Stanford or Princeton for Undergrad for IB or PE
I am planning to major in econ at both and am currently split in half to decide between the two colleges.
I know Princeton would be better for traditional IB and better undergrad network but Stanford has better access to PE from undergrad and opportunities at VC.
My biggest concern for Princeton is their grade deflation since your GPA is important for finance and my biggest concern for Stanford is their majority tech culture and less undergrad focus and support than Princeton.
I would appreciate any kind of help and advice!
flip a coin and randomize
Agree that these are pretty much two equal (and great) options. With that in mind, I'd say there are really only two things that should determine your decision:
Other things you might consider:
Things I wouldn't consider:
In either case, you killed it so congrats. Also, you already know you want to do IB/PE, which means you'll be a step ahead of your peers who decide that's their path in their soph/junior/even senior year.
Lastly, I'm from east coast and had friends that landed at both of these schools. FWIW, getting into Stanford had a tad more of a "wow" factor for east coast people than getting into Princeton. That has nothing to do with career prospects, though.
Congrats! You must be a really smart kid and this is a great “problem” to be faced with. Really can’t go wrong with either. Princeton may help marginally more on the East Coast (Stanford will have more alumni / opportunities on the West Coast but won’t close you off from exploring other geographies). I would focus less on recruiting and where you see yourself fitting in better, assuming cost/location isn’t an issue.
Go visit both campuses and see which you like more, can’t go wrong with either
Stanford probably easier academically and warm weather always a plus. Difference in prestige/outcomes is marginal.
Maybe I'm off the mark (went to neither for undergrad), but given the smaller class size at Stanford, I think it's viewed as a touch more special/elite. FWIW, I also think Stanford may place slightly better for MBA, particularly I've noticed that many GSB-ers also went to Stanford for undergrad.
princeton class size is smaller than stanford's by around 2500 i think
Oops you're right, I was wrong. I think the acceptance rate is marginally tougher for Stanford nonetheless.
I would go Stanford and stay in California long term (LA or bust)
I go to Princeton and managed to get a good job from here. I think I would have been happier elsewhere.
Stanford - better weather, higher average undergrad GPA (anecdotally), and stronger alumni network in tech/VC. Not too many people are interested in IB so you will also have less competition from Stanford.
stanford student here - stanford is awesome, the weather is awesome (lowkey this might be the biggest factor), tech is awesome, people are laidback and not so uptight like the eastcoast - come to paradise pls!
Congrats. These schools are so similar in terms of prestige. I’d challenge someone to find a job that is accessible to a student at one school and not the other.
Given that, I would just consider the locations and which you think you will enjoy more. Do you have family on east/west coast, where do you want to be post grad, etc.
GPA deflation is a big problem. Go Stanford. And do you already have both offers ?
Grade deflation is huge at Princeton - esp Econ major and this is a disaster when looking for a job. Econ average graduating GPA at Princeton is 3.2 and employers take 3.9 from semi targets every time. Because of this it makes P very stressful. 9 suicides since 2021.
Stanford
This is literally just whether you like East or West coast better.
Can I DM you? Curious as to how you got into both.
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