Hello everyone. I have been thinking about which Ivy League college I would like to apply to. I believe I have the stats to get in, and, well, I only get to do this college application thing once, so I might as well try it. Now, my college list has Yale on it right now, but one of my friends has been talking about Princeton a lot and I’ve been considering it more and more.
I am planning on majoring in applied math with a biology or chemistry emphasis. I have applied to smaller schools (my in-state flagship is the largest one with less than 25,000 total students), and so I don’t want to be bombarded by tens of thousands of people. I would like to play club sports and join a plethora of diverse clubs at school. I am a middle-class individual, so aid would be helpful for something as expensive as an Ivy education.
So, given all of that, which of these two schools do you think would be best for me? Is there a fundamental difference between the two I should know? I will be happy to specify any other information you would need to make a proper judgement. Thanks!
My son and I visited both school. I liked Princeton, but he loved Yale. I think Princeton is in a safer town, while New Haven has high crime rate if you ever venture beyond the college campus. Both schools have traditional quad for the humanities and modern buildings for science and engineering. There is no fundamental difference between the two, so go with your gut feeling.
I agree with your sentiment. Once in a lifetime opportunity. Go for either or both of them. You can’t get in if you don’t apply!
Apply to both. Chances are, the adcoms will make your decision easier.
Princeton seems to be a bit stronger in math, based on department rankings (USNWR, NRC), number of alumni-earned math/stat PhDs, and Putnam prizes. I suppose that could change with just a couple of retirements (or new hires), or overridden by your own choice of classes.
There’s no such thing as “having the stats to get in.” I think what you mean is that you have the stats to be considered. There’s a huge difference. Check the stats on admission, and you’ll find that only a small percentage of even very high stats kids get admitted to these schools. Adjust expectations accordingly. Also, you have not given enough information to allow anyone here to say what would be best for you. Read the threads above, and see which one appeals to you the most. And, unless you’re applying ED, you don’t actually need to decide. Most likely they’ll decide for you.
Well, if they are both $0 application fee and no supplemental essays, then it will be a no-brainer to apply to both (or all Ivies for that matter.) The problem is, each cost $80 and has a long list of essays to write. So student has to choose and see which one is worthwhile to spend the dollar and energy.
@Nojotennis Wouldn’t hurt to apply to both. That said, for STEM in general, and even more so for math specifically, Princeton has the clear edge. Princeton is probably the best place for math.
Sure, applying costs money and time, but this is a decision that has a long shadow over someone’s life. If someone truly can’t decide between the two, it might be worth the extra time and money to keep them both in consideration until later.
That said, if you can’t decide OP - know that while these universities definitely have some differences in the grand scheme of things they’re quite similar. Princeton may be a bit better known for math (at the graduate level) but both are going to have excellent math and biology and chemistry departments. They’ve both got lots of diverse clubs and club sports, and both have got great financial aid. Princeton has a bit more of an undergraduate emphasis than Yale, and Princeton is in the suburbs (but with easy reach to New York and Philadelphia) while Yale is in a medium-sized city (but an easy 2-hour train ride to both Boston and New York).