<p>I agree with BalletGirl. Columbia and Stanford each have over 30,000 applicants. I’m sure they have no problem finding exceptionally talented students who are also high scorers etc. </p>
<p>Columbia is also a Division 1 school, and while it’s athletics program is not as strong as Stanford’s, the student athlete proportion of the population wouldn’t be that much greater at Stanford to justify the lower data points on a relative basis to Columbia.</p>
<p>The peer assessment score is a completely subjective measure, so how can it be “accurate” or “inaccurate” when it is all based on opinion? Michigan ahead of Brown, Duke, Dartmouth, and Northwestern? Berkeley ahead of Columbia, Dartmouth and Brown? That seems to defy the opinion of many on this board. I’m not saying it’s “wrong” or “right” because they are opinions, therefore they can’t really be either. And even if this is the university “in its totality”, why would Princeton rank a 4.9 when they do not have a law school, business school or medical school? Again, opinions.</p>
<p>My point is not that Columbia is more prestigious than Stanford or vice versa. My point was to make it clear that on the basis of admissions selectivity/data, based on recent facts, one cannot make the argument that Columbia is some sort of “back up” when in fact it is more difficult to be admitted to Columbia than Stanford.</p>
<p>Columbia’s admissions stats are now right on top of those at Yale, Princeton, and Harvard. </p>
<p>Again, this is not about prestige in my opinion. I just find it really interesting that Columbia has become so much more selective over the past 10-15 years. I think it speaks to the desirability of urban schools and the fact that Morningside Heights has gone from an urban war zone to one of the most pleasant neighborhoods in Manhattan.</p>
<p>It also shows that many people don’t realize how much more selective Columbia has become relative to its peers as made evident by this thread.</p>
<p>Lastly, I can’t imagine two schools that are more different than Columbia and Stanford. If someone is deciding between these two, I would think that after a visit to both, they would clearly lean one way or the other based on the very different environments these two amazing schools offer.</p>