Which college to pick? Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Stanford, or Georgetown [political science, international relations]

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I understand how completely privileged I am to have to make such a choice, but it doesn’t make it any less difficult haha. Last week I got accepted into 4 ivies (Harvard, Yale, Columbia, and Princeton), and also Stanford. Admitted EA to Georgetown. Going for political science or government major, plus international relations. Got decent financial aid offers from each (except for Georgetown). I genuinely wasn’t expecting to have so many options (and am feeling so overwhelmed in the best way!) and I know that this month is going to be stressful having to pick. Would appreciate any advice on making my selection.

Background info: From Northern California, and Hispanic. ECs revolved around public service, international relations, writing and authorship. Essays were about public service and commitment to advocacy.

Most important college factors: Collaborative and community-oriented school culture (less toxic/competitive), best politics/government opportunities, location (walkability, opportunities to explore city/town), law school prospects (dream is Yale Law), academic difficulty (nervous about grade deflation), desire for artsy community (theatre, a cappella, writing, etc), dedicated professors who directly engage with undergraduates

Current students and alumni, please share your thoughts and advice! Thank you so much. I am so grateful to have this choice to make, and I know that each option would be amazing

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Congratulations on your acceptances!

If that is your real name, I strongly encourage you to change it to something more anonymous. How Do I Change My Username?

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Appreciate it! It’s already a false name but I will probably adjust again :slight_smile: tysm

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Quick thoughts on Princeton:

  • Among the more undergrad-focused of the places you mentioned. All students required to do independent work with faculty so getting to know a professor is the norm.
  • Used to have a competitive secondary admissions process for their school of public affairs but that seems no longer to be the case.
  • One of the most generous schools when it comes to need-based financial aid, and given your career plans I think this is something to take seriously.
  • Walkable college town (albeit kinda pricey – more Palo Alto than SLO, if you get my gist) with a lot of socializing concentrated on campus and in the adjacent eating clubs. I think it’s one of the easier places to be a financial aid kid, given the nature of the socializing (not a big off-campus bar/club scene, there’s no real need for a vehicle, just about everyone lives on campus all four years, etc.)
  • I was an English major there and participated actively in the music and theater programs. I would describe the arts and humanities scene as robust and not marginalized (probably comparable to the other Ivies although it’s a smaller school so there’s probably a bit less of everything.)
  • I worked off-campus at local nonprofits when I was there and that touching-grass opportunity sustained me. I don’t think the opportunities to do service are quite as proximate as those at some of the more urban campuses (Columbia/Harvard/Yale). It’s worth looking into what Princeton students are doing and whether it matches your interests.

In short, I’d say that the advantages of Princeton are financial (should be one of the most affordable options) and its undergrad focus (unique among the schools you listed).

Oh, here’s the doozy though: you need to look into how each school is handling the current climate (Columbia, Harvard, Princeton, and Stanford are all contending with major grant reductions from the federal govt and each administration is going to handle it differently, with implications for undergrads. Maybe Yale and Georgetown too? hard to keep up with the pace of the news these days.)

I felt proud of President Eisgruber’s response to the recent grant stoppages. Others might prefer a different approach. Do your homework.

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There are definitely no bad decisions here, but if Georgetown would be a lot more, I would consider scratching them.

All the rest again are fine, but to me you seem to be most talking about Yale. Again, not that the others wouldn’t be good too, it was just the one of those that seemed to me most aligned with your preferences.

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That’s the problem with applying and getting into so many schools, no matter the name. People forget that :slight_smile: But it’s part of the fun.

You note decent financial aid - so I assume all (except maybe Gtown) are affordable?

So I’ll share this with you - most think - Gtown because it’s in DC or alternatively the others there. But there is government EVERYWHERE.

My kid did a DC semester and you can check your schools - but I’m guessing all have them. She had 7 intern offers, 5 paid and interned at a leading think tank and her school was 6 rungs down below yours (regional public). So I think location wise you will be fine everywhere. The bigger issue for someone seeking a federal position or something funded with federal $$ would be what’s happening from a staffing POV right now and how that impacts future opportunities.

All your schools are walkable, all will have artsy, all will have dedicated professors who will work with you.

And all will get you into law school. Truth is any college in America can get you into Yale law school - it’s more you, what you do/accomplish, your LSAT, etc.

Have you been to all? It’d help to be at all if possible - Columbia is in the city, Princeton is the suburbs, etc.

One thing you might check is - who is in the governments crosshairs? In other words, Columbia had the protests and now has lost funding. Are others at risk or in the governments crosshairs? Is that a concern, etc.

But these are all great - but make sure you can afford which sounds like - would not be Gtown.

So if you’re choosing with Harvard, yale, Princeton, Columbia and Stanford - then you’re choosing from literally the best of the best and you can’t go wrong with any - but it might come down to things like weather, sports (Stanford is Big 10), city vs. suburb, etc. or the best pizza (Yale)!!

Best of luck to you.

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if dream is Yale Law, then Yale College is a no-brainer, as its the #1 feeder to YLS. That said, Stanford Law has also been ranked #1 recently (tie with Yale), so Stanford undergrad should get a look. It’s lot more collaborative – even at the grad level – than folks give it credit for. (Much more than say, Columbia.)

Law school is all about undergrad GPA (& LSAT), so for that reason, I’d drop P’ton.

Drop Georgetown from your list. (besides finances, as a field, international relations is prestige-focused, and Georgetown does not offer the prestige of HYS.)

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Undergraduate Institutions Represented | Yale Law School

yep, all the ‘finalists’ and a zillion more are on there.

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I am biased because my daughter is planning on SPIA at Princeton next year.(will be in your classes!) I think the undergrad experience at Princeton will be great for international relations based on the discussions that my D has had with current students. You could always do a graduate course at one of the other fantastic schools on your list. Many years ago, I was at Stanford, and as you know it’s a fantastic place, but you could do law or graduate school there. Best of luck to you, there are no wrong answers.