<p>The most obvious difference between Princeton and Yale is the residential system. Most Princeton students spend two years in a residential college, and then live and upperclass housing and take meals at one of the eating clubs. At Yale, students live in the residential colleges all four years and eat in University dining facilities. </p>
<p>Yale is probably more liberal than Princeton. That being said, they are both a lot more similar to each other than to Columbia.</p>
<p>Yale is in the middle of a city. I didn’t particularly care for New Haven, but a lot of people love it. There is certainly more to do there than in Princeton, a small town of around 15,000. Both schools are only an hour away from New York.</p>
<p>Many claim that Yale is much stronger in the humanities than in the sciences while Princeton is equally strong in both. I don’t know how much this is true, but I do feel that for students studying the the more mathematical sciences (physics, computer science, and math itself), Princeton has better programs than Yale.</p>
<p>After being at Princeton for a semester, I have come to believe that students sometimes place too much emphasis on the quality of the academic programs when trying to decide between Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, etc. It kills me when I see threads like “Which is better: Harvard or Princeton math?”. Honestly, the academics at HYPS are top notch, and you will not make a mistake on that front no matter which one you choose. It’s much more important to visit the school, stay overnight, go to some social events, and then attend the school that you feel fits your personality best.</p>