@Olaf64rk i haven’t read the whole thread but one comment made it seem like you were saying no to Brown because of the financial aid package.
If that is the reason, then please call Brown financial aid office. If you have a better package from another Ivy or Stanford, they will very likely work with you to give you more money/match the other offer. I speak from experience because that is what they said to me when I called them last year about my son’s financial aid package.
It’s fair to say that you will get a superb education and amazing opportunities at any of these institutions. The questions you need to ask yourself are:
Where do you think you’d have the most enjoyable overall college experience?
Where do you think you will best thrive academically, socially, and extra-curricularly?
What kind of environment are you seeking (urban, suburban, rich campus life, weather?
Are there any unique programmatic, social, and/or living/learning opportunities that you might want to consider in making your choice?
What are the options with respect to housing and what kinds of choices/alternatives will you have?
I personally think that Stanford ticks all of the boxes. I worked with a non-traditional student that is now a 26 year-old sophomore and absolutely loving it there; my daughter graduated with the Class of 2021 and is now in grad school in NYC.
There is something for everyone at Stanford. School spirit is high, the arts are thriving, sports are a big deal, and Greek life is a thing. Academically-speaking, while STEM and comp sci reign supreme, both the humanities and the social sciences –– especially in history, political science, classics, international relations, etc., etc. –– are very, very strong and the faculty are super-supportive.
As a humanities geek and theatre-loving lesbian, my D had similar choices to yours (she had gotten into HPYS and UChicago, and had received several full-tuition merit scholarships at other top 20 schools). She was interested in schools with a strong humanities core and liked the idea of having residential colleges. She was accepted Early Action to Yale and was all set to enroll in their Directed Studies program. She applied to Stanford on a whim and wasn’t convinced that it would be a good fit for her –– until she discovered that it was.
She found New Haven to be depressing –– too gray, too gritty –– and the Yale campus felt more urban than she had anticipated (and more than she wanted to deal with). The campus culture was very east coast, Ivy/prep.
Stanford was a breath of fresh air (literally and figuratively) after New Haven. The campus was beautiful, the weather glorious, and the campus culture very unique and very west coast. D found her tribe in her theatre troupe and chose to live in coops after her freshman year (she did the leaving/learning SLE program, a humanities-based Great Books-type core her freshman year).
Yes, Stanford’s campus is huge. But everyone –– and I mean everyone –– has a bicycle/skateboard/scooter or some sort of mobility device to get around (hardly anybody takes the Marguerite and plenty of undergrads have cars (plenty do not and Zipcars abound). There’s a ton of stuff going on on campus and a ton of stuff to do in the surrounding areas with decent public transport.
There are a plethora of choices with respect to residential life. There are themed dorms/houses (arts/culture/language/race/interest), freshman-only, 4-class, and upperclass-only dorms, coops and self-ops (themed and unthemed), and apartment living in grad housing (which I believe are available for non-traditional students).
I’d give some serious thought to Stanford if I were the OP.
That is simply a superb description. I am partial to Stanford, but this is a remarkably clear synopsis of some key considerations.
“If you have a better package from another Ivy or Stanford, they will very likely work with you to give you more money/match the other offer.”
This was suggested to the OP but it’s kind of getting close to decision time, also we have no indication that Brown is the OP’s first choice even if the FA packages were equal.
“I’d give some serious thought to Stanford if I were the OP.”
To be fair, the OP has Stanford and Yale in their final two.
Agreed! I hadn’t read the whole thread, but had seen a comment that FA at Brown seemed to be an issue.
Correct me if I am wrong LTB but aren’t you and D from Southern California? It just puts things in perspective. After 4 years in Princeton my D found out she appreciates a little grit being a Philly girl and all. She wasn’t going to be in that kind of environment for Grad school so her final 2 choices were Yale and Columbia.
LTB - glad to hear your D is doing well and I hope she enjoys NYC.
Hi Dolemite!
Nice to see you and happy to hear your daughter is well and did well at Princeton (despite the lack of grit). Hope she’s loving Yale!
And yes, you are correct about perspective –– D is indeed from Southern California and the urban grittiness of New Haven was not something she was prepared to deal with at the time; I’m originally from NYC but moved to So Cal in the early 1990s and never looked back (although I have to admit that I enjoy living in NY vicariously –– perhaps more than I enjoyed being there IRL –– and am delighted that my daughter is thriving there). Stanford was absolutely the right place for her to spend her undergraduate years, and would 100% make the same choice were she to have to do it all over again.
As for the OP, I hope s/he gets a chance to visit some of these places before making a decision. At the end of the day, you can’t go wrong with any of these choices, but I think Stanford would perhaps provide the best campus experience. And, rest assured, theatre and performing arts are top-notch there.
OP – You say that “…deep inside I know where I feel I’ll fit in most.” Where do you most feel that? Where are you leaning towards? What is your gut telling you?
My gut is saying and has always been telling me to attend Yale this fall.
If you read the whole thread, you’ll observe how this key phrase fueled the crowd consensus until about half-way through. It was Yale from the beginning; the last 50 or 60 posts have been a deep dive into specific issues (small cohort group; off-campus living) that don’t seem to be deal-breakers.
I can see that. Yale was definitely favored at first but then a bunch of people started saying Stanford was easily the best choice so idek what to think anymore. I hope I don’t make a mistake.
Sorry, but I’m going to downplay the “grittiness” of New Haven.
If you want a gritty urban campus experience, have a look at Temple perhaps. Not Yale. Not Stanford either.
OP wants an college with lots of traditions, school spirit, and a creative cohort that’s LGBTQ friendly. No doubt Stanford has those things too, but I would bet that, for most people, and for what the OP says he wants, Yale comes to mind before Stanford does.
So let’s go back to the perceived dangerousness of these campuses.
Here’s Stanford, with 317 incidents:
Here’s Yale, with 200 incidents:
Now I’d like to quote Mark Twain, who famously said, “There’s lies, damned lies, and statistics.” We can debate all these numbers until the cows come home (please, let’s not), but to suggest that the OP shouldn’t attend Yale because of crime is a weak argument, frankly. He’s a big boy and can take of himself, no doubt.
OP, I suggest you tune us out now😆. You probably have all the facts you need. Tell us your final decision as soon as you can.
Weighing in on crime, New Haven, etc.
I have noted on previous threads that CC’ers seem particularly concerned about crime on campuses which are located in diverse cities (i.e. with POC’s) and significantly less concerned about crime on campuses located in majority white suburbs or rural areas- even when the rural areas have as much poverty, drug traffic, etc. as an urban area.
Just logging this in for the OP as a particular quirk of CC. I’ve pushed back before on some pretty strident posters (“I’d never let my kid live in NYC” or “Who would ever live in Philadelphia”) when I point out that for a person who has grown up in a diverse city is going to have a different attitude towards urban life than someone who grew up in a gated community where nobody walks to anything…
OP- New Haven is a diverse city with poor Black people and poor white people and everything in between. It also has beautiful leafy neighborhoods, and gorgeous museums and nice restaurants (and cheap food carts with tasty ethnic dishes) and live theater. But it is a city, not a country club and not a gated community. I think the administration of Yale has done a commendable job working with local law enforcement to make sure that campus police don’t escalate the crime of “Walking while Black” near campus. But it is not in a suburban bubble.
You’ve got some great choices!!!
Your topic has been successful, then, in introducing different points of view. This was partly encouraged, I believe, by your stating a continued interest in three schools about midway through, which suggests you were seeking more than simple affirmation of a predetermined decision.
In terms of my opinion, I’m staying with Yale based on your criteria as it appeared in your original post. That said, your choosing Yale — or Stanford, if you prefer it — wouldn’t mean that there isn’t a tempting close second in your group. This goes along with having a mind that’s receptive to various possibilities.
Sure there’s a lot of veiled stereotyping on C/C regarding urban neighborhoods, but the collegefactual links Lindagaf posted show that the crime incidents in New Haven itself was 66 in 2019 compared to 2 for Palo Alto. Stanford also has more people so c/f gave a per-1000 students and Stanford is still higher on that, 18 to 15 crimes for every 1000 students.
Yale 100%. Full disclosure, I may be a bit biased, but if LGBTQ+ positive, theater, polysci, and future law school admissions are your criteria, I think it is objectively the right pick.
There is sooo much theater. You don’t have to be a major. There are Main Stage Dramat productions several times a year and multiple smaller productions every weekend and sketch comedy and improv and musicals. One of the amazing things about Yale is that if you can put together a half-coherent proposal, you can get funding and a space for whatever you want to do, whether it is traditional, experimental, avant- garde, student-written. And. So. Much. Film.
Yale has historically been very involved in every level of politics. No shortage of practice or connections there. And Yalies often get involved locally.
They have excellent outcomes for law school. My husband went on to Harvard Law.
LGBTQ+ was a positive environment even back in the 90s.
You mention weather, and this may be the only place New Haven lets you down. Yes, it can get rainy and cold and slushy. I know some CA and other milder climes students had some seasonal blahs, but it really never is a major issue in navigating around campus.
To add, Yale is full of amazing traditions, both dating way back and modern. Lots of fun there. And social life is varied and not dominated by any one thing. The college system ensures you meet people in different years, majors, interests, etc.
I am also seeing discussions of crime…I am not going to pretend you can walk naked with $1000 taped to you…but, as a 5’4” female, I felt like even in the 90s the area around campus was very safe and even venturing beyond that, as I did, volunteering off-campus, was safe with reasonable precautions. Now, I feel like it is even safer than before. Any city, you should take precautions…but most areas within walking distance of campus are fairly safe as long as you practice situational awareness.
You are assigned a residential college immediately. And usually each RC has its own section on Old Campus. But it isn’t anywhere as rigid as you seem to imagine…more that there are more opportunities for connection.
You get to know many of the Freshman, you get to know upperclassmen in your RC, you get to know people in your major, and you get to know people in your activities.
I was friends with a couple of slightly older students…one was in my sorority, one was in my RC, and the others were friends of friends, including one who had toured with a rock band before going to college.
There isn’t at all a sense that you are divided up…more like your RC is just a home base (with a Dean who is always there to help, and lots of cool facilities you can get to without having to go outside) and one more point of connection. Your classes, activities, etc. will be filled with people from every RC and you can go to any dining hall or recreational facility with your friends.
It really does not limit you at all.
Well, I live in the general vicinity of the Stanford campus and have for a long time. I wouldn’t call it “sanitized” or “secluded.” It’s right across the street from University Avenue, and Town & Country Village, where there’s a beehive of activity. One could also walk about 1.5-ish miles to California Avenue, where there are more restaurants and a farmer’s market.
Stanford has an amazing golf course, a really nice outdoor mall or one can walk “The Dish.” It’s one of the largest college campuses, in terms of acreage, in the US.
Has anyone visited the downtowns of Redwood City, Mountain View or Sunnyvale recently? There’s been a huge building boom over the past few years. Stanford has built brand new housing on Sand Hill Road, south campus on Stanford Avenue and across El Camino Real in Menlo Park.
And Stanford built a brand new hospital, among a bazillion other construction projects on campus.
Personally, I’d rather wear shorts and flip-flops year round, which I do. 
IMO, and I’ve said this elsewhere, there are a few schools that I’d “beg, borrow or steal” to attend. For me, Stanford is one of them.
There’s only one person in my immediate family who attended Stanford and we have a VERY difficult time shutting them up, when they drone on and on about their experience. 
Of course, I live in a neighborhood with tons of alums, professors, employees, but it’s easier to get them to stop talking about the university.
They’re all wonderful schools, all outstanding choices, but Stanford is the most “outstanding-ess.”
ETA: My CC name is a restaurant on University Avenue. I joined CC when I was standing in line waiting for my sushiritto.
If you said nothing else, this would seal the deal for me! 
And, with all you mention about Palo Alto, there is the entire Bay Area and surroundings, which is truly one of the most amazing metropolitan areas (or whatever the appropriate term is) in the world: you can go from skyscrapers to redwood forests to beaches in a matter of a few miles. That was what struck me about the Bay Area when I first visited it a long time ago. Having lived here for several years, it’s even more true.
OP can’t go wrong with either choice. But there are clear differences between Yale and Stanford that are a matter of personal choice for only OP. Yes, I personally would pick Stanford for the reasons you and others have discussed, but that’s me, not OP.
Very cool!
As the Stanford alum shout, “Stop helping!” 
In sum: Yale has character.