Harvard or Columbia - Where would you go?

[Anonymous]

Anyone that gets into Harvard (and can afford it) but chooses not to go there is a fool!

[Anonymous]

If it was still the 1980s when they were neck and neck, I'd have chosen Columbia for the location. If it was today, definitely Harvard, for the kudos.

[Anonymous]

Harvard unless a kid had a passion for nyc, wanted theater, music, museums, or finance opportunities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Harvard unless a kid had a passion for nyc, wanted theater, music, museums, or finance opportunities.

This. I knew Columbia and Barnard students who were actors and chose New York. Some had internships at financial institutions. Some were Ford models. Otherwise I’d choose Harvard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Harvard unless a kid had a passion for nyc, wanted theater, music, museums, or finance opportunities.

This. I knew Columbia and Barnard students who were actors and chose New York. Some had internships at financial institutions. Some were Ford models. Otherwise I’d choose Harvard.

This. Columbia is the go to school for kids who are already professionals. The one kicker is that I knew several kids who weren’t professional but became so by attending Columbia and trying out and succeeding or, much more often, by befriending kids who were already professional. In the immortal words of Woody Allen, “80% of success is just showing up.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Harvard unless a kid had a passion for nyc, wanted theater, music, museums, or finance opportunities.

This. I knew Columbia and Barnard students who were actors and chose New York. Some had internships at financial institutions. Some were Ford models. Otherwise I’d choose Harvard.

This. Columbia is the go to school for kids who are already professionals. The one kicker is that I knew several kids who weren’t professional but became so by attending Columbia and trying out and succeeding or, much more often, by befriending kids who were already professional. In the immortal words of Woody Allen, “80% of success is just showing up.”

New York is the place for this. My mixed race son has exotic good looks and had a great little kid modeling career in NYC until we moved to D.C. We left NYC before he was old enough for TV or Broadway opportunities. DS is now in an elite boarding school in Western Massachusetts and plans to apply early decision to Columbia.

[Anonymous]

I loved my time in Cambridge and would do it all over again in an instant. That said, I bet some feel similarly about NYC. They are very different schools and in different communities. It is natural that people will have different preferences. .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I loved my time in Cambridge and would do it all over again in an instant. That said, I bet some feel similarly about NYC. They are very different schools and in different communities. It is natural that people will have different preferences. .

From the other post, it's clear Harvard is a near impossibility. Columbia is more in line with the average high-stats kids. Risk analysis says to apply to Harvard if you can afford to lose the application fee. But definitely do apply to Columbia that's more approachable.

[Anonymous]

There’s another issue people don’t like to discuss. I went to Columbia before Columbia went coed. Barnard was, at the time, only half the size of Columbia and half of Barnard commuted and were effectively out of the social life. Moreover, while Columbia College had an international student body, even the Barnard women who lived on campus usually came from the tri state area and had a much higher propensity for keeping their high school boyfriends. But I had a lot more money than most Columbia men. I could ask women out to a Broadway play and a gourmet dinner. Obviously it’s entirely different now. Now, women are in the majority on the Columbia campus. MUCH easier for Columbia men to enjoy themselves. Still, if you have money, NYC is the place to be. Otherwise, definitely Cambridge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There’s another issue people don’t like to discuss. I went to Columbia before Columbia went coed. Barnard was, at the time, only half the size of Columbia and half of Barnard commuted and were effectively out of the social life. Moreover, while Columbia College had an international student body, even the Barnard women who lived on campus usually came from the tri state area and had a much higher propensity for keeping their high school boyfriends. But I had a lot more money than most Columbia men. I could ask women out to a Broadway play and a gourmet dinner. Obviously it’s entirely different now. Now, women are in the majority on the Columbia campus. MUCH easier for Columbia men to enjoy themselves. Still, if you have money, NYC is the place to be. Otherwise, definitely Cambridge.

Meh, Columbia is no more expensive than Harvard. Room and board are pretty much the same everywhere, so that takes care of 99% of students' expenses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DS is still trying to get over the shock of getting into both incredible schools. Commitment deadline is coming soon, and while the decision is his entirely, I was curious to see what insight people might give.

DS has flip-flopped between engineering and liberal arts for over a year now. If he goes to Columbia, he'll do engineering for sure (with a minor in humanities, probably). If he goes to Harvard, everything's up in the air.

Costs are very similar.

It depends, if she like NY or Cambridge, liberal arts or STEM, future in medicine or law, would prefer to settle in NY or NE and other subtleties like that. If cost is same, it should be personal preference. Once you make it to T20 schools, it’s not a huge difference. Prestige is a rat race so if she wants to run, it’s her choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There’s another issue people don’t like to discuss. I went to Columbia before Columbia went coed. Barnard was, at the time, only half the size of Columbia and half of Barnard commuted and were effectively out of the social life. Moreover, while Columbia College had an international student body, even the Barnard women who lived on campus usually came from the tri state area and had a much higher propensity for keeping their high school boyfriends. But I had a lot more money than most Columbia men. I could ask women out to a Broadway play and a gourmet dinner. Obviously it’s entirely different now. Now, women are in the majority on the Columbia campus. MUCH easier for Columbia men to enjoy themselves. Still, if you have money, NYC is the place to be. Otherwise, definitely Cambridge.

Meh, Columbia is no more expensive than Harvard. Room and board are pretty much the same everywhere, so that takes care of 99% of students' expenses.

Duh. I’m not talking about the cost of room and board. I’m talking about the cost of a night on the town.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There’s another issue people don’t like to discuss. I went to Columbia before Columbia went coed. Barnard was, at the time, only half the size of Columbia and half of Barnard commuted and were effectively out of the social life. Moreover, while Columbia College had an international student body, even the Barnard women who lived on campus usually came from the tri state area and had a much higher propensity for keeping their high school boyfriends. But I had a lot more money than most Columbia men. I could ask women out to a Broadway play and a gourmet dinner. Obviously it’s entirely different now. Now, women are in the majority on the Columbia campus. MUCH easier for Columbia men to enjoy themselves. Still, if you have money, NYC is the place to be. Otherwise, definitely Cambridge.

Meh, Columbia is no more expensive than Harvard. Room and board are pretty much the same everywhere, so that takes care of 99% of students' expenses.

Duh. I’m not talking about the cost of room and board. I’m talking about the cost of a night on the town.

It's possible to score a million-dollar view at Columbia for the price of a university dorm. That's something most people will never experience. At least not in this lifetime. Can't compare that to something as small as a night on the town.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There’s another issue people don’t like to discuss. I went to Columbia before Columbia went coed. Barnard was, at the time, only half the size of Columbia and half of Barnard commuted and were effectively out of the social life. Moreover, while Columbia College had an international student body, even the Barnard women who lived on campus usually came from the tri state area and had a much higher propensity for keeping their high school boyfriends. But I had a lot more money than most Columbia men. I could ask women out to a Broadway play and a gourmet dinner. Obviously it’s entirely different now. Now, women are in the majority on the Columbia campus. MUCH easier for Columbia men to enjoy themselves. Still, if you have money, NYC is the place to be. Otherwise, definitely Cambridge.

Meh, Columbia is no more expensive than Harvard. Room and board are pretty much the same everywhere, so that takes care of 99% of students' expenses.

Duh. I’m not talking about the cost of room and board. I’m talking about the cost of a night on the town.

It's possible to score a million-dollar view at Columbia for the price of a university dorm. That's something most people will never experience. At least not in this lifetime. Can't compare that to something as small as a night on the town.

No but you can to a LOT of nights on the town over four years.

[Anonymous]

Harvard..not even close