<p>I was wondering which schools boast the best undergrad experience: Harvard, Yale, UPENN, Dartmouth, Columbia? Please submit your opinions about these schools. I personally am torn between Harvard and Yale, and I don't know what is better. I've heard Yale professors are friendlier to undergrads, and that Yale has an overall edge in the undergraduate experience when compared to Harvard. Please help! Opinions about the other three schools can help too. Undergrads of these schools are preferred, but not required.</p>
<p>In a recent survey, Harvard had the lowest student satisfaction of all of these schools. Dartmouth is always rated highly by students, but I'm also biased. But frankly, do you know how few people including 4.0/2400/athlete/legacy end up with having to choose between H and Y???</p>
<p>"I personally am torn between Harvard and Yale, and I don't know what is better."</p>
<p>-Which is better? I think you're missing the point......</p>
<p>I'll certify that Harvard students express immense dissatisfaction with campus life. It's not to say that it is any reason to turn down Harvard, lol, it's just people expect Harvard's campus, college experience, and social life to match it's supreme academics along with Ivory Palaces...and really, you'll be quite suprised.</p>
<p>Socially, a lot of incoming foreigner I know coming to Harvard expect a "wow impacting" campus to the effect of Princeton or Stanford and expect a liberal artsty social/campus atmosphere to the likes of Amherst, Brown, & Wellesley... and they find they get neither.</p>
<p>But anywats, you can't get torn between two things you don't have, so jump that hurdle when you reach it.</p>
<p>Of those, I'd take Yale with UPenn in second, though I have a bias towards Columbia's campus/location and also Dartmouth homogenous campus.</p>
<p>I would go 1.) Dartmouth, 2.) Yale on that list as they seem to be the most undergraduate focused, most enjoyable time, nicest campuses of the group. Non-city schools tend to have more comradery, community feel than city schools.</p>
<p>You should visit each school for a few days - preferably a few weekend days as well as a normal class day - because that's the only way to narrow it down. Visit at least two this fall so you can see if you're on the right track (in my opinion, your list has a number of very, very different schools, so you might also want to look at places like Williams or Wesleyan). If you can't visit all of them now, apply to more of them and visit later when you have the choice to make. Yes, visits are expensive, but this is a huge decision for you to make - it's four years here - and choosing the best college can have a huge impact. Visiting can also help your chances of getting in, by letting you tailor your application better. So, sell everything you own and just do it.</p>
<p>Out of your list, I would say Yale offers the best overall undergraduate experience. I won't go into the academic reasons why because I think Yale's undergraduate program, academically speaking, is almost universally regarded as the strongest out there among people who have studied the success rates of its alumni, the amount of resources, grants and fellowships available per student, the amount of advising, class sizes and the like. It is also the most selective university in the country, which says something. That said, all of your choices have decent academics - especially Harvard, Yale and Dartmouth - so I don't think you should feel bad if you don't get into 3 of the 5 and end up at the fourth or fifth choice. </p>
<p>Socially, they are all very distinctive as well, and it is really worth looking into the differences. Some have very compact campuses with tons of campus life and undergraduate dormitories all in close proximity with each other, while others are comparatively spread out over a very wide area and/or have campuses that are pretty much totally dead at night and on weekends. Remember, a lively campus during the day may be totally dead at 8 p.m. on a Friday - or not. You won't know unless you visit!</p>
<p>I've visited all of these places extensively, so will spare you a full report on each, but here's a list of a few things to consider when you're visiting: <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showpost.php?p=2861108&postcount=24%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showpost.php?p=2861108&postcount=24</a></p>
<p>in terms of social life and most "college-y" experience:
dartmouth
yale
columbia
penn
harvard</p>
<p>what?! Penn is the party ivy! Philadelphia has soo much to offer to college students ... huskem, your list is wack.</p>
<p>I would go with Columbia ....NYC... enough said!</p>
<p>I would agree with huskem, although maybe would put Penn in front of Columbia. To me, NYC is a place to live after school, not a place to be during it.</p>
<p>Dartmouth is very focused on undergraduates so it is very good in that regard although it is too isolated for me and has a reputation for drinking.....</p>
<p>where would you guys put brown?</p>
<p>I think it really depends. Most people either love or really dislike Brown because of its Open Curriculum--if you like the idea of being able to take charge and design your own education, Brown is probably better than all the other schools listed (Yale/Dartmouth, I think, are the other schools on the list that could match Brown for undergrad focus). If you'd rather have a structured curriculum, Brown could be pretty terrible, and you might be better off at Columbia.
It varies by person, obviously, but I'd put Brown right below Yale at the top of the list.</p>
<p>Penn and Dartmouth for best undergrad experience. Brown next.</p>
<p>Yale and Dartmouth are better than the other three for undergraduate life. If you can handle (or actually enjoy) Dartmouth's location, they would probably be equal. I would say that Yale has a better location, though. The other three sound about the same to me, as far as undergrad life. At Penn, it seems to be a big deal whether you are associated with Wharton or not. The other two don't seem to have anything like that going on.</p>
<p>i'd also put dartmouth and yale first. Then Harvard last.</p>
<p>
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To me, NYC is a place to live after school, not a place to be during it.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Secluded Morningside Heights and Columbia's campus environment are like a double-cocoon within the city. This is what appeals to many Columbia students vs. prospectives for NYU etc.- the ability to take advantage of the city without necessarily sacrificing campus life or even college town life.</p>
<p>Maybe, a little, but still get the impression from the people I know that went to Columbia that they hi-tailed it off campus frequently. Thus, not creating the same campus and community spirit that exists at a place like Dartmouth or Yale.</p>
<p>My impression of campus life at Columbia, relative to most of the other Ivies, is that it doesn't exist. And I've spent a lot of time at all of the Ivies. You have to look at it on a 24/7 basis and how frequently acquaintances run into each other basis, not just at a "lets see how many people are here at 1pm on a nice Wednesday afternoon" basis.</p>
<p>My impression of undergrad experince:
1. Yale
2. Dartmouth
3. Brown
4. Penn
5. Columbia
6. Harvard
You didn't mention Princeton or Cornell, but I imagine the former would be near the top of my last, and the latter near the bottom.</p>