Hrteeexz

Princeton is hardly "near" Philadelphia or New York. An hour-long train ride, which results in 2-3 hours round trip, is hardly a feasible commute for the common undergraduate. The difference between "in" and "near" is the difference between working and not working for a college student.

If you're gonna count "commutable" areas, let's count in San Francisco, which is a 30 minute train ride from Stanford's Caltrain station. San Francisco + Silicon Valley provide financial and technological opportunities that are not only close to Stanford, but also plentiful.

Those articles are all nearly a decade old, from the year 2000. And they're by "Mercer Business," which is only a local publication. It's been 7 years and Mercer County, in terms of its significance in high-tech, has yet to be more than a blip on anyone else's radar. Silicon Valley, on the other hand, has boasted 10 of the top 20 most inventive towns in the US in a 2006 issue of The Wall Street Journal.

There's hardly any reason to begin throwing heaps of praise at Mercer County's high-tech significance, especially in comparison to Silicon Valley. Sure, it's a significant region and there are plenty of job opportunities there, enough for any college student, but in comparison to Silicon Valley?

I mean, hey, I could name a bunch of huuuuge companies and firms in Silicon Valley too. Problem is, I wouldn't have enough room in one of my posts to do so. :-)

Alumother

The CEO of Google is a Princeton graduate, and his kid a current sophomore. The CEOs of Amazon and eBay are Princeton grads. So. Geographic proximity is a little bitty part of this. Please don't start saying dumb things guys.

Probably it's a little easier to go to Silicon Valley from Stanford - in the sense of taking the mainstream path of your undergraduate institution. But if you know you want to go to Silicon Valley now, you can get there from Princeton absolutely just as easily.

Lord Asquith

Hrteeexz, the train ride, which is 40-45 minutes each way, is not as difficult and inconvenient as you imagine. There is a train stop right on campus and it leads straight to Penn Station in NYC. Many, many Princeton students commute frequently on the train, whether for conferences, weekend excursions, Broadway shows, etc. I have a suitemate that takes a dance class in NYC! And he's from California, as am I, where public transportation isn't as commonly used as on the east coast. We (and a great number of other Princeton students) still find the whole set up very convenient.

So let's just say that NYC and Philadelphia are definitely close to Princeton, because a lot of Princeton actually do frequent those cities.

tokyorevelation9

Half of my professors commute to Princeton from New York every day...I think its commutable mind you, AND our train station is practically on campus . Again your argument is not a good one Hrteeexz.

Hrteeexz

*whoosh* Way to completely miss the point of argument.

Stanford's train station is practically on campus too, and it's just as accessible as any old classroom.

But I hope you do realize professors have less of an obligation to actually be on campus than undergraduates? You do realize undergraduates have to juggle classtime with work time and extracurriculars and regular old socializing?

After all, I know a professor at Yale who lives in the Bay Area. He teaches at YALE and he lives in the Bay Area. What you're saying is not much.

But really, the argument is getting sidetracked here. Though there may be the odd pickle that commutes occasionally for whatever reason, you know just as well as I that job/internship opportunities available in NYC or Philadelphia are hardly feasible for undergraduates studying at Princeton.

Alumother

Do you mean jobs during the school year? Internships during the school year? Are you saying Princeton kids can't have an internship on Wall Street during the school year? How many kids at Stanford undergraduate have internships during the school year in Silicon Valley? I work in Silicon Valley. I know where the train station is. I have not heard that it is common to have a Stanford undergraduate as an intern during the school year. Summers, sure. MBA students, sure.

Undergraduate?

Lord Asquith

During the school year, of course not. But as Alumother pointed out above, it isn't common for Stanford--or probably any other school's undergrads, I would venture--either. So this is rather irrelevant.

So no, you don't seem to know as well as I do that job/internship opportunities in NYC and Philadelphia are, overall, very feasible for Princeton undergrads.

Hrteeexz

Um...but apparently I do, because you just validated my point by saying:

If by "common" you mean the majority of students, then of course not. Not even close to the majority. But I'm talking about the undergraduate who wants to have a chance of obtaining some money/experience during their school year (yes, I know I misunderstood what the OP was asking, but I already made the argument, so I might as well stick with it), and I'm saying it's easier for a Stanford student than a Princeton student. I personally know of Stanford students who work at computer graphics firms, one who worked for Jeff Hawkins' new neuroscience-based company Numenta, and two who intern at Apple and Google. They all go to classes in the morning, work in the afternoon, come to campus in time for dinner and chill/do homework in the late afternoon/night.

Why, in god's name, would I be arguing for summer opportunities, where you can actually LEAVE campus and go to any part of the country you wish?

skysongx

For those Stanford students that you mentioned, I am positive that had they attended Princeton, they would have found similar opportunities that are just as enriching and pay just as well. I think that it is often the case that more Stanford students have cars while they are on campus, especially if you are from the area -- I suppose that might heighten the accessibility nearby. But in terms of opportunities, I don't think theres much of a difference. For anyone who's interested, I believe there is a website linked off of the Princeton work-study one that lists available on-campus internships or job opportunities in which you get to work closely with professors and their research. Many have high qualification standards, but if thats what you're looking for you might want to check it out.

As for summers and post-graduation, I know two FRESHMAN who got internships in New York City this summer and I feel that there are many more opportunities in NYC than in the Bay Area in that sense. Of course Hrteeexz, you're right in saying that during the summer anyone can go home or abroad to gain work experience. Quite a few like the idea of working in New York, though. I also know a bunch of seniors who have secured jobs in NYC as well right after they graduate. Quite a few of them are ORFE majors, but there are many others as well.

Lord Asquith

Hrteeexz, I mean only to say that this blanket statement:
is most definitely not true. You might be right about Stanford students getting more opportunities during the school year (even this may not be true, as skysongx explains above), but that is not commonly the situation referred to when discussing internships. I think you missed that I deliberately said "overall" to apply my statement to getting internships in general, all times considered.

Beats me , though it may be closer to what the OP actually asked.

skysongx

Well I know that some people might visit NYC during the school year for interviewing, to visit, to check out places that they might want to intern or work at. Other than that, it's probably not the case that you would intern in NYC because its close to Princeton, but because its quite a well-known, business-oriented place on the country with tons of opportunities and if you're going to school a train ride away, it just might make everything easier or more comfortable. But honestly, Stanford and Princeton are both awesome, reputable schools. I really think that the OP should visit the campuses and decide which one is a better fit for him/her in terms of atmosphere, campus activities, etc. rather than worrying about the differences in academic opportunities. You'll do well no matter which one you choose.

fast27

wait... but what about the girls and the social life?

I mean, of course we'll get job offers if we graduate from either Princeton OR Stanford, but at which of the two will we get a more exciting college experience? Which of the two has better parties?

Also, how do eating clubs contribute to social life? And do Princeton kids go to Rutgers parties often or was that a false rumor I heard?