<p>I got this idea from another thread which talks about Harvard......</p>
<p>Need suggestions for son who would love to be in a place like Stanford - we all know the reason why Stanford is so awesome! Location, Faculty, Students, everything! Rice comes pretty close to it from what I hear but again it is a tough school to get into.</p>
<p>What are some other places that can offer the kind of total experience to students that Stanford and Rice have to offer? Academics plus a down to earth student body.</p>
<p>UC's are getting tougher to get into, esp with the budget cuts. Son is into Tech field so wants to be close to where the action is!</p>
<p>The problem with this question (and the Harvard one as well) is that it is like asking which car is like a Ferrari only inexpensive? Both questions are based on contradictory criteria.</p>
<p>But in your son’s case, if the key thing is to be where the action is near Silicon Valley, I’d suggest looking at all the other Bay Area schools and finding one he likes-Santa Clara, San Jose State, Univ.of SF, etc.</p>
<p>I agree with coureur … if another university was “like Stanford” then it would be as competitive as Stanford. (Cal-Berkeley might be an academic match.)</p>
<p>Start with Santa Clara and San Jose State … and perhaps UC San Diego.</p>
<p>Or you could get out of California entirely and consider such places as Cornell, Penn, Georgetown, the University of Virginia, Wash U, and Northwestern, all of which are, like Stanford, true universities rather than overgrown liberal arts colleges (a description that applies to most of the Ivy League except for the two schools I have listed), are considerably easier to get into, and have strong academic reputations.</p>
<p>Actually I have thought about this analogy a lot- it is like you want a Lexus (or Acura), but if you can’t get that, a Camry (or Accord) is great too. </p>
<p>Where the analogy fails is that if you have the money for a Lexus and are willing to spend it, you just go to the dealership and drive one home. If you want to go to Harvard (or Stanford) and you have the stats and other admissions criteria, you are still not guaranteed that you will be admitted.</p>
<p>To OP: I’m flattered to see you stole my headline From my experience, I suspect someone will soon ask you about stats.</p>
<p>I am not sure there are too many schools like Stanford (I assume you mean good academics, good weather, good athletics and a suburban locale).</p>
<p>Perhaps Duke, though I’m not sure it is much less selective. Good luck!</p>
<p>Hard to know what parts of Stanford to try to replicate in the substitute Stanford…good biology and engineering, smart kids, laid back kids, clean campus, good research opportunities, no snow. Having visited Rice this past spring, I would say that Rice DOES fit the bill–except for the undergrad size issue, less good Div 1 sports teams and not as many grad schools at the campus.</p>
<p>it is like asking which car is like a Ferrari only inexpensive? Both questions are based on contradictory criteria.</p>
<p>Well if you haven’t examined the honors programs at your state flagships you should.</p>
<p>But it gives me an idea for another thread.
Instead of what inexpensive and open admission university is like another school that is competitive and expensive,
I wonder what brilliant, good looking and wealthy ( plus younger ) man is interested in an aging, blue collar woman who doesn’t cook and doesn’t clean?</p>
<p>The Ferrari analogy is still apt, because the question being asked (“…but less expensive”) has at its root either an inability or an unwillingness to spend the money. “I want a Ferrari that is much cheaper” and “I want a Stanford that is much easier to get into” are two statements with very similar self-contradictions.</p>
<p>coureur, I understand what you mean but there is a difference. There is no supply problem in the automobile industry. You don’t have to send in an application 9 months before you need transportation, knowing that there are about ten times as many people who want those cars as there are going to be cars available. </p>
<p>The other difference is that the two colleges are going to “cost” exactly the same for a given individual. My D will bring the same academic qualifications to the college and we will pay pretty much the same tuition no matter what school she eventually attends.</p>
<p>So the analogous question is: given that we are going to pay a Ferrari price but given that there are not enough Ferraris to go around, and given that no matter what we need transportation in the fall of 2010, what more abundantly available car is closest to the Ferrari in characteristics? </p>
<p>For a Lexus, the car would be a Toyota. For a Ferrari, I have no idea, since I have never wanted to own a Ferrari.</p>
<p>I always thought the Claremont Colleges combined were a mini Stanford. Each school has its own strengths (HM - engineering, Pomona/McKenna, etc - social sciences/humanities) and when you think about it, it amounts to a decent sized research university. Add in an excellent Cali location and a great sports program and you’ve got Stanford’s little brother.</p>
<p>Rice also fits for the most part, as do Northwestern and maybe Tufts, if you’re thinking about lower selectivity.</p>
<p>Thank you all for the interesting responses. Just to clear any confusion as suggested - I am not looking for a “less expensive” school but rather a “less selective” one. Son does not have the stats to get into Stanford/Rice/UCB (GPA is an issue, SAT’s are fine). </p>
<p>We are US citizens living abroad so there is no question of in-state. We will be paying OOS no matter where he applies. Also no Fin-aid.</p>
<p>I had started a thread “where did your 3.3-3.6 GPA child get in” to which I got some very good replies and then someone else started the “where did your 3.0-3.3 child get in” - its an honor! I am glad you agree vicariousparent.</p>
<p>Santa Clara U we have on our list, yes. He does not have a shot at Cornell and Duke etc because of the GPA. WashUSt Louis is also very hard to get into and our school Naviance shows many rejections in our sons range. Vanderbilt too.</p>
<p>If he doesn’t have the stats to get into Rice I would agree that Duke,Cornell, and UVA should be off the list of possibilities as well. Recent history of CC posters has shown that ED at Wash U has been a better bet for those with more “marginal” applications. It seems that they lower the bar a bit (not a lot but accepted ED stats are lower than RD) for ED in exchange for the guaranteed matriculation. If you don’t do ED at Wash U I would not apply there RD since the pool is always stronger.</p>
<p>^^ I agree about WUSTL, I do not think he will get accepted there. I don’t think we should do ED there. Have not visited so not entirely excited about that particular option, plus someone on these boards said that their CS program is just about OK. Then he might as well go to CA, as he has gone there 2 summers at EPGY Stanford and he liked CA, we have visited SF and LA many times.</p>
From my experience, I suspect someone will soon ask you about stats.</p>
) man is interested in an aging, blue collar woman who doesn’t cook and doesn’t clean?</p>