<p>Most of the focus on CC is on academic topics. I believe that college will be a much broader experience and I want to have fun as well as excellent academics during my four years at college. What schools do you believe offer the best balance of academic, social. athletic, and physical characteristics, ie, campus beauty, school facilities, size and location, etc? What factors lead you to believe that these schools have a better mix? </p>
<p>(Addendum: I don't have a problem with Greek life, think it could be a lot of fun and probably expect to join if it is available at the school I ultimately attend. However, I realize that this is not the view of many CCers so please don't let my preferences impede your opinions.)</p>
<p>at least solid academics plus at least solid athletics/social life:
colgate, duke, lehigh, stanford, ucla, usc, texas, michigan, vandy, dartmouth</p>
<p>OP, I know you are looking for helpful advice and want to narrow down the field of colleges. However the question you ask has no answer. No answer, that is, that holds for everyone. There may be a set of schools that have the right balance for YOU, but they won't be for others. There is no one standard of campus beauty, of size, of preferred location.</p>
<p>It would be more helpful if you gave some ideas of what you are looking for in a school -- for example, rural school in the Northwest with around 4000 students, admission rate 30% or better, the types of activities you enjoy and clubs you are looking for, etc.</p>
<p>mikemac
Thanks for your reply, but I am actually trying to expand my search and I am hoping that this thread will trigger some new ideas about schools to consider. You and others have a lot of knowledge and passion for schools that I am trying to learn about. I am hoping to see some of this passion and the reasoning behind it as a possible spur to consider schools that I might be missing. On top of that, beyond my own interests, I think that this is an interesting topic and I am curious to hear a variety of opinions about how people view a wide range of schools.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Dartmouth College hands down! Friendly greek life (brothers open doors to everyone, everyone parties everywhere), best undergraduate focus besides Princeton, fun/ intelligent/ intellectual/ laid back student body, great school spirit, constant "big weekends" - only place with 4 per year, amazing communtity, etc. </p></li>
<li><p>Brown, Princeton, Stanford, UNC-CH</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I'm guessing when you factor in athletics, you mean big-time athletics. I went to a Havrard-Princeton football game once, and it was just slightly above a good high school game as a spectacle. So I'd say the Ivies are out. As are Washington and Lee, Emory, etc.</p>
<p>You'd have to to with Stanford, Duke, UCLA, USC, Wake Forest, Notre Dame, Michigan, Wisconsin, UNC, BC, UCB, Vanderbilt, Florida, Virginia, Texas, Colorado, Georgetown, all of which have big-time sports, nice campuses, respectable academics, and active social environments.</p>
<p>To all posters past, present, and future-thanks for your thoughts. If you have the time, it would be much appreciated if you could expand your comments beyond just a list of schools. Why do you believe that a school has the best combination of outstanding academics and very good social life? Thanks.</p>
<p>Berkeley is reknown for being so active that some students end up failing their classes because they get so caught up in stuff to do. :P Really, the party scene is there and active, but mostly students like to get involved in on-campus activies, as explained by the Princeton Review:</p>
<p>When students can break free of the books, a world of options awaits them, both on campus and off. Undergrads tell us that "most of us start our day walking through Sproul Plaza getting news from every other group on campus, whether it be a movie playing in Wheeler, or a general meeting or someone coming to speak." Students participate in "hundreds of student organizations" and "really show their school spirit with regards to athletics; our football games are always packed with rowdy fans." For those seeking one, there's a lively party scene; one student reports, "On every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night, you can bet there will be a host of different fraternity and sorority parties, in addition to co-op and house parties. Many of the Greek parties take place at clubs or bars in the city, and the location is always rented out exclusively for the students. On any other night of the week, there are local bars and clubs that are always fun." Then there's Berkeley with its "amazing variety of restaurants" and trips to San Francisco.</p>
<p>"What schools do you believe offer the best balance of academic, social. athletic, and physical characteristics, ie, campus beauty, school facilities, size and location, etc? What factors lead you to believe that these schools have a better mix? "</p>
<p>Cal. I would put it at #1.</p>
<p>Academics: top 5</p>
<p>Social: everything you want in a college experience (including a good greek system.) And then some...</p>
<p>Athletics: football program will be dominant under Tedford. Cal hoops is loads of fun. Great tradition with olympic sports (13 medals in Athens), Rugby, Crew etc...</p>
<p>Brown University
Cornell University (secluded and limited surroundings)
Dartmouth College (secluded and limited surroundings)
Duke University
Georgetown University
Indiana University-Bloomington
Princeton University (limited social life)
Stanford University
University of California-Berkeley
University of California-Los Angeles
University of Colorado-Boulder
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
University of Texas-Austin
University of Virginia
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Vanderbilt University</p>
<p>I also strongly recommend UNC-CH, where I went to grad school, and USC, where my son is currently in college, as great places to learn, to grow, and to enjoy yourself.</p>
<p>Alexandre, it looks like the OP is looking for all-around places that punch all the tickets. When you have 2 places (Cornell and Dartmouth) that are in the sticks AND play sports at a level that is only mildly amusing. I respect Princeton as much as the next prestige whore, but you must admit it can't compete sports-wise with the others. Brown is only an improvement on those as far as Providence is an improvement on Ithaca.</p>
<p>I don't know if Indiana's undergrad academics are in a league with the rest of the places. Georgetown's football is small-time, so that could be a red flag. I originally had Wake Forest, but perhaps the liveliness quotient isn't up to speed? Don't know how you can leave BC off this list (BC's sports rankings this year: Basketball #7; Football #17; Hockey #3).</p>
