For me, it'd be Princeton. It's the common choice among those deciding, as well.

I turned down Columbia several years back and after learning more and more about the school over the year (have a lot of friends there, interacted with students numerous times through the IVYG conference), I feel really fortunate to be in the place I am now.

Columbia is not undergraduate focused at all, and it hides the amount of attention their undergraduates are getting because it has students from Barnard, 3-2 programs, Julliard, and general studies also taking Columbia College courses. Columbia is actually one of the least undergraduate focused of the Ivies, whereas Princeton is one of the most undergraduate focused.

The residential life and community at Columbia are lackluster. The campus is tiny, the gyms and dining halls are mediocre, and it's just such a cramped space. Students are packed in high rises, which do not make for the same residential experience as other universities. While there is plenty of opportunity at Columbia to meet the world's best and brightest, and it is home to some of the most noted faculty in the world, Princeton equally compares or beats Columbia in this regard. The administration is known for being detached from Columbia, and their mental health resources are awful. It is a stressful and honestly miserable place. Why don't students transfer? Well- from one, I heard- I hate it here, but it's Columbia, so why even bother complaining? How much better could it be at other places? That did not sound like a good undergraduate experience to me. The reality is that some of the other Ivies are much better for the communal feel, administrative support, and undergraduate focus. Princeton is one of them. It has a huge endowment per student and spends one of the highest amounts of any school in the country; Columbia is considerably lower.

The only complaint I've heard about Princeton is the social hierarchy formed by eating clubs around junior/senior year, which ends up dividing the student body a bit, but in just about every other respect, Princeton is a magical, beautiful place. The professors there are devoted to their undergraduates. The campus is so up-to-date (I don't think I've seen an academic building as nice as Frick) and just gives off this classic collegiate vibe. The surrounding town is peaceful, but you are only 1.5 hours away from both NYC and Philly. Princeton honestly does feel like a liberal arts college, with its residential college system and commitment to teaching. It also has the best athletics among the Ivies. Columbia tries to emulate a liberal arts college with its Core, but the huge presence of graduate students/affiliated students makes that difficult.

I get the appeal of living in a big city and having NYC at your fingertips, but NYC is gritty and overwhelming. I go to a college near LA, and I'm so glad that I don't actually live in Los Angeles. My college town is like Princeton- beautiful, serene, verdant with bookstores/restaurants/dessert places lining Main Street for a cozy and calm feel. But then I can hop off to a train and get to the city really quickly. To me, a big city feels like a distraction from all of the opportunity you get in a college atmosphere. Of course there are days when you want to get out, and it's easy to, but being in a town helps foster a better undergraduate community.

I know this puts Columbia to a very negative light. The truth is Columbia deserves all the accolades it gets. It is a wonderful place filled with bright students and opportunity. If you really crave an more independent experience and big-city life, Columbia will provide that for you much more than Princeton. The place I picked, though, was like Princeton in its undergraduate focus and intimacy, and I much preferred that atmosphere. Good luck, and let us know what you decide.