harvard really worth the extra $120,000 it'll cost a family that won't qualify for need based aid?</p>
<p>Harvard and Yale are going to be more than 120k if you're not getting aid.</p>
<p>jedi, faculty quality is extremely important. u want to learn from the best.hth.</p>
<p>I think it's mostly prestige and selectivity, especially for undergrad.</p>
<p>HYP et al may not be better for a particular student. I would rather see S at Rice (where he will not apply since his sister is there) than Harvard. I would rather see him at Penn than UT. I would rather see him at Davidson than Harvard. A lot of it is individual preference. I would have picked Rice for D over any of the Ivys without a moment's hesitation. So much of it boils down to tradition and prestige. It goes way back to the prestige of a region of our country and an athletic league. I don't deny that prestige has a lot of benefits. However, it does not necessarily mean that you are getting a better education.</p>
<p>the number of well-known/well-respected staff members at those top institutions outnumber the number at other universities, another huge plus =P</p>
<p>A really strong undergraduate math program.</p>
<p>That gets to the crux of my question, i guess: what's so great about having the top professors in the world. Sounds stupid, but I'm dead serious. I need to know from someone who knows. Does it really make your undergrad experience that much better? They're teaching the same material as everyone else, right?</p>
<p>I dont think it matters that much. The top professors often are rarely accessible, I found that to be true at Columbia. At the Undergrad level teaching and undergraduate focus is much more important (in my view)</p>
<p>No, the different schools do not all have the same material in their undergraduate classes. You can check that in some cases by reading online syllabuses. Some schools go into more depth and give their students harder problems (good) while other schools do a more "standard" course (not bad, but not what I would advise someone to look for).</p>
<p>There are many schools where you can get an excellent education. But I really do think there is something special about studying with professors who are acknowledged world leaders in their fields. Taking a seminar on Rawls' Theory of Justice with John Rawls, or on Machiavelli with Harvey Mansfield, or on Rousseau with Judith Shklar, or on international relations with Samuel Huntington, or even listening to lectures on economics from Otto Eckstein, Martin Feldstein and John Kenneth Galbraith, not to mention having fellow students like Yo-Yo Ma, Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer - these experiences stay with you. And I disagree with the statement that top professors are rarely accessible. They are very accessible to students who take the initiative. Harvard can be big and intimidating and it's easy to get lost there. It's not for everyone and it's certainly not perfect. But if it's the right fit for an individual student, it can be an incredible place. (And yes, I'll probably be accused again of being a "Harvard booster," but it was definitely the right place for me.)</p>
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And I disagree with the statement that top professors are rarely accessible. They are very accessible to students who take the initiative.
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Don't know of it is true, but I keep hearing that about U.Chicago, which is a top-rated non-Ivy school.</p>