Princeton / Stanford

nicholas99
Mon, 08 Apr 2013 00:41:59 +0000

I am having a really tough time deciding between Stanford and Princeton. I intend to study Economics, with a definite lean towards the quantitative side, so lots of statistics / mathematics classes.

From the academic perspective there’s not much between both universities, although I Stanford does seem to have a bit of an edge in engineering, which is a sort of back up for me. It would be nice to know that I wouldn’t be disadvantaged in any way if I decided against economics for any reason.

I guess the deciding factor comes down to the environment. Stanford seems to have a more fun and lively student body, with a big emphasis on sports. I am definitely an outdoors person, and I am quite keen on running in college (even if just at a club level), although it seems to be a bit superficial to base my choice on weather. I am an international student who has received nothing but sun for the past 15 years, so a change in scenery may be good.

I’m not sure if I am romanticizing things a bit too much, but the appeal of the east coast also is huge. I definitely prefer Princeton’s Gothic architecture over Stanford’s - it adds a sort of grandeur and you get the sense that there are deep traditions in the place. The west coast appears to have a large emphasis on technology / entrepreneurship / start-ups, with the presence of Silicon Valley. This is great, but I don’t quite identify as a techie, and it seems like most of the international organizations / financial institutions are in New York. How much of a difference does this make? I’m sure job opportunities will be equally good coming out of both schools, so does physical proximity play a significant role in the undergraduate experience? I also like the idea of being able to pop up to NYC on the weekend. For what it’s worth I’m not particularly attracted to I-banking though, more of applying statistics/economics to real world problems.

I’ve heard much about Princeton’s supposed reputation as an elitist, rich white boys’ school. I’m don’t qualify for financial aid, but I’m not sure if my parents would be willing to fork out extra money for an eating club - would that detract from the overall experience at Princeton? I’ve also read that Princeton is a little conservative.

Overall however, it seems that Princeton offers a more intimate, LAC experience, with more opportunities for undergrads. The study abroad programs look great. (Very keen to do one in France. Stanford’s Bing doesn’t seem to have Summer programs, and overseas seminars look to be quite selective) I also like the equal emphasis on the arts as well as science.

Stanford however, offers a more diverse experience, and a more balanced life between academics and ECs.

Does anyone have any advice that might help me? Would much appreciate it :)