Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Columbia if you want a real education. Core is unmatched. Plus you have nyc. Princeton ok if you’re a white guy, otherwise no.
No this is not true about Princeton. I was just there this week. It is successfully shedding it's white preppy vibe. OP Princeton all the way. Columbia is way more of a pressure cooker.
Columbia is a great place for graduate or professional school, but the undergraduate experience is very different from Princeton or Dartmouth. You will not the focus of attention at all, and you are literally competing for resources with other schools within the university where the administrators have very sharp elbows. Dartmouth is the smallest of the Ivies and Princeton is really the epitome of undergraduate education (and close to both Philly and NYC for those who want to spend time in the city). Columbia is great for some kids, but you really need to be up to the task of living more independently, advocating for yourself academically, and managing your finances in what can be a very expensive city.