<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, but maybe slightly less competitive? I want a community with top notch academics in a big city, but the search has been tough. </p>
<p>university of chicago is one…ranked top ten for academics, located in the 3rd biggest US city. the school is also pretty arduous though. Another would be Wash U in St. louis…,major city, st. louis is pretty crappy, but i think the school is in a good locale in the city.</p>
<p>I was going to suggest WashU as well (for obvious reasons :P). Seriously though, WUSTL isn’t in the bad area of St. Louis, which is on the other side of the river. I think UChicago would probably be more ideal if you’re looking for a Columbia-type place, but if you’re not into those academics, WashU would probably be a better place since UChicago has a core curriculum like Columbia and apparently UChicago is “where fun goes to die”. WUSTL isn’t nearly as competitive :)</p>
<p>Schools with similar academic excellence, size and proximity to urban centers include:</p>
<p>Carnegie Mellon University
Columbia University
Johns Hopkins University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Northwestern University
University of Chicago (the closest thing to Columbia for sure)
University of Pennsylvania
Washington University-Saint Louis</p>
<p>^^^ I think WashU’s Art school is good, my friend from RISD was impressed when I told her that I went to WashU (but then she added that RISD still owns WashU in art). hahaha
But the Business school is definitely good, so you should check it out.</p>
<p>The other schools that Alexandre suggested have excellent business schools too. But I dont think all of them have undergraduate business programs. I know UChicago and Northwestern dont have it. But UPenn & MIT have excellent business programs.</p>
<p>INC-Chapel Hill is close to raleigh, but not quite in it. It’s like a 15 minute drive. Georgia Tech is nice, right in Atlanta, but Emory might be what you’re looking for exactly. It’s a great school, no Harvard though, moderately sized, and really in a great section of Atlanta. It’s very safe and beautiful. The professors are extremely helpful and nice. Like a small town feel in a big city.</p>
<p>Emory’s good for the arts. Also, something to maybe look if you’re into journalism would be u. Of Florida. They have a good program, and a lot less competitive.</p>
<p>Most of the schools mentioned will be pretty arduous, too. American U, Tulane, etc. are the kind of mid-size urban schools you should consider if you want good academics that won’t be as taxing as Columbia.</p>
<p>Hmm I visited Washu last year and really liked the area/campus setting. I found St. Louis to be a fine place to spend four years. But I guess I wasn’t in any of the dangerous areas (East St. Louis I think).</p>
<p>if you are interested in catholic colleges, you should check into Fordham in NYC, along with Georgetown which M’s mom mentioned, and Boston college.</p>