Just a suggestion, @matt738 . . . if you want a followup response, just reference the post number at the top right-hand corner. Best of luck…
I asked my 20 something year old who graduated from GT and her answer was Austin or LSU if you want to have an incredibly fun year.
Because there are so many four year colleges & universities in the US, defining what constitutes a “typical American college experience” is a bit difficult.
Your initial list included 47 different options of which two are all female schools. From the remaining list of 45 schools, it is easy to eliminate many based on location & weather. Among the remaining schools, Georgetown University should be considered due to the overall academic & social experience that it offers. Upscale & sophisticated make an appropriate two word description of Georgetown University, in my opinion.
A heavily refined list might be:
- College of Charleston
- Georgetown University
- UCLA
- University of California at San Diego
- University of Texas–Austin
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Although you probably realize that Georgetown University has a law school which awards an LLM ( Masters in Law) to graduates of foreign law schools and, therefore, might be an option better left for years later, the Georgetown University Law Center is not located on Georgetown University’s main campus. The experience would be much different than attending Georgetown as an undergraduate student.
@matt738: As you are a law student in the UK, a second chance to study in the US would be as a candidate for an LLM (Masters of Law degree) in the US. One with a foreign law degree would spend 10 months to one year at an American law school which offers an LLM in Comparative Law. Such a degree is offered by dozens of US law schools among the 200 or so fully accredited US law schools.
A few law schools in Florida offer LLM degrees designed for foreign law graduates. The University of Florida, for example, recently announced the creation of an LLM in International Tax Law for foreign students. The University of Miami law school would be another option.
Many law schools in the states of California and New York also offer one year LLM programs for those with foreign law degrees. An LLM earned at a US law school enables those with foreign law degrees to sit for the state bar examination in several US states including New York.
My point is that you may want to take your current opportunity to study at an undergraduate university not located in a major US city such as New York, Los Angeles or Miami because study in those places remains an option for you once you earn your law degree. Washington DC is different, in my opinion, because of the experience & contacts offered by Georgetown University at the undergraduate level.
It’s also important to consider how much academic pressure/rigor you want. Maybe you’re accustomed to a very rigorous program and want a challenge - I can’t really tell. I would just caution against forming a carefree, beachy impression of schools like UCSD and UCLA. The weather is great, for sure, but these schools are very selective and rigorous - your academic workload would be no joke there. Despite proximity to lovely beaches, the average UCSD student spends a lot less time at the beach than you might imagine. If you’re wanting and expecting a challenge academically, you have quite a few schools on you list, including the UC’s, that will challenge you. But if you want a more moderate workload that allows you more time and headspace for the social and cultural aspects of studying abroad, you have more laid-back (albeit still very reputable) choices available too. Some schools will have a steeper gradient of rigor between majors/programs, such that you can calibrate your workload by choosing your courses wisely, and others will put you through the academic wringer no matter what you take. (Reed, for example, is a school that I would absolutely consider based on location, as Portland is a really fun student city… but it is not for the faint of heart academically, in any area of study.) Consider both your baseline, as far as what you’re used to at your home institution, and also whether you want to work harder while abroad, or ease off a bit so that you can better enjoy the experience.
To the OP, there’s more that’s problematic about the term “hot girls” than the implication that you might be interested in casual sex and underage women. If you really did not intend to reduce half the world to superficial judgements of physical attributes, I would suggest that you watch some quality US American TV shows to prepare for your visit. There may be some cross-cultural misinterpretations at work. Consider exploring and using language that comports with the idea that women of all ages are—first and foremost—people.
@lynnski The OP has addressed that (satisfactorily, in my opinion) in post #217 above.
@matt738 - question to you: how old will you be while you are here? just curious.
the drinking age in US is 21; you can’t go out to bars unless you’re that age. There will be parties around campus though with younger kids; if you’re not 21 I’d be looking at slightly bigger campuses .
I live in the midwest US.
my kid’s dream school was UCLA or ASU (party school). My very first reaction when I saw your list was LSU, Tulane, UT or FSU. You will have a great time I think in the US.
@suzyq7, OP addressed it but he doesn’t get it. If he did, he’d quit commenting on how the young women at each college look. I don’t really care that he thinks Southern women are beautiful. It’s demeaning to women to be judged based on their looks. And the “it’s in my genes” amounts to “boys will be boys.” It’s degrading and disgusting.
Not just #228, but it’s also kind of silly. It’s not like universities practice selective admissions based on looks.
The lists of “best looking” whatever tend to favor schools with warm weather where students don’t wear as much clothing. Doesn’t mean they really are better looking.
Ignoring the issue of whether someone should be looking for that in the first place.