Moms and dads nationwide may love Stanford even more than their kids do, a national survey shows. In the Princeton Review’s 2007 Annual College Hopes and Dreams Survey, Stanford was voted as parents’ number one “dream school” — that is, the top choice for their children if acceptance and money were non-issues. Students, however, voted New York University as their favorite for the third year in a row. Stanford was third on their list following NYU and Harvard. UCLA was the only other California school on either list, coming in seventh in the students’ rankings.

The Hopes and Dreams Survey has been conducted annually since 2002 and its results are published in the Princeton Review’s “Best 361 Colleges” book. Stanford has done well historically, ranking as parents’ first and second choice for 2005 and 2006 respectively. Students rated Stanford third and fourth on their 2005 and 2006 lists.

According to Stanford Parent Club President Eva Jacob, it comes as no surprise that parents hold the University in such high regard.

“Everybody thinks Stanford is a great school; it has great breadth,” she said in an email to The Daily. “I always meet parents who are very gung-ho about Stanford.”

Jacob cited a perceived lack of arrogance on campus as another feature of the University that parents appreciate. The difference in parent and student rankings may lie in which criteria each group values, she said.

“Parents feel that it is a very safe environment, and I don’t think kids choose Stanford for that reason,” she said. “Parents feel that Stanford is in a much better environment than a lot of the other top schools — safety and security is a big issue for them.”

Jacob speculated that NYU’s urban location may be responsible for its popularity with students.

“NYU may have been at the top of the [students’ list] because of where it is located,” Jacob said. “I think it’s exciting to be in New York as a young person.”

NYU’s three-year stint at the top of the student survey is surprising to some students, however.

“They’re obviously a good school,” said Chris McCarty ‘09, “But not on the same level of Stanford.”

The annual survey also revealed other education issues about which students and parents disagreed. While parents’ primary concern is their child’s coursework, students are more likely to worry about money and debt accumulation.

The survey found that 65 percent of both students and parents found the college application process “highly stressful,” while 51 percent claimed that financial aid would be “extremely necessary.” The study was conducted online from February through the end of March. 4,594 high school students and 1,260 parents participated in survey.

Contact Loren Newman at ldnewman@stanford.edu.