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Given the choice of Harvard, Stanford, or Yale, which of these fine institutions would you attend? Please refrain from trolling/long-winded posts...

I'll start:

Stanford

Why? Weather.

By Voigtrob (Voigtrob) on Wednesday, December 17, 2003 - 12:28 am: Edit

Yale, probably. Performing arts. Stanford would be next.

By Jamesah1 (Jamesah1) on Wednesday, December 17, 2003 - 01:11 am: Edit

Probably Harvard. I've lived on Stanford campus my whole life and want to go to a big city, therefore, Harvard.

By Jimjunior (Jimjunior) on Wednesday, December 17, 2003 - 01:17 am: Edit

Stanford. West Coast. Far enough from Washington to give me a college experience, but no obnoxious expensive cross country flights

By Kode (Kode) on Wednesday, December 17, 2003 - 01:24 am: Edit

Stanford, for many reasons. It just feels like home. Weather has nothing to do with it. If I let weather dictate my life, I'd get nowhere... :P

By Trojan1444 (Trojan1444) on Wednesday, December 17, 2003 - 01:33 am: Edit

Stanford -- people are more laid back. Just as strong as Harvard and Yale in social sciences and humanities, and MUCH better in sciences.

By Freudboy (Freudboy) on Wednesday, December 17, 2003 - 02:32 am: Edit

how about stanford -- no freaks

By Ajhayes (Ajhayes) on Wednesday, December 17, 2003 - 02:41 am: Edit

Yale

By Collegeguy (Collegeguy) on Wednesday, December 17, 2003 - 05:44 pm: Edit

bump

By Zzii (Zzii) on Wednesday, December 17, 2003 - 05:58 pm: Edit

Harvard.
a) engineering
b) Boston

(I realize Stanford's program is ranked higher.)

By Muzicgal04 (Muzicgal04) on Wednesday, December 17, 2003 - 06:01 pm: Edit

definitly not harvard......way too many rapes this year. and as a female, i just wouldnt feel safe

By Peachieva (Peachieva) on Wednesday, December 17, 2003 - 06:06 pm: Edit

stanford, i really didn't want to go anywhere else.

By Plutosky (Plutosky) on Wednesday, December 17, 2003 - 07:34 pm: Edit

why isn't princeton in this poll?
having said that, stanford.
science policy program.

By Crnchycereal (Crnchycereal) on Wednesday, December 17, 2003 - 07:52 pm: Edit

Yale (and hopefully, come this Spring, I'll be given this choice)

History department/College system

By Collegeguy (Collegeguy) on Wednesday, December 17, 2003 - 08:53 pm: Edit

harvard for engineering, zzii? why?

By Thenamek (Thenamek) on Wednesday, December 17, 2003 - 09:46 pm: Edit

Harvard.

Nomar. (A Rod?)

By Miseryxsignals (Miseryxsignals) on Wednesday, December 17, 2003 - 10:06 pm: Edit

Stanford.
weather, people, atmosphere, life as a whole

By Voigtrob (Voigtrob) on Wednesday, December 17, 2003 - 10:08 pm: Edit

Maybe princeton isn't in this poll because these three are SCEA and ptown is ED. If we include Princeton tho, my vote goes there. ;-)

By Alphachimp (Alphachimp) on Wednesday, December 17, 2003 - 11:01 pm: Edit

Harvard
-also engineering
-reputation, good faculty, fin. aid
-The Curse of the Bambino

By Volley17 (Volley17) on Wednesday, December 17, 2003 - 11:03 pm: Edit

Torn between Yale and Stanford. Yale because of the undergrad curriculum they offer and Stanford because it's close enough to home but not close enough where my family can visit me even bi-weekly.

By Aim78 (Aim78) on Wednesday, December 17, 2003 - 11:28 pm: Edit

Stanford. The only school I want to go to.

By Aznbrouhaha (Aznbrouhaha) on Thursday, December 18, 2003 - 12:28 am: Edit

Hands down: Harvard.

By Webhappy2 (Webhappy2) on Thursday, December 18, 2003 - 01:23 am: Edit

Hands down Harvard.

Attracts THE BEST! #1 in Putnam competitions, #1 winner in Intel STS went there
Most ppl who can go anywhere (Olympiad winners, for example) choose Harvard

By Ickyfoo (Ickyfoo) on Thursday, December 18, 2003 - 01:50 am: Edit

PRINCETON

By Exonian04 (Exonian04) on Thursday, December 18, 2003 - 02:07 am: Edit

Stanford (best balance of academics and social life)

By Freudboy (Freudboy) on Thursday, December 18, 2003 - 02:07 am: Edit

Harvard.
a) engineering ?????????

harvard undergrad engineering isnt even in the top 30!

By Jlq3d3 (Jlq3d3) on Thursday, December 18, 2003 - 02:18 am: Edit

Stanford and then yale a distant second. Just as good as hyp is humanities and better in a lot of other things. It was no weak spots. Also, Stanford is paradise compared to the cold, old, musky, dorky intellectual atmosphere of hyp. Stanford is warm, beatiful, and friendly, while having the best overall academics. Its a combo that cannot be beat.

By Collegeguy (Collegeguy) on Thursday, December 18, 2003 - 10:49 am: Edit

Wow. Either this board is west-coast dominated or Stanford is stealing our hearts and souls...

By Ratserutuf (Ratserutuf) on Thursday, December 18, 2003 - 11:10 am: Edit

yeah, stanford is amazing. im kind of torn between stanford and yale too, cause i want to do performing arts, so yale, but i also want a more relaxed laid back experience. so that's stanford.
how is stanford with performing arts?

By Juice (Juice) on Thursday, December 18, 2003 - 05:29 pm: Edit

Given the choice of any school in the nation I would have to pick Brown ;) hands down! - perfect fit for me

By Godis (Godis) on Thursday, December 18, 2003 - 05:33 pm: Edit

yale

By Esotericstorm (Esotericstorm) on Thursday, December 18, 2003 - 05:43 pm: Edit

Yale.

By Brownalum (Brownalum) on Thursday, December 18, 2003 - 06:39 pm: Edit

Sorry, but engineering departments have changed lately. Both Yale and Harvard have benefited from massive investments in engineering.

Engineering ranking:

http://www.sciencewatch.com/nov-dec2002/sw_nov-dec2002_page2.htm#Engineering

1. Yale, 241%

2. Stanford, 153%

3. Harvard, 128%

This is a quality, not quantity, based ranking. Saying Yale or Harvard engineering are bad just because they are ranked lower than, say, Purdue (because Purdue is so huge) is nonsense. Look at where the graduates of Yale's and Harvard's engineering programs actually end up when they graduate. Talk to the faculty. You just might be surprised.

By Jadesark (Jadesark) on Thursday, December 18, 2003 - 07:05 pm: Edit

yale

By Mzhang23 (Mzhang23) on Thursday, December 18, 2003 - 11:59 pm: Edit

PRINCETON

By Ifyoucould (Ifyoucould) on Friday, December 19, 2003 - 12:05 am: Edit

definitely yale

By Justarunner19 (Justarunner19) on Friday, December 19, 2003 - 01:15 am: Edit

Stanford

By Gk06 (Gk06) on Friday, December 19, 2003 - 02:55 am: Edit

YALE

By Foreignboy (Foreignboy) on Friday, December 19, 2003 - 11:43 am: Edit

Yale is best for undergrad.
But I would go to harvard because I'm a whore for brand-names.

By Savoirfaire87 (Savoirfaire87) on Sunday, December 21, 2003 - 10:04 pm: Edit

princeton...lol

but:

YALE!!

By Amnestykid (Amnestykid) on Monday, December 22, 2003 - 04:29 am: Edit

Definitely Stanford!!!
Perfect fit...location, students, academics, EC's, the breadth and depth of studies, admissions process, and the admissions committee is amazingly welcoming...trust me I've been corresponding since last December. However, everyone has their perfect fit, so don't judge Stanford based solelt on my perception.

By the way:

Accepted: Stanford-SCEA!

Take care everyone, best wishes with your applications, and Happy Holidays!

AK.

By Goneinfivemin (Goneinfivemin) on Monday, December 22, 2003 - 09:36 am: Edit

Stanford

By Kushm (Kushm) on Monday, December 22, 2003 - 10:03 am: Edit

stanford

By Apathetique_0ne (Apathetique_0ne) on Monday, December 22, 2003 - 04:06 pm: Edit

columbia

By Ay_Caramba (Ay_Caramba) on Monday, December 22, 2003 - 04:21 pm: Edit

Yale...best undergrad by far

By Bobby443 (Bobby443) on Monday, December 22, 2003 - 05:43 pm: Edit

Yale

By Ratrace02 (Ratrace02) on Monday, December 22, 2003 - 06:41 pm: Edit

harvard...duh

But then again I'll be starting my undergrad career there in the fall so I guess I'm biased hehe

HARVARD CLASS OF 2008 woot woot!

By Dschnapps (Dschnapps) on Monday, December 22, 2003 - 06:46 pm: Edit

Yale, then Stanford a little behind that.

I'm a West Coaster.

By Mehere (Mehere) on Monday, December 22, 2003 - 07:02 pm: Edit

Princeton or Harvard

By S17 (S17) on Monday, December 22, 2003 - 07:04 pm: Edit

Stanford

By Momx4 (Momx4) on Monday, December 22, 2003 - 07:22 pm: Edit

Definitely Stanford for a scholar-athlete

By Jlq3d3 (Jlq3d3) on Monday, December 22, 2003 - 07:37 pm: Edit

When ppl say yale is the best for undergrads, what evidence are they using except for reading what other people on this board who saying the same thing say. I mean, the faculy to student ratioes are similar at all these schools, the size of the avg classes are all similar, the size of the entire classes are all like under 2000. And besdies Princeton all of these places have a lot of grad schools. But what difference does that make. People throw out this vague unsubstantiated term "they pay less attention to you" if there is a grad school.

By Jlq3d3 (Jlq3d3) on Monday, December 22, 2003 - 08:46 pm: Edit

So far:

Stanford: 19
Yale: 13
Harvard: 8
Princeton: 3

By Aim78 (Aim78) on Tuesday, December 23, 2003 - 01:54 am: Edit

Stanford. Why? Proximity.

By Shitakirimusume (Shitakirimusume) on Tuesday, December 23, 2003 - 03:15 am: Edit

UCLA for my older son. Stanford for my younger son.

Well, my older son chose UCLA over Stanford
three years ago.

He is a senior right now. Math Major 3.8 GPA. (LSAT 171)

We found out this month that he got accepted
UCLA LAW(12/11), Berkeley Law(12/6), and Stanford Law(12/19).

And he will choose UCLA again.

By Freudboy (Freudboy) on Tuesday, December 23, 2003 - 03:21 am: Edit

WHY?

By Freudboy (Freudboy) on Tuesday, December 23, 2003 - 05:55 am: Edit

you sound like a domineering father; why not let your son make the choice?

By Elfie15 (Elfie15) on Tuesday, December 23, 2003 - 06:16 am: Edit

Stanford!!!

By Polly (Polly) on Tuesday, December 23, 2003 - 06:33 am: Edit

Harvard :D

By Girlinbraids (Girlinbraids) on Tuesday, December 23, 2003 - 04:42 pm: Edit

Yale

By Ndfan (Ndfan) on Tuesday, December 23, 2003 - 05:26 pm: Edit

Princeton

By Itsdakid2004 (Itsdakid2004) on Tuesday, December 23, 2003 - 05:52 pm: Edit

Harvard

By Gianscolere (Gianscolere) on Tuesday, December 23, 2003 - 06:04 pm: Edit

probably stanford now that i've thought about it.

By Jr86 (Jr86) on Tuesday, December 23, 2003 - 08:06 pm: Edit

If stanford wasnt so damn far, I'd pick it. But since it is....
Yale (b/c of drama)

By Mkappus (Mkappus) on Sunday, December 28, 2003 - 05:16 pm: Edit

Harvard because no matter what other school you compare it to, it will always be number one. It is the most recognized worldwide, it is located in a great city, it is beautiful and full of life, and if you are interested in engineering, MIT is two steps away and MIT offers cross training degree programs. Plus I was just accepted there EA so it is my favorite school in the world.

By Papalemming (Papalemming) on Sunday, December 28, 2003 - 05:22 pm: Edit

Stanford, all the way.

By Usna_Reject (Usna_Reject) on Sunday, December 28, 2003 - 05:23 pm: Edit

HARVARD
Just to say I go to HARVARD
boosts my ego
*engineering rocks!*

By Efilsiertaeht (Efilsiertaeht) on Sunday, December 28, 2003 - 05:31 pm: Edit

Stanford.

By Collegeparent (Collegeparent) on Sunday, December 28, 2003 - 06:05 pm: Edit

It all depends on what you want. Each is at the top, all crowded into first place as HYPS. You make the decision based on who you are and what you want. And it's so rare that anyone would be accepted at all four universities and would have to make this choice than it's time to stop this discussion. Everyone's a winner whereever you get accepted in this group, including the schools.

By Collegeguy (Collegeguy) on Sunday, December 28, 2003 - 06:36 pm: Edit

STANFORD: 25
YALE: 15
HARVARD: 12
PRINCETON: 4

By Christinew87 (Christinew87) on Sunday, December 28, 2003 - 07:19 pm: Edit

Stanford, just cause i live about two blocks away. Wonderful atmostphere, if anyone has any questions about the campus you can email me.
Christine
Christinew87@aol.com

By Esmereldasy (Esmereldasy) on Sunday, December 28, 2003 - 08:35 pm: Edit

Yale

By Tennisgrl (Tennisgrl) on Sunday, December 28, 2003 - 08:48 pm: Edit

Harvard. Awesome guest speakers there...when the elite (whether foreign or American) go to speak at a school, they usually go to HARVARD. Also, they have the BEST professors along with probably the most brilliant student body. Plus, its location near Boston and proximity to so many other colleges just adds icing on top.
Um, that's why it's Harvard on top (as opposed to Yale, Stanford, Princeton, etc. etc.) I think their reputation is well-deserved.

So... HANDS DOWN HARVARD!!

By Claybellinger (Claybellinger) on Sunday, December 28, 2003 - 09:53 pm: Edit

Harvard.

By Tlo (Tlo) on Sunday, December 28, 2003 - 10:07 pm: Edit

i spent the summer at Harvard and must say it was incredible. Great small city within a larger metro area. Red Sox. Harvard Square has the best restaurants. Boston is charming and everyone is down to earth or a college student.

By Invisibleman (Invisibleman) on Sunday, December 28, 2003 - 10:57 pm: Edit

Stanford '08 BABY!!!

By Collegeparent (Collegeparent) on Monday, December 29, 2003 - 01:04 pm: Edit

As for the rankings or ratings of colleges, ever notice how their placement is in direct correlation to their endowment? With 25% of the USNWR rating based on "academic reputation by peers," that percentage alone allows for little flexibility in the annual rankings competition.

By Evil_Robot (Evil_Robot) on Monday, December 29, 2003 - 01:15 pm: Edit

Yale

By Aznchuckbrown (Aznchuckbrown) on Monday, December 29, 2003 - 01:16 pm: Edit

Harvard:

Law
Guestspeakers
Decent environment

By Bobmcc (Bobmcc) on Monday, December 29, 2003 - 01:53 pm: Edit

none of the above.

By Momx4 (Momx4) on Monday, December 29, 2003 - 02:00 pm: Edit

I would do Stanford for UG and Harvard for grad school. Actually, I did Harvard for grad school (D.Sc. in Epidemiology from the School of Public Health) and it was a fascinating and inspiring experience.

By Celebrian23 (Celebrian23) on Monday, December 29, 2003 - 02:33 pm: Edit

Harvard!
1.its in boston!!!!!!!!!! yeah go boston!

By Neona (Neona) on Monday, December 29, 2003 - 03:25 pm: Edit

Stanford...cuz I got in EA...

By Suckmycock (Suckmycock) on Monday, December 29, 2003 - 11:30 pm: Edit

Yeah, me too, so my choice is Stanford

By Samueladams (Samueladams) on Tuesday, December 30, 2003 - 12:55 am: Edit

I will throw down one for stanford, for a science/engineering student, the place is better, and just seems more "me", despite the fact that I've yet to visit it. We'll see, they already took me, so I definitely might go there.

By Collegeguy (Collegeguy) on Tuesday, December 30, 2003 - 07:20 am: Edit

Stanford: 31
Yale: 17
Harvard: 17
Princeton: 4

uh oh...looks like harvard is about to pass yale...

and stanford maintains its gigantic lead.

By Footballer (Footballer) on Tuesday, December 30, 2003 - 08:35 am: Edit

Obviously Harvard. That's the first place that any company recruiting students will look. Let's face it, glory comes with the name and doors open.

(by the way, why isn't UPenn here considering its the best in the business department?)

By Kimfuge (Kimfuge) on Tuesday, December 30, 2003 - 10:34 am: Edit

Yale

By Madrigal (Madrigal) on Tuesday, December 30, 2003 - 12:32 pm: Edit

Princeton.

By Snoflakeinjuly (Snoflakeinjuly) on Tuesday, December 30, 2003 - 05:32 pm: Edit

MIT!!!!!!!!!!
unly cuz i got accepted!
but otherwise harvard

By Mmccullough (Mmccullough) on Wednesday, December 31, 2003 - 05:29 pm: Edit

Yale...well, columbia and then yale.

By Nitroxideracer (Nitroxideracer) on Wednesday, December 31, 2003 - 06:14 pm: Edit

Yale

It is undergrad focused (College House system is very cool).

By Collegematerial (Collegematerial) on Wednesday, December 31, 2003 - 10:40 pm: Edit

THe most prestige with respect to name? Harvard without a doubt....

By Monkeyz (Monkeyz) on Wednesday, December 31, 2003 - 11:48 pm: Edit

Harvard

By Pisces3 (Pisces3) on Thursday, January 01, 2004 - 01:31 pm: Edit

Definitely Yale!

By Brownsugar (Brownsugar) on Thursday, January 01, 2004 - 04:23 pm: Edit

I applied to all three and will be rejected by all three. ;)

Stanford. After visiting, there is no doubt in my mind that I would happy there.

By Lawyergirl4989 (Lawyergirl4989) on Friday, January 02, 2004 - 05:39 pm: Edit

Yale

By Reeses (Reeses) on Friday, January 02, 2004 - 07:19 pm: Edit

not applying to any of those (williams for me), but i think i'd choose yale.

By Collegeguy (Collegeguy) on Friday, January 02, 2004 - 08:54 pm: Edit

Stanford: 32
Yale: 23
Harvard: 20
Princeton: 5

By Collegeguy (Collegeguy) on Friday, January 02, 2004 - 08:55 pm: Edit

is princeton really THAT unpopular?

By Jlq3d3 (Jlq3d3) on Friday, January 02, 2004 - 09:20 pm: Edit

well i guess princeton doesnt have anything special. Harvard is for names sake, stanford is for all-around academics and location, yale is supposedly good for undergrad and residential college system.

By Chumboy87 (Chumboy87) on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 - 05:43 pm: Edit

Columbia...didn't even have to think about that one!

By Stevennle (Stevennle) on Saturday, February 28, 2004 - 02:43 am: Edit

princeton!