Princeton vs Yale vs UPenn LSM

Princeton Pros:

  • Very prestigious
  • Great programs overall (top ranked USNWR)
  • Major flexibility
  • Proximity to NYC
  • Political diversity
  • Study abroad opportunities
  • Princeton School of Public and International Affairs

Princeton Cons:

  • Grade deflation
  • I heard the eating clubs can be a bit snobbish
  • Not as a great of a residential college system

Yale Pros:

  • Very prestigious
  • Amazing community
  • Great residential college system
  • Great food
  • Major flexibility

Yale Cons:

  • Not as highly ranked as Princeton
  • STEM not as strong

UPenn LSM Pros:

  • Super selective and specialized mentoring (only 25 students)
  • Direct exposure and connections with life sciences and management
  • Priority access to internships, LSM Proseminar, and LSM Capstone

UPenn LSM Cons:

  • Less major flexibility
  • UPenn overall prestigious than Princeton or Yale
  • Very pre-professional (not necessarily bad but less room for exploration/social life?)

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 ā€˜prestigious’ b/c USNWR ranks it first is giving way too much credit to a ranking system. I don’t think anybody would argue that Harvard (#2) is ā€˜less prestigious’ 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.

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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 ā€œYale is ranked lower than Princetonā€. What do you want to study- math? physics? engineering? bio? these are distinct disciplines and can’t 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. you’d 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, I’d 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. It’s not as if Princeton is next door…

Have you visited all three? Doesn’t feel like you have…

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I’ve never in my life heard this as a con for Yale. It’s 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 that’s your best option.

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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.

Don’t worry about the eating clubs. There are about a dozen, all different personalities. You’ll find your people. Or don’t join. There are other options.

I like Yale too. Good luck!

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Just my two cents on UPenn LSM: I would try to speak to a student at Penn LSM - from what I’ve heard, many students drop out of the program (for whatever reason) and choose to be only at Wharton instead.