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Still, I don't want to go to a school with too much of a druggie reputation because it might affect the way future employers think of me.
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Believe me, future employers are not going to frown on you for going to top notch schools like Brown/Wes/Vassar/Reed, etc. just because they have a druggie reputation. Their acedemic reputations outway that entirely.</p>
<p>JohnWes, that's because the Wes campus police are super lax. Trust me, I saw more drugs in one 3 day weekend at Wes than I ever thought possible. And this was mostly public, i.e. at parties openly etc.</p>
<p>well.. maybe the OP didn't know that middlebury was completly rural, when they agreed to check it out....</p>
<p>slipper said:</p>
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<p>JohnWes, that's because the Wes campus police are super lax. Trust me, I saw more drugs in one 3 day weekend at Wes than I ever thought possible. And this was mostly public, i.e. at parties openly etc.<</p>
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<p>Slipper, at 20+ drug infractions a year, no one is arguing that drugs don't exist at Wesleyan. But, trying to shift the argument into a comparitive study of campus police at Wes, Amherst and Williams is just a diversionary tactic. At 20-25 drug busts a year at campuses HALF Wesleyan's size -- what are you saying? That drugs don't exist at Amherst and Williams? Let's not beat this dead horse.</p>
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...you crossed off Amherst because it's in the sticks, but you're goin to check out Middlebury?
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<p>Yes, I was going to check it out. And then when I fout out that it's in the middle of nowhere, I took it off the list. </p>
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But, it does sound like you're asking for the next to impossible: a small college in the northeast that's in an urban environment but doesn't have drugs or alcohol -- and doesn't sound too Christian. That's a lot to ask for.
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<p>It's not that I want a college with no drugs or alcohol, I just don't want the school to be known for that. When you think of Brown, "pot" is one of the key words pretty high up on the list. I don't mind it being there, I just don't want it to be everywhere. Like, people do stuff at Barnard, but when you think of Barnard, that's not one of the first things that come to mind. Same for Swarthmore. And Penn. I mean, there's alcohol at penn, but I'm not naive enough to think that there won't be alcohol at college.</p>
<p>Look, I'm not saying that Wesleyan's a bad school. I'm not saying that the kids are particularly bad or anything of the sort. I just don't want to go to a school that's known for its drugs. It kind of says something about the school's atmosphere and it doesn't sound like it would be the place for me.</p>
<p>And, I'm not saying you should go to Wesleyan. Wesleyan is looking for a particular kind of student, one who generally looks at facts and governs their decisions accordingly.</p>
<p>Let all these people split hairs over whose school sucks less. Penn stands head and shoulders above them (in my thoroughly biased opinion). Our psych program is among the best, our campus is fun, and Philly make a great college city.</p>
<p>I have to agree that the OP would be better served by a larger university environment.</p>
<p>What makes you say that, Johnwesley? </p>
<p>The thing that draws me to smaller schools is that it seems like they'd be more nurturing. I feel like you could get lost in bigger schools among the other 15,000 undergrads and I think I'd like knowing most of my classmates. </p>
<p>That said, there are a lot of perks to going to large schools, such as kickass libraries and incredible resources. Right now, my favorite schools are UPenn, Swarthmore and Barnard, although I'm sure that by application time, that's bound to change. I like philly and the surrounding area a lot for college, though.</p>
<p>Yes, of course small schools are nurturing. But, they also require a certain degree of tolerance and openness to new ideas. I just think that you may have to cycle through a number of different groups of friends before you find your niche; and, you need to be able to do that without teeing off half the campus in the process. A university offers the opportunity of burning your bridges behind you with fewer consequences than may be the case where the average class size is <500.</p>
<p>I'm tolerant. And as far as new ideas go, I'm all for them. And like, I know that people do drugs, but I'm sure that at schools that aren't necessarily known for them, there will be people who won't do them. I'll find friends.</p>
<p>I don't think you'd get this from a forum, but I'm a really nice person. I wouldn't burn bridges. I'm not mean. I do understand what you're saying about cycling through friends to find a niche, though. It goes with the whole "finding yourself" thing that goes with college.</p>
<p>I'll see. I mean, all this is theoretical at this point. I need to visit schools to really know what I want.</p>
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Vanderbilt is 2% Jewish, which is a little low for me
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<p>Vanderbilt is currently 10-12% Jewish. It was 2% five years ago.</p>
<p>Actually Brown isn't nearly as pot focused as it's made out to be...I've spent easily 30 days of my life at Brown and I've found it to be much more mainstream than its perception. On the other hand, Wesleyan lived up to every stereotype.</p>
<p>Thanks, VanderbuiltPride! It's in the south, though, so even though it has more Jews than I thought it did, it's still off my list.</p>
<p>Slipper1234- Really? So if they're not pot-obsessed, then what are the kids like? Are they like kids at other universities? What sets Brown apart?</p>
<p>Oh, please. Slipper has made more hay out of a weekend trip to Wesleyan six years ago than just about anyone on the CC forums. Here's the main difference between Wesleyan and Brown. Brown has among the worst dorms in the Ivy League. Wesleyan has among the best in NESCAC. At Brown all social activity is likely to revolve around somebody spiking the punch in a lame dorm party or campus lounge. At Wesleyan, students have access to bungalows and Revolutionary War era houses that line the streets around campus. Where do you think they are going to have the most kick-back parties? I'm sorry Slipper, if your weekend at Wesleyan was a little too much for you to handle. But, I think most people would prefer too much social life to too little.</p>
<p>No kidding, Slipper. I can just start talkinga bout all the cokeheads I saw at Dartmouth the 48 hours I was there. Do you think that is indicative of the Dartmouth experience?</p>
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And like, I know that people do drugs, but I'm sure that at schools that aren't necessarily known for them, there will be people who won't do them. I'll find friends.
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I'm not still pushing Wes here. I just want to point out that this is entirly true of schools that ARE known for drugs, as well. I have serveral good friends who don't do drugs or drink (and I myself don't smoke anything), and still have plenty of friends here.</p>
<p>A couple of things:</p>
<p>If your parents wouldn't go for Holy Cross, you'd better scratch Georgetown off the list too (it's Jesuit, Catholic).</p>
<p>Do your stats fit all your schools? My point is - don't forget when planning trips to visit match and safety schools too.</p>
<p>Do your parents' finances fit all these schools? Now is a good time to have that conversation with them, if you haven't already. Again, it's critical to visit financial safeties too, and be sure to interview at any schools where you are seeking merit money. (PS Most of the schools on your list offer zero or very little in the way of merit money.)</p>
<p>It's great to get ideas about location, campus amenities, on-campus culture, etc. But there are often other factors that can broaden your search.</p>
<p>"the huge number of illegal weapons referrals at Williams (what were they doing, hunting bear in their L.L. Bean long johns????)"</p>
<p>The 11 referrals over the course of three years may well have included paintball markers -- considered to be illegal weaponry at a school that regularly organizes paintball outings but bans the markers in students' rooms.</p>
<p>"Oh, please. You people need to check yourselves"</p>
<p>From the Amherst thread you referenced:
"Obviously there is a completely different enforcement strategy. Williams (and I assume Amherst from the disciplinary referrrals) has a ban on alcohol in freshman dorms, a ban on unregistered kegs, etc. They enforce these bans (to some extent) with security police walk-thrus, busting up parties, handing out tickets to visit the dean, etc. That is clearly going to generate a lot more violations."</p>
<p>It seems you've forgotten even your own comments in reference to all that:</p>
<p>"This probably reflects a number of factors: 1) there is much more self-policing at Wesleyan, where every effort is made <em>not</em> to bring Middletown cops on campus except in cases where physical safety may be involved, and, 2) perhaps as at Swarthmore, a general leniency toward activity taking place in the privacy of one's room."</p>