Why pick Harvard over Stanford?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would pick Stanford over Harvard any day and I’m a New Englander who loves Boston. I think Stanford sounds like a much more fun and dynamic place to be. And the weather is Palo Alto is amazing

Yeah, I always wanted to be an undergrad on a campus bordered by a mall, a mausoleum, a high school, and a golf course!

I was an undergrad at Stanford with no car and no money. Most of our fun was on campus, with some local haunts, but we went into "the City" frequently, went to LA for games, had dances at Half Moon Bay, Carmel, dates in Monterey and Santa Cruz, ski trips to Tahoe, etc. There is no shortage of fantastic places near Stanford. If you want to be in an urban setting, maybe BU is the place for you...

Somebody certainly had a car and/or money to support that lifestyle!

NP. There's a lot of stunning natural beauty in the bay area and hiking that is easily accessible in the Bay Area if your friend has a car or if you are able to rent a car that can be done pretty cheaply. It doesn't necessarily need to cost an arm and a leg to take a weekend trip to Monterrey or Half Moon Bay or go hiking in the Redwoods. There's even a ton of gorgeous trails on the peninsula that are easily accessed from Stanford (Rancho San Antonio for example). There's also a ton of backpacking. Taking a trip into SF doesn't need to be super expensive either. The only thing on that list that is expensive are ski trips to Tahoe and games in LA. But it's not like skiing isn't a thing on the East Coast as well.

[Anonymous]

The weather at Stanford is also a lot better. It’s more of a hub for tech as well.

[Anonymous]

all this thread proves is that people on DCUM will argue over anything. Good grief.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Except for the name recognition of their alma mater, I haven’t found Harvard grads all that exceptional after graduation. Two that I knew very well — one was an analyst who became a SAHM (no shame in that, but showing she a normal human like everyone), the other became a local grocery store manager before becoming an Honors English Lit teacher (also very ordinary). The others I’ve known were in ordinary office jobs, many reporting to people who went to state schools.

On the other hand, the Stanford grads largely worked on interesting projects in STEM. Not all were program leaders (so normal Joes too). A couple had patents.

If I had to pick based on my acquaintances and what I know about the schools, hands down I’d pick Stanford. Harvard seems more about social connections than education based on what I know.

That's a reflection of your commoner orbit, not Harvard.

So true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would pick Stanford over Harvard any day and I’m a New Englander who loves Boston. I think Stanford sounds like a much more fun and dynamic place to be. And the weather is Palo Alto is amazing

Yeah, I always wanted to be an undergrad on a campus bordered by a mall, a mausoleum, a high school, and a golf course!

I was an undergrad at Stanford with no car and no money. Most of our fun was on campus, with some local haunts, but we went into "the City" frequently, went to LA for games, had dances at Half Moon Bay, Carmel, dates in Monterey and Santa Cruz, ski trips to Tahoe, etc. There is no shortage of fantastic places near Stanford. If you want to be in an urban setting, maybe BU is the place for you...

Somebody certainly had a car and/or money to support that lifestyle!

Restaurants and clubs in Boston are $$$. The rich students have cars.

[Anonymous]

Stanford vs. Harvard. The most definitive video dealing with this question:

https://youtu.be/bMM3z3o6BAs

[Anonymous]

Apparently, to avoid the unwashed masses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Apparently, to avoid the unwashed masses.

so, the unwashed masses attend Stanford?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would pick Stanford over Harvard any day and I’m a New Englander who loves Boston. I think Stanford sounds like a much more fun and dynamic place to be. And the weather is Palo Alto is amazing

Yeah, I always wanted to be an undergrad on a campus bordered by a mall, a mausoleum, a high school, and a golf course!

I was an undergrad at Stanford with no car and no money. Most of our fun was on campus, with some local haunts, but we went into "the City" frequently, went to LA for games, had dances at Half Moon Bay, Carmel, dates in Monterey and Santa Cruz, ski trips to Tahoe, etc. There is no shortage of fantastic places near Stanford. If you want to be in an urban setting, maybe BU is the place for you...

Somebody certainly had a car and/or money to support that lifestyle!

NP. There's a lot of stunning natural beauty in the bay area and hiking that is easily accessible in the Bay Area if your friend has a car or if you are able to rent a car that can be done pretty cheaply. It doesn't necessarily need to cost an arm and a leg to take a weekend trip to Monterrey or Half Moon Bay or go hiking in the Redwoods. There's even a ton of gorgeous trails on the peninsula that are easily accessed from Stanford (Rancho San Antonio for example). There's also a ton of backpacking. Taking a trip into SF doesn't need to be super expensive either. The only thing on that list that is expensive are ski trips to Tahoe and games in LA. But it's not like skiing isn't a thing on the East Coast as well.

I was the PP, and no driving to LA in a car full of kids and staying at one of our classmates' houses wasn't expensive. Neither were the ski trips, as the Alumni Association owned a camp at Tahoe (not to mention that there were more classmates with houses). I was poor, so didn't go often, but my point is that we were never limited to the gorgeous campus.

[Anonymous]

We’re talking about day-to-day life as an undergrad and why someone might prefer Harvard to Stanford (that was the question asked). One answer was they might prefer a campus that gave them easy access to an activity-rich urban environment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Harvard is a better name globally (although not a huge gap). And Harvard is a much more fun traditional college experience.

In my field Stanford is way more impressive than Harvard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Harvard: old money
Stanford: new money

Eh, not so much any more.