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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]First, welcome to DC. Sounds like you've noticed that people here are pretty prestige oriented.

I'll give this a shot. (Disclosure: I didn't attend HYP for undergrad but did post-doctoral work at Yale).

First, very few people get the chance to attend one of these schools (let alone all three). That said, many who get an offer from only one put their chips in that single basket application-wise, so there's more choice involved than many here may acknowledge.

First elephant in the room is legacy. About 10% of the students have a parent who attended. This is a leg up in admissions. It doesn't get a less-than-stellar student in. It does prevent stellar students from being rejected in many cases. Similarly--but less often acknowledged--there is geography. The valedictorians of public high schools near Princeton will probably have an easier time getting into P than H and Y (and vice versa).

But let's say you're lucky enough to have three acceptance letters on April 1. It does happen. Some considerations:

PRINCETON:
The most undergraduate focused of the three. No professional schools. Graduate school is small -- pure academia. Arguably the best teaching. You do have to write a senior thesis (plus for many, not all). Grading standards are the toughest of the three, and for all but the very best students this can impact graduate and professional school choices (especially those in the bottom half of their class). Definitely the strongest engineering departments of the three. Mathematics is arguably the best in the world, but it's also incredibly difficult. In that sense, it's not a great department for a strong but not truly gifted math student.

Socially the most traditional and preppy of the three. This is a turnoff to some. Despite the old money vibe, it has long had the best financial aid in the nation. The social scene revolves around eating clubs. To some they are incredibly fun and welcoming. Others find them elitist.

The Town of Princeton is beautiful and historic, but it's a wealthy enclave in NJ. The campus is arguably the most beautiful of the three.

Most Princeton students love the place, those who don't tend to really hate it.

HARVARD:
Most prestigious university in the nation, arguably the world. Lovely Boston location. Very graduate student focused. Competitive. Cold winters. Lackluster teaching. Largest of the three in enrollment. Academically what you make of it. Probably easiest to have a high GPA, but those who benefit most from the place don't think in those terms. A truly gifted scholar who had the benefit of a first class secondary school will thrive here, but they are the exception. Social scene focuses on Boston, surrounding colleges, and for some Finals clubs. Less dominant than Princeton's eating clubs but even more elitist.

Some alumni probably say "I loved Harvard," but I have yet to meet one.

YALE:
Larger than Princeton, smaller than Harvard. Fine arts, music, and drama are exceptional (i.e. world class) here. That also means competitive (like math at Princeton). Mecca for humanities and social sciences. Special programs for undergrads interested in Great Books (Directed Studies), which means small classes and very intellectual environment.

Overall, students are probably more artsy, quirky, and intellectual on average than H and definitely P, but may find them more friendly. City of New Haven can be dangerous, but campus is beautiful. Weakest in engineering of the three. Hard sciences are strong, but probably not as strong as H and P.

There probably are Yale alumni who didn't love their college experience, but I have yet to meet one.[/quote]

I didn’t go to HYP either, but between my kid at one and multiple family members/friends across the 3 schools totally agree with the above [/quote]

Super helpful...now do Penn.[/quote]

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