Good, urban colleges?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I posted this earlier, but I accidentally put the wrong title. So here it is again:</p>

<p>Hey there, everyone! I'm a rising junior in high school just beginning the college search. I live in suburban Michigan, and I have already decided that I don't want to go to a school like Michigan or MSU. I definitely want to be in/near a large city, and not a "college town." Money really isn't a problem, and I'm willing to go pretty much anywhere in the country. If I were to go to a state school, I would like it to be one with a strong Honors College or just a strong overall school. I definately want a larger school with strong school pride, and preferably popular sports teams, but I want there to be stuff to do outside of campus that isn't school-related. So I'm looking for a school in a medium-to-large city (Let's say a city with at least two pro sports teams, just as a measuring stick.)</p>

<p>Here are some stats:</p>

<p>3.8 UW GPA
4.25 W GPA
Class rank: 18/350 in competative public
1420/1600, 2150/2400 SAT
31 ACT
(took them both over the summer, will take them again)</p>

<p>I've taken mostly Honors courses, and I'm taking AP US History and AP English next year. I've volunteered at a summer camp the last several summers, played soccer since I was 5, I am an NHS officer and class vice president, and am an active member of my church and Leo Club.</p>

<p>I am interested in studying Political Science, Economics, and/or business. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.</p>

2

<p>Taking in all the factors, these are the only ones I could come up with:</p>

<p>Johns Hopkins
University of Chicago
Notre Dame
Columbia
Harvard
MIT</p>

3

<ul>
<li><p>UMiami: in the ritzy suburban (though still urban) Coral Gables.. Has its own metrorail/monorail stop on its own campus that will take u to Downtown Miami. Lots of school spirit, nice campus (huge lake in middle and lots of rivers with bridges throughout). Also An amazing Sports scene.. that should be undebateable. Hurricane Football at the Orange Bowl are memorable moments :)
Academically its a pretty good school. its climbed quite a lot over the years and has made the low fifties ranked up to par with BU, GWU, Syracuse, Penn State and several others..
Im a UM student myself (begin this fall) so feel free to contact me...</p></li>
<li><p>USC: its in Los Angeles.. Great school.. Lots of school spirit, sports etc.. However its in the LA Ghettos so its not like u can casually walk around the neighborhood. However if ur ok with that, then ur fine. </p></li>
<li><p>University of Washington: Dont know much other than it has solid academics, in Seattle, and a descent sports scene.</p></li>
</ul>

<p>Urban Schools with major sports scene are hard to find.. However at UM and USC u shouldnt go wrong.. Theya re one of the few urban schools that have managed to create a high degree of school spirit and successfull sports programs.</p>

<p>Schools with little sports and school spirit but nevertheless in urban location and good academic reps:</p>

<p>BU, Northwestern, GWU, UChicago, NYU....</p>

4

<p>GWU has really strong basketball teams. And speaking of DC, how about Georgetown? It seems perfect for your interests.</p>

<p>I'll also second the recommendation for USC. </p>

<p>And how about Fordham as a safety?</p>

5

<p>ANYWHERE in Boston (BC, BU, etc etc etc)</p>

6

<p>Ses, the OC doesn't want a college town and Boston is definitely a college town. I agree with U Chicago. Maybe also Northwestern? Duke I suppose is ok for you (they're crazy about their basketball team) though it's not where I would call especially urban. Rice may also be an option for you as it is in Houston.</p>

7

<p>University of Pittsburgh</p>

8

<p>No, Boston would be fine. I know there are a lot of college kids there, but it's still a major city with a lot of culture and things to do.</p>

<p>Thanks for all the responses, you guys! These are the schools that have come up so far. I've looked up a little about them, and here's how I feel:</p>

<p>Johns Hopkins- No school spirit/sports. I know it's a good school, but I really want to be able to root for my college. Plus, Baltimore does not seem like a great city.</p>

<p>University of Chicago- Same. But Chicago does seem like a cool city.</p>

<p>Notre Dame- Middle of nowhere.</p>

<p>Columbia- NYC? I would definitely consider it as a reach.</p>

<p>Harvard- No way I could get in, but it does meet my criteria.</p>

<p>MIT- Same as Chicago and Johns Hopkins. I really wouldn't fit into a school like MIT.</p>

<p>Miami- Definitely seems to fit. How is Miami as a city? I know the beaches are great, but is there a lot to do culturally?</p>

<p>USC- I do want to be able to casually walk around.</p>

<p>Washington- Seattle definitely seems like a cool city. I'll have to look more into this school's academics. I don't know much about it either.</p>

<p>Georgetown- Definitely. This would probably be one of my top choices.</p>

<p>BU- Eh. Does it have an actual campus or is it spread out around the city? Because I do want an actual campus. I think that helps in terms of feeling a sense of belonging to a school. But I really don't think the spirit at this school is great.</p>

<p>Northwestern- Nah. This seems like MIT, Chicago, Hopkins.</p>

<p>GWU- I would just go to Georgetown. GW is just as hard to get into as G-Town, but I would definitely rank G-Town higher in terms of preference.</p>

<p>NYU- No campus/spirit.</p>

<p>Forham- Never heard of it.</p>

<p>BC- Definitely would consider.</p>

<p>Duke- Nowhere</p>

<p>Rice- Would consider as a reach. I know their baseball team is awesome. How's school spirit and other sports?</p>

<p>Pitt- Also would consider. Seems a lot like BC. And Pittsburgh seems like a cool city. I know the sciences and business are strong here. I'll have to find out more about social sciences.</p>

9

<p>So here's my list so far:</p>

<p>Reach:
Columbia
Georgetown
Harvard
Rice</p>

<p>Match:
BC (Honors)
Pitt (Honors)
Washington (Honors)</p>

<p>Safety:
Miami (Honors)</p>

<p>I'll go on to these colleges' individual forums to learn more, but if anyone here has anything to add about these schools, I'd love to hear it. Also, if you have any more recommendations, please add them. And if you think I wouldn't like any of these schools, let me know why. Thanks again, everyone!</p>

<p>I also want to add that one of the reasons I don't want a school in the middle of nowhere is because those schools become party schools simply because there is nothing else to do. So if drinking is the main attraction at any of these schools, please let me know. I want to go to a fun school, and I'm not completely against drinking, but I don't want that to be the major social outlet.</p>

10

<p>Jimmy, you should seriously consider Michigan. It has an urban campus. Yes, Ann Arbor is a college town, but it is large enough to be considered a city and close enough to Detroit to offer students alternative entertainment.</p>

11

<p>
[quote]
Johns Hopkins- No school spirit/sports

[/quote]

I don't know—Lacrosse is pretty big at JHU. (And Baltimore's not that bad, I promise!)</p>

<p>
[quote]
GWU- I would just go to Georgetown. GW is just as hard to get into as G-Town, but I would definitely rank G-Town higher in terms of preference.

[/quote]

I don't know, I always thought of GW as easier to get into than G-Town. If the only reason you aren't applying is that you would rather go to G-town, but otherwise would like GW, I'd apply to GW just in case—you could get in there and not G-town (true even if they are of equal difficulties to get into).</p>

<p>Otherwise, your list looks pretty good so far…maybe add another safety?</p>

<p>ETA: ALso, if you like Columbia, you should really reconsider at least Northwestern...as far as I can tell, they have similar amounts of school spirit…in fact, I believe that Northwestern has more of a sports following than Columbia. Really, I think of Georgetown/Columbia/JHU/Northwestern to be similar in the amount of school spirit (maybe G-town has a little more?).</p>

12

<p>I'm a little surprised Vanderbilt Univ. hasn't been mentioned. </p>

<p>Nashville is a medium-large city, the campus is about a mile from downtown, students seem to be involved in a lot of off-campus activities, there is a lot of school spirit, Nashville has at least one pro-sport team. From everything I hear, students think it is a fun school. The undergrad enrollment is about 6,000, but the campus includes a law school, medical school, etc. so it doesn't have the feel of a small LAC. By the time you are ready to enroll, the freshman Commons project will be fully functional; new dorms, new dining, new student rec center.</p>

13

<p>I appreciate the advice, Alexandre, but I've been in Michigan long enough to know that I most definitely do not want to wear the blue. I love my town and I love this state, but the schools here just aren't for me. Michigan is a great academic school, but socially it is still a party school. And the type of kids from my high school that go to Michigan are the exact types I want to get away from. Not to sound bitter, just honest, but most of them are the sheltered, elitest jock type, who really aren't as smart as their transcripts might indicate. And Ann Arbor is most definitely not a city. While I love watching my Wings, Pistons, and Tigers, Detroit is not exactly a thriving hotbed of culture, and I really don't want to have to turn there for fun. I'd love to get involved to help improve the city, but it seems like Michigan just tries to distance themselves from Detroit as much as possible. I'm trying to avoid that "bubble" feeling. As you can see, I've spent a lot of time thinking about this. Obviously, Michigan was the first school I've looked, and it's the only school that a lot of my friends and family want me to look at it, but it just isn't for me.</p>

14

<p>I would definitely consider Vanderbilt, I never really thought about being in Nashville, but I'll add it for now.</p>

<p>Weskid, I'll look more into JHU. I know about its medical awesomeness, but what about liberal arts? And what can you tell me about GW? Where in the city is it located? How is spirit there? How's the campus? It just seems like it is so overshadowed by Georgetown in DC and that it would be most kids' second choice. Thanks.</p>

<p>Reach:
Columbia
Georgetown
Harvard
Rice
Vanderbilt</p>

<p>Match:
BC (Honors)
Pitt (Honors)
Washington (Honors)</p>

<p>Safety:
Miami (Honors)</p>

<p>I do need a few more matches/safeties. Any opinions?</p>

15

<p>jimmyj: I don't know much about GW, other than that lots of people who like Georgetown also like GW. Yes, many would prefer Georgetown, but hey, the point of matches and safties is to find schools that you'd really like if you don't get into those reaches :D</p>

16

<p>
[quote]
GW is just as hard to get into as G-Town

[/quote]
</p>

<p>It's not.</p>

<p>
[quote]
It just seems like it is so overshadowed by Georgetown in DC and that it would be most kids' second choice.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>In many cases, it is. That doesn't mean it isn't a good school in and of itself, but Georgetown dominates DC. If you like DC a lot though, GW meets your criteria and has fixed (albeit high) tuition! :D</p>

17

<p>loyola marymount is right in la, as is ucla, and pepperdine is about 30 minutes away from la. you could also try wash. u in st. louis, university of miami, duke or unc-ch, which are about 25 minutes from raleigh, haverford, which is 20 minutes from philly, pitt, rice, and marquette.</p>

18

<p>Yeah, I have to concur with Weskid. If you can consider BC (honors no less) as a match, then GW would easily fit into that category. It is definitely less competitive than Gtown. Obviously, I'm biased towards Georgetown, but GW is a solid choice for ur interests/search criteria.</p>

19

<p>Jimmy, yea having the Ocean (atlantic and Gulf coast) is a great plus.</p>

<p>As to the city... yea there is plenty to do there.. Not as much as Boston (culturally speaking) but definately a ton to do (both on campus and off campus).
- On campus: you got Football (Orange Bowl), Basketaball (Bank united Center), Baseball (Mark Light Stadium), and other sports. A ton of clubs and intermurals. ill prolly take advantage of the ocean and join the Sailing Canes and Scuba Diving Club..
- Off Campus:
- head to South Beach: not only beaches but some of the best restaurants ull ever visit. you got all sorts of cuisine there and interesting Art Deco Architecture..
- Clubs, Cafes, restaurants, Open Air Shopping Centers (Sunset Mall right across the street) all in Coral Gables and Coconut Grove (two awesome towns).
- Downtown Miami: has some really kool Ocean Front Parks to jog in plus an awesome Ocean front marketplace.. Brickell Financial District in Downtown is pretty awesome as well.
Also there is this Island right off Downtown called Key Biscayne. UM has a satellite campus there and u can catch the HurryCanes Shuttle at UM (Coral Gables Campus) that takes u there... Wat an Awesome Place to bike.. u get amazing views of the Miami Skyline!
- Key West and Everglades National Park... Ull need a car but both are pretty scenic outdoor places to visit for the day or weekend.</p>

20

<p>GWU is much easier to get into than Georgetown...</p>