Yale vs. Princeton

College Search & Selection
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So you've attended them all?

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<p>No, no I have not. To clarify: I have attended Yale. hence, my personal experience has validated that Yale is very undergraduate focused. </p>

<p>On this board and in several other places, Yale has been recognized as having a strong undergraduate program compared to other ivy league schools. What I seemingly didn't make clear was that I have not attended the other 7 schools that make up the ivy league, and that my experience validates simply my statement concerning Yale's focus on undergraduates. The comparison I made was based on what I have heard and read (I guess I spelled 'heard' wrong, sorry). Sorry for any confusion...I hope this clears it up.</p>

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<p>I always thought the three Ivies with undergrad reputations were Brown, Dartmouth, and Princeton.</p>

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<p>Yale has a strong undergraduate focus, as well. Princeton just advertises its undergraduate focus more to ward off the critics who point fingers at Princeton's lack of professional schools.</p>

<p>The Yale College brochure states, "The most important component of academics at Yale is the faculty's commitment to undergraduate teaching, dedication for which Yale is justifiably well known. ... Yale asks its faculty to put a great amount of energy into teaching in the College. ... Many of Yale's most distinguished senior professors teach introductory courses yaddayadda Jonathan Spence yaddayadda Joan Steitz, etc." The fact that Yale bothered to write a pretty lengthy section (I only quoted a tiny bit) on undergraduate focus shows that Yale does have undergraduates in mind.</p>

<p>Finally, I wanted to share a post that was made by a current Yale student on Yale's Class of 2010 admitted students site:</p>

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I wanted to share a couple of experiences, just to follow up what Michael was saying. While of course, things will depend on the specific class and professor, I've had some interesting and exciting examples of student-faculty interaction.</p>

<p>Perhaps more appealing than the name sounds, "Epidemic Lunches" took place once a week for students in the lecture class "Epidemics and Society in the West since 1600." The professor is a fellow in Berkeley College (and a major scholar in the history of Italian science and disease), and reserved a lounge there to chat with students in a setting less formal than office hours.</p>

<p>In much the same way, "Reproductive Lunches" let a group of students propose a place and time to eat with the professor of "Biology of Reproduction," another major faculty member (who also happens to be involved with the Perspectives on Science program).</p>

<p>Finally, my Intro Macroeconomics professor actually listed on his syllabus:</p>

<p>"Extra help available:
-Office Hours Tuesday 10-12
-By appointment
-On the Run, corner of Chapel and High, 7am"</p>

<p>It's not clear how many people actually took him up on the last one, but we were literally invited to join him for his morning run around the neighborhood.</p>

<p>I think a lot of this comes from the residential nature of Yale's community--there are lots of faculty fellows (including masters and deans) who eat in the dining hall anyway, and have the positions they do because the WANT to eat and chat with undergrads.

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<p>If you're an admitted student to the Class of 2010, you can find this post and others like it in the thread "TEACHERS!!!"</p>

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<p>If you talk to the students at each one, instead of unsubstantiated rumor, I think you'll find they all treat their undergrads well. My D is at H and has had amazing profs with great access. This inspite of the continual rumor mongering that H doesn't have an undergrad focus. All BS.</p>

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This is also baloney. Many people go to the same grad school as their undergrad. Why do you think that previous attendence would limit you - quite the contrary if you're any good, because they know you!

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<p>The philosophy at schools like Harvard, Yale, and Princeton, is that the world is a big place with many amazing schools, and you won't be a well-rounded student if you stay in one place for the entirety of your education, surrounded by the same people and the same old ideas. This is what HYP calls "inbreeding." HYP encourages students to attend another school for graduate studies so that the students are exposed to different points of views and different approaches to problems.</p>

<p>Interesting posts from the following thread: <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=83687&page=3&pp=15%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=83687&page=3&pp=15&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p>

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stargirl:</p>

<p>Also I forgot it earlier but if you think a school is great for grad school (like Harvard undoubtedly is) it's actually not the best of ideas to apply there for undergrad. This is because very often they are hesitant to accept undergrads into their graduate programs and some have rules to bar you from doing it at all! The idea is this world is a huge place and there are a lot of great schools and you won't be as well-rounded if you stay someplace forever.</p>

<p>GuitarManARS:</p>

<p>That's not what I've heard! Everyone I talk to (including Harvard's undergrad astronomy tutor, Professor Bryan Gaensler) says that, as stargirl said, graduate programs (at least in astro), especially at a school like Harvard, very rarely accept people who did undergrad at the same institution, simply because they want you to leave. And to be honest, I'd probably want to go somewhere else anyway. 8+ years is a bit excessive at one place, especially when there are so many other great schools out there, and especially if my plans place a significant possibility (as they do) of my taking a post-doc and/or professorship at Harvard in the future. I figure someplace like Caltech, Cambridge, Princeton, etc. would be just as lovely for a Ph.D. program in astro, if I go to Harvard as an undergrad.

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<p>I have heard amazing things about the quality of education at the ugrad level at Princeton. You can't go wrong with either choice.</p>

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<p>
[QUOTE]
The philosophy at schools like Harvard, Yale, and Princeton, is that the world is a big place with many amazing schools, and you won't be a well-rounded student if you stay in one place for the entirety of your education, surrounded by the same people and the same old ideas. This is what HYP calls "inbreeding." HYP encourages students to attend another school for graduate studies so that the students are exposed to different points of views and different approaches to problems.

[/QUOTE]
But almost half of Harvard Law School's incoming class graduated from Harvard College! Is the Law School an exception?</p>

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<p>Bush went to Yale
Go to Princeton</p>

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Donald Rumsfeld and Bill Frist went to Princeton. So did Aaron Burr...and he killed a man. That can't be good.</p>

<p>Go to Yale.</p>

<p>I like this game. But here's an alternative: Advice based on factors that may make one of these two tremendous schools better or worse for one type of person. Then, perhaps, someone can walk away with advice that can help them make the best decision for their future. Any student faced with the decision of choosing between Princeton and Yale is most likely of very high intelligence. Bashing schools based of their alumni (or at all, really) does not seem to be a productive way of aiding these people, and will probably not hold much sway in persuading them either.</p>

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<p>Go To Yale!</p>

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<p>As long as we're comparing, how do the people on this board rate Brown vs. Georgetown in terms of overall desirability of getting into?</p>

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<p>Princeton, good school, nice campus, and you're fairly close to the city!</p>

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<p>How do the economics departments of the two schools compare? And I'm talking about realistic differences as an undergrad. I'm thinking about fulfilling the premed course requirements but majoring in economics/finance because I really like that stuff. Yale offers a program that allows one to be granted a BA and MA in economics by the end of the four years. Princeton offers a certificate in finance. But these things might interfere with being a premed...I just don't know, simply pondering possible scenarios to help me choose. </p>

<p>The fact is though, I visited both, and my instincts told me that Yale is the place for me in terms of virtually everything but academic details, which Princeton does seem to cover nicely.</p>

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<p>I doubt there will be significant, if any, academic difference between the two schools. Pton does tend to be more Ugrad focused, but they're both amazing schools and you can't go wrong with either. Go where you feel more comfortable, the BA/MA program sounds awesome too.
It'd be a good thing to do if you want to go and work for a few years before going to med school or grad school.</p>

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<p>to be honest, both schools' economics departments are plenty good for undergraduate study. considered comprehensively, princeton's may be slightly stronger than yale's, but any such hairsplitting distinction should not really be the basis for your decision between the two. and i say this to you as a princeton partisan, who would be happy to see you choose old nassau.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/grad/rankings/phdhum/brief/ecorank_brief.php%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/grad/rankings/phdhum/brief/ecorank_brief.php&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p><a href="http://www.stat.tamu.edu/%7Ejnewton/nrc_rankings/nrc41.html#area36%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.stat.tamu.edu/~jnewton/nrc_rankings/nrc41.html#area36&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>What Scottie said. I went to Yale (years ago -- but it sure seems the same when I talk to current students). I know tons of people, including close friends, who went to Princeton. All of my Yale friends, and all of my Princeton friends, love their alma mater to death. All of them had great undergraduate experiences; all of them had plenty of contact with famous profs (and great, unfamous profs who later became famous, and unbelievable grad students who are now famous profs). Both schools historically have great economics departments. Princeton's rates slightly higher, but I haven't seen the rating with Bernanke gone to Washington. That's really a push. </p>

<p>I seriously doubt you're going to do pre-med and BA/MA in economics either place. You could definitely do pre-med with a BA Economics program, or (at Yale, at least) BS/MS in one of the science majors.</p>

<p>One area of difference that no one has discussed -- I think the Yale residential college system works really well, and enhances the undergraduate experience a lot, by ensuring that you have lots of friends that you DON'T share common interests with. People at Princeton really love their eating clubs, and I don't think the ECs are really like frats, but they are definitely further along the fratty scale than I would have enjoyed, and at Princeton the social deck is clearly cut and redealt somewhat after the second year. </p>

<p>I would note, though, that Princeton alumni tend to be very involved on an ongoing basis, much more so than Yalies. So Princeton clearly does a lot right.</p>

<p>New Haven is fine. Princeton is beyond gorgeous, especially in the spring.</p>