<p>Wow. That is a seriously eclectic list of schools. Some real extremes there! I see the common themes, but it's more of a "six degrees of separation" connection than a group of similar schools! As in, Chicago is like Columbia in that they are both urban, Chicago is like Swarthmore in academics, but Swarthmore is like Davidson in terms of size, but Davidson is like Duke in terms of being pre-professional and so on and so forth until you end up with schools that are very different.</p>
<p>You would really have to be a lot more specific about what kind of environment you are interested in to comment.</p>
<p>As far as schools that are "friendly" in terms of being warm and welcoming and unpretentious, I would say that Davidson, Swarthmore, Brown, and probably UNC are notable in being described that way. Yale may be as well, I just don't know the school well enough to stereotype it. </p>
<p>I don't think that "friendly" is a description that comes immediately to mind for Chicago, J. Hopkins, Duke, or Columbia -- although many students clearly find them to be friendly enough. Emory is a bit of a toughy. It is friendly and comfortable, although sometimes described as "cliquish".</p>
<p>Chicago and Swarthmore share a strong an "academic" atmosphere, although they really aren't that similar.</p>
<p>Duke and Davidson are most strongly pre-professional.</p>
<p>Hopkins is known as a grind school and somewhat on the bleak side as far as creature comforts. Nobody thinks of it as a country club.</p>
<p>Columbia is NYC, so it's going to be very different for that reason alone.</p>
<p>UNC is a state university, so it will be quite different based on its size and the wide range of students.</p>
<p>To me, Emory is Atlanta. A mix of new south and transplanted Yankees. Modern, gleaming, wealthy.</p>