Yale vs. Stanford

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I have to come to a decision about this by tomorrow for family reasons, so I really need to sort things out between these two schools. The school my gut is telling me to go to (Pomona) isn't happening because of my parents (there's no point in trying to work it out with them anymore because I've been working at them for a long time already), so I now have to decide whether I want to go to Yale or Stanford.</p>

<p>I guess I'll introduce this by laying out my wants in a school:</p>

<p>-Really strong environmental studies program (or something similar)
-Many opportunities for internships and other projects for summers
-Active and supportive student body
-Nice dorms
-Strong sense of community (not just as a school but within the school as well)
-No exclusivity with things like extracurriculars (I hear that Stanford's intramurals are only for experienced athletes...is this true?)
-Less ridiculous party scene that isn't super fratty</p>

<p>I'm fairly certain I will not be living in the northeast after graduation, if that matters at all. </p>

<p>Anyway, as of right now...my gut is telling me Stanford, but yesterday my gut was telling me Yale. It's been alternating for several days and I really don't know what to do. I do like the weather at Stanford more but I also heard that the nearby presence of so many start-up companies draws students who create a more individualistic, "entrepreneurial" spirit...is this true?</p>

<p>Also, before anyone advises me to visit...I attended Bulldog Days and liked it but am unable to attend Stanford's visit program as a result of a family event. I have a sister who is graduating this year from Stanford but I haven't seen too much of the campus...all I've seen is the row (is that what it's called?) and the main quad area. My sister says she thinks the kind of competition she's experienced at Stanford is not healthy and that she thinks it would be wise for me to try something new and go to Yale.</p>

<p>But I really like California. When I was at Yale, by the end of my visit I was already getting tired of the dead-feeling gothic architecture. But at the same time, I might feel the same way about Stanford's campus after being there for a while.</p>

<p>I think I do like New Haven more than Palo Alto, as Palo Alto is very expensive and somewhat insular feeling. Yet I also know that I wouldn't be venturing into town every day at either school so I don't know how relevant that is.</p>

<p>Please help me.</p>

2

<p>Hi basajaun,</p>

<p>I’ve been reading your posts and wish you the very best with your decision! you’ve put SO MUCH thought and analysis into this whole thing, and that’s such a credit to you. my sense from your post is that:</p>

<ol>
<li> the physical setting of Stanford is more appealing to you than the physical setting of Yale </li>
</ol>

<p>but </p>

<ol>
<li><p>the people/social/community part of Yale is more appealing to you than the people/social/community part of Yale.</p></li>
<li><p>the academics at both are great. I don’t know much about Stanford’s environmental programs, but I gather Yale’s are first rate – it has a strong bio program (of which ecology and evolutionary biology are a part) and it has the Yale School of Forestry, which many enviro-types take courses in. and internships are plentiful at Yale in your areas of interest.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>so if academics are kind of a tie, then what matters more: setting or community of people? only you can know which matters the most to YOU. </p>

<p>fwiw, my cousin decided on Yale b/c of the supportive atmosphere and friendly people he found there. he’s not a great athlete but plays intramurals and loves it. each college has its own intramural team(s) (for example, there are 3 levels of basketball intramurals for each college – that’s a lot of students playing intramurals!). the residential college makes for a great social life – regardless of your social speed. and frats are very small. </p>

<p>do you trust your sister’s instincts? she knows you pretty well, and she knows stanford pretty well…</p>

<p>i really wish you well, basajaun! lots of us are pulling for you!</p>

3

<p>Stanford plays serious division I sports with scholarship programs which means whoever might be playing for Yale with no athletic scholarships will be in intramurals at Stanford,</p>

4

<p>Since you were leaning towards a LAC (Pomona) and also applied to Amherst, that seems to be your inclinations. Your sister knows you best. Go Yale.</p>

<p>IMO, the reason that you are struggling is that your list is rather generic, and could apply to many, many schools. Even your intended major is offered everywhere.</p>

5

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<p>I don’t know if you mean this is a negative thing to you but while Stanford does market itself as pretty entrepreneurial, I have a friend who visited with this as a primary concern (she’s more the cerebral, intellectual type). She found that she was not getting as many entrepreneurial vibes as she had thought, and while that had been an issue for her before her visit after it her fears were assuaged.</p>

<p>Now, this is just an admitted student visiting for a night or two, so take it as you will.</p>

<p>Also I would like to make a plug for Stanford cuz—I’m going there next year! So you would be in my class. :D</p>

<p>Then again I have a friend who was admitted to Stanford and Yale and has decided on Yale, mostly b/c she wants to get out of California.</p>

<p>This probably wasn’t super helpful to you but I do understand where you’re coming from and it’s a tough decision. Good luck!</p>

6

<p>Congrats on great choices! I’m going to make a quick plug for Stanford because I’ll be attending Stanford this fall (though for a PhD). I can only speak for Stanford on most points, but hopefully this helps you make a more informed decision.</p>

<p>I don’t think Stanford would be any more competitive than other top 10 programs. If anything, I think Californian schools are generally known to have a less competitive culture. But as general advice, remember that competition is what you make of it. At any university with so many people and so much freedom, you choose who you associate with, and there will be plenty of different characters for you to find who works best for you.</p>

<p>For environmental sciences, I believe you will have access to many more professional and real world opportunities in Silicon Valley/Bay Area than in New Haven. The world comes to both Stanford and Yale, but it’s simply easier to develop a network with those geographically close to you than those who are far.</p>

<p>Stanford has an amazingly beautiful campus. The frat scene is not pervasive.</p>

<p>You are right about the entrepreneurial spirit for Silicon Valley, but I don’t think that works against the community. Especially with football and the rivalry against Berkeley, there’s a pretty nice cohesive Stanford vibe. On whole though, I would say that there is that independent spirit around.</p>

<p>As much as I think Stanford is great (chose it over other top 5 programs), you will not make a fatally wrong choice with either of these schools. You may feel stuck between a rock and a hard place, but it’s more like choosing between [insert witty, positive parallel to “rock and a hard place”]. Where ever you end up, charge ahead and take advantage of the amazing opportunities at each of these institutions! Wish you the best!</p>

7

<p>For environmental studies, Stanford wins hands-down. Its School of Earth Sciences leaves Yale in the dust.</p>

<p>As for internships, they are fairly common at Stanford. Departments offer tons of internships for undergrads (to work with a professor), and the standard rate now is $5600 for 10 weeks over the summer. You can also get internships throughout Silicon Valley and the Bay Area, or beyond. The Career Development Center (CDC) offers lots of services to get students connected with internships. Stanford also participates in internship networks with other universities. There’s a reason that Stanford spends more money on undergraduate research (over $4million per year) than any other university.</p>

<p>[Internships</a> | Undergraduate Academic Life](<a href=“http://www.stanford.edu/dept/undergrad/cgi-bin/drupal_ual/OO_internships_Internships.html]Internships”>http://www.stanford.edu/dept/undergrad/cgi-bin/drupal_ual/OO_internships_Internships.html)</p>

<p>I’d recommend you explore this site fully, as it gives you tons of useful information on the options and opportunities that students get.</p>

<p>Students are pretty active at Stanford. There are nearly 700 student groups (the student body size is around 15,000; contrast that with Berkeley, whose student body is over 35,000 but has roughly the same # of student groups as Stanford. So I’d say students are comparatively really active). There also is no exclusivity with these extracurriculars. I don’t know where you got that intramurals are only for experienced athletes—anyone is allowed to participate in them (that’s the whole point of IMs).</p>

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</p>

<p>[Cardinal</a> Athletics: Stanford University Facts](<a href=“http://www.stanford.edu/about/facts/athletics.html]Cardinal”>http://www.stanford.edu/about/facts/athletics.html)</p>

<p>(though of course there are student-only IMs, usually done through your dorm)</p>

<p>You get the small community feel through various different avenues: your dorm, your classes (75% of classes at Stanford have fewer than 15 students, and only 2% over 120), and your activities. I’d say most feel a pretty strong sense of community.</p>

<p>As for the party scene, I’ve always thought that Stanford strikes a good balance. You can avoid the party scene easily if you want to; or you can party a lot at the many different parties hosted each weekend. Only 13% of the student body is Greek, so Stanford is very far from being “fratty.”</p>

<p>What competition is your sister referring to? I’ve never had to deal with any kind of competition, and the general perception at Stanford among students is that competition generally doesn’t happen (I’ve heard it can happen if you’re pre-med though, but even then, pre-meds have to collaborate on chem 31 problem sets, etc. or else they won’t do well).</p>

<p>Like you, I wasn’t fond of Palo Alto, and when choosing colleges, I knew I really, really wanted to go to an urban university. In the end, though, I turned down H and Y because, well, there were just too many awesome things about Stanford. And I loved the campus. :wink: Seriously though, I’ve found Palo Alto isn’t as bad as some think: downtown is decent (lots of restaurants, bars, etc.), and of course students can go to San Francisco, San Jose, etc. by train or car. I’ve found I actually go into Palo Alto more than expected, though I do go to SF about as much. Either way, students tend to stay more on campus than off, which I think would be the case even if Stanford weren’t distinctly divided from Palo Alto. Everything is on campus (fun activities, arts events, restaurants like Subway, convenience stores, etc.) so there isn’t often a need to go off campus, except to go do something fun/different (like laser tag in MV!).</p>

<p>To be honest, given your description, you seem to prefer Stanford. That suggests to me that if you visited, your conviction would only grow stronger. Since you can’t visit, maybe you can try to take a virtual tour (probably already done that though), or search youtube for “Stanford campus” (some really professional videos on there too). Of course nothing compares to actually being here, but it can be helpful if you can’t visit.</p>

<p>Congrats and good luck deciding :)</p>

8

<p>At Stanford, the competition is not as bad as the one at MIT, and you have the grade inflation also: you compete and get good grades. It is the best place to learn.</p>