CalAlum

@Silly Puddy,
I can't dispute that there's little difference between Princeton and MIT when it comes to theoretical math or theoretical physics. So I'll concede your point. I reponded to the OP: "if your son is interested in math/physics or any kinds of applied science ... MIT and Stanford are the big elephants in this room." I will refer to US News & World Report for the rankings in engineering and applied physics. MIT is #1 and Stanford is #2 for engineering, including physics engineering. If I were to revise this statement, it would be to include Berkeley. Sorry, Cal fans!

But if the OP's son has no interest in applied physics, he would probably be just as happy at Princeton....although there's a greater mass of physics students at MIT. According to data compiled by the American Institute of Physics, in 2006 MIT graduated 83 physics undergraduate degrees, to Princeton's 26 (http://www.aip.org/statistics/trends...s/physrost.pdf.)

getthefacts

IntlDad -

I have an interesting perspective, having been an undergraduate at Princeton (started as physics major, then switched to engineering physics) and then a graduate student at MIT (PhD in Experimental Atomic Physics). I am also a classical musician. I LOVED my experience at Princeton. The campus is beautiful, there are a lot of interesting students and professors, and it has THE BEST reunions in the country - which is to say the school spirit is wonderful.

I have to strongly disagree with CalAlum about the Princeton eating clubs - when I was there I belonged to an open club, which was certainly not a closed society. In fact, a good friend of mine belonged to a selective club, which also wasn't a closed society - I hung out there a lot of the time and always felt welcome. I can't speak for Harvard, but Princeton was not at all the snobby atmosphere you are implying. Of course, that was a while ago, but if anything, I believe the eating clubs have opened up more (or shut down, as the case may be...)

When I got to MIT I thought you would have to be crazy to go there as an undergrad - the undergrads all seemed so overworked and had no life. (The IHTFP mentality) However, now I work with undergrads at MIT and have found them to be a wonderful group, who still manage to have a life. (A common saying is that at MIT you get to choose two of the following options: grades, friends, and sleep. You can guess which one they forego...)

In terms of music, both schools have wonderful orchestras (I don't know if your son is a pianist, in which case the orchestra is irrelevant...) However, MIT surprisingly wins hands-down in terms of chamber music opportunities. There are at least a dozen concerts at the end of each semester, each with 2-5 different groups playing very high quality chamber music, coached by wonderful musicians.

Finally, although this is a very long term consideration - some of my friends who are seniors and want to go to grad school feel that they "should" go somewhere else rather than stay at MIT, even though MIT may be the best place for grad school (as it is in many fields, including physics). So from that point of view, it might be better to go to Princeton, hoping you will then go to MIT for grad school. Both the math and physics are phenomenal at Princeton - and at MIT!

Does your son have any opinion on being in a city vs. not? That is a major difference between the two schools. And I think the history and spirit of Princeton, as well as the campus, is another major difference. Of course, MIT has its own history (hacking!).

As you can tell, I can't make up my mind either, but I hope these thoughts have helped!

molliebatmit

I don't mean to nitpick what is otherwise a great post, but I do have one comment:
I don't think the specific choice of graduate school should ever be a consideration when choosing an undergrad school. Plans change, and the high school senior who is gung-ho about getting a PhD in physics at MIT may decide after grad school applications that another school or advisor is better for his/her specific research interests, not to mention that interests change and that same high school senior may be interested in chemistry or aerospace engineering four years down the road.

I think students should always go to the undergraduate school where they feel happiest and most at home, because it's not a good idea to hang your hat on graduate school plans four years in the future.

This perhaps applies less to a student who chooses Princeton for undergrad (who will almost certainly be able to get into an MIT PhD program in four years) than to a student who chooses a school that won't give him or her the opportunities to shine that will allow him or her to be admitted to a top grad school program. Still, I think it's wrong-headed to choose an undergraduate institution based on where you think you might like to be for graduate school in four years, considering that most high school students know almost nothing about what graduate school actually entails.

Yargg

If it means anything, I have a friend that went from physics/math to music at mit who I might be able to get your son in contact with for an interesting perspective. I don't think he could be any happier than at MIT.