street sharks

not trying to start a flame war here--
but STRICTLY in terms of academics, I can't help but feel Princeton is head and shoulders above Y. P's humanities are, quite honestly, just as solid as Y's, and they've got plenty of other diverse strengths to boot. I don't really see Y in the same light of general well-roundedness as P (and H for that matter, if we're going to work the dumb HYP trio.).

thoughts?

eating food

eh, probably.

But I'm hesitant to call any of HYP "better" than the other. At the undergraduate level, nearly all departments are equal. So while some departments here and there might be slightly stronger, in the end it's really all even. That said, relative strength in one department may be very important to one person and insignificant to another.

For example, realizing that all of my college options were relatively equal in terms of academics, I deciding to choose based on the only department that I was personally interested in: drama. I really wasn't concerned with which had the best overall academics, because I knew I would never know/care about the answer.

EDIT: But Yale is the best !

volleyforlife

I hate it when people keep saying "HYP"...and choose colleges based on an acronym invented by a stupid college discussion board. And, I have to say that most of the people admitted to "HYP", from what I've seen, choose very superficially. And, there is a big difference between each college. I personally think Princeton and Harvard have a better Science and Math Programs, because they attract a larger talent pool and hence fuel the curriculums at each school. You don't see IMO people going to Yale do you?

Also, from sitting in at each of the schools during Preview Weekends, I didn't find anything so stimulating in Yale's class. Half of the kids in almost every math class (with the exception of Abstract Algebra, which had only 2 kids in it) were looking at Youtube vids on their laptops and I didn't sense any genuine curiousity. At Princeton and Harvard, it's a different story. Not only is there a lot of interaction between teh faculty, but also the kids seem more genuinely interested...

randombetch

Completely agree.

amciw

If you want to play the "Princeton's humanities are equal (and thus underrated)" card, then fairness would dictate playing "Yale's engineering and science is underrated" as well. The disparity is not as big as you think.

street sharks

first off, i concede the stupidity of the "HYP" acronym. it's just a useful means of comparison, i guess, and a common reference point for most of the users on this board.

also, i wouldn't go as far as to say Princeton's humanities are underrated-- I think they generally get all the respect they deserve. I would, however, venture to say that the disparity between Y and P humanities (if any) is far smaller than that between Y and P math/sci.

this post puts it pretty eloquently:
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/...37-post16.html

"Choose Princeton over Yale because it's noticeably stronger in the hard sciences and engineering without being noticeably weaker elsewhere."

: )

"head and shoulders above Yale"? really?

street sharks

exaggeration for provocative effect. (seems to have worked, hehe.)

rd31

Princeton is only stronger than Yale in math, physics, and comp sci. Yale leads significantly in bio, biomedical, and neuroscience. Yale is also somewhat stronger in chem, while the two are equivalent for earth science. Saying that Princeton is "head and shoulders" above Yale for math and science is a gross, hyperbolized inaccuracy.

street sharks

1. hyperbole has been acknowledged. hopefully point still stands.
2. where are your specific departmental comparisons coming from? they're probably legitimate, i'm just curious-- it's tough to find comparisons that specific on the undergrad level. i've been working from what i've been told by my teachers and ex-faculty at both schools, which is admittedly anecdotal, i guess.

hallowarts

A gap of greater than .2 will be indicated.

Subject/Princeton/Yale

Earth Sciences 4.0 - 4.0
Math 5.0 - 4.6 (Princeton)
Physics 4.9 - 4.3 (Princeton)
Computer S. 4.5 - 3.7 (Princeton)
Chemistry 4.0 - 4.1
Biology 4.4 - 4.5

Sociology 4.6 - 3.8 (Princeton)
Psychology 4.4 - 4.6
Political Science 4.8 - 4.6
History 4.8 - 4.8
English 4.6 - 4.8
Economics 5.0 - 4.8

It is undisputed that Princeton wins Yale hands down in engineering. For the most part, both schools are even across the board. It is clear, however, that Princeton dominates Yale in many areas of math/science. On the other hand, your claims that Yale wins Princeton in certain science is unfounded.

amciw

Yale is generally regarded as having the best humanities programs of the three colleges being discussed. Your statement that Princeton's are equal to Yale implies that you think Princeton's humanities are underrated overall.

Hallowarts, you shouldn't try to make any comparisons and then conclude something without indicating which rankings you are using.

hallowarts

US news, what other rankings use a 5.0 point scale? There is no way that Princeton's humanities loses to Yale. As can be seen from the rankings, they are, if anything, even. It is in the math and sciences that Princeton edges Yale notably in many key areas.

amciw

I'm not sure. I don't constantly look at them to validate my college choice.

However, on that note, I don't think you should take one ranking as establishing absolute truth about the quality of the two schools. According to the rankings, your assertions are true, but an absolute conclusion is built on the underlying assumption that these rankings are completely accurate and indicative of relative quality, which they aren't. The conclusions made from these rankings are not necessarily reality.

street sharks

in any case, if i'm looking at the same ones you are, those rankings refer to graduate schools. i'm not sure how close the correlation between grad and undergrad is, but i just wanted to point that out.