Yale, Stanford and Princeton for an international student

<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 and Princeton. </p>

<p>I am a journalist, though I plan to major in political science plus economy. And afterwards I want to apply to a prestige law school. I plan to write for a college newspaper and also do drama and dance.
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>For your interests, Yale definitely.</p>

<p>Pigs, I disagree. Princeton has the best dance program of the entire Ivy League. Not to mention great student-led dance groups that are as popular or more so than the football team:). They have a great writing program, and the Woodrow Wilson school for politics. Princeton also has some of the greatest economists in the world as professors - international students interested in the law and journalism really ought to be exposed to the American economic philosophy. It’s also prettier in Princeton. If you’re going to a foreign country, why not go somewhere beautiful?:)</p>

<p>I was trying to be unbiased!! The OP seems more artsy + interested in political science so I said Yale. But there’s really no wrong choice (except for Stanford :p)</p>

<p>I will attempt to provide information on Princeton to help you make a decision. </p>

<p>Location: Princeton is located in a small town close to New York City and Philadelphia. This makes it easy to get to Princeton. You can get a direct flight from Moscow to New York City and take a train one hour south to the Princeton campus. Russia maintain a consular office in NYC and the embassy is in Washington D.C. Washington D.C is a three hour train ride from Princeton. The town of Princeton has been host to many seeking refuge. In the 1930’s Albert Einstein moved to Princeton to escape NAZI persecution; in 1967 Stalin’s daughter Svetlana Iosifovna Alliluyeva moved to Princeton. The small town atmosphere makes Princeton a friendly and safe town.</p>

<p>You will find that Princeton is a very friendly campus. Since Princeton is much smaller than Stanford or Yale Princeton has a small town friendly atmosphere. Watch the video of admitted students who, like you, are considering attending Princeton.
[The</a> Prox: Meet the Pre-frosh!](<a href=“http://blogs.dailyprincetonian.com/2010/04/meet-pre-frosh-prince-edition.html]The”>http://blogs.dailyprincetonian.com/2010/04/meet-pre-frosh-prince-edition.html)
[The</a> Prox: Meet the Pre-frosh! Part 2](<a href=“http://blogs.dailyprincetonian.com/2010/04/meet-pre-frosh-part-2.html]The”>http://blogs.dailyprincetonian.com/2010/04/meet-pre-frosh-part-2.html)
The university has an international center to help international students adjust to the new academic environment.<br>
[About</a> Us - Davis International Center](<a href=“http://www.princeton.edu/intlctr/about-us/]About”>Welcome to the Davis International Center! | Davis International Center)<br>
To help all students get acquainted the university sponsors students getting together before classes start. The Frosh Trip is outdoor activities or community service for new freshman to make friends before classes start.
[Outdoor</a> Action Frosh Trip Information](<a href=“http://www.princeton.edu/~oa/ft/frosh/index.shtml]Outdoor”>Outdoor Action Frosh Trip Information) </p>

<p>The grading policy should not be a concern. In the past according to the Wall Street Journal Princeton students have been accepted at a higher rate to the most selective law, medical, and business schools. than students from Stanford. The Standford student newspaper, The Standford Daily reported in March that Stanford is considering changing their grading policy. Graduate schools understand Princeton’s grading system; for example, the rate of acceptance to medical schools has remained the same before and after Princeton’s change in grading. </p>

<p>A student who has attended both Princeton and Stanford has compared the two universities.<br>
[The</a> Prox: Orange and Apples: Stanford](<a href=“http://blogs.dailyprincetonian.com/2010/02/orange-and-apples-stanford.html]The”>http://blogs.dailyprincetonian.com/2010/02/orange-and-apples-stanford.html) </p>

<p>A major difference between Princeton and both Yale and Stanford is the size of the graduate schools. Yale and Stanford have large graduate schools. Princeton is focused on an undergraduate education. You can get the best of both worlds by attending Princeton as an undergraduate and going to law school at either Yale or Stanford.</p>

<p>Students interested in journalism frequently write for the student newspaper, The Daily Princetonian and are selected for the University Press Club.
[About</a> the University Press Club | The Ink](<a href=“http://www.universitypressclub.com/about/]About”>http://www.universitypressclub.com/about/)<br>
Student members of the press club write articles for the New York times and other major newspapers. </p>

<p>The politics department at Princeton is one of the largest in the country. Students in the Woodrow Wilson School study international policy issues such as nuclear non proliferation.
[Woodrow</a> Wilson School of Public and International Affairs | Home](<a href=“http://wws.princeton.edu/]Woodrow”>http://wws.princeton.edu/)
The economics department has four Nobel Prize winners on the faculty. </p>

<p>The Lewis Center for the Creative Arts is the center for drama and dance.<br>
[Welcome</a> - Lewis Center for the Arts](<a href=“http://www.princeton.edu/arts/]Welcome”>Lewis Center for the Arts - Princeton in service of the imagination)<br>
The Program in Dance will enable students – ranging from those with no dance experience to pre-professional dancers – to undertake demanding, studio-based courses with top professionals in the field. The program will support multiple performance opportunities each year. Its courses will cover modern, contemporary, ballet, and African dance techniques, repertory and choreography, as well as dance history, analysis and criticism. The courses are taught by 13 faculty members and guest artists. Certificate candidates will need to complete four studio courses, one course in dance history and criticism, two performances in faculty and guest choreographer works, two semesters of cocurricular ballet class and technical work in assisting with program productions. They also may pursue an optional creative thesis.</p>

<p>The Program in Theater will allow students to work with scholars and professional artists and critics to familiarize themselves with the nature of practical work in theater and with theater’s role in various cultures. The program will offer courses in playwriting, acting, directing, design, dramaturgy, performance history and criticism, as well as a full season of theatrical productions. Certificate candidates will need to complete four practical courses, one course in dramatic literature or performance history and criticism, technical work on theater productions and an independent project in their junior or senior year, such as directing, writing, designing or performing a major role in a theater production. </p>

<p>Good luck in your decision.</p>

<p>Yuliyabars:</p>

<p>Do you by any chance speak french? My d participates in the french acting troupe on campus and one of the principals is a coed from Moscow.Last year the valedictorian(a european) an economics major, also was in the troupe.</p>

<p>Senior journalism seminars are offered each term .My d plans to take the course on being a foreign correspondent in the fall.This course will be taught by the former Paris bureau chief for The New York Times.</p>

<p>There are some incredible journalists who’ve come out of Princeton.David Remnick is the Editor in Chief of The New Yorker.John McPhee teaches a creative non fiction class to select sophomores each spring. He is one of the most esteemed journalists around.</p>

<p>You really can’t beat the undergraduate focus at Princeton. My d is a language major and is good friends with many internationals…The campus is a beautiful one to immerse yourself in your studies while following your inclinations socially and otherwise.I have watched my d there for 3 years and what it has done for her has been amazing.</p>

<p>I don’t know much about Stanford. Yale is known as the artsy school but Princeton’s arts scene has surprising variety and the school supports it wholeheartedly.</p>

<p>Is it possible at Princeton to study well as long as write for the Daily Princetonian and participate in the Triangle Club?</p>

<p>Triangle Club is intermittent, the Prince is all year round. You’d probably want to slack off on the Prince some while Triangle practiced for the show. My daughter wrote for the Prince and was the president of a dance club. She could do both, but once she became president of the club she cut back on the writing a lot. And yes, she could study too. And eat. And sleep. And make friends:).</p>

<p>My daughter was on the Prince and had another very time consuming extra-curricular, but she managed to do both and keep up with her studies, so it can definitely be done. One thing about Princeton students is that they are all over-committed, but seem to thrive anyway.</p>