<p>Hi everyone! I'm having trouble deciding between a few schools. I'm already applying to Yale, Bowdoin, Princeton, Dartmouth, and Notre Dame
I'm considering Haverford, Williams, Amherst and Middlebury, but I can't easily distinguish among them.
I'm planning on a history major and eventually law school, and I like a very spirited, relaxed and uncompetitive student body. It would be great if the school had a mock trial or trial advocacy team. I'm from a very safe, suburban town in Southern California and am looking for a similar environment. </p>
<p>Can anyone please advise me? Thank you! =)</p>
<p>Have you visited any of the schools you’re considering? It might help you distinguish between them, since they do seem similar on paper but will come to life, if you will, when you walk on campus.</p>
<p>Academics are comparable at the 4…The only thing that seems like it might matter is that Amherst has the best college town of the 4 and Haverford, I think, has the easiest access to a big city.</p>
<p>Look at Pomona if you still want a little bit of Cali feel. And the other schools in the Claremont Consortium.</p>
<p>I don’t think any of the schools you have listed would be considered “relaxed” with an “uncompetitive” student body.</p>
<p>Also, I don’t know your stats but you probably need a few safeties on your list. All of the schools on your list have very low admission rates. </p>
<p>Also, you’re looking at all NE schools - not exactly a Southern California “environment.”</p>
<p>There must be some schools in the west? Maybe Reed? I don’t mean to sound negative, but this sounds like a list based on rankings or prestige, and not necessarily on what would be a great fit for you.</p>
<p>Wow dartmouth seems to be popular on this forum, never heard of it before either. Well if your considering to apply to Harvard etc… why not look at University of Chicago, New York University, and Penn State. Other good schools Michigan State University, and University of Michigan- Ann Arbor.</p>
<p>Lafalum, I think you’re right that none of those are completely relaxed. I guess what I mean is an environment of students who are driven to succeed but not overbearingly competitive with each other. Also, it’s not really a Southern California environment I’m looking for, more of a small school feel with nice students.<br>
Penn was too large and too urban for me, and NYU a bit too radically liberal.
Yale is really my first choice, but I also love Bowdoin, so if anyone knows of similar schools, please let me know.</p>
<p>Take a look at Holy Cross outside Boston. Holy Cross has award-winning moot and mock trial teams. For the second year in a row, a Holy Cross Moot Court team placed second in the National Moot Court Competition, making them among the top competitors in the nation.</p>
<p>This really isn’t a list based on prestige. I’m not applying to Harvard, MIT, Cal Tech, Columbia, etc. because I know they’re not right for me. I’m Catholic and from a small Catholic school, so I chose these schools because they are all private and relatively small. I think I could use a few more safety schools though…I have been considering Boston College and William and Mary.</p>
<p>I agree with the Holy Cross add. Check out both HC and BC.</p>
<p>Third vote for Holy Cross. And being from Calif would probably help you in admissions (not to assume you need it, but just pointing that out) at Holy Cross. BC has a surprisingly high number of kids from Cali. And what about Georgetown?</p>