Yale vs Princeton vs Harvard

<p>I'm interested in the school that I would be able to enjoy the most. I want the best academic programs + the best social life. I'm a hard worker but don't like to study more than 3-4 hours a day. I'm interested in possibly pursuing poli sci or business or maybe psychology but I'm not really sure. I guess that would translate into the question of which school is the best at those programs and which school is the best for undecided students. </p>

<p>Any help would be appreciated as I have to make a decision for one of them by May 1. </p>

<p>-Mike</p>

<p>why do you need to make a decision bymay 1?</p>

<p>"Cos that's the reply deadline. Duh</p>

<p>cause that's the last reply date for all three schools. Well, I was kind of in the same situation as you, as Yale, Princeton, and Harvard were my top three choices. But by the time my senior year rolled around, Yale became my first choice, and I applied early. I'm also a hard worker who likes to have fun, and I figured that Yale would be the best place for me. Since I also wanted to go into business after graduation, I decided that Yale would be better because of the following:
"According to Susan Caminiti ("Where the CEOs went to College", Fortune Magazine), here are the top undergraduate institutions in producing Fortune 500 CEOs, with the number of CEOs produced: </p>

<p>Yale 43 </p>

<p>Princeton 32 </p>

<p>Harvard 25 </p>

<p>Northwestern 19 </p>

<p>Dartmouth 15 </p>

<p>And the per-capita ranking (when adjusted for the number of alumni): 1. Yale, 2. Princeton, 3. Washington and Lee, 4. Harvard, 5. Dartmouth. </p>

<p>Yale has a more relaxed atmosphere than Harvard, and they dont have pretentious eating clubs and finals clubs like Harvard and Princeton. Although they have secret societies, they dont have as great an impact on student life as the eating clubs and final clubs.Yale has a far more lenient drinking policy than harvard, and harvard students are always complaining about student life in articles they write. Yale has great school-wide parites such as Exotic Erotic where the theme is "the less you wear, the lower the fare," Screw your roomate, and Casino night(ranked by Rolling Stones as one of the best college parties in the country).</p>

<p>I think your Fortune 500 claims are seriously out of date.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.augustana.edu/goodnews/105120.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.augustana.edu/goodnews/105120.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Universities with the most Fortune 500 CEO undergraduate alumni:</p>

<p>Harvard (private): 13
University of Wisconsin (public): 13
Stanford (private): 10
Princeton (private): 9
University of Texas (public): 9
Yale (private): 8
University of Missouri-Columbia (public): 6 as of May 2006
University of Washington (public): 6
Cornell (private): 5
Duke (private): 5
Northwestern (private): 5
Ohio State (public): 5
U.S. Naval Academy (public): 5</p>

<p><a href="http://atmizzou.missouri.edu/mar06/CEOstory.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://atmizzou.missouri.edu/mar06/CEOstory.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>The Caminiti study had slightly different metrics. And even if you take the Missouri study, Byerly, if you adjust it in per capita terms it really isn't any different from the Caminiti study.</p>

<p>I don't really think the amount of CEO's a school produces is the best indicator of its business strength... </p>

<p>What is it only about 10% of the CEO's are from ivies? </p>

<p>How bout posting avg starting and/or avg salaries of grads from each school.</p>

<p>man i hate you and the amazing choice that you have to make.</p>

<p>Statistical Comparison of Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Stanford
Harvard Yale Princeton Stanford
RESOURCES
1 Endowment 2004 ($billion) 22.6 12.7 9.9 9.9
2 Library (million volumes) 15.4 11.7 6.2 8.2
AWARDS AND HONORS
3 Nobel Prize winners 75 19 29 37
4 Current Faculty in National Academy of Sciences 164 62 70 124
5 Current Faculty in National Academy of Engineering 14 5 20 87
6 Current Faculty in Institute of Medicine 101 37 8 81
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
7 2005 National Merit Scholars 287 232 180 194
8 2005 National Achievement Scholars 70 57 40 51
9 Rhodes Scholars 315 166 126 84
10 Marshall Scholars 239 112 101 74
11 Putnam Math Competition First Place Finish 25 0 0 0
12 Putnam Math Competition Top Five Finish 51 11 24 5
13 2003 College Class Enrolling in Top Graduate Schools 358 231 174 181
ALUMNI
14 U.S. Presidents 7 5 3 1
15 Current U.S. Senators 17 7 3 5
16 Current U.S. Supreme Court Justices 6 2 1 1
LAW SCHOOL
17 Supreme Court clerks 1991-2005 128 100 0 42
18 2005 Law School Class Hired by Top 50 law firms 166 46 0 57
MEDICAL SCHOOL
19 2005 NIH grants ($billion) 1170 300 N/A 244
20 Current Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators 32 17 3 13
BUSINESS SCHOOL
21 Alumni among Fortune 500 CEOs with MBA 23% N/A N/A N/A</p>

<p>Sources: 1. <a href="http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0112636.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0112636.html&lt;/a> 2. <a href="http://hul.harvard.edu/about.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://hul.harvard.edu/about.html&lt;/a> <a href="http://www.yale.edu/oir/factsheet.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.yale.edu/oir/factsheet.html&lt;/a> <a href="http://www.princeton.edu/main/library/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.princeton.edu/main/library/&lt;/a> <a href="http://www.stanford.edu/home/stanford/facts/libraries.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.stanford.edu/home/stanford/facts/libraries.html&lt;/a>
3. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobel_Prize_laureates_by_university_affiliation%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobel_Prize_laureates_by_university_affiliation&lt;/a> 4. <a href="http://www.nasonline.org/site/Dir?sid=1011&view=basic&pg=srch%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.nasonline.org/site/Dir?sid=1011&view=basic&pg=srch&lt;/a> 5. <a href="http://www.nae.edu/nae/naepub.nsf/Home+Page?OpenView%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.nae.edu/nae/naepub.nsf/Home+Page?OpenView&lt;/a> 6. <a href="http://www.iom.edu/CMS/2951.aspx%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.iom.edu/CMS/2951.aspx&lt;/a> 7. <a href="http://www.nationalmerit.org/05_annual%20report.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.nationalmerit.org/05_annual%20report.pdf&lt;/a> 8. <a href="http://www.nationalmerit.org/05_annual%20report.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.nationalmerit.org/05_annual%20report.pdf&lt;/a> 9. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhodes_scholarship%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhodes_scholarship&lt;/a> 10. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_scholarship%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_scholarship&lt;/a> 11. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Putnam_mathematical_competition%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Putnam_mathematical_competition&lt;/a> 12. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Putnam_mathematical_competition%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Putnam_mathematical_competition&lt;/a> 13. <a href="http://www.wsjclassroomedition.com/college/feederschools.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.wsjclassroomedition.com/college/feederschools.htm&lt;/a> 14. <a href="http://www.americanpresidents.org/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.americanpresidents.org/&lt;/a> 15. <a href="http://www.vote-smart.org/index.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.vote-smart.org/index.htm&lt;/a> 16. <a href="http://www.supremecourtus.gov/about/biographiescurrent.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.supremecourtus.gov/about/biographiescurrent.pdf&lt;/a> 17. <a href="http://www.leiterrankings.com/jobs/1991scotus_clerks.shtml%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.leiterrankings.com/jobs/1991scotus_clerks.shtml&lt;/a> 18. <a href="http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1126256708738%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1126256708738&lt;/a> 19. U.S. News and World Report 2006 Best Graduate Schools issue 20. <a href="http://www.hhmi.org/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.hhmi.org/&lt;/a> 21. <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/management/2005-04-06-cover-ceos_x.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/management/2005-04-06-cover-ceos_x.htm&lt;/a>. Harvard is also the school with the most undergraduate alumni among the Fortune 500 CEOs (<a href="http://content.spencerstuart.com/sswebsite/pdf/lib/Statistical_Snapshot_of_Leading_CEOs_relB3.pdf#nameddest=GAedu)%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://content.spencerstuart.com/sswebsite/pdf/lib/Statistical_Snapshot_of_Leading_CEOs_relB3.pdf#nameddest=GAedu)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p>

<p>Thanks for the stats, Byerly. Glad that Northwestern has more Fortune 500 CEOs than 4 Ivies (brown, penn, columbia, dartmouth). ;)</p>

<p>evad: Please stop comparing Princeton's eating clubs, Harvard's final clubs, and disregarding/comparing Yale's secret societies. They are different on so many levels.</p>

<p>I agree with Bob^3 up there. <em>envious</em> congrats!</p>

<p><a href="http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/photoExpansion.jsp?id=5326%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/photoExpansion.jsp?id=5326&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Remember, you need to adjust school-by-school those stats for the size of each school / # of total professors / # of majors in each field for them to have any significance. Also, some of them are just plain irrelevant, or out of date in some cases.</p>

<p>Of course Yale recognizes it is, at best, a second choice school.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.yaledailynews.com/article.asp?AID=26996%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.yaledailynews.com/article.asp?AID=26996&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>It would be funny if that were actually true, considering that Yale receives more applications per spot in the class than any other Ivy League school, receives way more early applications per spot in the class and also has a lower acceptance rate than any other university. Seems like that would make it a lot of people's first choice. Are you just hoping too hard?</p>

<p>My goodness, Byerly. Taking the writings of one YDN staffer and expanding his words to encompass what "Yale recognizes" when you take such umbrage when people do the same with Crimson articles seems rather hypocritical. </p>

<p>But the fundamental problem is that your argument that Yale recognizes it is "at best, a second choice school" seems awfully at odds with your claim that you never bash another school. The author made no such claim. He argued that Harvard is perceived to be the best, and Yale as second best - and that Yalies should learn to live with that and gain from it. He did not argue that everyone wants to go to Harvard and those unfortunate enough not to get in must settle for Yale. You are warping the article's intent so that you may badmouth Yale.</p>

<p>Try telling the kids who are going to Harvard after not getting into into Yale that Yale is a "second choice school". I know of one girl who wept after "having to go to Harvard" because she didn't get into Yale (ridiculous though that attitude may be). Worse yet, tell that to the kids who wanted to go to Harvard, weren't admitted, and so are going to Yale. See how that makes them feel.</p>

<p>Byerly, I mean no disrespect towards you or towards Harvard. Harvard is an unbelievable institution in a lovely city, and, as I've said before, I think the university is the best in the world. You're a wealth of information, and you have provided many useful links, that, while largely pro-Harvard, are still very valuable in helping kids make informed college decisions. But I'll tell you one thing - Yale was no second choice for me.</p>

<p>Again with respect,
DMW</p>

<p>I'm glad you "know of a girl." For every rule there will always be exceptions.</p>

<p>Fact is, however, the great majority of common admits prefer Harvard over Yale or Princeton and have for many years.</p>

<p>There is no shame in being a second or third choice school out of hundreds of elite colleges.</p>

<p>I'm not sure if you're making the correct inference from the cross-admit data. I'd think that would show that among highly-qualified candidates without a strong preference, most choose Harvard. The fact that they are applying to all three, or two of those three, indicate that they don't have a strong preference for just one (or they were deferred from that one early). It's obvious that among this demographic, Harvard is undeniably tops. I wonder how today's data would look if there was no SCEA / ED. I'm guessing Harvard would still pull most kids, but I don't think the cross-admit data would be as heavily weighted as it seems to be today.</p>

<p>My fundamental problem, Byerly, is that you call Yale a "second-choice" school, implying some sort of list that you run through when making college decisions: "if you can't get into A, you go to B. If not B, then C." Not everyone has this same list, and so it's really tough to call any of these schools a "second choice" for top students. I really don't think most Yale / Princeton early applicants only applied to their respective schools because they were worried that they weren't qualified enough for Harvard. </p>

<p>Best,
DMW</p>