Stanford or Columbia

red_amp_blue
Wed, 02 Apr 2008 17:21:54 +0000

Stanford IMHO is perhaps the finest university in the nation. Across a wider range of disciplines (arts, humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, engineering, professions) it is top 5. No other private school can make that claim; or even comes close. Chicago, Harvard and Yale may match Stanford in the humanities and social sciences; MIT and CalTech in engineering – > but none stand as equals to S across all these areas. Berkeley has Stanford’s range of strengths, but UC is public (with it’s own consequences for your education). This matters because Stanford overall provides a more stimulating and enriching intellectual environment. And you’ll get more freedom to create/explore your own interest at Stanford than at Columbia (where the Core will limit your choices during the first two years or so of life there).

So, re the OP question – Columbia wasn’t in the school lists I mentioned above. While both are top schools, Stanford is decisively above Columbia in academic firepower, overall resources and prestige.

Stanford offers the very very best of the Ivies, but in a more relaxed and warmer environment. For big city life, San Fran offers a cleaner and less expensive version of NYC (SF is about as urbane as it gets west of the Mississippi); and it’s 45 minutes away. And Tahoe, Napa, Carmel etc are nearby too.

Study Abroad - Stanford offers programs all over the world as does Columbia. Either school will get you great opportunities career wise and study abroad wise.

My view is the race goes to the school which provides better academics and more prestige (costs being equal), and that is Stanford.

Good luck.