Yale vs. Stanford

Colleges and Universities A-Z Yale University
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<p>History is a popular second major because a lot of people end up taking several history courses anyways.</p>

<p>I don't think it's hard if you have a reasonable combination. If you try to mix two that are inflexible with their requirements or just have more than avg course requirements (e.g. some engineerings and area studies), then it'll be tough, near impossible.</p>

<p>What upperclassmen and recent graduates will often advice is NOT to double major. It doesn't really help you in the long run and you might end up affecting the breadth of the classes that you take.</p>

42

<p>I double majored (but not in history)...I think it would be ok, but I agree at this point in my life that taking a breadth of classes is more important (unless you are double majoring in music or the arts). I got to senior year, sat down to choose classes and was very sad that there were so many wonderful course offerings that I would not be able to take because I was so busy filling requirements. If you are not an actor or musician...I would go deep with one major and really take the advanced seminars (or whatever they are calling them now). Those are excellent. By the way, we're having a very lovely day here in California:)</p>

43

<p>Thanks for all the information.</p>

<p>btw, what about the CS major at Yale. I know it must be weaker than the one at Stanford . But I am considering at least taking some courses in it!</p>

44

<p>I think the discussion seems to come down one question: which is more important? breadth or depth</p>

45

<p>Which school has a better reputation among big finance companies (e.g. i-banking, consulting...), Yale or Stanford?</p>

46

<p>I apologize for the brevity of this post (but I have to attend to a paper that is due in two and a half hours), but I can share my story. I grew up in Los Angeles, and was faced with the same decision: Yale or Stanford. I chose Yale, and I can't imagine being anywhere else. That said, I'm sure I would have been happy at Stanford too, and my personal tastes are just that - personal. I would consider Yale, though, because quite frankly, I'm convinced that this is the best (collegiate) place on earth.</p>

47

<p>As far as finance & consulting goes, choose Yale</p>

48

<p>Ranking the Top Five Undergraduate Schools, "HYPSM", is like splitting a hair. But, if knife at my neck, I'd rank them as follows:</p>

<p>H-S-Y-P-M</p>

49

<p>"As far as finance & consulting goes, choose Yale"</p>

<p>Got any data to back that up?</p>

50

<p>Hi, I'm an aspiring premed who was recently accepted into both Yale and Stanford. I've heard Stanford has the #1 bio program in the nation. Would it be wise to attend Stanford, which would probably give me a better science education than Yale, in order to maximize my chances at the top med schools? Thanks.</p>

51

<p>Both have excellent bio programs. Again, if pressed, I'd say this:</p>

<p>For Bio as a prelude to med program,</p>

<p>H=S > M >Y > P</p>

52

<p>Yale has a higher success rate at placing students into the top medical schools. You have to remember that Yale is smaller and has fewer biology majors, which influences the success rate strongly in favor of Yale. Yale science/premed students get more personal attention and, in addition to there being less competition between students, since there are fewer of them to go around, they are a hot item to medical school admissions committees.</p>

53

<p>This is actually a fairly straightforward decision, or at least there are plenty of factors on both sides that differentiate the two schools. Locationwise Stanford is located in an extremely wealthy suburban environment (similar to Princeton) inear San Francisco n the much more temperate climate of the Bay Area whereas Yale is in a small, slightly rundown city in New England near New York City. Yale is slightly smaller and places greater emphasis on humanities programs than Stanford does where its science programs are unbeatable. Yale has residential colleges, Stanford doesn't. Stanford has the Silicon Valley connections for internships and future employment, Yale is probably better connected to Wall St. Stanford has real sports teams in Division 1A that feature recruited athletes on athletic scholarships and has a much more rah rah attitude towards athletics while at Yale, Ivy League sports are not quite as high caliber and, with the exception of the Game don't merit too much attention. Stanford has internet era dynamism, Yale has a much more old school feel. Stanford is on a quarter system and Yale is on a semester system (this might be the biggest distinction). Both schools are excellent and neither one is "better" but they are better at certain things depending on what is important to you Unless none of these differences matter to you or they cancel each other out, these are very specific differences that should be able to help you make your decision</p>

54

<p>Excalibur, Stanford offers unparalleled research opportunities for undergraduates, the number one biology program in the nation and an excellent quality of life. Stanford WILL provide you with a better overall science education. </p>

<p>"Yale has a higher success rate at placing students into the top medical schools. You have to remember that Yale is smaller and has fewer biology majors, which influences the success rate strongly in favor of Yale. Yale science/premed students get more personal attention and, in addition to there being less competition between students, since there are fewer of them to go around, they are a hot item to medical school admissions committees"
All of that is entirely false. Got any data to back up your fallacies, posterX?</p>

55

<p>Do cross-admits generally prefer Stanford over Yale, or is it visa versa? If you have an answer, please provide a supporting linl.</p>

56

<p>I think it's roughly a split, Byerly.</p>

57

<p>There is little meaningful difference in prestige, strength of various academic programs, the opportunities you get after graduation, etc.</p>

<p>The two schools are vastly different in environment and feel. Visit both schools and make a decision...</p>

58

<p>Yeh, any statistics of cross-admits' decisions ?</p>

59

<p>Reposting a post I made for Yale Science in another thread. Guys, stop belittling Yale science... it's a really good program and I'd be perfectly willing to compare it with any other school around. </p>

<hr>

<p>I'm a senior MB&B major at Yale right now, destined for medical school next year. And I can say that, without a doubt, Yale Science is unbelievable. A number of reasons:</p>

<p>1) The faculty here are actually very enthusiastic about undergraduate participation in science. The upper level science classes (especially MB&B) are often pretty small classes that allow for a lot of professor-student face time. All the profs that I know can be easily and readily found outside of class. In short, professors, with the exception of a few, really care about their undergrads here.</p>

<p>2) The science students here are also fantastic. While it's true that we represent a minority of the students here at Yale, we are a very passionate and active group of people and definitely not below the caliber of students found at other institutions. If it means anything, my PChem prof taught for several years at CalTech prior to coming to Yale. He says that the Yale students perform just as well (or badly... hehe) on his exams as CalTech students.</p>

<p>3) Undergraduate research opportunities here are abundant and easy to get. We have a number of funded programs here that are aimed at getting people involved in research as early as possible, including freshman summer, such as Perspectives on Science and STARS. As an undergraduate researcher here, you will constitue an important portion of the lab and play an important role in the projects, unlike some other schools where the emphasis is on grad students and postdocs.</p>

<p>4) In addition to those programs, we are putting in place programs that are meant to further improve research opportunities at Yale. There's the YUSBS, the Yale Undergraduate Society for Biological Science, which meets regularly for journal clubs, symposias, and seminars. Currently, they have over 200 members and have had nobel laureates come as guest speakers. The Dean's Office at Yale is also in the process of establishing an Office of Undergraduate Research which is meant to further streamline the process. Basically, we've already got a lot going for us and its only getting better every day.</p>

<p>5) For those interested in medical school, Yale has an excellent pre-med office that is very successful at getting their students into medical school. Personally, I'm an MD/PhD applicant, one of about a dozen or so from Yale this year, and we have all been REALLY successful this year, as in multiple admits to top 10 medical schools, all of us. But that's getting off-topic.</p>

<p>In summary, Yale science rocks out and I would be willing to pit it against any other science program in the nation. And lets not forget that you have the advantage of still having friends that are as a geeky/nerdy as you are</p>

<p>So there.</p>

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<p>Zephyr: Although I don't entirely agree with what PosterX said about Yalie's applying to medical schools, the fact remains that we are a VERY hot item. Yalie's have always done really well when it comes to applying to medical schools. We had about a dozen or so people applying to MD/PhD programs this year... we have been accepted to every single one of the top 10 medical schools. Penn, for example, took 7 yalies for MD/PhD this year.... out of a class of around 20! Basically, we were pretty dominating and on the interview trail I didn't feel like any of the other students at other schools necessarily had better science experiences as undergrads. </p>

<p>In terms of MD applicants, Yalie's have also historically done really well. There are statistics at the premed office that record acceptance rates for Yalies and lets just say that they are WELL above the averages posted by those schools in the MSAR. Another example, anywhere from a dozen to about 20 yalies gets accepted to Harvard MD every single year, which is really quite incredible. Fact: Yalies do very well when applying to medical school. </p>

<p>If you're deciding between Yale and Stanford, decide on the location, the city, the weather. Don't decide on what other (often non-Yalies) people tell you about what they think of Yale science.</p>

<p>Happy to take more questions.</p>