Not at all clear from your pros/cons what actual goals you have for your college experience. You cite Public & IA as a + for Princeton and Life Sciences for UPenn- which is more important for you?
You are worried about relative prestige, but you are only looking at it in terms of UG admissions (and through one rater as well), but prestige after that depends on different things. To say that Princeton is more āprestigiousā b/c USNWR ranks it first is giving way too much credit to a ranking system. I donāt think anybody would argue that Harvard (#2) is āless prestigiousā than Princeton! Do you know why Harvard is #2? b/c Princeton ranked #22 in diversity & Harvard #44, so when you add up all the ranking factors, that is enough to put one ahead of the other. Fwiw, the same ranking group, USNWR ranks Princeton as only #16 in the world (behind UPenn & Yale).
So the real question is who do you want to impress? Friends & family? Future employers? they will see all of these unis as being at the same level. Grad schools? they will look at the specific department within the university.
In the real world there is no such thing as STEM. The relative strengths and weaknesses of the schools you mention are irrelevant if you are looking at āYale is ranked lower than Princetonā. What do you want to study- math? physics? engineering? bio? these are distinct disciplines and canāt be lumped together.
If you take a look at the resources that Yale has plowed into Life Sciences-- and the entire campus in West Haven devoted specifically to research in genetics, health, bio, biostatistics, etc. youād be hard pressed to rely on a magazine to tell you where you are going to get a robust educational experience.
Do you WANT to study abroad? How much do each of these options cost you and can your family afford it? You may not even end up joining an eating club so why would you care who joins and if their attitudes jive with yours? And in terms of proximity to NYC, Iād rank Yale and Princeton pretty much equal. Too far to go every afternoon for a job, both easy enough to go on a Sunday to visit a museum or attend a concert. Itās not as if Princeton is next doorā¦
Have you visited all three? Doesnāt feel like you haveā¦
Iāve never in my life heard this as a con for Yale. Itās Yale. There is not one person on the planet who will regard it as less prestigious than Princeton.
Your focus on prestige is misplaced with these three schools. No one is going to care that U Penn is marginally less famous than the other two. This is not a choice between Yale, Princeton, and East Podunk U. So I suggest you eliminate prestige as a factor because they are all extremely prestigious.
You seem to prefer Penn or Princeton. The Penn program sounds like an amazing opportunity. I personally think thatās your best option.
The real pro to Princeton over the others is the undergraduate focus, the thesis experience, the close mentor relationships with professors that are available normally only at LACs.
Donāt worry about the eating clubs. There are about a dozen, all different personalities. Youāll find your people. Or donāt join. There are other options.
Just my two cents on UPenn LSM: I would try to speak to a student at Penn LSM - from what Iāve heard, many students drop out of the program (for whatever reason) and choose to be only at Wharton instead.