While it is true that Leland Stanford Junior University is quite a good trade school, Harvard remains the center for training innovative scientists. Let’s look at Nobel Prizes awarded to alumni:
In Physics, only 3 Stanford graduates have won the Nobel Prize EVER… and 2 of them won it together.
Harvard graduates have won 14 Nobel prizes in Physics, including 5 since 2004… that’s right, Harvard graduates have more Nobel Prizes in Physics in the past 12 years than Stanford’s entire history.
19 Harvard graduates have won Chemistry Nobel Prizes vs. Stanford’s 4.
6 of Harvard alumni Nobel Prizes were awarded since 2001… so more Harvard alumni have won Nobel Prizes in Chemistry just in the past 15 years than all of Stanford’s entire history.
In medicine, 19 Harvard alumni have won Nobel Prizes vs. only 1 (ONE!!) Stanford alumnus, ever!
4 were awarded in the past 15 years… so Harvard alumni have won 4 times more Medicine Nobel Prizes in the past 15 years than Stanford alumni ever.
In economics, 13 Harvard alumni have won Nobel Prizes vs. only 3 Stanford alumni.
8 of them in the past 15 years, nearly 3 times more than Stanford alumni ever.
It sure seems to me that Harvard alumni win far more Nobel Prizes in the past 15 years than Stanford alumni over its entire history.