Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

If you really want a top CS program, you'd do CS at Princeton, not Yale, but it's very demanding

Been there, done that. It’s way too theoretical, very disconnected from the real world. Lots of “rigor” for very little real world skill building.

+1

If your kid wants to do CS, neither Yale nor Princeton is a good choice.

Anonymous wrote:Know both schools.

STEM at Yale won’t be the same experience, though grading may be easier than STEM at Princeton. Outside of STEM, Princeton may be better for kids who love learning and won’t be gutted by less than perfect grades. Some graduates truly rave about their academic experience there.

Socially the Yale community is generally warmer, but plenty of kids at Princeton navigate it well and end up truly passionate about that place as well. Princeton may be better for kids who feel settled and confident about who they are socially.

I know one kid who didn’t feel confident socially in high school, chose Yale because community was the priority and is thriving. Another kid who was happy socially in high school preferred Princeton for its academics.

Sounds like you are leaning Princeton. You really can’t go wrong. Here’s to the great ‘28!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I don't think they constantly go out of their way to reinforce a sense among students that they are the "best" the way that Harvard and Yale do

Yeah I’d go so far as to say that they see teaching students that they are *not special* as a core part of a Princeton’s education.

They see knocking students off their horse as a key part of helping them mature. For some kids this helps them become stronger more mature adults. For others it really messes with their mental health. Varies by kid.

My sources say they were, but sure, some families objected to having them described as such.

Anonymous wrote:

I don't think they constantly go out of their way to reinforce a sense among students that they are the "best" the way that Harvard and Yale do

Yeah I’d go so far as to say that they see teaching students that they are *not special* as a core part of a Princeton’s education.

They see knocking students off their horse as a key part of helping them mature. For some kids this helps them become stronger more mature adults. For others it really messes with their mental health. Varies by kid.

Anonymous wrote:

I don't think they constantly go out of their way to reinforce a sense among students that they are the "best" the way that Harvard and Yale do

Yeah I’d go so far as to say that they see teaching students that they are *not special* as a core part of a Princeton’s education.

They see knocking students off their horse as a key part of helping them mature. For some kids this helps them become stronger more mature adults. For others it really messes with their mental health. Varies by kid.

I don't think they constantly go out of their way to reinforce a sense among students that they are the "best" the way that Harvard and Yale do

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've known quite a few Yale and Princeton graduates and, while this is anecdotal, more of the Yale graduates have struggled as adults than the Princeton graduates. One high school friend who attended Yale was a journalist who committed suicide (leaving behind two teenagers); another family friend has struggled to hold down any job for more than a year or two; and a work colleague ends up in constant hot water with HR due to their volatile behavior. I also know some Yale graduates who've been quite successful, including a friend who is a tenured professor at a top university and a Hollywood producer who is probably one of the most active LBGTQ activists in the country. In comparison, the Princeton people I know have almost uniformly been successful, even when they weren't lighting the world on fire, and steadier overall.

If I had to hypothesize, I'd say Princeton does a better job of preparing young adults for the real world. Princeton is often referred to as a "bubble" because of its suburban location, but I don't think they constantly go out of their way to reinforce a sense among students that they are the "best" the way that Harvard and Yale do. It may make the undergraduate experience slightly less "fun," but then the real world is less of a rude awakening.

OP's kid has two great choices, but if I had to choose I'd go with Princeton.

This is hard to reconcile with the 8 suicides at Princeton over the past three years.

Anonymous wrote:I've known quite a few Yale and Princeton graduates and, while this is anecdotal, more of the Yale graduates have struggled as adults than the Princeton graduates. One high school friend who attended Yale was a journalist who committed suicide (leaving behind two teenagers); another family friend has struggled to hold down any job for more than a year or two; and a work colleague ends up in constant hot water with HR due to their volatile behavior. I also know some Yale graduates who've been quite successful, including a friend who is a tenured professor at a top university and a Hollywood producer who is probably one of the most active LBGTQ activists in the country. In comparison, the Princeton people I know have almost uniformly been successful, even when they weren't lighting the world on fire, and steadier overall.

If I had to hypothesize, I'd say Princeton does a better job of preparing young adults for the real world. Princeton is often referred to as a "bubble" because of its suburban location, but I don't think they constantly go out of their way to reinforce a sense among students that they are the "best" the way that Harvard and Yale do. It may make the undergraduate experience slightly less "fun," but then the real world is less of a rude awakening.

OP's kid has two great choices, but if I had to choose I'd go with Princeton.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to Pton and my sibling went to Yale. My parents enjoyed visiting P’ton much more and and things like move-in, graduation and family weekends were better organized and more pleasant at P’ton, but we both had great experiences overall. At the time, Yale seemed to have a notably larger LGBT student population than Pton’s, with more visibility, and obviously a more urban setting. There was a serious New Haven crime incident early on my sibling’s freshman year that did not directly affect them but was upsetting (involved friend and dorm mate).

That's weird. What about graduation and move in was better at Princeton? I went to Yale and thought move in and graduation were very well done.

I’m not saying it’s a reason to pick a school, just saying that my parents, experiencing both at the same time, very much preferred that stuff at Princeton and found it somehow easier to navigate and more fun. It’s hard for me to compare academic experiences. Both were good but we studied different areas.

Not sure how this is remotely relevant, who cares what drop off was like two decades ago.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know the answers, but I also don’t believe the people saying they’re Yale alumna who wish they went to Princeton instead. I’ve never met those people irl. People who went to both, love them.

I think Yale is a happier place right now, but that’s so kid specific

I do, especially if it's the Yale alum who has a Princeton spouse and has seen first-hand how the Princeton reunions compare with the Yale reunions. They've posted on prior threads.

What? Yalies have a great time and rave about reunions.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to Pton and my sibling went to Yale. My parents enjoyed visiting P’ton much more and and things like move-in, graduation and family weekends were better organized and more pleasant at P’ton, but we both had great experiences overall. At the time, Yale seemed to have a notably larger LGBT student population than Pton’s, with more visibility, and obviously a more urban setting. There was a serious New Haven crime incident early on my sibling’s freshman year that did not directly affect them but was upsetting (involved friend and dorm mate).

That's weird. What about graduation and move in was better at Princeton? I went to Yale and thought move in and graduation were very well done.

I’m not saying it’s a reason to pick a school, just saying that my parents, experiencing both at the same time, very much preferred that stuff at Princeton and found it somehow easier to navigate and more fun. It’s hard for me to compare academic experiences. Both were good but we studied different areas.

Not sure how this is remotely relevant, who cares what drop off was like two decades ago.