<p>I've pored over Princeton Review and other College books searching for the "perfect" school for me.</p>
<p>So far, I'm interested in:
College of William and Mary (#1)
Univ. of Florida
Emory Univ.
Wash U. in St. Louis (maybe)
Davidson
Dartmouth (big reach/maybe- is its Animal House rep. true?)</p>
<p>I'm looking for a school in an urban/suburban area, small-medium, East Coast, S.E., not too preppy.</p>
<p>Any suggestions?</p>
<p>Tulane could be a good option, as well as Rhodes, perhaps. </p>
<p>Avoid Wake Forest and Vanderbilt (great schools, but definitely have a preppier feel).</p>
<p>Thanks! Yeah, I've heard that confederate loyalties run deep at Vandy.</p>
<p>UCSB, Vanderbilt</p>
<p>Def. give Wash U. a try and stay away from Elon (a friend of mine visited and felt uncomfortable...like it was being at a country club), Wake, maybe even Duke...</p>
<p>Rice in Houston is an awesome school, as is Tulane (to a lesser extent). I can't deny or confirm the Animal House atmosphere at Dartmouth, but it seems like it is the most frat-oriented school in the Ivy League. </p>
<p>Carnegie Mellon...I've said it before on these forums...is awesome. Very smart and friendly kids, but none of them are preppy. Very diverse. Sort of a cool nerd vibe.</p>
<p>all you need to know about dartmouth:</p>
<p>you've heard the confederate loyalties run deep at vanderbilt...</p>
<p>i suggest you find a new group of people to associate with because that's about an ignorant statement as i've ever seen.</p>
<p>world changer- Avoid Wake but consider Rhodes? What the heck?</p>
<p>
[quote]
Yeah, I've heard that confederate loyalties run deep at Vandy.
[/quote]
I'm never sure what's implied with statements like these. That students eat grits for breakfast? That everyone loves Kenny Chesney singing "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy"? That people hang Confederate flags from their windows? </p>
<p>Davidson sounds like an excellent match. I'm pretty familiar with it, and I'm very impressed with the school. It has a beautiful campus in a rather nice small town, and a much larger city is nearby. Davidson recently eliminated loans; Princeton and Amherst are the only other colleges to have done so.</p>
<p>Duke seems like a good fit as well. Although a bit further away, Johns Hopkins would be worth consideration.</p>
<p>pinkiwi,
Glad to read that you are looking at W&M. It really is a fabulous little school and very, very underrated and overlooked in discussions about America’s top public (and private!) universities. It has a preppy component, but not overwhelming, and its location adjacent to colonial Williamsburg is charming. </p>
<p>Re your other schools, interesting choices (Emory, Wash U, Davidson). All are truly terrific colleges and the students and academics are qualitatively every bit as strong as any of the non-HYP Ivies. But these colleges have very different feels (especially Davidson). Hopefully, you will have the chance to visit each and see first-hand how their environs impact an undergraduate experience. </p>
<p>As for Dartmouth, this is obviously a great college, but it is definitely remote and has the most different feel of any of the colleges you mentioned. Based on your expressed desire for urban/suburban, I would question its inclusion in your list of colleges. Also, as a student coming from Florida, you should visit in January-March/April because the weather difference can be an enormous shock for some students. </p>
<p>As for your expressions on Vanderbilt, the current nature of that college is very different from the historical stereotype. Maybe your comments would apply in 1980 or maybe even 1990, but not today. Nonetheless, Vanderbilt may not be a great fit for you; it is probably preppier than most colleges (as is Wake Forest). </p>
<p>Finally, I want to second 2-iron’s suggestions of Rice and Carnegie Mellon. Both have interesting campuses that meet your criteria (though not very East Coast), have very intelligent student bodies, and offer a superb undergraduate education. I also agree that Duke would be a wonderful choice and IMO offers perhaps the best undergraduate academic/social/athletic experience anywhere in the eastern USA (all Ivies included).</p>
<p>
[quote]
Avoid Wake but consider Rhodes? What the heck?
[/quote]
Wake is known for being a preppy haven, but everyone I know who has gone to Rhodes has been the exact opposite. Maybe the people I know are just bad examples then.</p>
<p>Check out schools in the MAC conference, like Ohio U. Or Xavier in Cincy. Use a college search to help fine tune your picks.</p>
<p>Davidson/Georgetown/Haverford are similar to W&M and fit your description very well.</p>
<p>American University.</p>
<p>good friend e-mailed this to me
YouTube</a> - Real Animal House</p>
<p>and you definitely want to check out vanderbilt stereotypes aren't really accurate on the whole</p>