Good, Conservative, Urban, Athletic Schools...

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I am looking for a school that is…
(this is real long, so I apologize in advance, but please help me out, I’m clueless.)</p>

<li><p>Good. I wan’t a school ranked high (concerning prestige, quality, etc.). I want to major in political science but also have some sort of journalism something (good school newspaper, good school TV station, an actual major, etc.) A major isn’t neccessary by any means, a school like Harvard, with no journalism major but with a great school newspaper is okay. Specifically focus on the political science strength.</p></li>
<li><p>Conservative, at least not uber liberal. I know most top schools lean left, but a school like Princeton, which is liberal, but has a strong conservative presence, is okay. I want a school where the students know how to party but also know how (and when) to study. I don’t mind liberal schools, but I want to have some conservative friends.</p></li>
<li><p>A good grad school acceptance rate. I think I want to eventually go to law school, and so I want to go to an undergrad school with a good record for law school apps. </p></li>
<li><p>In the city. The school doesn’t have to be spread out in the city, but it needs to be close to it. Schools like Tufts and Harvard are OK because Boston is soo close. Schools like Georgetown and Columbia are also good because, although in the city, they have their own campuses. I don’t think I would like schools like NYU, GWU, or BU because they have no real campus. Also, I would like to be able to have an internship without leaving the school.</p></li>
<li><p>Decent at sport(s). The school’s teams don’t have to win national championships or anything, they don’t even have to be that good OVERALL, but I want to go to a school with school spirit because the team wins. An ivy league school that is good in the ivy league is fine. They may be blown away by Texas or USC, but as long as they win some games, and I wouldn’t be the only person watching the games, it’s okay. Now I would prefer the school to be “good” at football or basketball, but pretty much any sport is ok. Any some-what popular sport: not fencing (no offense to those who fence). Mainly, I just want a school with school spirit. Also, this is not THAT important. I don’t plan on using this as a factor in choosing my schools, only if it comes down to two schools that I equally like.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Now, with that said, I have some schools in mind, but I’m not going to mention them to start off with because I want to hear what y’all think with NO BIAS. Also, my stats will (hopefully) be around GPA: 3.85, SAT: 2220. So, go ahead and mention schools like HYP even though they are big reaches. Also, could you maybe say a little something about my chances at the schools you reccommend? Stats: GPA:~3.85, SAT:~2220, ECs (the important ones only): VP of class, VP of school’s Habitat for Humanity, secretary of school’s theatre organization, writing center tutor, outdoor club student instructory, did a summer program with Lead America, went on two trips with school’s outdoor club to India and Costa Rica to trekk and kayak, respectively, had a summer job as a tennis teacher, and then a bunch of generic stuff. Thanks so much, and if you read this all, that’s impressive!</p>

2

<p>The problem is that most schools located in cities generally tend to be quite liberal and not very athletic. You might have to settle for a school located a little bit outside of a city, perhaps Emory University.</p>

3

<p>Haverford, perhaps?</p>

<p>I'm not sure about how liberal it is, but it's 20 minutes via train from Philadelphia and it's pretty prestigious. School spirit is high, but I don't know a lot about the sports (mostly since it isn't something that interests me.)</p>

<p>I have about the same GPA as you and slightly lower SATs. I was waitlisted.</p>

4

<p>Boston College................</p>

5

<p>Yeah, my girlfriend is going to Haverford next year. It's very liberal... not as bad as Swarthmore College, but pretty close. Athletics are popular there too.</p>

<p>May I also suggest UPenn? It's probably the most urban/athletic of the Ivies.</p>

6

<p>Also, I forgot to mention size. I'd like it to have at least 5,000 undergrads. Between 5,000 and 15,000 would be ideal. Also, thanks for the replies. I've looked at Emory, but it's a little close for my liking, I live about an hour away from Atlanta--thanks though. I haven't looked at Haverford, but I will. Thanks. I've looked at BC and I like it, I have also looked (and liked) UPenn, thanks.</p>

7

<p>I'm afraid Haverford is quite small, ubetteraccept_me. :( Something like 1500 undergrads. I'd suggest looking at it anyway, just in case you find it appealing otherwise.</p>

8

<p>-Vanderbilt
-Northwestern
-Boston College
-Rice
-Duke
-Georgetown
-UPenn
-USC
-UCLA
-Georgia Tech
-Texas
-University of Washington
-Syracuse
-George Washington
-UMiami</p>

<p>NOTE: I'm really not sure if these schools are conservative or not. Also, I wrote this post before seeing your size concern.</p>

9

<p>Based on your size concern, Haverford might not be the best idea. But there is an agreement between Bryn Mawr College, Swarthmore College, and Haverford College where a student can take a classat any of the three schools. So if Haverford might be a little too small to take all your classes there, take some at Swarthmore, it's not as small. I live about fifteen minutes away from Haverford and five from Swarthmore, and they are both relatively close to Philadelphia - the most underrated city in the United States!</p>

10

<p>i'll beat par72 to the punch- holy cross.</p>

11

<p>Louisiana State is pretty conservative and their university press is well regarded.</p>

12

<p>a lot of good options mentioned... a couple more ideas:</p>

<p>JOHNS HOPKINS (a fantastic fit on paper, especially if youre interested in international politics)
wisconsin (large)
villanova</p>

13

<p>also emory, rice, columbia</p>

14

<p>USC USC USC USC USC USC USC USC USC USC USC USC USC USC. I think it's PERFECT for you.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Strong academics overall; nationally renowned Annenberg Communications school (aka amazing journalism), very strong student newspaper.</p></li>
<li><p>Definitely not uber liberal. Lots of rich kids walking around there, too, so I get a conservative-ish vibe.</p></li>
<li><p>I believe USC sends tons of kids to grad school; at the very least, its alum network is so intense you're bound to get hooked up with a job come graduation.</p></li>
<li><p>Los Angeles!</p></li>
<li><p>Ummm...football. :-P</p></li>
</ol>

15

<p>ut's liberal for whoever posted utexas</p>

16

<p>Some schools I had in mind before this thread (and some worries/thoughts about them are the following:</p>

<p>Harvard--(too big of a reach? good at sports? Focus on undergrad, or would a graduate focus be good for my political science major with a journalism intrest? Would I be able to write for the Harvard Crimson or is it for grad students? Sports?)</p>

<p>Princeton--(too big of a reach? Not in the city, but are there still good internship opportunities, because I don't think I'd pass up pton if I got in just because it's in the suburbs. The eating clubs sound fun--unless you get rejected. Are their media organizations any good? Sports?)</p>

<p>Yale--(too big of a reach? too liberal? Do they have anything good for journalism? Is New Haven really that bad? Sports?)</p>

<p>UPenn--(too big of a reach? Do they have a good political science program, because that is my main focus? Would I be able to score jobs with thier media organizations, or are those places reserved for the grad students at the Anneberg school?)</p>

<p>Duke--(too big of a reach? Is their certificate in journalism any good? Is Durham a decent sized city, haha; I have no clue.)</p>

<p>Columbia--(too big of a reach? Too liberal? Mainly those too, haha.)</p>

<p>Georgetown--(too big of a reach? Is their political science program any good? I've heard crappy stuff about it, but it is in DC. Is their journalism stuff any good? This would be my top choice, but it's academic strengths aren't what I'm looking for--I don't think--and, apparently, academics are kind-of important, haha.)</p>

<p>Northwestern--(too big of a reach? Too liberal? How's their poli sci department, because I know their journalism program is top notch, but poli sci is my main focus. How far away is the campus from chicago? I hear it's like 45 minutes--ugg! Their sports kind-of suck.)</p>

<p>Stanford--(too big of a reach? Too liberal, it is near San Fransisco? Too far away, I live in Georgia (the state)? Is their media stuff any good?)</p>

<p>UNC--(too big of a reach (oos)? Chances for grad schoo, because I hear they have grade DEflation, unlike these others with grade INflation. The grad school thing is my main concern.)</p>

<p>Vanderbilt--(Too close, it's only an hour and a half away from my house--ugg. Are they any good for political science? Do they have any good media organizations?)</p>

<p>American--(Is this really that good? Their sports are HORRIBLE.)</p>

<p>WUStL--(too big of a reach? Too liberal, I have no idea? Good at political science? Good media stuff? Is St. Louis any fun, any good internships? Their sports suck, right?)</p>

<p>AND, the weirdest one...
BROWN--(haha. I have no idea why I like this school. WAY too liberal, right? Is their poli sci department any good? WAY too liberal? Sports? Do they have any media organizations? And, arent they UBER liberal?)</p>

<p>Remember, these are the schools I was thinking of BEFORE this thread. I still have to look at all of y'alls options, thanks again.
Anyways, I would appreciate any comments, thanks.</p>

17

<p>Northwestern:
Northwestern is located on the lakefront of Evanston, the first suburb NORTH of Chicago (hence sharing the boarder with it), and only 12 miles from Chicago's downtown. The train takes 45 mins from Evanston to downtown Chicago because of many stops. Along the lakefront and between Evanston and Chicago downtown are nice and popular Chicago neighborhoods with numerous resturants. Most of the ghettos of Chicago are SOUTH of its downtown. The poli sci department is ranked around #20 by US News.</p>

18

<p>i would say USC or Georgetown</p>

19

<p>Well Durham isnt much of a "City" but other than that Duke would be pretty good for you:</p>

<p>1)Good Prestige... Good Poli Sci (Top 10 PhD Poli Sci Program)... Pretty Good School Newspaper
2)Not Uber Liberal... Liberal leaning yes but in comparison to many schools could be considered "conservative"...
3)Good record and one of the best Pre-Law advisors in the country (Dean Wilson is an institution)
4)This is where it loses you... Durham is a city I guess... just not that big or great. Still, things to do... and with Chapel Hill as a fun place to visit and Raleigh not that far off it shouldnt be too bad.
5)Psh, to hell with decent sports... Duke kicks ass at a lot of sports (most notably basketball) and has great school spirit.</p>

20

<p>Oh regarding sports, Northwestern is actually pretty decent in many sports like tennis, swimming, and lax; it got a pretty good football team this year (probably sucks next year though since the qb will graduate this year). The basketball team is the one that sucks consistently.</p>