Anonymous wrote:I got into both (I was very lucky). My advice is to visit the campuses, look at the courses they offer and pick based on that.

The anecdotes here from people based on the five people they know who went and whether they’re impressed with them are not helpful. Plenty of impressive people who went to both and plenty of people who went to both that didn’t make conventional choices for their own reasons. Not everyone wants to be a CEO, founder, etc.

You kid will honestly have similar opportunities from both and it’s really about where s/he will enjoy spending four years.

And yet, impressions from acquaintances have an impact. People use reviews and website data, but still give a lot of weight to input from friends and acquaintances.

Harvard students don’t go into Boston all that much and Harvard Square is pretty lame. Weather sucks too especially in the winter

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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!

Harvard campus: 209 acres
Stanford campus: 8180 acres

Not sure what your point is, but, to me, a campus that is integrated into an urban environment is a “much more fun and dynamic place to be” than one that is huge and creates a real time/convenience barrier to going anywhere that isn’t controlled by the school.

You should visit Stanford, and Palo Alto, before your comment again.

I have visited Stanford a number of times (and within the last few years). You may prefer its suburban country club feel to a campus like Harvard’s (obviously I don’t), but it’s hard to argue persuasively that its environs are fun & dynamic for an undergrad without a car.

As I said, visit Stanford and Palo Alto. If you had you’d know it is an easy stroll and an incredibly lovely commerical area with theaters, shops, bars, bookstores, and some of the best restaurants in the country. None of it “under the control” of the school.

Also, uber is a thing now, so it's easier for students to get around if they don't have a car. If you wanted to occasionally do something in SF or San Jose, you could take Caltrain. Obviously not as convenient as taking the T, but not inaccessible either.

I got into both (I was very lucky). My advice is to visit the campuses, look at the courses they offer and pick based on that.

The anecdotes here from people based on the five people they know who went and whether they’re impressed with them are not helpful. Plenty of impressive people who went to both and plenty of people who went to both that didn’t make conventional choices for their own reasons. Not everyone wants to be a CEO, founder, etc.

You kid will honestly have similar opportunities from both and it’s really about where s/he will enjoy spending four years.

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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!

Harvard campus: 209 acres
Stanford campus: 8180 acres

Not sure what your point is, but, to me, a campus that is integrated into an urban environment is a “much more fun and dynamic place to be” than one that is huge and creates a real time/convenience barrier to going anywhere that isn’t controlled by the school.

You should visit Stanford, and Palo Alto, before your comment again.

I have visited Stanford a number of times (and within the last few years). You may prefer its suburban country club feel to a campus like Harvard’s (obviously I don’t), but it’s hard to argue persuasively that its environs are fun & dynamic for an undergrad without a car.

As I said, visit Stanford and Palo Alto. If you had you’d know it is an easy stroll and an incredibly lovely commerical area with theaters, shops, bars, bookstores, and some of the best restaurants in the country. None of it “under the control” of the school.

Sounds like a privileged neighborhood if this is a topic of debate.

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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!

Harvard campus: 209 acres
Stanford campus: 8180 acres

Not sure what your point is, but, to me, a campus that is integrated into an urban environment is a “much more fun and dynamic place to be” than one that is huge and creates a real time/convenience barrier to going anywhere that isn’t controlled by the school.

You should visit Stanford, and Palo Alto, before your comment again.

I have visited Stanford a number of times (and within the last few years). You may prefer its suburban country club feel to a campus like Harvard’s (obviously I don’t), but it’s hard to argue persuasively that its environs are fun & dynamic for an undergrad without a car.

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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!

Harvard campus: 209 acres
Stanford campus: 8180 acres

Not sure what your point is, but, to me, a campus that is integrated into an urban environment is a “much more fun and dynamic place to be” than one that is huge and creates a real time/convenience barrier to going anywhere that isn’t controlled by the school.

You should visit Stanford, and Palo Alto, before your comment again.

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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!

Harvard campus: 209 acres
Stanford campus: 8180 acres

Not sure what your point is, but, to me, a campus that is integrated into an urban environment is a “much more fun and dynamic place to be” than one that is huge and creates a real time/convenience barrier to going anywhere that isn’t controlled by the school.

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Anonymous wrote:Future tech bro? Or future ibanker or president?

Tech bro -Stanford

Ibanker -Harvard

Bro = sexist

A tech bro is not an African American man with a computer science degree. FYI.

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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!

Harvard campus: 209 acres
Stanford campus: 8180 acres

It’s where the acres are located that is more important than the raw size.

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!

Harvard campus: 209 acres
Stanford campus: 8180 acres

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Anonymous wrote:Future tech bro? Or future ibanker or president?

Tech bro -Stanford

Ibanker -Harvard

Bro = sexist

The industry is sexist and yes they’re mostly bros.

But even more narrow than this, is your expectation of Harvard grads. So many successful and interesting people out there from Harvard who are not doing banking of any kind

Except for the name recognition of their alma mater, I haven’t found Havard 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.

^ my not mr ...