<p>What top schools in general are known to have down to earth student bodies. I'm assuming LACs are gonna have a lot more down to earth students than large privates, but what are some LACs and universities that are known to have down to earth students? By down to earth I don't mean hippy or super liberal, but just laid back, friendly, and outgoing. In particular for me, what really good IR schools have this. I'm thinking Georgetown, Princeton, JHU, and Columbia aren't gonna have down to earth students. Are there some that do?</p>
<p>Notre Dame, Washington University, Carnegie Mellon, and Rice seem to match your definition of down to earth top schools, but I'm not sure if their IR programs are good.</p>
<p>i think Tufts has a really good IR program....not too sure if their student body is down to earth or not tho... =/</p>
<p>connecticut college, union, lehigh, mt holyoke</p>
<p>akajj... this is a good post, and one that would have likely come out of my mouth if we jumped back a year. when looking into schools, student body was very, very important to me. while parents (etc) may stress academics and proximity to home (if they're like mine), those 2 factors are going to contribute far less to your "overall experience". You may be at one of the finest institutions in the world, but if you don't mess well with the student body.. my guess is you won't have a very rewarding 4-years.</p>
<p>that aside, you say that you are looking into Princeton. well, thats similarity #2, as I am shipping out to Jersey this fall. my final decision was between there and Brown: two seemingly distinct, and considerably opposite, schools to the outside eye. however, on my visits, I found many students who could probably thrive and be happy at either place. moreso, I found students who were geniunely happy.</p>
<p>i'm not trying to convince or persuade you, just perhaps help inform. don't make haste assumptions based on what others may deem to be true. ie: don't immediately write off princeton because a peer told you it was 'full of elitists.' some stereotypes, albeit highly outdated, will persist no matter how inaccurate they are. my advice is to go visit for yourself and be the judge. your 4 college years are yours to have and decide on, so don't let your own perceptions be tainted by the masses.</p>
<p>phew, that was intense. but seriously, princeton kids (with the inevitable exceptions, which every school has) are charming, intelligent, fun, and easy-going. thats why I'm headed there in september, and thats why I'm excited as hell.</p>
<p>the reason i fell in love with W&L and will be going this fall was the student body. friendly, charming, very intelligent (though not overly/ pretentiously intellectual), ambitious, and indeed down to earth. although no IR program exists there, it is the only top LAC with an accredited business/ commerce program.</p>
<p>Think Midwest - Macalester, Grinnell, Carleton</p>
<p>In California - Claremont schools</p>
<p>I echo Pirt's opinion. One of the attractions of W&L to my child was the fact that faculty and students were friendly and relaxed yet still are academically minded.</p>
<p>Thanks ya'll does anybody else have any input? It doesn't have to be about IR schools.</p>
<p>Tufts, down to the earth</p>
<p>Gtown and GWU are no-no's</p>
<p>Stanford students fit your description well.</p>
<p>Reed- they are really down to earth, at least in terms of how much crap they smoke.</p>
<p>Kings Point</p>
<p>You'd be surprised, I met some very nice people at Princeton and the like when I visited. When I think of top-tier LACs with really great, down-to-earth people, however, I think of places like Grinnell, Kenyon, Oberlin, Pomona, Reed, and Carleton. (I actually haven't been to Kenyon, but I've chatted with some alum.) These are great schools, and you can't go wrong with any of them!</p>
<p>"Reed- they are really down to earth, at least in terms of how much crap they smoke."</p>
<p>How much crap they smoke: </p>
<p>27% never
25% once or twice a year
24% once or twice a month</p>
<p>Stern kids are very down to earth.</p>
<p>Yeah right. That isn't what I heard from the 6 stern kids I hang out with all the time in NYC.</p>
<p>Down to earth schools (easygoing, happy-go-lucky, anything goes, non-competitive, have fun): Stanford, Brown, Dartmouth, UNC-CH, Northwestern.</p>
<p>NOT down to earth schools: Chicago, Columbia, Harvard, Johns Hopkins.</p>