Harvard vs. Yale [English, philosophy, economics, applied math]

[qiqiqi_mouse]

Hi, everyone! I’ve been scouring CC for a while now, and from what I’ve seen the community always offers insightful advice, so I thought I’d go ahead and make an account. I’ve come to a crossroads in terms of committing to a college and would really appreciate any help!

To preface, I was lucky enough to be admitted to Yale REA. I applied RD to Harvard and Princeton—got into Harvard, waitlisted at Princeton. To preface some more, for a good chunk of high school, I considered Princeton to be my dream school because of a) the focus on undergraduate students, b) the beautiful campus, and c) the luminous literary legacy—btw, I’m currently interested in studying some combo of English/Philosophy/Economics.

I ended up applying to Yale REA because no one in my school has gotten into Princeton in quite a while (in hindsight, my parents think I dodged a bullet, but some small part of me looks back in regret). Yet, Yale has grown on me since—the campus is gorgeous, its humanities program is undoubtedly amazing, and I like the idea of residential colleges’ built-in social scene (I consider myself pretty introverted, so it’d be nice to have a community from day one that I can turn to). The only downsides are in terms of location—I think Boston/Cambridge is more ideal, and I’m very much against the dynamics between Yale and New Haven. On the topic of campus/location, I’ve never been the biggest fan of Harvard’s campus, and I’m not sure I like the idea of freshmen living solely in Harvard Yard. I’ve also heard that Harvard’s atmosphere is more competitive and pre-professional than Yale’s, though I will try to see for myself if this is the case at Bulldog Days and Visitas.

I guess the only things going for Harvard in my case is if I switch to concentrate in a STEM field (prob Applied Math—right now, I’d estimate there’s a 50% chance of that happening), Harvard’s STEM program seems to be better than Yale’s. (I know Yale is in the process of investing in its STEM departments—I’m sure that program will be stellar in the years to come, but I’d rather spend my undergrad years in a department that already has that foundation/funding). Also, I’m curious whether anyone has input on Harvard’s humanities program in comparison to Yale’s.

Incidentally, I’ve chosen not to accept my spot on Princeton’s waitlist—I figured that at the end of the day there’s virtually no difference between which college I choose. My parents are completely fine with any decision I make—I’m really, really lucky in this regard. I’ll be at Visitas and Bulldog Days, but I know these admitted student sessions really only showcase a sliver of the ~college experience~, so any advice (the more brutally honest the better) would be very helpful!

[tsbna44]

Based on what you wrote, it seems Yale is the place for you. It helps to be in a city you like but the campus, day to day is much more important.

I’m not saying not to accept your Princeton slot (up to you) but based on your initial sentence, I was concerned you’d be holding out for it - and as you know, WL should be joined and then forgotten.

You are right - there is no wrong answer and congrats to you - but reading what you wrote, I think Yale will have all your bases covered, math included.

Best of luck.

[NiceUnparticularMan]

So I think this should come down to just which place makes you feel happier. That said, a few notes to consider:

Most Yale first-years actually live on Old Campus, not in their residential college (specifically 10 out of the 14 residential colleges house first-years on Old Campus):

https://housing.yale.edu/undergraduate-housing/residential-colleges

Yale has an excellent tradition in the S & M parts of STEM. Where it is a little behind some of its normal peers is in the T & E part. But unless you are already interested in, say, Engineering, I would not see this as a big issue. For Applied Math in particular, I don’t think this is a particular strength of either college, but Applied Math is the sort of thing where at the undergrad level, I don’t think it really matters–I think they will both be plenty good enough.

For Humanities, you really have to go department by department for grad purposes. For undergrad? Again I don’t think there is anything worth distinguishing.

So, to me I think that leaves the full four-year residential college thing at Yale, the respective cities, and whatever you think of the student culture as potential distinguishing factors. The other stuff, eh, I wouldn’t be worried about it.

[compmom]

I think your visits will help you decide. The organized visit days are sometimes less helpful in my opinion, because colleges put on a show, but it is nice to meet fellow admittees and talk with them about decisions. You could also try an overnight visit, attend classes, and hang out. With a choice like this, maybe go with “vibe” and gut feelings.

(Not all Harvard freshmen live in the yard by the way. I happen to love the Harvard campus because it is integrated into the community: residents can sit in the yard for instance. )