College Help?

[Traindom]

Hey guys. I'm in that part of my life where I decided where I will go to study for four years and hopefully be the better for it. I haven't the faintest idea of what direction my life is headed right now, and I won't bother you guys with the details, but I was interested in your views on some of the places I might live in.

Yes, this might be a question for College Confidential, but I feel you guys can shed a different light on this topic.

Although I don't know where I've been accepted, (Drexel did accept me), I wanted to hear your opinions on the places I might live in. The schools I am most curious about are Stanford, Drexel, Harvard, Rice University, Columbia, and Princeton. So far I've visited Stanford, University of Miami, and have seen parts of Philadelphia. I'd also like to mention that I know my chances at getting accepted at the majority of these schools are very slim, but I'd like to entertain the thoughts so I am not as packed to choose by May. I find out where I am accepted from March to April.

Please indulge me, whilst I pour out my soul here haha. Hopefully this is the right place to discuss these kinds of worries.

Alright. So I've expressed an interest in engineering, mainly chemical. The idea of making stuff fascinates me, especially readily applicable and useful. I'd like to innovate within my realm of knowledge and utilize my skills to their utmost potential. I don't want my aptness to retrograde. And here is where the puzzle pieces start to link to each other. Stanford has a great chemical engineering track. Columbia and Princeton are not far behind.

Drexel is a pretty good bet, as they've not only accepted me but have also given me some merit-based aid as well. They also have a great program where I can have some actual work experience in my field. This is most definitely my safety school. Rice University is a great school for chemical engineering as well.

I talked about my major so you guys know where I am coming from and could possibly offer advice in regards to the living part of college. Alright, here come my questions.

I visited Stanford a couple of months ago. The campus is beautiful. Lush fields of green compliment the beautiful architecture and the surrounding town, Palo Alto, seemed pretty yuppified, to say the least. I didn't like the "college bubble" idea though. I felt that I would be pretty far apart from my family. I felt that Stanford was pretty secluded. Outside of the bubble, it didn't seem like there was much too do, or much to explore. I went to see San Francisco, Berkeley, and of course, Palo Alto. San Francisco seemed like fun, but I couldn't really get a feel for the city in the short time I was there. I didn't like Berkeley at all. The town was not pleasing to my eyes and senses, no offense to anyone from there. It wasn't my kind of town. What are you guys' experiences in places like San Francisco? What feels did you guys get from the city and Northern California as a whole? My scope may be extremely limited or I'm talking out of my ass, but the women didn't seem very cute when I visited. Any thoughts on this?

What is Houston like? I remember there was a topic a while back where you guys talked about Houston as paling in comparison to the east coast, but I'd like to hear more.

What is Philadelphia like? Is it in the same league as NYC and Boston? And, pardon my curiosity, how are the women here? Don't get the wrong impression, I'm not going to college to become some sort of sex fiend. I've actually opted not to go to places like UCLA or University of Miami because they weren't exactly the best choices for me educationally. UM doesn't even have chemical engineering . I do regret that I wasn't able to see what Miami has to offer culturally, considering it's very close to me. I could have gotten a nice apartment and gone for mechanical engineering but I was pretty sure that I was going to have no direction at all after college.

Another issue I was worried about was travel logistics. I'm very interested in traveling in the near future, and kinda cringed at the thought of being so far away from Latin America. It's the reason why I was a little taken back by the Asian majority in Northern California. It's not that I do not like Asian people, but I feel comfortable and at home with people who speak the same language as me or have the same background. So maybe some of you have passed through the same thing?

Anyway, I'd like to hear any opinions on my situation. Anything that you can shed light on is most welcome.

[Mark]

Nightlife and women: Phillie is not in the same league as NYC or Boston. NYC is in a league of its own. Boston is good but not great. Phillie sucks. Houston sucks. Palo Alto sucks. Do keep in mind though that most of your nightlife/women experience will happen on campus, in dorms, and at house parties... so I don't think this should be a major factor in your decision making

If you get into Harvard, don't ask questions, just go. Ignore the program rankings and all that crap... the intangible and indirect benefits of being a Harvard alum are just ridiculous. I have friends who went there, and my ex-girlfriend is currently getting her Master's there, and it's insane the advantages they all get, even after being out of school for 4-5 years.

NYC has direct flights to all over the world. SF and Boston do to a lesser extent. Either way, world travel would not be difficult from either coast. Houston to Latin America is easy as well.

[Traindom]

Wow, thanks for the quick response! I didn't know that about Harvard. That's just what I wanted to hear. Good thing too, considering I had a stellar interview haha. So I imagine some of the advantages are mainly a superb network and recognition? Even better than work experience at Drexel it seems.

It's also good to see travel won't be significantly hindered on either coast.

[crazyhorse]

What makes a harvard graduate better then a graduate from another school? I'm just wondering

Here in Belgium we're having the same with vlerick management school (in the top 100 of best schools worldwide). But let's take "international law", isn't that supposed to be the same at Harvard then at Vlerick or any other school?

[Mark]

Who you meet at school is just as important, or often more important, than what you actually study there. Harvard introduces you to the highest networks in the world. Just one example, my ex-girlfriend works in international education and development. She was an undergraduate at Boston University, which is also one of the top 100 schools in the world. She got good internships and worked with some great organizations, both in the US and abroad. She's in graduate school at Harvard now, not even done with her first year. She's been introduced to multiple US Ambassadors, the Secretary of Education of the United Kingdom (and trades emails with him regularly), is currently applying for six-figure grants to start her own NGO in Africa... and she's barely finished with one semester there.

I know other Harvard people with similar stories. The connections the university gives you are just ridiculous. Not to mention the prestige. Vlerick or Drexel or something may technically teach you the same amount, but when you drop a resume on someone's desk and it says "Harvard MBA" across the top, it's going to make a powerful impression. The brand is very powerful. If you look at heads of state, and CEO's of fortune 500 companies, a ridiculously disproportionate amount of them went to Harvard and/or Yale. And it's not because they learned more there... As they say, it's not what you know, it's who you know.

[Traindom]

Whoa. I knew there was some reason to like a school like Harvard, but so far, what you have told me is so eye-opening. Thanks for explaining this part of the college process. I'm so excited to see if I get accepted now! I've had people's whispers in my ear imply that prestige is overrated. Farthest thing from the truth it seems haha.

[Mark]

I would say it's overrated on the naked job market. But the networking opportunities are not overrated. Harvard is by far the richest university in the world. They will have the best internship opportunities, the best corporate relationships, the best guest speakers, etc., etc. The campus is also more beautiful than most churches I've been to.

You can't really go wrong with any of the schools you applied to. But like I said, if I was 18 and I got into Harvard, having friends who went there and having spent time there, I would pick them in a heart beat.

[Matt T]

If you're going to pick a top ~20 school to attend, make sure it has grade inflation.


Speaking as someone who attended a top 20 school (Rice) that didn't have grade inflation, trust me, it's a living hell.

[Tim]

Mark Wrote:I would say it's overrated on the naked job market. But the networking opportunities are not overrated. Harvard is by far the richest university in the world. They will have the best internship opportunities, the best corporate relationships, the best guest speakers, etc., etc. The campus is also more beautiful than most churches I've been to.

You can't really go wrong with any of the schools you applied to. But like I said, if I was 18 and I got into Harvard, having friends who went there and having spent time there, I would pick them in a heart beat.

Agree with Mark. It's all about perception. An Ivy may not actually be better than other similar schools, but the public and business perception is that they are. It's actually pretty unfortunate, because it breeds an in-crowd mentality that will drag all but the most talented and lucky down. I hate Ivy snobbery for that sole reason. I don't care if I never go to your school, but if it damages my career prospects then I will. Oh, and we haven't mentioned the connections that secret societies (e.g. Yale's Skull and Cross Bones, where a number of former US presidents were members of) bring. Luckily I think we're heading into an age where actual ability and knowledge is going to start trumping social connections and a thick resume.

One thing I'd note is that depending on your degree or major you may occasionally want to base which school you go to on that. Harvard usually trumps all, but Stanford or MIT is probably more valuable for engineering, depending on where you want to take it. I don't know a lot about each degree, but I'm sure there are other areas where this is the same.

[Traindom]

I didn't even consider grade inflation. Thanks, I will look into it.

The Harvard interviewer actually told me that they were trying to revamp their engineering. It seems they have mechanical engineering and, with cross-registration, I can partake in the MIT chemical engineering program. And something that also came to mind is that their financial aid is pretty stellar. They supposedly want no one with an income of $65,000 to $150,000 to pay more than ten percent of it to attend.

Well, we'll have to see how it goes for me. Fingers crossed here.

[machiavelli]

Palo Alto sucks ass. The Harvard network is insanely powerful. I know both of these things firsthand; just dropping the note to confirm. If you get into Harvard, go to Harvard. Otherwise, put up with the hell of Palo Alto and go to Stanford: for engineering anything it blows away everything except the tech schools. Speaking of which, why no MIT/Caltech apps?

[crazyhorse]

Mark Wrote:Who you meet at school is just as important, or often more important, than what you actually study there. Harvard introduces you to the highest networks in the world. Just one example, my ex-girlfriend works in international education and development. She was an undergraduate at Boston University, which is also one of the top 100 schools in the world. She got good internships and worked with some great organizations, both in the US and abroad. She's in graduate school at Harvard now, not even done with her first year. She's been introduced to multiple US Ambassadors, the Secretary of Education of the United Kingdom (and trades emails with him regularly), is currently applying for six-figure grants to start her own NGO in Africa... and she's barely finished with one semester there.

I know other Harvard people with similar stories. The connections the university gives you are just ridiculous. Not to mention the prestige. Vlerick or Drexel or something may technically teach you the same amount, but when you drop a resume on someone's desk and it says "Harvard MBA" across the top, it's going to make a powerful impression. The brand is very powerful. If you look at heads of state, and CEO's of fortune 500 companies, a ridiculously disproportionate amount of them went to Harvard and/or Yale. And it's not because they learned more there... As they say, it's not what you know, it's who you know.

yeah I figured it was something like that. I have a friend who's now attending Antwerp Management School and he has told me about this. It's quite a high sum of money to pay though. But it just shows that, if later on in your adult life, you have kids, and you can send them to one of these schools. Do it.

Mark Wrote:I would say it's overrated on the naked job market. But the networking opportunities are not overrated. Harvard is by far the richest university in the world. They will have the best internship opportunities, the best corporate relationships, the best guest speakers, etc., etc. The campus is also more beautiful than most churches I've been to.

You can't really go wrong with any of the schools you applied to. But like I said, if I was 18 and I got into Harvard, having friends who went there and having spent time there, I would pick them in a heart beat.

I heared Obama also went to Harvard. Which is funny cause if you read his biography (read an article in a magazine), he says to come frome a poor background. I don't know if all of this is 100% correct.

[Traindom]

I didn't even think to apply because at the time I was still unsure as to what I would study. And even then, I was repulsed by the competitive and cold feel I got from MIT. Childish, I know, but yeah it's too late for me to apply now.

Machiavelli, do you have personal experience with Palo Alto? Please tell me there's something redeemable there haha. Is the Harvard network that much stronger compared to schools like Stanford and Columbia?

Anyway, I'd love to hear your thoughts on Palo Alto.

[machiavelli]

Basically nobody at Stanford goes out into Palo Alto -- the university is very paternalistic with undergrads -- it's called "the bubble" sometimes. What that essentially means is that unlike most college towns, Palo Alto isn't dominated by students. It's dominated by a combination of rich old white people (and I do mean rich -- check out the housing values if you want a real scare), and tech industry folks, also with too much money and precious little taste. There are a couple of college bars, but even those aren't really dominated by students. Lots of Priuses. Lots of yuppies with children. Lots of expensive restaurants. Lots of rug stores, for some bizarre reason. And it's much harder than you might think to get to SF (crappy transit + no parking).

On the other hand, the weather is nice.

As for networks, I don't know from Columbia. The Stanford network is pretty strong, but I still get the sense that the Harvard name opens more doors.

[Traindom]

Oh I see. Basically confirms what I saw. Good to know haha. I thought it was in my head. Thanks for letting me know. Did you live around Palo Alto at some time in your life? Or did you visit? Since Palo Alto sounds to be totally barren in terms of women, are the women in the bubble at least cute enough to make up for it?

We'll see how it goes though. I'll definitely post where I got accepted here and we can either have a big celebration or a "it's not so bad" cheer-up. I root for the former.

[machiavelli]

Spent some time in P.A. Sadly.

It is definitely barren in terms of women. For undergrads, Stanford is ok ratio-wise (only because the undergrad/grad worlds are almost totally socially isolated -- which is good for undergrad men, because grad Stanford is a massive sausage fest) but not so hot attractiveness-wise. You often see more attractive guys with less attractive girls, because there's also a big sports thing, so basically all the dudes are in shape and good looking and not all of the women are...

[Mark]

Can't speak for Stanford, but I have friends in both Harvard and Colombia. My ex got into both, and she actually preferred the program/classes/professors at Colombia. Ultimately she went with Harvard because of the networking opportunities, and she says it was by far the correct decision.

With that said, you can't really go wrong with Stanford or Colombia. Both are excellent schools.

[Leo]

Colombia? You really liked Medellin. Lol!

[Traindom]

Thanks for the responses. It's a shame to hear about Palo Alto. But yeah, hopefully some of these schools will accept me and I'll go there after some heavy thinking. Thanks everyone!

[Mark]

Leo Wrote:Colombia? You really liked Medellin. Lol!

Lol... apparently.