<p>You can casually walk in the area around USC if you stick with friends and don't talk on your cell, carry a really expensive purse, or blatently show off any valuables. Don't be stupid it's not Beverly Hills, but University Park is almost entirely USC students and is crawling with campus cops, which are real, gun carrying, right-to-arrest cops.</p>
<p>GWU does not have a campus, so it would not fit your criteria. and it also has one of the highest tuitions in the country.</p>
<p>but it is located in the middle of DC (much more so than Georgetown). it has a metro stop (georgetown does not unfortunately). and both are awesome for political science. and because GW has the higher tuition, it has nicer dorms/food.</p>
<p>georgetown has a beautiful campus which overlooks the potomac, and it is near the section of DC called georgetown (obviously) which has great shopping/food/bars. but as i said above, no nearby metro stop so it is a little harder to get around in DC. georgetown is much better known for its international relations program (School of Foreign Service), but it's poli sci program is also naturally strong because of the DC location.</p>
<p>and one more thing, GWU > GU in terms of parties. other way around for basketball</p>
<p>It's funny. You put NU in there with Chicago, JHU and MIT. The vibe is completely different. Lots of school spirit/sports with good academics.</p>
<p>University of Texas Honors program is strong. Super school spirit. San Antonio (think Spurs) is just down the road, at least in Texas miles.</p>
<p>Alright, after a bit more research, here is my list now:</p>
<p>Columbia
Georgetown
Harvard
Rutgers
Syracuse
Texas
UConn
Florida
Maryland
UNC
Notre Dame
Penn
Pitt
Vanderbilt
Villanova</p>
<p>... I realize some of these aren't urban, but I thought I should take a look at some good rural schools, just to be able to compare and contrast. And I think I'd be willing to give up an urban environment for a school I really, really liked.</p>
<p>Georgetown and Holy Cross. Holy Cross is in a mid-size city which is less than 1 hour from Boston. HC has great school pride and a very strong alumni network.</p>
<p>
[quote]
and one more thing, GWU > GU in terms of parties. other way around for basketball
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Hm I'd have to disagree with that one... I go to Georgetown and the party scene is great.</p>
<p>Another school I'd add to your list is UC Berkeley. It's an urban campus, and has strong programs in everything you're interested in.</p>
<p>I will also agree that Georgetown is a good choice. ;)</p>
<p>Georgetown is one of my top choices right now.</p>
<p>Holy Cross isn't exactly what I'm looking for, I want a bigger university.</p>
<p>Berekely is a little too crazy-leftist-hippie for me.</p>
<p>If you like Gtown and Harvard, maybe look at Tufts as well. Though its in a suburb of Boston it takes all of twenty minutes to get into the heart of the city.</p>
<p>I agree with Calidan. My sister and father are Georgetown alums. I attended Georgeotwn Preparatory School and ame very familiar with Georgetown and was accepted into Georgetown for undergrad. Georgetown has a very lively party scene. It is not Animal House, but it is no different from schools like Michigan or Vanderbilt.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Northwestern- Nah. This seems like MIT, Chicago, Hopkins.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Northwestern does not look like MIT, Chicago, or Hopkins at all. When was the last time you heard MIT/Chicago/Hopkins beat Michigan in any major sport like Northwestern did not long ago?</p>
<p>Don't remind me!</p>
<p>If Columbia is at the top of your list, you should look at Penn (especially if you like economics/biz)</p>
<p>It has a larger campus (~290 contiguous acres vs 36), a stronger sports/rah rah school spirit scene (at least when Princeton is in town ;))</p>
<p>And while Boston is probably the best college city, I would still put Philadelphia ahead of NYC (for college, not real life). Is NYC better and more alluring than Philly? Good lord yes! But that's the problem--the city is so great that it sucks the life out of campus (as ex-Columbian slipper1234 would happily attest)</p>
<p>Philadelphia still has great museums, beautiful old architecture, superb restaurants, and plenty of other things to do. But it doesn't cannibalize on-campus life.</p>
<p>You might also consider Carnegie Mellon. It has an urban campus (in Pittsburgh PA), a great business school (Tepper) and also a strong economics program. Besides, it is within reach with your stats (even though Tepper's acceptance rate last year fell below 14 %).</p>
<p>Emory is not rah-rah over sports, but it fits the bill in other respects. One of the fastest growing major cities in the country; multiple pro sports franchises; very strong academics; not a "college town." The campus is beautiful and is a very short drive from downtown, though it certainly does not have the urban feel that columbia does. In fact, the city itself does not have that loud and brawling feel you get from Chicago or Manhattan--too southern, I guess. Cool city, though.</p>
<p>I wanted to second the University of Pittsburgh. You may be in line for scholarship money, especially if you can get your SAT up a little bit, say over 1450, and the Honors College is well regarded. My daughter will be starting at Pitt in two weeks, so we'll see how it goes. She didn't want to be "in the middle of nowhere" either. So far we have been impressed by the school. I think it has a lot of the things you are looking for, and Pitt is somewhat unusual in that it is definitely an urban school that has a real campus with green space. My daughter isn't into sports, but Panther pride is in evidence on campus. And I think the number of OOS kids is increasing. </p>
<p>As someone else has said, Carnegie Mellon may be a good choice. It's right next door to Pitt and has several world-class departments. If you can swing a visit, you can see both campuses easily in one long, tiring day. The Oakland area of Pittsburgh, where both schools are located, is filled with museums and other cultural attractions. I would say that Pitt would be a safe bet for you and CM more of a match/reach. I'm being conservative because admissions this year will be even tougher than last year. Best of luck!</p>
<p>Macalester college is in the Twin Cities. The school spirit for sports like football and basketball are nonexistant, but the soccer team is really popular. Check it out.</p>
<p>JohnnyK- I'm definitely looking at Penn.</p>
<p>Bruno and Lurkness- No offense to anyone who goes there, but I really don't want a school that has a "nerd" reputation. I don't want a big party school, but I don't want the opposite end of the spectrum, either. So, CMU is not on my list. But Pitt Honors is definitely near the the top.</p>
<p>Bennie and Alchemy- I know Emory and Macalaster are great schools, but I really want a college that I can root for.</p>
<p>Thanks for everything, guys! All these recommendations, even the ones I don't use, are extremely helpful to me. And keep 'em coming!</p>
<p>Here's how I would rank every school, if I got into all of them:</p>
<ol>
<li>Harvard</li>
<li>Georgetown</li>
<li>Penn</li>
<li>Columbia</li>
<li>Vanderbilt</li>
<li>Pitt</li>
<li>Texas</li>
<li>Villanova</li>
<li>Rutgers </li>
<li>UNC</li>
<li>Florida</li>
<li>Syracuse</li>
<li>Maryland</li>
<li>Notre Dame</li>
<li>UConn</li>
</ol>
<p>... Keep in mind that it's still early in the process for me, nothing is set in stone.</p>
<p>Did BC get eliminated? I'm obviously biased because I go there, but I really do love BC/honors. And based on the fact that G'Town is so high on your list, I would recommend that you at least take a look at BC...the two schools are actually fairly similar. Big time sports, great academics, awesome cities....just something to consider.</p>
<p>Columbia does not have a rah-rah atmosphere at all, and I think Vandy would be preferable if that's important. Columbia's campus is also uber-uber urban... too little of a sense of campus for it to really feel like you're at college, IMO. Some people love that feel, though. You should definitely plan to visit it if you're still considering it in April.</p>