<p>Hey, I am a perspective undergraduate student who is comparing b/w Stanford and Yale.
Which school is better in terms of 1) Varsity Soccer Team, 2) Life Style (Dormitory, Dinning Service, Fitness Center, Library, Campus Atmosphere, and Cost of Living) 3) Alumni Network (particularly in Business and Politics).
I visited Stanford and loved it. Unfortunately, I am not able to visit Yale. Among the schools I visited, Stanford>USC>=Columbia>=Berkeley>=UCLA>Harvard>NYU</p>
<p>[YouTube</a> - That’s Why I Chose Yale](<a href=“That's Why I Chose Yale - YouTube”>That's Why I Chose Yale - YouTube)</p>
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Stanford’s Women’s Soccer team is phenomenal right now. The men’s team is decent, but not great at this point. Overall in sports, Stanford has the edge over Yale.
I’d check out the ‘That’s Why I Chose Yale’ video that the poster above linked to. IMO, The biggest difference in terms of lifestyle is that Yale has a residential college system that’s very integrated into the campus. Also, Stanford seems to have a more laid-back and ‘chill’ vibe compared to Yale.</p>
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Both schools have great alumni networks, any difference between the two is negligible at best. In terms of business, I’d say that Stanford might have the edge. Many Stanford grads go on to start their own companies, and its location in Silicon Valley has helped it in that regard. Some that come to mind include Google, Yahoo, Cisco, Nike, EA, etc. In politics, I’d say that Yale has the edge. It has a longer, and deeper history in politics than Stanford. Either way, both schools have strong alumni in business and politics.</p>
<p>athletics: Stanford wins hands down. Stanford has the nation’s best Division I athletic program. that’s a fact. You will see that the athletic program of a university means a lot no matter what team you are on, so even if the team itself is slightly lower ranked (which is not common at Stanford), the academic support and other things for Stanford athletes is unmatched.</p>
<p>Yale does have the residential college system, but Residential Education at Stanford is great. From the RAs to the dorm matching system, they really try to make a good community.
Food: at Stanford, food varies from awesome to ehh depending on the dining hall (you will learn which ones are better and which ones are not so great), but you can always choose to dine at the better dining halls. I really like my dorm and my room at Stanford, and I think most people agree.
The library systems at Yale and Stanford are both amazing.
Cost of living in the Bay Area is generally high, but not a lot higher than the Northeast (e.g. New Haven). You really only notice it when you are going out to dinner with friends.
Campus atmosphere is the #1 reason I chose Stanford. After living here for a little while, I wouldn’t call it “chill” or “laid back”, even though I guess it is, especially when compared to Yale. I’d characterize it more as Stanford students are really comfortable with their surroundings and confident in their own abilities. Personally, I do believe “Duck Syndrome” exists, and I have experienced it already, but it is only because there are so many amazing opportunities on campus that you need really good time management.</p>
<p>I personally don’t think alumni networks are really that important, but I agree that Stanford’s business alumni network is stronger, especially on the West Coast, with tech industries. Before 2000, I think it would have been accurate to say Yale had stronger politics connections, but Stanford is just as highly if not more highly represented in government right now. Alumni networks are what you make of them, but there are other connections that you make at either Stanford or Yale that will be a lot more helpful in the future.</p>
<p>I would suggest you wait until you get admissions decisions to start getting attached to schools</p>