<p>In terms of diversity, Princeton is 49% white and 8% African American. Stanford is 38% white and 6% African American. Here are the specific stats:</p>
<p>STANFORD: African American 6% Asian 17% Hispanic 14% International 12% Native American 1% White 38% Unknown 2%</p>
<p>PRINCETON: African American 8% Asian 17% Hispanic 9% International 11% Native American 0% White 49% Unknown 3%</p>
<p>It’s interesting because College p.r.owler ranks Stanford 21st for most open-minded, whereas Princeton ranks around 993. I live ten minutes away from Stanford and I definitely think that race isn’t much of an issue. I think that some Stanford students who are not as wealthy do sometimes feel out of place living in an expensive town like Palo Alto, but not because they feel discriminated against by the students. Plus, Stanford’s environment is arguably happier and more laid-back. I’m sure that the epic weather has something to do with this. :)</p>
<p>For econ, Stanford and Princeton are about neck-and-neck in the US News reports. Stanford appears to be ranked slightly higher. I’m not sure about international relations, but if it means anything, I do know that Stanford’s international study curriculum is epic. Plus, it has more international students. I have read that Princeton is slightly better in IR because of Woodrow Wilson. Princeton is strong in the Humanities, but Stanford is strong all across the board. Many of its departments rank #1 in the world, if not in the top five. If you ever decide you want to pursue a different major, chances are their department will be one of the best. I’m not sure that Princeton offers the same luxury.</p>
<p>Both schools provide an excellent undergraduate experience. I’ve heard time and time again that Stanford provides the #1 undergraduate experience in the world, both from alumni and people who have never attended Stanford. The amazing thing about Stanford’s graduate school is that you can take classes there as an undergrad – in fact, it is encouraged. You will also have graduate students in your undergrad classes (mostly athletic/social dance classes), which is interesting.</p>
<p>As for graduate school, honestly if you get an awesome GPA and work hard it doesn’t matter where you went. Princeton’s grade deflation may be detrimental in this regard. Stanford’s average GPA is higher than the other ivies except for Brown according to gradeinflation.com. The average Princeton GPA is a 3.2-3.3. Though I’m sure that a 3.5 from Princeton is looked at differently from a 3.5 from most other schools.</p>
<p>And as for research, Stanford is located in the heart of Silicon Valley, between SF and San Jose, with some of the highest ranked departments in the world. You can’t go wrong.</p>
<p>Let me know which one you choose. But really, you can’t go wrong. Hope to see you at Stanford next year. I’ll be the freshman girl with a faux mint-colored deer head hanging above her bed, if I can get away with it. :p</p>