<p>Are there other schools out there that are like Columbia? It is just about my ideal school: A great location in a major city, but a small/medium size class enrollment. Not to big, Not too small, with great academics, which is a top priority of mine.</p>
<p>However, I'm picturing the academics at Columbia to be arduous for my taste. I'm not sure if I'm ready to work that hard. Are there any other schools that are similar to Columbia, buy maybe slightly less competitive?</p>
<p>bump…</p>
<p>Well, Columbia as you said is extremely rigorous, but there are many other good schools that may not require the same time commitment, but remember you have to work hard at any college you go to and how well you do depends on how much work you put in. Schools like Columbia are all extremely rigorous and competitive, such as all the other Ivies and schools such as MIT, Caltech, U Chicago, and Stanford to name a few. What exactly do you mean by less competitive? All schools like Columbia will be competitive otherwise they would not be like Columbia.</p>
<p>Well maybe not as ‘big name’ as Columbia. While prestige is always nice, The acceptance rate at Columbia is formidable, as are many of the schools in that range. Maybe there are a few slightly less known schools that still offer great academics without the ultra competitive application process.</p>
<p>It’s not so much the workload I’m afraid of; the wide range of academic advancement opportunities available at Columbia and the intensity of the undergraduate curriculum is actually what attracts me most, but I’m just not sure If I’m good enough to get in when Columbia has SO many amazing applicants to choose from, so I want to have a few back up colleges that offer similar features.</p>
<p>NYU is probably closest to what you’re looking for. Like Columbia, it’s a major private school in New York with tons of opportunities and a good academic reputation. But the size of the incoming class is much larger than Columbia (though actual class sizes aren’t necessarily that much bigger, since there are a lot more classes). It’s a bit less rigorous and less competitive than Columbia as well.</p>
<p>The next closest is probably Chicago, a major private school with its own campus in the middle of a (relatively) major American city. It’s less competitive than Columbia, but at least as academically rigorous, so it’s probably not what you’re looking for.</p>
<p>If you consider D.C. a major city (and don’t mind going to a nominally Catholic school), then there’s Georgetown. Georgetown is a great school, but it’s definitely less competitive and academically rigorous than Columbia. I’d say it’s pretty similar to NYU in that respect. And if Georgetown seems like too much of a chore, you can check out American, which is one rung below.</p>
<p>I’d say American is actually two rungs below Georgetown. In terms of DC schools:
<p>Georgetown is the closest to what you’re describing. Following Gtown would be Vanderbilt, Rice, Emory, and arguably and UPenn, as they are also “similar,” (they’re all mid-sized city schools with moderate academics) but lack the prestige of Columbia.</p>
<p>Vandy, Rice, and Emory are similar to Georgetown, but I don’t know about Columbia. I don’t know if I count those (relatively) small southern cities as “major cities.” Then again, I’m sure I have a regional bias, and Vandy, Rice, and Emory are some of the best schools in the south!</p>
<p>As far as GW, it’s difficult to compare with American and Georgetown. I loved GW when I went, but their emphasis on internships and outside-the-classroom experiences, along with their urban campus (a la NYU) really puts them in a different league.</p>
<p>Macalaster in St. Paul, Minnesota might be a good choice. Maybe Boston College or Boston University.</p>
<p>georgetown does not have a similar vibe to columbia, though. quite different social scenes</p>
<p>To answer your original question, if you get into Columbia, you are smart enough to do well there.</p>
<p>The (relatively) small southern city that is home to Rice is the fourth largest in the US…</p>
<p>Oh, I always forget that Rice is in Houston, not Austin! You’re right. And just because I was curious, I looked up the largest cities in the US. Here are the top 10:</p>
<ol>
<li>New York</li>
<li>L.A.</li>
<li>Chicago</li>
<li>Houston</li>
<li>Philadelphia</li>
<li>Phoenix</li>
<li>San Antonio</li>
<li>San Diego</li>
<li>Dallas</li>
<li>San Jose</li>
</ol>
<p>I knew the first 3, but the others are quite surprising. I also thought Boston (22), D.C. (24), Baltimore (21), San Francisco (13), and especially Miami (44) were much larger than they actually are.</p>
<p>This seems relevant to my last post: [The</a> Map of America As Seen by a New Yorker from Dan Abramson](<a href=“http://www.funnyordie.com/articles/a106c8188f/the-map-of-america-as-seen-by-a-new-yorker]The”>The Map Of America As Seen By A New Yorker – Funny Or Die)</p>