<p>In majors as large and fields as generic as econ and poli sci/government, any perceived prestige difference between Columbia and Harvard does not matter at the undergrad level, especially when the plan is to go on to law school.</p>
<p>There are some departments and futures for which it might make a difference: Someone planning only to do an undergrad degree going into a field that relies on an alumni network, for example. Someone set on a very specific department in which Columbia is lacking (linguistics, say, which doesn’t exist at Columbia) followed by a PhD in that field.</p>
<p>Student satisfaction surveys of Harvard undergrads have found econ and government majors among the least satisfied with their educational experiences. </p>
<p>Econ at Columbia has made a huge leap, rendering rankings from three or four years ago pretty much obsolete. (Let alone National Research Council ratings, which are really the only ones that count and are done every ten years. New ones will probably be out this Fall.) The department has done major hiring, concentrating on productive younger economists. Clearly it’s in the top ten and shooting for the top five. But again, that’s not a difference that matters at the undergrad level. </p>
<p>So, as I said, good for your friend choosing on the basis of what college seems right. It takes guts to turn down Harvard, just because it’s Harvard, and prestige-obsessed people will think that he’s making a stupid decision. But he won’t be the only one to make that choice. And Columbia’s core curriculum offers an outstanding education.</p>