<p>You really should consider Franklin W. Olin. Although it is an Engineering school, you would be surprised at how socially adept the students are. They all have passionate interests outside of Engineering and are incredibly interesting, motivated and outgoing people. Olin is an environment of cooperation and not competition. The male/female ratio is close to 50%. Wellesley is nearby, which is an all female college, so that increases the dating possiblities for men, if that is a concern. You will find the Olin population in general much less nerdy than the engineering population at other schools. Although there are parties on campus, there are no stoners/slackers to speak of. Boston, which is one of the truly great American cities, is close by, and can be reached by the T or there are often Olin students going into the city who are willing to offer rides. The campus location, in Needham, is your typical New England town, which has a charm in itself. The courses are hands-on project based, and many professors do offer research projects to their students. By the time you graduate, you will have completed several meaningful projects, which I believe are just as good as doing research. You will have the opportunity to present these projects to professors and industry representatives at the end of semester “Expo.” Another thing that I think is great about Olin, but some people may consider a drawback… You have no required political science, english literature, foreign language… You concentrate on engineering, math, entrepeneurship with a few technology oriented humanities courses mixed in. However, you have the option of taking other types of classes at Babson, Brandeis, and Wellesley or during a study away semester if you choose. There are an amazing number of clubs at Olin. The students are very volunteer oriented too. There are also many spur of the moment events: let’s go sail on the Charles River, let’s go climb the White Mountains in New Hampshire, let’s go to New York City on the Fun Wah Bus that leaves out of Chinatown… All of the Olin students live on campus. The dorms and food are both excellent. You will work very hard at Olin, but you will make great friends, and have plenty of opportunities for fun.</p>