Yale vs. Stanford (but it's specific!)

<p>I'm choosing between Yale & Stanford, with academic interests in international relations/studies, linguistics or history. I've visited both. Oh, and I'm from Southern California, which is a big issue for me because I kind of want to do a new thing, have a new experience for college.</p>

<p>I absolutely LOVED Yale when I visited- the whole residential college system, the people I met, the campus and the whole culture of the school. I was impressed by Stanford, but to a much lesser degree- I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that it's a very Californian school and it almost felt too comfortable and close-to-home for me. It's almost like I wouldn't mind giving up Stanford to go to Yale, but I would feel a bit sad to give up Yale to go to Stanford.</p>

<p>The thing is, for my first two interests (history aside, because it seems like both schools have really strong programs in that area) I get the impression that Stanford is stronger. (If anyone has opinions to the contrary, please speak up!)</p>

<p>So it kind of boils down to...how much should I let academic strengths vs. pure love of the campus/school affect my decision?</p>

<p>Thanks for all your help.</p>

<p>Well, Yale's history department is one of the best history departments in the world. There's A LOT of profs, therefore lots of classes. You'll find a specialist in pretty much any period/region/civ.</p>

<p>Yale has the International Studies major, which is a little competitive to get into, but not really hard if you really want . Once you're in, it offers some great funding opportunities for papers and travel. Yale is fairly close to NY and takes advantage of the fact (several profs do work for the UN - Zedillo, ex-president of Mexico and professor at Yale was special envoy). Yale's MUN team is consistently considered the best in the country and there's plenty of debate of "international issues".</p>

<p>I can't really say much about Linguistics - other than the fact that one of my good friends is majoring in it and he seems to enjoy it.</p>

<p>However, even if Stanford's linguistics department were the best (which it very well could be - I wouldn't know), I'm not sure from where you make the conclusion that Stanford's academics are better. At the undergraduate level, I'd say Yale is probably a better academic experience.</p>

<p>umm, Yale linguistics rocks my socks. I'm going to major in it and omg I love it. There's a linguistics lab that the University works with, Haskins Labs (<a href="http://www.haskins.yale.edu)%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.haskins.yale.edu)&lt;/a>. The speakers I've had from the labs were awesome. The Center for Language Study is awesome, I'm looking forward to living there the next 3 years.</p>

<p>We all know how Yale is the place for history and the humanities.</p>

<p>Yale has to have an awesome international studies program. I mean, we do have Hashemi AND the President of China just stopped by the other day.</p>

<p>Hashemi =)</p>

<p>Although they both have very good international studies programs, Stanford's is somewhat stronger.</p>

<p>From US News (international politics):
2. Stanford
11. Yale</p>

<p>From US News (comparative politics):
5. Stanford
9. Yale</p>

<p>From US News (international economics):
8. Yale
11. Stanford</p>

<p>From [url=<a href="http://mjtier.people.wm.edu/intlpolitics/teaching/surveyreport.pdf%5Da"&gt;http://mjtier.people.wm.edu/intlpolitics/teaching/surveyreport.pdf]a&lt;/a> survey of IR scholars<a href="more%20accurate%20in%20my%20opinion">/url</a>:
3. Stanford (309)
6. Yale (190)</p>

<p>oh, come on, rankings REALLY don't matter at this level. the difference between number 5 and number 9, for example, is negligible when you're talking about an undergraduate school. departmental strengths matter at the graduate level, but as an undergraduate, worrying about this is absolutely splitting hairs.</p>

<p>katzin, from what you've said, it sounds like you love Yale, and both schools are so strong that you really should go with the school where you like the atmosphere; don't worry about rankings when the schools are this close to each other. go with the school where you feel you'll have the best experience - undergraduate life is about a heck of a lot more things than academics :-)</p>

<p>(... for the record, I chose Yale over MIT even though I'm a die-hard science major; I don't dispute the fact that MIT is stronger in the sciences, but I have never regretted my decision to come to Yale. the residential colleges, just the whole feel of campus life here is what made Yale the right choice for me, not the departmental rankings.)</p>

<p>
[quote]
oh, come on, rankings REALLY don't matter at this level. the difference between number 5 and number 9, for example, is negligible when you're talking about an undergraduate school. departmental strengths matter at the graduate level, but as an undergraduate, worrying about this is absolutely splitting hairs.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Departmental strength does certainly matter, especially when you look at the rather significant gap between the two schools. Yale has a strong international studies program, to be sure, but Stanford has a better one. If you're really interested in international studies, particularly in pursuing graduate level opportunities as an undergraduate, then Stanford might be the better place to go. On the other hand, Yale has a combined BA/MA program, which for very talented and dedicated students is perhaps the most opportune route.</p>

<p>General Rak,
you have quoted graduate school rankings. How again are the minor differences pertinent to undergraduate education? I think you are making too much out of nothing, as the differences in these ranking should only be persuasive at graduate level.</p>

<p>i can't give u the specific, but i can give a general notion.</p>

<p>Yale is considered as a better skool than Stanford. Only Harvard can beat Yale, by a slightest margin.</p>

<p>
[quote]
How again are the minor differences pertinent to undergraduate education? I think you are making too much out of nothing, as the differences in these ranking should only be persuasive at graduate level.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Graduate school rankings show the strengths of various departments in terms of faculty, output, resources, etc. These characteristics are not limited to the graduate programs: a stronger faculty is better for both grads and undergrads alike, as are greater resources. Purely at the undergraduate level, the greatest benefit is access to more and more diverse top flight professors. Moreover, if as an undergraduate you wish to pursue graduate level work (courses, research, independent studies, etc.), then the departmental strength makes an obvious difference.</p>

<p>Which is not to say, of course, that I would personally choose Stanford over Yale. If I were only interested in obtaining a BA in international studies / political science, then in fact I probably would prefer Stanford. But since Yale offers the coterminal BA/MA, I would in fact personally rather go to New Haven.</p>

<p>
[quote]
It's almost like I wouldn't mind giving up Stanford to go to Yale, but I would feel a bit sad to give up Yale to go to Stanford.

[/quote]

It sounds like you've already made up your mind and just need verification. It is absolutely inane to nitpick on the basis of academics when they are on very even footing. With such great choices, it comes down to personal fit, and it seems like that's Yale for you.</p>

<p>Yale for sure!! You'll get a fine education at either, and you clearly like Yale better, so go! After all, you don't want to go into Stanford thinking, "I wonder if I would be having a better time at Yale..." Thats an international no no.</p>

<p>Stanford :)</p>

<p>Oh yeah, you gotta go to stanford. It's obvious that you'd get a crappy education at Yale. Yale is just not on par when it comes to what you want to do.</p>

<p>In case you couldn't tell i'm being sarcastic...</p>

<p>GO WHERE YOU LIKE!</p>

<p>Yale received one of the largest donations in its history today and its going to International Studies:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.yaledailynews.com/article.asp?AID=32915%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.yaledailynews.com/article.asp?AID=32915&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>A gift provided by Mr. and Mrs. Whitney MacMillan has prompted the renaming of the Yale Center for International and Area Studies and will allow for the creation of several new professorships in international studies, Yale President Richard Levin announced Tuesday.</p>

<p>The center will now be called the Whitney and Betty MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies at Yale in honor of the donation, "one of the largest gifts Yale has ever received," Levin said in Luce Hall this afternoon at a reception attended by approximately 100 students, faculty and alumni. The early stage of the gift will be used to fund new professorships in international studies, while the later portion will be devoted to international studies, although the specific areas funded by the later portion have not yet been determined, he said. </p>

<p>"We are thrilled by this," Levin said. "We will have more resources to spend and a more euphonious name."</p>

<p>Whitney MacMillan '51, who has served on the Yale President's Council on International Activities, retired in 1995 as chairman and CEO of Cargill, an agricultural trading company and the world's largest privately owned company...</p>

<p>Your post certainly gives the impression that you would rather go to Yale. That palpable difference in personal preference, IMO, looms much larger than any supposed difference in the quality of the departments that interest you. So, IMO, go to Yale.</p>

<p>Note that this is the Yale board, so most people here tend to support Yale. :P</p>

<p>I have no connection whatsoever with Yale or Stanford. </p>

<p>You could also try the Parents Forum.</p>

<p>veerawudth: And when it's posted on the Stanford board, most people there will tend to support Stanford. -_-</p>

<p>I love YALE! I dislike the Californian style of Stanford very much</p>