<p>I’m a Yale alum, a girl I dated applied to both Y and Stanford, got into both, decided on Stanford b/c she was from SoCal. I visited her often and worked in Palo Alto the summer btn Jr and Sr years. </p>
<p>The biggest difference I saw was the student-to-student engagement. There seemed to be little cohesion amongst the student body themselves. Whereas Yalies are rabidly pro-Yale, pro-their own college – wildly enthusiastic about Yale and their luck at being Yalies. I think the sheer size of Stanford’s campus contributed to this too. While beautiful (the single best summer’s weather I’ve had in my life!) the sprawling layout and lack of a system comparable to Yale’s residential Colleges – made for very tenuous relationships it seemed. All of her friends were people in her department and a few people from the dorms. My friends were extremely diverse, studied many subjects, held many beliefs and did a staggering variety of things. I didn’t find so with the students I found at Stanford. Just my two cents.</p>
<p>BTW: Stanford has “Big Game”: their season ending rivalry vs. Cal. And Yale Harvard FB game doesn’t get sold out that often any more. It’s still great although Yale has been poorly performing recently.</p>
<p>Regardless, congrats on your achievements. I’d take the suggestion to try to visit. That’s what made me place Yale as my first choice. Best of luck to you.</p>