<p>I just want to hear some arguments:</p>
<p>Why would a student choose Princeton over Yale? Or why would a student choose Yale over Princeton? What would distinguish each university?</p>
<p>I am going the "Pre-Med" route so I wonder which would be better.</p>
<p>If I had to make the choice between these schools I need to know what makes them great.</p>
<p>Thanks anyone who helps!!</p>
<p>One of the main benefits of Princeton over Yale is location. Clearly, if you want to be in a nice city, neither will suit you. But Princeton's suburban location trumps New Haven, even if some attempts have been made to clean up the immediate surroundings. I also feel that Princeton's campus feels more unified - Yale's is interrupted by city streets. </p>
<p>Although I'm politically left-leaning, I also liked the idea of more intellectual diversity. At least among students, both conservative and liberal perspectives are pretty well represented, although liberals are still the majority. </p>
<p>Princeton also has a reputation for paying the most attention to undergraduates among the Ivys. With no really famous grad schools on the level of, say, Yale law, there is limited competition with grad students for professors and resources. Princeton knows they've built their reputation partially because of this, so they have to be aware of keeping undergrads happy.</p>
<p>May I just say at the outset that I hate these threads? You can't go wrong with either school and your final choice should be made on very personal considerations. The locations are very different but the quality of the students and faculty are truly indistinguishable. You will get a fantastic education at either and they are equally prestigious (if that concerns you). I turned down Yale and Harvard to attend Princeton and am very glad I did, but not because Princeton is a better school. It was simply a better school for me. I know that I would have received an equally fine education at either of the other two. If possible, visit each, talk to the students and try to imagine yourself as a freshman. One of the two will just feel right. It did for me.</p>
<p>"It was simply a better school for me."</p>
<p>Sensible thinking. And be sure to look beyond the feel of the school. My d loved the high energy level of the students at all three HYP, but there were specific departments and extracurriculars she found at Princeton that were lacking at the other two. Focus on what you're really passionate about and then really do your research.</p>
<p>an interesting angle would be the question if college attendance at a particular university enhances your admission to a particular graduate school of the same university.</p>
<p>Fact is that a higher precentage of Harvard college graduates attend Harvard Law or Business than of other college grads. If that is a general pattern, this may infleunce your decison. but then again: who wants to stay at the same place for grad school?</p>
<p>Following Princeton, I graduated from Harvard Law and yes, you are correct that there are many more Harvard College graduates at HLS than graduates of other colleges. The reason for this is simple. Virtually every Harvard College graduate who wants to go to law school applies to HLS. The school is deluged with these applications even though many of the students are unqualified. Harvard College grads are also more likely to accept an offer of admission from HLS. You'll find the same thing to be true at the grad and professional schools at every other university. The fact that there are so many Harvard grads at HLS has an obvious parochial explanation. It shouldn't suggest that it's easier to get into HLS if you graduated from Harvard College or that the applicant will be better prepared. In fact, during the years that I was at HLS, students who had come from Princeton and Yale were better represented among the review editors and winners of the major prizes (on a percentage basis) than were the students who had come from Harvard College. I'm not sure that this was a pattern that held true other years but it was true then. </p>
<p>I agree with aparent5 that it also makes sense to look at particular departments. If you are certain that you will major in a particular area, it makes sense to check the quality of that department. Since most undergraduates change their minds about majors, using this as a screening mechanism for choosing a college does have its drawbacks. Fortunately, both Princeton and Yale are so strong in so many departments, it's likely that if you do change your major, your chosen department will still have a fine reputation. </p>
<p>I understand that your question was about pre-med and I'm sorry that my experiences can't shed more light on that. I'm confident that Princeton would prepare you very well and there is another thread somewhere here started by a student who, like you, is interested in medicine. Someone posted some useful links showing the medical school acceptance rates of Princeton grads.</p>
<p>Don't agonize over your choice. You can't go wrong.</p>