College Comparisons Archives - collegegazette.com https://collegegazette.com/category/college-comparisons/ News, Rankings, and More on Higher Education Tue, 06 Sep 2022 17:59:05 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.1 Yale Vs Stanford – Which School Is Better? https://collegegazette.com/yale-vs-stanford/ Tue, 06 Sep 2022 17:58:59 +0000 https://collegegazette.com/?p=7760 Founded in 1718, Yale University is a private research college located in New Haven, CT. It is one of the eight universities that make up the elite Ivy League, placing it among the most well-renowned colleges in the entire world.   In addition to being one of the best universities out there, Yale is also the […]

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Founded in 1718, Yale University is a private research college located in New Haven, CT. It is one of the eight universities that make up the elite Ivy League, placing it among the most well-renowned colleges in the entire world.  

In addition to being one of the best universities out there, Yale is also the third oldest institution for higher education in the United States, having granted its very first degrees in 1718. 

Total undergraduate enrollment at the school is around 4,700 as of the fall of 2020.

Spanning 373 acres of urban Connecticut, Yale’s campus is home to fourteen constituent schools that collectively make up the university. These include the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, 10 professional schools, and the original undergraduate college.

Additionally, the school has over 500 different student clubs and extracurricular activities, offering tons of opportunities for students to engage with their interests.

Located in the heart of California’s Bay Area — and all the way on the opposite side of the country from Yale — is the famous Stanford University, another private research university with a reputation for excellence.  

Although not one of the Ivies, Stanford is considered by many to be a similarly strong school. In fact, Stanford regularly outranks multiple Ivy League schools on publications such as US News and World Report’s annual list of the best colleges in the country.

The college was established in 1885, with just 555 students enrolling when the school first opened its doors. As of the fall of 2020, Stanford had a total undergraduate enrollment of 6,366 students.  

For those who are interested in learning more about how Yale and Stanford are similar and how they differ, we have compiled the following article comparing factors such as acceptance rates, academic requirements, rankings, and much more. 


Yale Vs. Stanford – Academic Requirements for Admission

Yale University
Helpfullguy99, Jonathan Edwards Courtyard, CC BY-SA 4.0

Yale University and Stanford University are known for having extremely high admissions standards, a logical result of being highly sought-after institutions for higher education.

Neither Yale nor Stanford requires a specific minimum GPA or standardized test scores. In lieu of having strict admission requirements in terms of test scores and grades, each of the two schools uses its own version of a more holistic approach to the undergraduate admission selection process. 

That being said, it remains true that the two schools only admit students with solid academic credentials. 

Additionally, both schools require that applicants submit an official high school transcript — including a list of all courses taken and grades earned — so it is safe to say that academic ability is one of the essential considerations in the admissions process.

The median high school GPA of those who are accepted to Stanford as first-year students at Stanford is an impressive 3.96. This means that in order to be a competitive applicant to the school, students should earn mostly As in all of their high school courses.

Stanford students are certainly a high-achieving bunch, but Yale students are perhaps ever higher achievers, at least in terms of academic performance during high school. 

The average high school GPA of first-year students at Yale is 4.14 — meaning that taking AP or IB classes is absolutely essential to being in the top 50% of applicants at this college.

The average accepted student at Yale has a slight edge over the average Stanford student when it comes to standardized test scores as well. While the average Stanford freshman got an impressive SAT score of 1505 and an ACT score of 34, the middle 50% of Yale first-years earned an SAT score 1515.


Yale Vs. Stanford – Ranking, Acceptance Rates, and More

According to the most recent edition of US News and World Report’s annual ranked list of the best global universities, Yale University ranks twelfth among all colleges worldwide. Looking only at colleges and universities in the United States, it is ranked fifth.

Coming in right behind Yale in the #6 spot on the list of best national universities is Stanford University. Stanford University, on the other hand, Stanford University is currently ranked sixth best in the nation. Interestingly, according to the list of best global universities, Stanford is ranked third in the world. 

Yale received more first-year applications during the 2022 application cycle than ever before in school history. That year, an astounding 50,015 students applied for admission to Yale’s first-year class of 2026.

This year was significant for Yale admissions in another regard: the acceptance rate also hit an all-time low, with just 2,234 students — which is equal to a mere 4.46% — out of the record-breaking applicant pool being offered admission to the school.

During the 2021 admission cycle, Stanford also made school history in terms of the record-breaking size of the applicant pool and lower-than-ever acceptance rates. Stanford received  55,471 applications for the first-year class of 2025, accepting just 2,190 students into the school.

This means that the acceptance rate for that year was a little under 4% — down by more than a percent from the 5.19% acceptance rate seen the year before.

 From this pool of applicants — the largest in the school’s history — only 2,190 students were offered admission, making the acceptance rate this year just under 4%. 

In general, Yale’s and Stanford’s admissions have been following similar trends in recent years.  More and more students are applying to these colleges, which partially contributes to each school’s seemingly ever-shrinking acceptance rate. 


Deciding Whether to Attend Yale or Stanford

Stanford University Department of Psychology
Emma Pease, Jordan Hall, Stanford University, CC BY-SA 4.0

Suppose you are considering going to either Yale University or Stanford University. 

In that case, you should rest assured: no matter which one you ultimately decide to attend, you are sure to receive a very high-quality education, complete with all the resources, opportunities, facilities, and faculty mentorship you will need to succeed throughout these crucial four years of your life.

That being said, several important aspects of each school can play a huge role in determining student satisfaction at one given school versus another, such as location.

Yale’s New Haven is a coastal city situated along Long Island Sound, with a population of just over 130,000 people. The charming urban landscape is a well-loved locale with ample entertainment, dining, and other recreational opportunities.

On the other hand, Stanford is located on the coast of Northern California, not far from major urban centers like San Jose and San Francisco. The town of Stanford has a population of just 16,000, making it far smaller than New Haven.

Some students may find the bustling atmosphere of a well-populated city appealing, while others may prefer smaller towns’ peaceful, charming calm. The former group of students may be more likely to be content at Yale, while the latter may be happier at Stanford. 

In terms of campus size, however, Stanford is actually far larger than Yale. Stanford’s campus occupies a vast 8,180 acres of suburban territory, while Yale’s campus spans a comparatively small 373 acres. 

For many people, the cost is one of the primary concerns in mind when looking at different colleges. 

For the 2022-23 academic year, the estimated cost of one year of undergraduate study — including tuition, fees, and other expenses — at Stanford is approximately $82,000. Yale is nearly the same price, with tuition and fees for one year coming to $80,700.


RECAP – Which Is the Better School, Yale or Stanford?

If you have been waiting for the moment when we will finally reveal to you which of the two schools, Yale or Stanford, we think is the superior one, then we are sorry: we will have to let you down. 

Neither school is better than the other, as both are amazing, highly-prestigious colleges that are known for providing some of the best undergraduate education the world has to offer.

At the end of the day, it is more worthwhile to ask yourself what you are looking for in a college, what your career goals are, where you would like to spend your college years, and other questions relating to your individual needs and preferences.

There is no way to know for certain if Yale University or Stanford University will be a better fit for you as an individual student — at least without experiencing each of the two schools firsthand — but asking yourself these questions is a great way to strengthen your sense of what you are looking for.

For example, the size of the student body and the average class sizes are factors that significantly shape student experience at a given school.

Yale has a student-to-faculty ratio of just 4:1, with 77% of classes having 20 or fewer students. Stanford trails closely behind, with about five students per faculty member and almost 70% of classes with 20 students or fewer.

Each school has its own set of strengths and areas of expertise. 

Over the course of its long history, Yale has earned itself a reputation for having excellent program offerings in the performing arts, especially music and theater. Yale is also known for its law school, which has been ranked #1 in the country by US News and World Report every year since 1994.
For students considering STEM majors, Stanford may be the better choice. It is currently tied for being the best college for studying computer science in the US and ranking second for its excellent undergraduate engineering programs.

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UCLA Vs Stanford – Which School Is Better? https://collegegazette.com/ucla-vs-stanford/ Tue, 06 Sep 2022 17:41:47 +0000 https://collegegazette.com/?p=7755 Established in 1919, the University of California – Los Angeles is perhaps the most widely known of the nine schools making up the UC system.  Also located in the Golden State is Stanford University, a highly-esteemed private research university that is nestled in the heart of California’s Bay Area, about 30 miles outside of San […]

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Established in 1919, the University of California – Los Angeles is perhaps the most widely known of the nine schools making up the UC system

Also located in the Golden State is Stanford University, a highly-esteemed private research university that is nestled in the heart of California’s Bay Area, about 30 miles outside of San Francisco. As of fall 2020, Stanford had a total undergraduate enrollment of 6,366 students, making the school’s student body only about 20% the size of that of UCLA.

Each of these two great schools — Stanford and UCLA — is famous for providing students with an excellent education under the instruction of many talented faculty members who are leading experts in their respective academic fields of study. 

Both schools have been ranked higher than several Ivies, both in terms of general quality as a college and with regard to more specific subject areas.  

It hardly even needs to be said that both UCLA and Stanford are great choices for any future college students out there who are looking for rigorous academics, abundant extracurricular activity offerings, knowledgeable faculty mentors, state-of-the-art facilities, and all of the other elements that go into an amazing college experience.  

If you are interested in learning more about how UCLA and Stanford are similar and different — from their varying admissions standards, academic requirements, rankings, and more, then the following article is for you. 

Read on to learn more about each of these two phenomenal colleges, and then we will discuss some factors to consider when deciding which school to attend.


UCLA Vs. Stanford – Academic Requirements for Admission

UCLA Kaplan Hall
Beyond My Ken, UCLA Kaplan Hall, CC BY-SA 4.0

The University of California – Los Angeles and Stanford University have both earned themselves a globally-acknowledged reputation for being highly prestigious universities. 

Thus, it is only natural that each of these two elite schools has a quite strict set of academic requirements for admission. 

In fact, UCLA receives more applications each year than any other college in the country, so it is especially easy to understand why such a highly sought-after college would need to set the bar for admission relatively high. 

It should be noted that despite the selective nature of each school’s admissions department, neither UCLA nor Stanford require a specific GPA for first-year applicants to be considered for admission.

Instead, both schools take a holistic approach to undergraduate admissions, meaning that each element of the application bundle is considered to get a sense of who the student is as a whole individual — beyond just what is reflected by GPA and test scores alone.

The median GPA for students accepted as first-years at UCLA is 4.54 on a weighted scale, equal to a perfect 4.0 GPA on an unweighted scale. 

At Stanford, the average first-year student earned a high school GPA of 3.96 on an unweighted scale. This median is slightly lower than that of UCLA, but it still stands that in order to be a competitive applicant to Stanford, students need to work hard and earn nearly straight As in honors and AP courses during high school.

When it comes to standardized test scores, UCLA’s standards continue to be high, with the average accepted first-year student earning 1405 on the SAT or 31 on the ACT.

Stanford’s median test scores are even higher than UCLA’s, with the average SAT score of accepted students being 1505 and the average ACT score is 34. 


UCLA Vs. Stanford – Ranking, Acceptance Rates, and More

Stanford University School of Law
Public domain photo via Wikimedia Commons

According to the 2022 edition of US News and World Report’s annual list of school rankings, the University of California – Los Angeles is the 20th best university in the United States. On the other hand, Stanford University is currently ranked sixth-best in the nation. 

Looking only at public schools, however, UCLA is second to none, sitting in the first place spot on the 2022 list of top public colleges and universities.

Stanford has its areas of particular strength as well. For one, it is tied for being the best college for studying computer science in the country. Stanford is among the best of the best in undergraduate engineering programs, tying for second place.

In the fall of 2021, UCLA received 139,490 first-year applications. Out of this pool of applicants, just over 15,000 students were offered admission to the school, making the acceptance rate for that year 11%. 

Just one year later, however, UCLA’s acceptance rate dropped by a little over 2.5% to 8.6%. The school received 149,183 first-year applications that year, accepting only 12,825 students into the school.

The 2022 admission cycle at UCLA marked the lowest acceptance rate seen at the school in a decade. 

Stanford’s admissions process has also undergone a similar trend toward being more selective, as the school has seen a considerable drop in acceptance rates in the past few years. 

During the most recent admission cycle, Stanford received 55,471 applications for the first-year class of 2025. From this pool of applicants — the largest in the school’s history — only 2,190 students were offered admission, making the acceptance rate this year just under 4%. 

This figure — which is the lowest acceptance rate in the entire history of Stanford — represents a 1.24% decrease from the previous year’s rate of 5.19%.


Deciding Whether to Attend UCLA or Stanford

At the end of the day, there is no definitive guide to determining if Stanford University of the University of California – Los Angeles is the best fit for you. 

Where you should go to college depends on numerous factors, such as your preferences for location, size, and your preferred learning environment. 

For one, UCLA is far more extensive than Stanford in terms of the size of the undergraduate student body. On the other hand, the tables are turned when it comes to campus size. 

While UCLA’s urban campus takes up 419 acres of LA’s Westwood neighborhood, Stanford is stretched out over a vast 8,180 acres of suburban coastal land. 

In addition to location and size, the cost is also one of the biggest concerns the vast majority of people have regarding the college decision-making process. 

At UCLA, 69% of first-year students receive some amount of institutional or federal financial aid. At Stanford, on the other hand, over 80% of all undergraduate students receive tuition support, with 55% of these students getting money directly from the school.

Of course, one must also consider how much tuition to each of these respective schools costs to begin with. The estimated cost of one year of undergraduate study at Stanford is approximately $56,000, including tuition and all other fees. 

Looking solely at the sticker of each school, however, UCLA is a much more cost-friendly choice than Stanford. A year of tuition and fees at UCLA costs approximately $14,000 for students who are legal residents of the state of California, and about $43,000 for out-of-state students — the latter number still being more than $10K cheaper than Stanford.

The difference in cost can be partially explained by another key difference between the two schools: Stanford is a private institution and therefore relies heavily on private endowments, while UCLA is a public school and therefore receives government support.


RECAP – Which Is the Better School, UCLA or Stanford?

If you have been waiting for an answer as to which school, the University of California Los Angeles or Stanford University, is the better one, then unfortunately you will be disappointed to hear our answer: neither. 

Both UCLA and Stanford are outstanding colleges, each with its own unique strengths. 

When it comes to the specific program offerings, faculty members, and resources available at UCLA and Stanford, the many features that distinguish the two schools from one another begin to emerge. 

In addition to the difference in rank we discussed in the above sections, one might also consider, for example, Stanford’s long-standing position within the top 5 on US News and World Report’s annual list of the best law schools in the United States. 

UCLA also has a highly-rated law school, but UCLA Law generally hovers around near the bottom of the first tier, meaning the top 14 schools.

For students who are looking to attend a college with small class sizes, Stanford may be the ideal choice between the two colleges. UCLA has a student-to-faculty ratio of 18:1 — which one would generally consider relatively small.

Stanford, however, boasts an impossibly small student-to-faculty ratio of 5:1. The college emphasizes the importance of fostering close academic relationships between students and faculty members, creating a very close campus atmosphere and a robust alumni network

For those who are interested in undergraduate research opportunities, UCLA may have a slight edge over Stanford, as UCLA’s research efforts are extremely well-funded.

While Stanford’s annual research expenditure in 2022 was a whopping $1.2 billion — the tenth largest of any university in the country — UCLA’s was even greater that year at $1.4 billion, placing the school seventh in the nation.

In sum, both are excellent choices of institutions for higher education — it just depends on what you are looking for. 

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Berkeley Vs Stanford – Which School Is Better? https://collegegazette.com/berkeley-vs-stanford/ Tue, 06 Sep 2022 16:39:07 +0000 https://collegegazette.com/?p=7733 As the most populous state in the union, California has a lot of students to serve. And as one of the country’s wealthiest states, California has many excellent schools to work with those students. One of the most famous is Stanford University. Founded in 1885, Stanford is one of the nation’s most respected private research […]

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As the most populous state in the union, California has a lot of students to serve. And as one of the country’s wealthiest states, California has many excellent schools to work with those students.

One of the most famous is Stanford University. Founded in 1885, Stanford is one of the nation’s most respected private research institutions. Over the years, the school has been associated with some of the most respected leaders in a variety of fields, including former President Herbert Hoover, 74 billionaires, and winners of nearly every major award.

Thanks to the school’s $37.8 billion endowment, Stanford can devote itself to cutting-edge research. In 1959, Arthur Kornberg won the Nobel Prize in Medicine for the synthesis of DNA material he performed in Stanford labs. 

In 1996, Stanford Ph.D. students Larry Page and Sergey Brin began a school project which would eventually become the internet giant Google.

Although a public institution, the University of California at Berkeley has an equally impressive history. Founded shortly before Stanford in 1868, Berkeley is the oldest school in the University of California system.

For some, UC Berkeley is synonymous with the counter-culture movements of the 1960s, as its campus was a home for free speech and creative expression. But that only scratches the surface of the school’s offerings.

Like Stanford, UC Berkeley has hosted discoveries that have changed the way we live. Scientists at Berkeley discovered both carbon 14 and launched the Supernova Cosmology Project, the system that allowed us to study dark matter. 

The school is the alma mater of famed business leaders and innovators, such as Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and Mozilla founder Mitchell Baker.

Clearly, both schools have much to be proud of. But which one is better?


Berkeley Vs. Stanford – Academic Requirements for Admission

UC Berkeley
Zpwilliams, Bowles Residential Hall (UC Berkeley) (2016), CC BY-SA 4.0

Both Berkeley and Stanford are two of the most respected and popular schools in the country. And for that reason, it’s very hard to get accepted into either.

As a public school, Berkeley does have a mandate to be more accessible, especially for citizens of California. Therefore, the school requires all the basic things you would expect for a college application. You must complete an application, submit transcripts, and (if you choose) standardized test scores.

That might seem straightforward, but it’s essential to remember that Berkeley has very high expectations for its students’ grades. 

Although the school does not list a minimum grade point average requirement, the average GPA of those accepted into the school is an extremely high 3.89. To earn a GPA that high, one must score nearly all A’s in high school, with maybe one or two B’s in a non-major subject.

While Berkeley does not accept letters of recommendation, students can offset a lower GPA by writing a strong admissions essay. 

In most cases, Berkeley offers applicants several different prompts, usually about one’s character or values, and requires 350-word responses. These essays give applicants a chance to explain themselves and the ways they can improve Berkeley’s student body.

One might expect Stanford to have a far more complex application system, as it is a private institution. 

However, it requires most of the same things as Berkeley, including an application and transcripts. Like Berkeley, Stanford does not require standardized test scores in an application, but it does ask for three letters of recommendation.

As high as Berkeley’s average GPA is, Stanford is even higher, coming in at 3.96. Again, such a rate leaves little room for any grade that isn’t an A. However, Stanford uses not only application essays but also an interview, which allows students to make a case for their acceptance, even with slightly lower grades.


Berkeley Vs. Stanford – Ranking, Acceptance Rates, and More

As you might expect from those exacting requirements, neither Berkeley nor Stanford have high acceptance rates. 

Between the two, Berkeley is a bit more lenient, operating with an acceptance rate of 17.5%. That should be no surprise, as Berkeley is a public school and a member of the University of California system, which encourages transfers from California community colleges.

As a prestigious private school, Stanford has a much lower acceptance rate of 5.2%. In fact, that’s one of the lowest acceptance rates in the country, rivaled only by Ivy League schools such as Harvard and Yale, which accept 4.0% and 4.6% of their applicants.

With such low odds, it’s entirely reasonable to wonder why anyone would even try to apply to either school. After all, even by Berkeley’s rate, fewer than 2 out of 10 students would make the cut.

The answer to that question can be found by looking at the rankings these schools have garnered.

According to U.S. News & World Report, the most respected of the ranking outlets, UC Berkeley is the 22nd best school in the nation. 

It stands out even more on the magazine’s specialized lists. On the list of top public schools, only sister school the University of California – Los Angeles tops Berkeley. U.S News ranks Berkeley as home to the 3rd best business program in the U.S. and the 7th best school for veterans.

The same outlet gives Stanford incredibly high marks. U.S News ranks Stanford as the 6th best school in the U.S., tied with the University of Chicago. On specialized lists, Stanford falls within the top ten in several categories, including best value schools (9th), most innovative schools (7th), and best colleges for graduates (6th).

A quick glance at these rankings might suggest that Stanford outdoes UC Berkeley. But one notices something interesting when looking at the lists for best engineering programs and best computer science programs. On both of those lists, Stanford ties Berkeley for first or second place.


Deciding Whether to Attend Berkeley or Stanford

Stanford University
Public domain photo via Wikimedia Commons

With both schools ranking so close to one another, the choice of school comes down to your plans as a student. While both schools are excellent, Stanford and Berkeley have very different offerings.

At UC Berkeley, you’ll find one of the world’s best optometry schools. Berkeley Optometry boasts some of the best resources for students, such as the Meredith W. Morgan University Eye Center and the Tang Eye Center, in which students gain hands-on experience while improving the vision of its community members. 

It’s no wonder that Berkeley Optometry’s faculty and alumni list includes former American Optometric Association presidents and the American Academy of Optometry.

Those interested in meteorology can work at the Berkeley Atmospheric Sciences Center. The central hub for all atmospheric research and academics at Berkeley, the Center offers students and faculty access to state-of-the-art technology. 

Through these offerings, students gain insight into topics such as smog effects, climate variability, and more.

As you probably know, Stanford is no slouch in the science department.

That’s particularly evident with the Stanford School of Medicine, considered by most to be among the best in the world. 

Stanford Med builds its reputation thanks in part to its association with Stanford Health Care, a level-I trauma center and 620 beds. Even better, Stanford Med boasts a compliment of teachers who have earned the world’s respect, including the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physiology recipient, Thomas C. Südhof.


While UC Berkeley does not have a medical school, there is a 5-year joint program with UCSF students can participate in.

On the legal side of things, there’s Stanford Law School, founded in 1893 and once featured classes taught by former President Benjamin Harrison. Today, Stanford Law regularly ranks within the top five American law schools.

Stanford Law builds its reputation not only with its remarkable faculty and alumni but also with its additions to the world of academia. The school publishes a number of top-level journals, such as the Stanford Law Review, the Stanford Journal of International Law, and the Stanford Journal of Civil Rights & Civil Liberties.

That being said, UC Berkeley is among the best law schools in the entire world, and both Stanford and Berkeley are members of the prestigious “T14” law school club


RECAP – Which Is the Better School, Berkeley or Stanford?

If California is your dream, then you will certainly be happy at either Berkeley or Stanford. Both schools have been the site of social change and important discoveries, revolutionizing art, technology, and more. And as such important schools, Stanford and Berkeley expect nothing but the best from those admitted into their programs.

Both schools use fairly standard application systems, requiring transcripts and admissions essays. 

And both schools expect to see nearly perfect As on those transcripts, with Berkeley allowing a little more room for error. However, neither school requires standardized test scores, at least for the 2022-2023 school year.

Because of their high requirements, neither school has a high admission rate. Stanford brings in a smaller percentage of students, resulting in an acceptance rate of just 5.2%, but even Berkeley’s slightly larger 17.5% is very low.

The schools can turn away so many students precisely because they enjoy extremely high rankings. While Stanford comes in slightly higher at 6th in the nation, above Berkeley’s 22nd in the nation, the two institutions find themselves tied in subjects such as computer science and engineering.

In short, both schools are among the best in the world. The decision really comes down to your own plans and preferences. No matter what school you choose, no one would ever feel embarrassed to hang a diploma on the wall, whether it comes from Stanford University or the University of California at Berkeley.

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Harvard Vs Stanford – Which School Is Better? https://collegegazette.com/harvard-vs-stanford/ Tue, 30 Aug 2022 21:58:56 +0000 https://collegegazette.com/?p=7703 Harvard and Stanford are two of the best and most competitive universities in the United States.  Both schools stand ready to fund student endeavors with massive monetary endowments – $37 billion in Stanford’s case and $42 billion at Harvard. Both institutions are private. Founded in 1636, Harvard was the first college in the American colonies.  […]

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Harvard and Stanford are two of the best and most competitive universities in the United States. 

Both schools stand ready to fund student endeavors with massive monetary endowments – $37 billion in Stanford’s case and $42 billion at Harvard.

Both institutions are private. Founded in 1636, Harvard was the first college in the American colonies. 

Stanford was established nearly 250 years later by California senator Leland Stanford. In any given year, 7,000 and 8,000 undergraduates pursue their academic interests at Harvard or Stanford. A smaller student population is conducive to an ideal student-to-faculty ratio (7:1 at Harvard and 5:1 at Stanford).

Many of America’s most respected and successful political figures, inventors, and businesspeople got their start in the halls of Harvard and Stanford buildings.

 Harvard is home to eight U.S. presidents and 21 Supreme Court justices! More than 150 Nobel Prize laureates earned their degrees at Harvard, in addition to the CEOs of major corporations like Microsoft, Airbnb, the Coca-Cola Company, and Adidas. 

Stanford has no shortage of famed alumni. Situated in the area known as “Silicon Valley,” many technology entrepreneurs – such as the CEOs/founders of WhatsApp, Netflix, and Instagram – got their start at Stanford. 

Stanford additionally educated four Supreme Court justices, 14 Olympic athletes, and Sally Ride, the first U.S. woman in space.

We could write pages and pages discussing the various assets that both Harvard and Stanford make available for students’ disposal. 

In the following article, we will discuss the admissions requirements, rankings, competitive acceptance rates, and facts about the learning environment that make either school an outstanding choice for earning an undergraduate degree.


Harvard Vs. Stanford – Academic Requirements for Admission

Stanford University
Pmlineditor, Stanford University Memorial Court, CC BY-SA 4.0

Harvard and Stanford have similar academic requirements for admission. In secondary school, students should earn four mathematics and English Language Arts credits. 

Harvard stipulates four credits in science while Stanford denotes “3+” credits (one of which must be a laboratory credit). 

Harvard requires three credits in social studies and two in history, while Stanford only requires three credits in social studies. 

Stanford positions history within the larger umbrella of social studies. Regarding foreign language credits, Harvard states that students should earn four credits, while Stanford shares a “3+” requirement. 

Neither school factors rank into the admission decision process, though the GPA statistics for enrolled first-time first-year students are telling. 

At Harvard, nearly 73% of the most recently enrolled cohort had a GPA of 4.0; 4.2 was the average GPA submitted. Stanford’s statistics are similar – 75.1% of enrolled first-years had a GPA of 4.0, while the average submitted GPA was 3.96.

To apply to Harvard, students must submit the Common Application or the Coalition Application, along with an $85 application fee. 

Stanford applicants must submit the Common Application with a $90 application fee. Should the fee present a financial hardship, both schools accept a waiver request.

The next requirement is a School Report, which consists of the high school transcript and guidance counselor letter. 

Both Harvard and Stanford require this report and two letters of recommendation from teachers (preferably in advanced-level classes). 

Students should submit a Mid-Year Report to either school after finalizing grades from the first semester. Additionally, Harvard requires a Final School Report from admitted students.

At Stanford, standardized test scores remain optional for the 2022-2023 admissions cycle. Harvard has extended the test-optional policy through 2026. 

That being said, many students submit their scores if they believe it will increase their competitive edge – more on those scores in the following section.

For either institution, the essays are one of the most essential pieces of the application package. It is here where students have the greatest opportunity to set themselves apart from their peers. 

In this section, students generally share how they have already contributed to their communities or pursued specific academic interests. Questions may also ask students to reveal more personal information, such as telling a story about something meaningful to them.


Harvard Vs. Stanford – Ranking, Acceptance Rates, and More

Fewer schools are more challenging to gain admission to than Harvard and Stanford. The number of students who apply to each school annually is overwhelming. 

For the incoming class of 2021, 57,786 candidates applied to Harvard and 55,471 to Stanford. Most of these students received denial letters – each school accepted only 4% of applicants! 

Of those who were accepted to Harvard and eventually enrolled, 93.1% were in the top tenth of their high school graduating classes. 54% submitted SAT scores, and 31% submitted ACT scores. 

Those who took the ACT Composite scored between 33-36. The middle 50% of enrolled students achieved between 730-780 on the SAT Evidence-based Reading and Writing section and 750-800 on the SAT Math section.

At Stanford, the statistics are equally impressive. 96% of enrolled students ranked in the top ten percent of their high school graduating cohorts.

Of those who took the ACT, the middle 50% scores between 34-35. Many more submitted SAT results: the middle 50% scored between 720-770 on the Evidence-based Reading and Writing section and between 750-800 on the Math section.

What makes Harvard and Stanford such desirable schools? Acceptance statistics are public information. 

Many applicants pay the application fee and take the time to submit an outstanding application package knowing that the odds are stacked against them. 

In addition to the power of name recognition that Harvard and Stanford have on a resume, both schools maintain high positions atop illustrious rankings lists. For example, Harvard is ranked #2 in National Universities and #3 in Best Value Schools by U.S. News. Harvard’s business and medical schools are top-ranked, as are the Graduate Education School, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Law School.

While Stanford is ranked slightly lower at #6 in National Universities, they are also named #2 in Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs and #1 in Computer Science by the same publication.


Deciding Whether to Attend Harvard or Stanford

Harvard University Comstock Hall
Harvard University Comstock Hall – Public domain photo via Daderot via Wikimedia Commons

A diverse student body is one of the best things about attending Harvard or Stanford. Both schools attract applicants from all over the nation and the world, and these students bring rich backgrounds and perspectives to the learning environment. 

Classes at either institution are often composed of fewer than 20 students, so there is a strong chance that students will develop closer relationships with their classmates than at other schools.

It should come as no surprise that two of the most competitive colleges in the United States also have two of the highest costs of attendance compared to their peer institutions. 

After computing tuition, required fees, room and board, books and supplies, transportation, and other expenses, the total cost to attend Harvard is $80,263 per year. Stanford costs $78,898 per year.

That being said, both schools offer incredibly generous financial aid packages – 100% of students who demonstrate financial need at either institution receive 100% assistance via scholarships, grants, or self-help aid (like loans and work-study placements). 

The financial awards are another reason many may consider attending Harvard or Stanford.

Last year, Harvard forked out $177.9 million in need-based scholarships, $7 million in merit-based scholarships, and $1 million in work-study placements. Its average financial aid package was $62,252.

Stanford disbursed $175.6 million in need-based scholarships, $8.7 million in merit-based scholarships, and $313,153 in work-study placements. 

The key distinction is that Harvard does not award athletic scholarships, while Stanford awards many. 

Last year, Stanford awarded $26 million in athletic awards. This makes sense, given that Stanford is known for its athletic prowess. The average Stanford financial aid award was $56,991.


RECAP – Which Is the Better School, Harvard or Stanford?

If we’re being honest, there’s no “better” school when it comes to Harvard versus Stanford. 

The schools’ large monetary endowments provide endless opportunities for students who attend. 

Undergraduates can expect access to one-of-a-kind research endeavors in the sciences, arts, humanities, and engineering fields.

Instead of wondering which of the two schools is “better,” it may be more prudent to consider which programs are best suited for your academic goals. 

Harvard confers the majority of its degrees in the Social Sciences, followed by the Biological Sciences and Mathematics and Statistics. Students interested in pursuing the liberal arts may find more resources and faculty members devoted to that realm of study.

Students more interested in the sciences may find a better home at Stanford. There, the most popular degrees conferred are in Computer Science, Engineering, and Interdisciplinary Studies (respectively). 

Stanford boasts 18 interdisciplinary institutes, such as the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute. Here, students and faculty specializing in engineering, medicine, law, and education collaborate to develop treatments for brain disorders.

Alternatively, the “better” school for a student may come down to the surrounding community. Harvard is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which is close to “America’s college town” of Boston. 

First-year students live adjacent to Harvard Yard and eat most of their meals in the same dining hall. As they progress in their studies, they are placed in one of twelve “Houses,” each designed to form a close-knit community.

Stanford’s residential life is less centralized. Undergraduate housing is sorted into eight “neighborhoods,” entitled S, T, A, N, F, O, R, and D. These neighborhoods are scattered throughout Stanford’s expansive campus; generally, they comprise a mix of undergraduate students and Greek fraternities/sororities.

One of the coolest assets of Stanford’s housing system is that students can apply to live on particular “themed” floors. 

For example, Otero is devoted to public service. Students living in that house make a one-year commitment to a specific community service organization and spend time outside of their studies participating in social change pursuits.

Whether in Cambridge, Massachusetts, or Palo Alto, California, students can expect to reside in a thriving cultural and social scene. Any individual would consider themselves incredibly lucky to gain an admissions offer at either school. 

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Princeton Vs Cornell – Which School Is Better? https://collegegazette.com/princeton-vs-cornell/ Tue, 30 Aug 2022 21:40:20 +0000 https://collegegazette.com/?p=7698 Located only four hours apart, Cornell and Princeton are two of the nation’s best and oldest private schools.  Cornell is situated in Ithaca, New York, a small city in New York’s Finger Lakes region known for its natural beauty and whimsical commercial area.  Ithaca and Princeton, New Jersey, maintain a population of around 30,000 residents, […]

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Located only four hours apart, Cornell and Princeton are two of the nation’s best and oldest private schools. 

Cornell is situated in Ithaca, New York, a small city in New York’s Finger Lakes region known for its natural beauty and whimsical commercial area. 

Ithaca and Princeton, New Jersey, maintain a population of around 30,000 residents, making for a relatively intimate social scene.

While Ithaca’s vibe is more eclectic, Princeton falls on the cosmopolitan side. Students can take a free transit shuttle to go shopping for basic needs, while many Ithaca students will opt to walk or ride their bikes.

Students at either school can expect an ideal student-to-faculty ratio (4:1 at Princeton and 9:1 at Cornell). Many students who graduated from these colleges moved on to earn some of the most prestigious accolades in the world. 

Cornell, for example, enrolled Nobel Prize writer Toni Morrison, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and the founders of Hotel.com and Priceline.com.

While Cornell serves as home to 50 Nobel laureates, Princeton is not far behind at 40. The school’s award winners include economics professor Paul Krugman, former U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, and physicist Richard Feynman.

It’s a match-up between the Princeton Tigers and the Cornell Big Red Bears! Continue reading to learn each school’s admission requirements, acceptance rates and rankings, and other important factors to consider when deciding which school is best suited to launch your future! 


Princeton Vs. Cornell – Academic Requirements for Admission

Cornell University
Kenneth C. Zirkel, Baker Tower, Cornell University, CC BY-SA 4.0

Before applying to Princeton or Cornell, high school students should ensure they meet the minimum requirements for admission. Both institutions require four units in English Language Arts and four units of mathematics. 

While Princeton requires four credits in a foreign language, Cornell only stipulates three credits. Princeton applicants should earn a minimum of two credits in history (Cornell does not indicate a history requirement). 

Cornell requires three units in the sciences, and Princeton requires only two laboratory science credits. 

The application process for Princeton and Cornell is mostly similar. Cornell requires submission via the Common Application, while Princeton allows students to select from three options: the Common Application, the Coalition Application, and the QuestBridge application.

Candidates can apply for early or regular decision, and Cornell stipulates that students apply to a particular college, like the College of Engineering or the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. 

From that point, both schools require the following items: a School Report, a Mid-Year School Report, a transcript, a recommendation from a guidance counselor, and two letters of recommendation from teachers (ideally those who teach higher-level core classes).

Remember that standardized test scores and English language proficiency results are optional. There is no stated benefit to submitting scores, and both schools emphasize that students will in no way be penalized for deciding not to share their scores.

There are several additional ways to make your application stand out from your peers. The Princeton Supplement and Cornell Supplement ask students to respond to several questions that center on their academic interests, community contributions, and personal interests. 

Students applying to specific programs in the performing arts, fine arts, and architecture fields can submit a portfolio that includes diverse examples of their best work. This portfolio is optional at Princeton, while some of Cornell’s majors require submission from candidates.


Princeton Vs. Cornell – Ranking, Acceptance Rates, and More

Let’s set the record straight: getting into an Ivy League school is challenging! All Ivy League institutions maintain acceptance rates of under 10%, making them among the most competitive universities in the nation. 

Within that cohort, Princeton and Cornell are at opposite ends of the spectrum. Princeton is the third most competitive school in the Ivy League, while Cornell is the least competitive. 

The Cornell class of 2025 witnessed an 8.7% acceptance rate compared to Princeton’s class at 4.4%

Both schools field tens of thousands of applicants, though Cornell’s admissions team received almost double the number of Princeton’s (67,380 versus 37,601). Cornell may receive more applications due to their reputation as one of the “easiest” Ivies to get into, even though its acceptance rate is less than 10%.

Princeton and Cornell are currently operating under a testing-optional admissions policy – students are not required to submit their SAT or ACT scores. 

The reported scores for those enrolled students who did choose to submit them are impressive. Let’s examine the middle 50% of students at both schools.

On the ACT composite, Princeton admits scored between 32 and 35, while Cornell admits scored between 33 and 35. 

For the SAT Math section, Princeton students scored between 740 and 800, while Cornell students scored between 750 and 800. 

When looking at the SAT Evidence-based Reading & Writing component, Princeton students scored 710-770 while their Cornell counterparts achieved 700-760.

Both institutions stress a strong GPA as a critical factor in gaining acceptance. 61% of Princeton students in the incoming class of 2021/2022 had a 4.0 GPA, and 84.2% of Cornell first-year students ranked in the top 10% of their high school graduating classes.

Unsurprisingly, both schools receive acclaim on the nation’s most recognized rankings lists. While Princeton has a higher overall ranking as #1 National University and #3 in Best Undergraduate Teaching from sources like U.S. News, Cornell’s high rankings are in more specialized fields. 

For example, Cornell’s School of Hospital Administration has been ranked #1 in the world, and they are the only Ivy League institution to achieve a platinum rating (the highest award possible) from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.


Deciding Whether to Attend Princeton or Cornell

Princeton University
Smallbones, Italian Renaissance Princeton, NJ, CC0 1.0

When comparing colleges with excellent reputations and faculty members, the decision to attend one over the other may come down to the environment and financial aid availability.

When analyzing in-state versus out-of-state populations, 33% of Cornell’s students hail from New York (in-state), and 17% of Princeton’s students are from New Jersey (in-state). In-state students, perhaps, have a stronger chance of gaining acceptance to Cornell than at Princeton, only one state over.

Financial aid is also an important consideration when deciding where to attend college. Cornell’s endowment witnessed a 42% increase in the fiscal year of 2021 – the most significant increase in over 30 years! 

The surge raised Cornell’s endowment to $10 billion, though Princeton dwarfs it at $37.7 billion. Both endowments are sizable compared to other American universities, allowing for more financial aid packages, research funding, and more.

Regarding the quality of education, both are premier research institutions. Some schools have programs that the other doesn’t. For example, Princeton is the only Ivy League school that does not have an attached medical school, so if you plan to go to medicine, it is obvious to choose Cornell over Princeton. Princeton also does not have a law school.


RECAP – Which Is the Better School, Princeton or Cornell?

It is impossible to determine the better school between Princeton and Cornell. What students should really consider is which school is best suited to their desired lifestyle, career aspirations, and learning environment.

When it comes to degrees conferred, the schools do show some disparity. At Princeton, the most popular programs are (in order): Computer Science, Economics, and Public and International Studies. 

One can see here why the admissions requirement of two social studies credits comes into play, as the second and third most popular majors are within the social studies realm. 

Cornell students, on the other hand, seem to display a more substantial interest in the sciences. In order of popularity, Cornell confers the most degrees in Computer and Information Sciences, Engineering, and Biological and Biomedical Sciences. 

Once again, we see where Cornell’s stronger emphasis on sciences comes into play during the admissions process, as these degrees are all competitive.

Both schools have a reputation for being the “first” in many categories. Cornell was the first to establish a four-year school of hospital administration, a degree in journalism, and a degree in veterinary medicine. They were also the first college to endow American history and literature professorships.

Princeton University was the first college to initiate an intercollegiate football team, a permanent eating club, and the first university to eliminate student loans in financial aid (substituting them with grants, instead).

Cornell is likely your best bet if you’re looking for a diverse environment in a charming college town with an emphasis on the liberal arts. Should you desire a faster-paced climate with greater options for financial aid in a school investing significantly in the sciences, choose Princeton. Either way, you won’t be let down!

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Princeton Vs Yale – Which School Is Better? https://collegegazette.com/princeton-vs-yale/ Sun, 28 Aug 2022 16:21:17 +0000 https://collegegazette.com/?p=7666 It’s a match-up between the tigers and the bulldogs! Both Ivy League schools, Princeton and Yale were some of the earliest private higher learning institutions in America.  Established in 1701, Yale University enrolls 6,536 undergraduate students in the small college town of New Haven, Connecticut.  Founded 45 years later, Princeton currently enrolls a slightly lower […]

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It’s a match-up between the tigers and the bulldogs! Both Ivy League schools, Princeton and Yale were some of the earliest private higher learning institutions in America. 

Established in 1701, Yale University enrolls 6,536 undergraduate students in the small college town of New Haven, Connecticut. 

Founded 45 years later, Princeton currently enrolls a slightly lower number of undergraduate students (5,296) on a 600-acre campus in Princeton, New Jersey. 

Both schools boast decent sports teams and a highly successful list of notable alumni. On the one hand, Princeton has nurtured over 40 Nobel Prize winners, five recipients of the National Humanities Medal, and 17 winners of the National Medal of Science. 

The school is a pioneer among research universities and has educated prominent public figures like Jeff Bezos and Michelle Obama.

Five United States presidents got their start at Yale, including George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton. 

Yale was also home to Pinterest co-founder Ben Silbermann, news reporter Anderson Cooper, and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. The school has matriculated 20 Nobel Prize winners and 35 Pulitzer Prize recipients.

An education at either Yale or Princeton will undoubtedly serve as the bedrock for a lucrative future career. 

World leaders, entertainers, scientists, and inventors alike developed ground-breaking ideas within the halls of these institutions – will you be the next one to do so? 

Read ahead to learn about the admission requirements, acceptance rates, rankings, and other assets of Princeton and Yale – two of America’s finest universities.


Princeton Vs. Yale – Academic Requirements for Admission

Princeton University Nassau Hall
Princeton University – Public domain photo via Wikimedia Commons

It takes a talented, well-rounded student to gain admission to either Princeton or Yale. This section will discuss the components each school requires for a complete application. Let’s start with Princeton.

The first step in applying to Princeton is the completion of the Common Application, the Princeton Supplement, the application fee (or waiver), and the Graded Written Paper. 

The Princeton Supplement is essentially the essay section of the application. Responses to the first question are limited to 250 words. Most applicants will discuss the academic areas that intrigue them and how they think Princeton’s offerings will satisfy their desire for knowledge.

Princeton asks a few additional questions of its applicants, which may change yearly. In general, the questions center on students’ extracurricular activities or work experience, civic engagement and experiences with diversity, and personal interests, such as a song featured on the soundtrack of their lives.

The Graded Written Paper should ideally be completed within an English or social studies class during the last three years of high school. 

The Office of Admissions emphasizes that they are only interested in reading expository writing (not creative writing) and that 1-2 pages are sufficient for the paper length. The submission should include the grade earned and any commentary from the educator.

The remaining components of a Princeton application include official high school transcripts and a letter of recommendation from a school guidance counselor and two teachers (ideally from higher level courses. Additionally, students must submit a Mid-year School Report once mid-term grades are available. 

Submission of standardized test scores remains optional. Students applying to programs in architecture, creative writing, dance, music, theater, or visual arts also have the option to submit an Arts Supplement reflecting their talent or performance.

Instructions for applying to Yale University are very similar to Princeton. Students can complete either the Common Application, Coalition Application, or QuestBridge Application, all of which include Yale-specific questions. An $80 application fee or fee waiver should accompany the application of choice.

Yale also requires a letter of recommendation from two teachers and one guidance counselor, a complete high school transcript, and a Mid-Year Report. Standardized test scores remain optional for the current admissions cycle. However, the Office of Admissions indicates that their internal research team shows ACT and SAT scores to be a strong predictor of a student’s undergraduate academic performance.

Like Princeton applicants, Yale hopefuls will answer several essay questions. These prompts challenge students to discuss their academic interests and pursuits, sources of inspiration, personal accomplishments, and other information that makes them stand out from their competitors. For example, one prompt states them to come up with a novel Yale course.

Yale also allows students pursuing an arts degree to submit a supplementary portfolio representing their best work.


Princeton Vs. Yale – Ranking, Acceptance Rates, and More

Regarding acceptance rates, Princeton and Yale are on the most competitive end of the spectrum. While both schools value a strong grade point average, neither set a specific minimum for admission. 

That being said, the average GPA for an incoming Princeton first-year was 3.93 on a 4.0 scale (statistics for Yale were not shared as part of the 2021/2022 Data Set).

An amazing 37,601 hopefuls applied to become a member of Princeton’s class of 2025. Of that group, only 1,647 were admitted and 1,345 chose to enroll – that’s an acceptance rate of only 4.4%! 

A whopping 46,905 first-year applicants sought admission to Yale’s class of 2025, with almost 83% applying as regular decision candidates. 

Yale admitted 4.6% of those applicants, ranking it equally competitive with Princeton. Yale enrolled roughly 400 more first-year students than Princeton.

What does the successful Princeton or Yale admit bring to the table? When looking at Princeton’s newest applicants, the middle 50% score between 740 and 800 on the Math SAT and 710-770 on the Evidence-based Reading and Writing SAT. 

When it comes to the ACT composite score, the middle 50% of Princeton first-years achieve a 32 to 35 – just about perfect!

The stats for incoming Yale first-years are very similar. On average, the middle 50% of admits score a 720-770 on the SAT Evidence-based Reading and Writing, a 740-790 on the SAT Math, and a 33-35 on the ACT. 

With a history of high-achieving scholars, it is no surprise that both Yale and Princeton sit at the top of many popular college ranking lists. 

The U.S. News has situated Princeton as the #1 National University for eleven consecutive years! Additionally, they rank Princeton as #3 in Best Undergraduate Teaching and #4 in Best Value Schools. 

Acclaim for Yale is just as high – the U.S. News ranks the school #5 out of National Universities, #1 in Best Value Schools, and #2 in Undergraduate Research/Creative Projects.


Deciding Whether to Attend Princeton or Yale

Yale University
Ragesoss, Berkeley College (South) at Yale, CC BY-SA 4.0

When it comes to selecting between Princeton and Yale, the decision doesn’t come down to which school is best. Both institutions bring valuable assets to the table, and strong scholars will find a way to thrive in either setting. 

In this case, students may wish to base their decision on the sociocultural environment and availability of financial aid.

Both Princeton and Yale pride themselves on cultivating a diverse learning environment. At Princeton, 83% of its new cohort are from out-of-state. 12.6% of Princeton first-year students are international citizens. 

At Princeton, the total attendance cost (which includes tuition, room and board, books and supplies, transportation, and other expenses) rounds out to $80,240 per year! Yale’s total costs are slightly higher at $85,120.

For many families, the cost alone may rule both schools out as options. The good news is that Princeton and Yale have massive endowments. 

Last year, Princeton awarded nearly $200 million in scholarship funds, with an average need-based scholarship package of $61,731 per full-time first-year student. The school also awarded $850,000 in funds from federal work-study programs.

Yale University has committed to meeting 100% of demonstrated financial need without the use of loans. 64% of its student body receives financial assistance, and families earning less than $65,000 per year are not expected to make any kind of monetary contribution. 

In 2021-2022, the average need-based scholarship at Yale totaled $60,820, and the school gave away $224.2 million in federal and institutional scholarship awards. 

They additionally designated $1.4 million toward student work-study placements. 88% of Yale graduates leave the school without owing a single penny of debt.


RECAP – Which Is the Better School, Princeton or Yale?

Saying yes to either Princeton or Yale is no poor decision. On average, students graduating from either university earn $71,300 and $76,359 per year (respectively). Both schools maintain an ideal student-to-faculty ratio of 4:1, and most classes on campus house fewer than 20 students.

The better school depends on the candidate and the degree they intend to pursue. At Princeton, the most popular majors include Social Sciences, Engineering, and Computer Sciences. 

Computer Science is equally popular at Yale, and conferred degrees are additionally concentrated in Environmental Studies; Economics; English; and, Ethics, Politics, and Economics.

When it comes down to it, both Yale and Princeton are looking to enroll students committed to making the world a better place. During the application cycle, the admissions committees seek to identify students who show considerable engagement and the desire to venture outside their comfort zones.

If this description fits your hopes and dreams, and you’re seeking to learn in a diverse, challenging, and innovative environment, you should consider applying to Yale or Princeton.

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Harvard Vs Brown – Which School Is Better? https://collegegazette.com/harvard-vs-brown/ Fri, 26 Aug 2022 21:25:04 +0000 https://collegegazette.com/?p=7619 Suppose you ask your average person on the street to describe a great university.  In that case, they’ll surely talk about scholars striding the quad in robes and tassels, green campus ground surrounded by stately old buildings, and, of course, lots of smart students.  And if you press them to be more specific, they’ll probably […]

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Suppose you ask your average person on the street to describe a great university. 

In that case, they’ll surely talk about scholars striding the quad in robes and tassels, green campus ground surrounded by stately old buildings, and, of course, lots of smart students. 

And if you press them to be more specific, they’ll probably use the words “Ivy League.”

Ivy League may technically be an athletic conference, but it also describes eight of the oldest and most respected institutions in the country. 

They all date back to the founding of the United States, if not earlier, and they have been associated with the greatest minds and most notable leaders in the world.

For many, Harvard University is the paradigmatic Ivy League school. The oldest higher learning institution in the country, Harvard began as the seminary Harvard College in 1636. 

Over the nearly 400 years that have followed, the university has branched out into nearly every field. It counts among its former students eight American presidents, including John Adams and Barack Obama, and hundreds of millionaires, including Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg.  

Harvard is also one of the richest schools in the world, with an endowment of more than $41.9 billion. Thanks to that funding, the school can create an unparalleled learning environment with world-changing research institutions and essential facilities. 

The 3.5 million books held at the Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Library include an original Gutenberg Bible, while Harvard’s art museums include original works from German Expressionists and Dutch Masters.

While it may not have the same immediate name recognition, Brown deserves as much attention as its sister. 

Founded in 1764 as Rhode Island College, Brown bucked the trend of its fellow early American schools by admitting any student who met their requirements, regardless of their religious affiliations. 

Thanks to that commitment to free inquiry, Brown has been at the forefront of several academic innovations, initiating one of the first engineering programs in the U.S. and the third-oldest medical school in New England.

Among Brown’s most unique qualities is the “open curriculum,” first instituted in 1969. In place of the general education requirements, one finds at most schools, the open curriculum allows students to choose the classes that interest them most, thereby becoming “the architects of their own syllabus.”

With such attributes, it’s clear that both Harvard and Brown are excellent schools. But which is better?


Harvard Vs. Brown – Academic Requirements for Admission

Brown University Engineering Center
Kenneth C. Zirkel, Brown University Engineering Research Center, CC BY-SA 4.0

The Ivy League schools are among the best in the world. They’re also one of the most elite. Even the least famous Ivy League institution allows nothing but the best of the best to join its student body.

As two of the world’s best schools, Harvard and Brown have fairly similar requirements for their applicants. 

For both schools, hopefuls must submit a completed Common Application, as well as various letters of recommendation and school transcripts. 

Neither school indicates the minimum GPA to be shown on those transcripts, but you can be confident that they only consider top students.

On average, Brown students have a GPA of 4.08 (weighted), while Harvard students have an average GPA of 4.18 (weighted). To get grade averages at this level, you must not only earn As in nearly all of your high school classes, but you must also take advanced courses, such as AP and Honors classes. 

Furthermore, while you can get one or two Bs and still have a GPA within the above ranges, they cannot be in your advanced courses or classes in your major.

In recent years, most universities have waived their standardized test requirements. Harvard and Brown plan to continue that policy for the time being, but they do accept test scores from those who choose to submit them.

Standardized test scores may help strengthen an application with some shortcomings. However, you should only submit your scores if they fall within the average ranges at those schools.

Admitted Harvard students scored between 720 and 780 and between 740 and 780, respectively, on the reading and writing and math portions of the SAT. 

Brown students had similar numbers, coming in between 700 and 760 on the reading and writing SAT and between 720 and 790 on the math portion. On average, students at both Brown and Harvard students scored between 33 and 35 on the ACT.

While neither Brown nor Harvard will consider any student with numbers far outside these averages, supplemental materials can make up the difference in an application with slightly lower grades. 

With a strong letter of recommendation or application essay, you can make an argument for the benefits you’ll bring to the student body.


Harvard Vs. Brown – Ranking, Acceptance Rates, and More

As you can probably guess, very few people can meet the extremely high standards that Brown and Harvard have for their students.

But the schools both remain very popular, receiving thousands of applications every year. And yet, only a small percentage actually receive offers of admission.

An incredible 32,724 students applied to study at Brown in 2021, but only 1,665 were admitted, resulting in an acceptance rate of 5.0%. 

An unbelievable 57,786 hopefuls applied to Harvard in 2022 and only 2,320 were accepted, for a rate of 4.1%.

So if you must have nearly perfect grades to apply to these schools, and nearly everyone will still be rejected, why even try? What’s so great about Brown or Harvard?

The short answer to that question is “lots.” 

According to the most important ranking outlets, Harvard and Brown are among the best institutions of higher learning in the entire world.

According to U.S. News & World Report, Harvard is tied for third in American universities, behind only Princeton and tied with fellow Boston-area school MIT. Brown doesn’t quite make the top ten but does come in at fourteenth place, tied with Vanderbilt University and Washington University in St. Louis.

The merits of both schools better stand out on the specialty lists from U.S. News. Harvard comes within the top five on the lists for best value schools, best writing across the disciplines programs, and best undergraduate research projects. 

Brown not only has the best writing across the disciplines program, but it also comes within the top five on the lists for best senior capstone, best colleges for veterans, and best undergraduate teaching.

As these rankings make clear, people continue to flock to Harvard and Brown because few schools in the world offer education at such a high level. They consider the risk of rejection to be less than the reward of studying at such a prestigious school.


Deciding Whether to Attend Harvard or Brown

Harvard University
Harvard’s Peabody Museum – Public domain photo by Daderot via Wikimedia Commons

With a quick glance at the acceptance rates listed above, you may be tempted to “rightly” point out that the decision to attend Harvard or Brown usually isn’t up to the student. 

But if you can only put your time, energy, and money toward applying to one of the two schools, which is the better choice for you?

Brown’s Alpert Medical School is one of the best in the country, ranked by U.S. News as the nation’s 19th best medical school for primary care and 36th best for research. 

Following the engineering focus at Brown, Alpert’s best-known alums include people behind world-changing medical breakthroughs, such as artificial human ovary co-inventor Sandra Carson and gynecology pioneer Eli Adashi.

Harvard University Medical School has its own list of impressive achievements, thanks in part to its $804 million endowment

One of the world’s richest medical schools, Harvard Med houses research projects involving issues such as environmental changes and gene therapy. U.S. News ranks it as the number two school for disciplines such as radiology, internal medicine, and pediatrics.

Students gain a greater understanding of spiritual questions by considering the impact on the world around them.

While Brown certainly has its respected archeology and humanities programs, its primary appeal is the School of Engineering

With roots that date back to 1847, Brown Engineering is the third oldest in the country and the home of several important breakthroughs. The School attributes its success to its interdisciplinary approach, which teams engineers with non-engineers across campus to find and solve the most pressing problems.

Thanks to this approach, nearly every program of study at Brown touches the engineering school in some way. Following the model set by the school’s vaunted open curriculum, Brown students have the freedom to address the questions in their field using whatever tools may be available to them.


RECAP – Which Is the Better School, Harvard or Brown?

To be sure, any serious student would be happy to study at either Harvard or Brown. Both schools enjoy a level of respect and history that few institutions enjoy. 

Both date back to before the founding of the country, and both belong to the legendary Ivy League schools.

At first glance, they both seem to be very similar. Harvard and Brown both demand a high GPA and high test scores from their applicants, giving preference to students who are at the top of their class.

And while Brown receives fewer applicants overall, both it and Harvard have incredibly low acceptance rates. The overwhelming majority of those who apply to either school will be rejected.

The differences start to show up when you look at their rankings. Brown falls within the top 15 universities in the U.S. and among the top 75 in the world, while Harvard falls within the top 5 in the U.S. and in the world.

After looking at the history, requirements, and rankings of each school, one might be tempted to think that while Brown is unquestionably impressive, Harvard is the better school. After all, most ranking outlets put Harvard within the top ten worldwide, while Brown tends to lag behind within the top 25 or 75. Furthermore, Harvard is simply the more famous university.

However, that sort of thinking fails to understand the way universities operate. In the end, the question is not about which school is better, but rather, which school fits you better?

In other words, both schools are excellent. The question isn’t so much “which is better?” as it is, “what do you want from your educational experience?” Whatever your answer, you’re sure to have a great experience at either Brown or Harvard.

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Harvard Vs Princeton – Which School Is Better? https://collegegazette.com/harvard-vs-princeton/ Fri, 26 Aug 2022 20:07:43 +0000 https://collegegazette.com/?p=7599 If you ask anybody where to find the most brilliant scholars and the most industrious students, their answers may involve the words “Ivy League.”  Even though the term actually refers to an athletic conference, the Ivy League houses some of the oldest and most respected schools in the United States.  These institutions trace their roots […]

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If you ask anybody where to find the most brilliant scholars and the most industrious students, their answers may involve the words “Ivy League.” 

Even though the term actually refers to an athletic conference, the Ivy League houses some of the oldest and most respected schools in the United States. 

These institutions trace their roots back to the birth of the country (and earlier, in some cases), training generations of business leaders, scientists, and artists.

Most know Harvard as the most famous of the Ivy League schools, but by many metrics, its New Jersey-based sister Princeton deserves equal acclaim.

Princeton began life in 1746 as the College of New Jersey and has only grown in esteem in the following centuries. 

The school’s influence can be felt worldwide, as it not only graduated Presidents James Madison and James Monroe, but also trained three of the nine current Supreme Court Justices – Sonia Sotomayor, Samuel Alito, and Elena Kagan.

Beyond its political contributions, Princeton’s research projects continue to shape the future. Thanks to its $37.7 billion endowment, Princeton can fund programs such as the Department of Energy’s Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, which collaborates with the titular government department to find new energy sources.

Established 100 years earlier in 1636, Harvard University is not only the oldest institution of higher learning in the U.S. but also its most respected. 

Eight American presidents have walked the halls at Harvard, ranging from John Adams to Barack Obama. Facebook came to life when founder Mark Zuckerberg was studying at Harvard, and Bill Gates used his knowledge to create Microsoft.

Thanks to an endowment of over $41.9 billion, Harvard is one of the wealthiest schools in the world. It uses that funding to launch innovative research projects and to maintain high-level facilities. 

Those facilities include Harvard’s several museums, which hold original works by Dutch Masters and German Expressionists. Among the 3.5 million books at the Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Library, one can find an original Gutenberg Bible.

In short, both Princeton and Harvard are two of the best schools in the world. But which one best lives up to the Ivy League ideal?


Harvard Vs. Princeton – Academic Requirements for Admission

Princeton University
Public domain photo by Daderot via Wikimedia Commons

There’s no way to sugarcoat this: it is extremely difficult to be accepted for admission at either Princeton or Harvard. 

As two of the world’s best schools, Princeton and Harvard can afford to be selective, accepting only those who meet the highest academic standards.

Both Princeton and Harvard require applications that consist of a completed Common Application, letters of recommendation, and transcripts. 

Neither school publishes its minimum accepted GPA, but one can rest assured that they only consider students with the highest grades. In fact, research reports that Harvard students have an average GPA of 4.18 (weighted), while Princeton students average a 3.9 GPA (unweighted).

To earn these types of grades, you must make all As in your high school work. Equally important, you must earn them in more challenging courses, such as AP and Honors classes. 

Although these GPAs do allow for an occasional B or two, those lower grades must not be in the most challenging courses or classes in your major.

Like most universities, neither Harvard nor Princeton currently requires that students submit standardized test scores.

While you certainly can submit them if you wish, and it may be advisable in the case of a weaker application, you should only do so if your scores match past averages.

At Harvard, the averages for the reading and writing SAT, and math SAT tend to fall between 720 and 780 and between 740 and 800, respectively. 

Princeton averages come in between 710 and 770 on the reading and writing SAT and between 740 and 800 on the math SAT. Both Princeton and Harvard students average between 33 and 35 on the ACT.

While these are unquestionably incredibly high standards, both Harvard and Princeton do offer students opportunities to supplement their lower scores. 

Letters of recommendation can put lesser grades into context, as can application essays. If your grades and scores fall at the lower end of the averages listed above, use the letters and essays to underscore abilities that grades cannot so easily measure.


Harvard Vs. Princeton – Ranking, Acceptance Rates, and More

At this point, you may be asking yourself, “Why even try to go to Harvard or Princeton?” Sure, the schools are famous, but is popularity worth the challenge of earning near-perfect grades and test scores?

That question gains even more weight when you look at the schools’ acceptance rates. As well-known and very elite schools, both Princeton and Yale receive tens of thousands of applications each year and yet extend letters of acceptance to only a tiny fraction of them.

In 2022, 57,786 hopefuls sent applications to Harvard. Out of that group, just 2,320 were accepted, a rate of just 4.1%

In other words, out of every 100 people who tried to come to Harvard, only four made it.

The situation is even direr at Princeton, as the school recently lowered its acceptance rates even further. 

Although it received 37,601 applications, it took in just 3.98%, sending out only 1,498 offers of admission.

In short, only a small fraction of those who want to attend these schools will get the chance to do so. So why do so many people try every year, despite the low odds?

To find that answer, we need to look no further than the rankings given to each school.

The highly-respected U.S. News & World Report ranks Princeton as the best university in the United States, with Harvard right behind it, tied only with MIT.

On the specialized lists from U.S. News, the schools stand out even more, with Harvard placing eighth for its writing across the disciplines program, its undergraduate research projects earning fourth place, and earning the third place ranking on the list of best value schools. 

Princeton takes fourth on the list of best value schools and best colleges for veterans, and third in best undergraduate teaching.

The schools come out even better on Top Universities’ world university rankings. This site puts only M.I.T., University of Cambridge, Stanford University, and the University of Oxford above Harvard, giving the school the number five slot. 

But Princeton isn’t far behind, tying at 16th place with the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland and ahead of Yale and Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University.


Deciding Whether to Attend Harvard or Princeton

Harvard University
Public domain photo by Daderot via Wikimedia Commons

While both Princeton and Harvard are among the world’s most significant institutions, neither is perfect for everybody. 

Even the most respected university falls short in some areas, making it a wrong choice for some students. Deciding between Harvard and Princeton means figuring out what you need from a college experience and finding the best school to provide that for you.

Future doctors and scientists will likely choose Harvard, and not just because Princeton is the only Ivy League university without a medical school. Harvard has one of the oldest medical schools in the country and one of the richest. 

With its $804 million endowment, Harvard Med invites students to engage in ambitious research projects, ranging in subjects from the global pandemic to gene therapy to the effect of environmental changes on personal health. 

Thanks to these attributes, Harvard Med has been ranked by U.S. News and other outlets as the second-best school in America for disciplines including pediatrics, radiology, and internal medicine.

If your scholarly interests are more spiritual in nature, then there’s the Harvard School of Divinity. Considered by some ranking outlets to be perhaps the best theological school in the country, Harvard Divinity operates according to a unique approach that mixes theological inquiry and practical application. 

Students learn not only how to ponder the divine, but also how to turn that into a real good with immediate benefits.

Not to be outdone, Princeton Theological Seminary has its own unique offerings. The M.Div degree prepares ministry professionals with its combination of classroom instruction and real-world service. With a curriculum based on classical theology and modern contributions, Princeton Seminary demands that students consider age-old questions through the lens of contemporary concerns.


RECAP – Which Is the Better School, Harvard or Princeton?

Honestly, you cannot go wrong studying at Harvard or Princeton. 

Any serious scholar would be proud (and frankly quite fortunate) to be accepted at either. But that fact doesn’t answer our primary question: Is Harvard better than Princeton, or vice versa?

When we start to look at the basic facts of either school, we see more similarities than differences between them. Both schools are incredibly exclusive, with Harvard’s 4.1% acceptance rate coming in only slightly higher than Princeton’s 3.9% acceptance rate. 

The two Ivy sisters deny the large majority of the thousands of people who apply each year.

Among those who apply, the schools accept only those with the highest GPA and test scores. Harvard and Princeton equally prefer students who earn nearly all As, especially in AP and Honors courses. 

Among those who provide standardized test scores, both Harvard and Yale accept those who come within the 25th percentile. 

That said, the two schools offer students opportunities to bolster a weaker application with letters of recommendation and application essays.

Not even ranking outlets help us distinguish between the two venerable institutions. Yes, Princeton comes in at #1 on the list published by U.S. News, but Harvard is right behind it, tied with MIT. And yes, Top Universities puts Harvard at number five, but Princeton’s number 16 is still incredibly impressive.

We only start to get a sense of differences when we examine the offerings of the two schools.

Harvard has one of the world’s best medical schools, an incredibly well-funded institution with resources that allow for cutting-edge research and the training of the world’s best doctors. 

Princeton does not have a medical school, but it uses its resources for a respected and unique Theological School, with degrees that take an innovative approach to one of the world’s oldest subjects.

In short, one cannot truly call Harvard better than Princeton or vice versa. They are both amazing schools that anyone would be proud to join.

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Harvard Vs Yale – Which School Is Better? https://collegegazette.com/harvard-vs-yale-which-school-is-better/ Thu, 25 Aug 2022 23:33:10 +0000 https://collegegazette.com/?p=7594 Ivy League. Those two words have become synonymous with higher education at its best, recalling images of stately professors and lavish campus greens.  Although the term itself actually refers to an athletic conference, the popular concept of the Ivy League school exists for a reason.  These institutions date back to the nation’s founding, if not […]

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Ivy League. Those two words have become synonymous with higher education at its best, recalling images of stately professors and lavish campus greens. 

Although the term itself actually refers to an athletic conference, the popular concept of the Ivy League school exists for a reason. 

These institutions date back to the nation’s founding, if not even earlier, and have defined higher education in the country.

Of the Ivy League schools, none have the name recognition of Harvard and Yale.

America’s third-oldest university, Yale began in 1701 as the Collegiate School. Over the centuries of Yale’s history, award-winners and world leaders have walked the grounds of its Connecticut campus. 

Its alumni range from Presidents William Howard Taft and George H. W. Bush to Pulitzer Prize winners Thornton Wilder and David McCollough.

Even today, Yale continues to make a name for itself with its commitment to innovation. For example, the medical school has pioneered a method known as the “Yale System,” in which first and second-year students work without being graded, giving them space for more experimentation.

Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard University is America’s oldest university. Since its beginning as Harvard College in 1636, Harvard has trained eight American Presidents, including John Adams and Barak Obama. 

Numerous business leaders have studied at Harvard, including Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and Microsoft creator Bill Gates.

In addition to being one of the world’s most respected schools, Harvard is also among the richest. Working with an endowment of approximately $41.9 billion, Harvard has funding to support groundbreaking research institutes and respected resources.

For example, the Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Library holds 3.5 million books, including an original Gutenberg Bible. In Harvard’s many museums, students can examine works by Rembrandt, Steen, and the German Expressionists.

Are one of these two legendary institutions is the pride of the vaunted Ivy League? In this article, we compare both schools.


Harvard Vs. Yale – Academic Requirements for Admission

Harvard University Comstock Hall
Harvard University Comstock Hall – Public domain photo via Daderot via Wikimedia Commons

Unsurprisingly, both Harvard and Yale have incredibly exacting requirements for their students. 

As two of the world’s most respected elite schools, they allow only the brightest and most industrious to join their ranks. 

Hopefuls will demonstrate that they belong in that company with their applications, which admissions counselors use to assess one’s aptitude and potential.

Yale perhaps puts it best on their admissions website, which reminds applicants, “Yale is above all an academic institution.” 

As such, the school expects great grades from its applicants. Yale does not indicate a minimum GPA, but it does hasten to point out that not even high standardized test scores will “persuade the admissions committee to disregard an undistinguished secondary-school record.”

Those applying to join Harvard or Yale as freshmen must not only complete an application but also reports from teachers and high school transcripts. 

Like Yale, Harvard does not list a minimum GPA requirement, but observers note that, on average, those accepted into the school have a 4.18 GPA. Yale boasts similar numbers, with an average GPA of 4.14.

To earn such a high GPA, you must not only receive As in most of their classes, but you must also take AP and honors courses. 

A 4.18 or 4.14 GPA can only come from a weighted grading scale, which gives more credit to those higher-end courses. 

While this average does allow for a B or two over your high school career, those lower grades should not be in AP courses, nor should they be in those related to your major.

For the time being, neither Harvard nor Yale require standardized test scores, though they can be submitted to bolster an application. 

Students at Yale tend to earn between 720 and 770 on the reading and writing portion of the SAT, between 740 and 790 on the math SAT, and between 33 and 35 on the ACT. Harvard scores tend to be between 720 and 780 on the SAT reading and writing section, between 740 and 800 on the math section, and ACT scores between 33 and 35.


Harvard Vs. Yale – Ranking, Acceptance Rates, and More

With such demanding standards, you may wonder why anyone bothers with either Harvard or Yale. But with a quick glance at either school’s rankings, it’s easier to understand the school’s popularity.

According to U.S. News & World Report, Harvard is the second best university in the United States, tied with MIT and behind only fellow Ivy Princeton. 

U.S. News doesn’t put Yale too far behind, ranking it in fourth place, just below Harvard and M.I.T. and above Stanford and the University of Chicago.

Both schools earn distinction on U.S. News’s more specific lists. The magazine gives Harvard eighth place for its writing across the disciplines program, fourth place for its undergraduate research projects, and most surprisingly, third place for best value schools. 

Yale comes out even better on these lists, with its writing in the disciplines program ranking third, its undergraduate research projects coming second, and earning  first place as a best value school.

The schools’ rankings stand out even more when examined in a global context. According to Top Universities‘ world university rankings, Harvard is the 5th best institution on the planet, beaten by MIT., the University of Cambridge, Stanford University, and the University of Oxford. 

Yale comes in at 18th place on this list, topping Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University and Ivy sister Cornell University.

Simply put, people do not let the exacting standards of Harvard and Yale because the schools are among the best in the world. But with that level of esteem comes a great deal of popularity, resulting in an extremely low acceptance rate at both schools.

In 2021, 32,900 hopefuls applied to study at Yale. From that group, only 2,272 were accepted for a rate of 6.9%. Harvard receives even more applications, with 57,786 people attempting to become students and only 2,320 accepted, for a rate of just 4.1%.


Deciding Whether to Attend Harvard or Yale

Yale University
Ragesoss, Berkeley College (South) at Yale, CC BY-SA 4.0

As you can see, few schools in the entire world can match Harvard or Yale in esteem or exclusivity. 

If your grades and plans involve Ivy League schools, both schools would be excellent choices. But they each have their strengths and weaknesses, which should be considered before making your choice.

Yale boasts one of the world’s finest selections of museums and collections. Not only does Yale boast the oldest university-affiliated art museum, but the Peabody Museum of Natural History has the country’s most respected archeology and anthropology collection. 

The Yale University Library holds over 15 million items and houses the largest collection of 18th-century British literary works in the entire world.

The school’s business and law schools are among the best in the United States. But rather than simply rest on their reputation, the schools seek out innovative approaches to their subjects. 

The School of Management and Yale Law work together to offer a dual-degree program that can be earned in either three or four degrees, depending on the needs of the students.

At Harvard, you’ll find one of the oldest and highest-rated medical schools that has educated figures from Nobel Prize winners to nationally recognized poet Rafael Campo. 

According to U.S. News and World Report, Harvard earns second place on its lists of best schools for internal medicine, radiology, pediatrics, and more. 

Thanks to its $804 million endowment, Harvard Med pursues research projects concerning gene therapy, environmental changes, and the pandemic.

Equally important is the Harvard School of Divinity, home to the world’s best theology programs. The school earns its reputation with its unique approach that combines academic religious study with practical applications, which gives students ample opportunity to put their beliefs into action.

These are just a few of the offerings found at the schools. In short, no matter your academic plans, you’ll find an excellent program at Yale or Harvard to help you prepare.


RECAP – Which Is the Better School, Harvard or Yale?

We’ve seen a great deal, and yet we still haven’t answered our main question: is Yale better than Harvard or Harvard better than Yale? While alumni from either school would certainly answer that their alma mater deserves a top place, our investigation into the two institutions should provide a firmer answer.

But does it?

When one looks at the rankings and requirements of the two Ivy League sisters, one finds more similarities than differences. Both schools accept only the best students with nearly all A GPAs, landing within the top 25th percentile on standardized tests.

Both Harvard and Yale are incredibly exclusive, turning down nearly all of the thousands of applications they receive each year. Yale’s 6.9% acceptance rate may be slightly higher than Harvard’s 4.1%, but neither presents good odds to hopefuls.

Both schools count among their faculty and alumni some of the finest minds and powerful leaders, including heads of state, Nobel Laureates, millionaires, and more. 

And both schools can trace their history back before the founding of the United States, making them equally responsible for shaping the American educational system.

We find some differences when we look at the specific programs the two schools offer. 

For example, Yale and Harvard may have vast collections in their libraries and museums, but the former focuses on 18th-century British works in its special collections, while the latter contains items from the age of enlightenment.

The two schools have excellent legal and medical programs, but Yale Law offers unique degrees, such as its JD/MBA program, which emphasizes flexibility for students.

With one of the richest medical schools in the world, Harvard Med provides its students with unparalleled resources, allowing them to conduct ground-breaking research.

So even after examining the facts, we cannot provide a clear answer to our central question. The honest answer is that both schools are excellent, but each has its own strengths.

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Cal Poly Pomona Vs. Cal Poly SLO – Which School is Better? https://collegegazette.com/cal-poly-pomona-vs-cal-poly-slo/ Wed, 02 Feb 2022 23:38:18 +0000 https://collegegazette.com/?p=6352 Once upon a time, up until the late 1960s, California students hoping to immerse themselves in the unique experiential learning process, which polytechnic universities provide like no other, had but one place to look: California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. However, in the year 1966, a subsection of Cal Poly SLO, called the Cal […]

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Once upon a time, up until the late 1960s, California students hoping to immerse themselves in the unique experiential learning process, which polytechnic universities provide like no other, had but one place to look: California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

However, in the year 1966, a subsection of Cal Poly SLO, called the Cal Poly Kellogg-Voorhis Institute, grew in size and popularity to the point where it broke off to become its own independent polytechnic Institution. 

This institution, today, is Cal Poly, Pomona. 

Now, an important question faces California students hoping to receive the hands-on learning which polytechnic institutions stand apart in providing: which of the state’s two polytechnic universities is the right choice? 

This article is going to break down the key information that might help readers decide which polytechnic institution might rightfully be called the state’s best. 

Alongside looking at admissions statistics and rankings, this article also looks at the kind of college experience both of these universities provide and what unique factors make these seemingly similar universities, in fact, quite different from one another.

Will it be the state’s oldest polytechnic institution, with its tradition of academic prestige, selective admissions criteria, and holistic education which combines the scientific and technical with the arts and humanities? 

Or will it be the school that branched off from its older counterpart to amass an even larger student body than its predecessor? 

Read on to learn all the information needed to decide.


Academic Requirements for Admission

Cal Poly Pomona
Cal Poly Pomona – Public domain photo by Marco Guzman, Jr via Wikimedia Commons

SLO uses a Multi-Criteria Admission process that assesses the following variables: academic performance, experience in required courses, standardized test scores, work experience, and extra-curricular activities. 

Although SLO does not provide a minimum GPA, SAT, or ACT score for admission, there are a number of required high school classes a student must complete prior to applying. 

SLO requires students to declare a major upon submitting their application, and then students are admitted in competition with only students who stated that same major. 

Pomona gives students the option of declaring an alternate major alongside their primary declared major, granting slightly more leeway to students who are unsure of which program might best suit them.

Similarly, Pomona’s multifactor admissions model factors in a wider range of relevant data when considering admitting students, potentially leading to accepting students based on a more holistic view of their merit.

Alongside GPA and test scores, Pomona also considers veteran/military status, first-generation status, youth services experiences, experience with campus partnerships, extra-curricular activities, and relevant educational programs. 

Like SLO, Pomona requires specific high school coursework to be completed before admission and a minimum GPA of 2.5.

As such, SLO seems to weigh markers of academic rigor more stringently in admissions decisions, while Pomona tries to create a more holistic view of applicants.


Cal Poly Pomona Vs. SLO – Rankings, Acceptance Rates, and More

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Barrydfloyd, Performing Arts Center Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, CC BY-SA 4.0

With an acceptance rate of 28%, compared to Pomona’s 54% acceptance rate, SLO is the more difficult of the two to get into. 

The perceived academic excellence of SLO is reflected in most university rankings. The 2022 Times Higher Education university ranking placed SLO as the #189 university in the US and Pomona as #344

Regarding U.S. News and World Report’s ranking of the best universities in the Western United States, SLO received 2nd place, compared to Pomona’s 14th place. 

However, when looking at specific specializations within both schools, Pomona is taking the lead over SLO in certain areas. Pomona is the only university in the CSU to offer an Engineering Technology focus and boasts the largest civil engineering, mechanical engineering, construction engineering, and electrical engineering programs in the CSU system.

But SLO has just as many areas of specialization as Pomona. U.S. News and World ranked SLO as the #1 university for veterans in the west, #1 in the west in terms of innovation, and the #1 Western Public University/College. 

SLO also ranks higher in all areas of engineering that both schools offer.

To look at a different ranking system, the Washington Monthly ranks universities based on their ability to grant students social mobility, their research’s good for society, and a university’s promotion of public service. Of schools whose highest degree offered is a master’s, Pomona ranks 14th, while SLO ranks 23rd.


GPA & Test Scores for Cal Poly Pomona VS. Cal Poly SLO

Cal Poly Pomona
Chlorineer, Cal Poly Pomona South Campus, CC BY-SA 4.0

The average High School GPA for admitted SLO students is 4.0, the average SAT is 1255/1600, and the average ACT score is 28. 

In contrast, Pomona students average a 3.4 High School GPA and a 1,141/1600 composite SAT score. 

On the surface, this might seem to suggest that SLO may be the more academically prestigious of the two, but it is essential to remember that the less exclusive admissions process could help to explain why the Washington Monthly ranked Pomona as 8th in the region for social mobility, compared to SLO’s 12th. 

Less stringent GPA and standardized test score requirements for Pomona, based on the Washington Monthly’s data, does not necessarily suggest a neglect of prestigious academics, but rather a focus on accessibility at Pomona. 

Pomona, on average, has almost double the number of Pell-eligible students who graduate from its campus each year compared to SLO, despite the relatively similar size of the two institutions.

All this said, due to both institutions using multi-faceted admissions decisions, there are outliers from the average GPAs of incoming first-year students in both cases. 

According to CollegeSimply, 1% of SLO first-year students and 13% of Pomona first-year students have a high school GPA in the range of 2.75 to 3.00. 

As such, those who do not fall within the average GPA range for either of these institutions are highly encouraged to apply, as admissions decisions are made to consider applicants holistically.


Deciding Whether to Attend Cal Poly Pomona or SLO

Although rankings can reveal certain trends regarding the affordances institutions grant students, they can’t outline the full range of factors a prospective student must consider prior to applying. 

For example, SLO lies in a small town on the beachside. The small town in which SLO is located is said by many students to increase the sense of community among those enrolled at SLO. 

Pomona is located near the heart of Los Angeles, with many students coming from Los Angeles and living at home during their time in university. 

Though this can decrease the sense of community for some, the school’s Los Angeles location does provide students the opportunity to immerse themselves in one of the most vibrant cities in the United States. 

For many, athletics is a core component of the college experience, and SLO does boast 21 varsity sports in the NCAA Division I, compared to 10 varsity sports in NCAA Division II for Pomona. 

Despite their similarities in terms of educational methods and majors offered, these two institutions are incredibly different in terms of the kind of college experience they offer. 


Which School Is Better – Cal Poly Pomona or SLO?

Cal Poly SLO Dexter Lawn
Cal Poly SLO Dexter Lawn – Public domain photo via Wikimedia Commons

This question can only be answered by each individual applicant, but in this article readers have discovered some stark differences between these two institutions despite how similar they look on paper. 

It is up to the reader to decide if they agree that those traditional markers of excellence are accurate in assessing the merit of a university. For many, Pomona’s higher degree of community service alone might be worth more than the prestige of SLO. 

One thing is for certain though: both of these institutions provide the remarkable opportunity of experiencing the highest quality of experiential learning anywhere in California or the Western U.S. 

Students should decide what factors matter most to them—athletics or accessibility, college community or a vibrant metropolitan city—and once one has done that, students truly cannot go wrong with either of these wonderful universities. 

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