Princeton V. Stanford/ with a Chance

Tyler09
Sun, 11 Jan 2009 11:35:31 +0000

I applied to both also, here are some of my ideas of the pros and cons.

When it comes to weather, obviously Stanford wins hands down. You cannot overestimate the effect good weather has on student activity. People are generally more willing to go across campus to meet up with a friend or go to the startup meeting of a new club or even just go to class when they don’t have to worry about the freezing cold.

Location, besides weather, I would probably give to Princeton. I don’t know much about the town around Princeton but I know it’s definitely more of a college town than Stanford’s Palo Alto. Compared to most campuses this may be good for Stanford because that keeps more things on campus, but when a school is as old and has as many traditions as Princeton, that is probably a non-issue.

Academics, you really can’t go wrong with either. I wouldn’t base your choice on academic caliber if you end up deciding between those two because when you’re on campus you won’t notice a different. Both schools will provide everything you could ever need.

Reputation, really depends on where you are. If you want to be out west Stanford has a better rep, east coast Princeton is likely slightly better. Anywhere else, they’re equal, but Stanford is in Cali :). But, one thing that you take on when you go to Princeton that you don’t take on at HYS is the “snooty, rich” stereotype that many people have of Princeton. There is just something about the way it sounds when somebody says they went to Princeton that just sounds really pretentious instead of intellectual. But to people who will matter as far as employment, that won’t make a difference.

Students, Stanford and Princeton, from what I’ve seen, have slightly different ideals of a student body. While Stanford looks for a very diverse group of kid incredibly passionate about a variety of things even though they might have lower SAT scores, Princeton tends to look for kids who are straight-up powerhouses. Both schools will have amazing students, Princeton will just be more traditional intellectuals.

Atmosphere, it all depends on your taste. Stanford will have more of a laid-back Cali vibe which is good for student happiness, but sometimes causes political apathy among the students. Princeton has more of the competitive traditional ivy-league vibe and will likely provide more of a traditionally intellectual atmosphere. I have also heard that Princeton is a little more east-coast preppy and economic status is more noticeable.

Social Life, it is a take your pick kind of thing. Stanford has great weather and great athletics, so you can actually get a little taste of a strong sports school at Stanford. Princeton has been around a lot longer and has more traditions and I’ve heard more drinking but this may or may not be true. One caution is that at Princeton, the old money boarding school thing is a lot bigger at Princeton. So the kids who “look” like they’re having the most fun will be those old money wealthy kids. I also have heard the eating clubs can be highly exclusive in who they let in.

Really, you can’t go wrong with either school. My post is likely a little biased towards Stanford even though I tried to be objective (Stanford is my #1 with Princeton and Yale tied at #2)