<p>coureur, it’s great that both of your daughters enjoy(ed) their undergraduate experiences. The OP asked for help in comparing Stanford and Harvard and, while there will always be a variety of anecdotes to consider, the fact remains that Stanford is considered (by its peer institutions, as well as many others) to deliver a consistently higher level of undergraduate focus than Harvard. (As you noted, Dartmouth is also considered a superior provider of undergraduate educational experience.) Of course, Harvard has been aware of this situation for a while and has been taking steps to change both the perception and the reality in recent years, especially since its current President has assumed her position. What’s remarkable about Stanford is that it has long succeeded in balancing the priorities of both its undergraduate and graduate populations. That is very difficult for a leading research university to do year after year. Rankings aside, Stanford undergrads more frequently report a high level of satisfaction with faculty access and other measures of undergraduate focus than Harvard undergrads do in published guidebooks and other sources. Again, it’s great to hear that your own daughter’s experience as a Harvard undergrad was so satisfying. S and H are both wonderful universities and the OP has many factors to consider in making a decision.</p>