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05-09-2008, 10:34 PM
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#16 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Apr 2006
Threads: 5
Posts: 125
| Hotasice did go on a bit of a rant, but he/she is right. OP, the problem with your question is that it demonstrates a very superficial way of thinking, that the only thing that matters is what is going to look the best to others, which sticker on the back of the car window will be more impressive down at the club. Is this how you will make all the important decisions in your life? Then you will never be happy with anything because there will always be a newer, shinier, flashier, more prestigious model. Choose based on more tangible, personal factors, whether they are location, cost, campus environment, relative quality of programs, or just personal fit.
Even if you can't see or understand that, prestige isn't something that can be specifically measured. While you can generalize about prestige, above a certain level there is not a definitive discernible difference. All you will get are opinions that are biased by unknown factors. As Hotasice said, the guy from the West Coast will say Stanford and the guy from the East will say Columbia (and the guy from Boston will say Harvard and the graduate of Cornell or Brown or Emory or Duke will say . . . well, you can guess.)
Be a little more questioning and don't automatically accept the labels someone else puts on things. How would you rank a school if you didn't already know how someone else had ranked it? | 
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05-10-2008, 12:29 AM
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#17 | | Member
Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: NY
Threads: 2
Posts: 541
| I don't know why people are being hostile here, really. What is wrong with asking which school is more prestigious, and you can tell that OP is not choosing the school based on this, but OP is simply asking.
Although both Stanford and Columbia are very prestigious, the majority of people would agree that Stanford is regarded in higher regard. The reason for Stanford's fame and prestige is because it excels in so many different fields. Stanford ranks top 10 in overall undergrad ranking, MBA, Law, Medicine, Engineering, and many different Ph.D. programs. Stanford is also widely regarded as the leading science-research university in the world along with MIT. Columbia excels in many areas as well, but not as extensively as Stanford. | |
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05-10-2008, 12:37 AM
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#18 | | Member
Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: NYC, MA Gender: Male
Threads: 1
Posts: 679
| Quote: |
You should be asking yourself, which place do I like better? Where can I see myself for the next 4 years? Is attending this school financially feasible? etc etc
| Realistically, a vast majority of the people attending the best "Ivy League" schools haven't asked themselves these questions.
Anyway, to answer OP's question, Stanford, hands down.
Why this is a matter of dispute confuses me. | |
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05-10-2008, 12:56 AM
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#19 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Dallas Gender: Male
Threads: 8
Posts: 199
| Quote:
Dude, it's cool. Typos are just a pet peeve of mine.
Don't take it personal.
| well you know what??? i'm sick of your **** ... lol jk...I was just posting to make sure you knew I wasn't all that mad...just more defensive... and i apologize for a typo? | |
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05-10-2008, 01:38 AM
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#20 | | New Member
Join Date: May 2008
Threads: 2
Posts: 6
| Yes, people are being really hostile here. I just wanted to know everyone's opinion. Yes, I know one should not choose a school just because of prestige. I've already chosen the school I'm going to so this questions does not necessarily concern my own personal issues. I was just asking a question. | |
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05-10-2008, 11:08 AM
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#21 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: People's Republic of Mengcheng Gender: Unknown
Threads: 18
Posts: 1,060
| Worst. Question. Ever. | |
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05-10-2008, 12:29 PM
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#22 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Apr 2008
Threads: 5
Posts: 41
| People who say Stanford is more prestigious probably just look at USNWR. | |
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05-10-2008, 01:09 PM
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#23 | | Member
Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: California
Threads: 1
Posts: 304
| Quote: |
People who say Stanford is more prestigious probably just look at USNWR.
| People who say Columbia is more prestigious probably are just blinded by "Ivy League." | |
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05-10-2008, 01:30 PM
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#24 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Southern CA Gender: Female
Threads: 6
Posts: 167
| It's subjective, I think.
I think it's an interesting question, though. They're both so different, IMO. | |
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05-10-2008, 03:34 PM
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#25 | | New Member
Join Date: Apr 2008
Threads: 1
Posts: 10
| So subjective...so many variables...not worth trying to determine which one is 'most prestigious'...you will have a nearly 50/50 split on people's opinions...and remember: Opinions are like a**holes...everyone has one, and they all stink! | |
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05-10-2008, 04:34 PM
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#26 | | Member
Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: NY
Threads: 2
Posts: 541
| "People who say Stanford is more prestigious probably just look at USNWR."
Most people in the world, esp. outside of U.S., don't pay attention to USNWR at all. Regardless, Stanford's prestige around the globe is tremendous because of its academic merits. Like I said, Stanford ranks top 5 in almost every single discipline of academics, something Columbia can't boost about. | |
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05-10-2008, 04:53 PM
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#27 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: LI, NY -> Brown Gender: Male
Threads: 74
Posts: 1,068
| I'm from Long Island, so naturally I feel that Columbia is more prestigious than Stanford. But what everyone else said is true: after a certain point, prestige isn't a factor. | |
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05-10-2008, 07:16 PM
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#28 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Central Florida Gender: Male
Threads: 4
Posts: 36
| gadad: I'm from the southeast too, and I know of multiple people in my area that have and will apply to Stanford, but none that have or plan on applying to Columbia. I wouldn't say that makes it more prestigious to people in the southeast, but its just a little bit of personal experience.
IMHO, though, I would say that Stanford is a tad more prestigious than Columbia, but that's just my personal view. | |
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05-10-2008, 07:29 PM
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#29 | | New Member
Join Date: Apr 2008
Threads: 3
Posts: 15
| Dude, it's cool. Typos are just a pet peeve of mine.
Don't take it personal.
I just cannot resist. Typos may be YOUR pet peeve, but poor grammar is mine. Please, it is 'take it PERSONALLY'. That would be 'ly' on your adverb, sir. How do you take it? Personally? Then it has to have 'ly' on the end of it. Whenever a word answers the question 'How?', that signals that the word is an adverb in almost all cases (there may be an exception somewhere out there, but generally it is an adverb) and so the adverb needs an 'ly' on the end (in most cases. There may be some adverbs that would look ridiculous with an 'ly', but this time, 'ly' please.).  Have a nice day, and I enjoy all the posts! | |
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05-10-2008, 07:36 PM
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#30 | | Member
Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: erie, PA Gender: Male
Threads: 31
Posts: 556
| columbia has a way cooler name. colummmbiA. and it has history back to Alexander Friggin' Hamilton. stanford just sounds like it should be the last name of some railroad worker. | |
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