Stanford vs. Harvard – what’s the difference?

They are the top universities in the United States and, as such, receive thousands of applications from hopeful students from both home and abroad each and every year. If you’re in a position to apply for one or the other, or better yet, you can actually choose Harvard or Stanford – which should you opt for?

The answer lies in the differences between the two, and believe it or not, there are quite a few.

Academics

Let’s tackle the biggest aspect of choosing a school – your education. After all, you’re going there to learn, so it’s only right that you know what your academic studies will involve.

At Stanford, there’s a focus on providing students with practical knowledge and skills that will help them achieve their goals in both their personal and working lives. Harvard, on the other hand, is a little more focused on the discovery of knowledge and the education of future leaders.

Now, that might sound like one is a vocational school where students learn to work with their hands, while the other is all about the lectures, but it’s not quite so simple. For example, that psychology degree that you’re hoping to take is available at both universities, but the application of the knowledge learned in lectures is slightly different.

With this in mind, it’s highly recommended that you speak to past students of both schools, or at the very least do some research on your course professors. You’ll find some stark differences between how both schools teach a subject, and so you’ll need to decide which method best suits you.

Sports

While Harvard has produced some fine athletes in the past, the school’s dedication to the pursuit of knowledge means that there’s a little less focus on sporting programs. Yes, you can play basketball, soccer and football, among many others, but there’s not as much excitement or buzz about sports at Harvard as there is in Stanford.

Stanford really puts a lot of effort and invests heavily in their sports programs, and it shows. In fact, Stanford has been awarded the Director’s Cup (which recognizes the top sporting program in the NCAA Division I) every year since 1994.

And when it comes to football, Stanford Cardinals are quite the team, with a solid coaching staff and a history of producing quality professionals. They regularly compete at the highest level and usually produce the goods. Having said that, although they were fancied to beat UCLA in their last outing, they lost badly. But it’s just a blip as they say – the fact remains that if sports are your thing then Stanford is the clear choice.

Facilities

To be perfectly honest, there’s not much to differentiate between the two here. Both universities have what are regarded as the best school libraries in the country and both have invested heavily in state of the art technology. This is quite understandable given that they are the two most popular schools in the US and arguably two of the most famous in the world.

In terms of housing, things are a little different. At Harvard, there are thirteen houses that provide accommodation for students, from sophomores to seniors. Stanford has a slightly different approach. They offer a diverse range of accommodations that promote living in cross-culture environments and, in some cases, group students together based on their studies. It’s a great system that offers students more of an all-round living experience.

Cost

Attending school in the US is an expensive undertaking and both Harvard and Stanford are among the highest charging Ivy League schools. For one year at Harvard, you’ll need to cough up a quite astonishing $50,000, while over at Stanford it’s slightly cheaper at just over $48,000.

That doesn’t take into account spending money that students will need throughout the year or any additional expenses they may incur. So if budget is a concern then there’s very little to choose between these two schools.

So there you have it. If you are purely focused on academic learning, then perhaps Harvard is the best choice. If, on the other hand, you would like a more practical approach to your education, then it would have to be Stanford. Either way, one thing is for sure, you’ll need to start saving soon.