<p>I've started school already and I still have no idea where I'm planning on applying, so I desperately need to get a list fleshed out.</p>
<p>What I'm looking for (in order of importance):
- Good undergrad experience (professor attention, small class sizes, in-class discussion)
- Access or location in a major city (I'm very adventurous and easily bored by rural surroundings. Dartmouth seemed like a great school for me, before I realized the college town consisted of one street.)
- Beautiful campus (resemblance to Hogwarts greatly encouaged)
- Close-knit community, but not too small
- Good grad school placement (for business or law)
- Good reputation (my parents are Asian immigrants, so it'd be nice if my grandparents could recognize my potential schools)</p>
<p>About me:
- Expecting SAT > 2250 and studying for SATIIs
- Straight As in all honors classes, also taken 5 APs, am taking 4 more
- ECs are abysmal by CC standards, some community service, no leadership (I moved across the country 2 weeks into junior year)
- Interested in studying foreign language, polisci, int'l relations, linguistics, economics, or business</p>
<p>Any help would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>An hour and no comments? I didn't know there was a shortage of opinions on CC.</p>
<p>Columbia, Georgetown, George Washington, Macalester.</p>
<p>I say Georgetown as well. Sounds perfect for you :]</p>
<p>Absolutely University of Chicago. Particularly for Hogwarts appearance.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies.</p>
<p>I really like Georgetown, but I'm an atheist so the Catholic affiliation throws me off a bit.</p>
<p>I like UChicago as well, but don't they have a reputation of being overly bookish? I like a healthy social life.</p>
<p>I strongly second U of Chicago[for all the requirements you posted, including Hogwarts] as well as Columbia[ both have the "core". I suggest you go to the Chicago forum and post any questions you may have. You will get lots of thoughtful responses from both current and past students as well as parents of Chicago students.</p>
<p>Tufts.</p>
<p>Also remember that you need safeties and match schools. This is expected to be the most competitive year ever for college admissions.</p>
<p>"I like a healthy social life."
You CAN have that at Chicago, IF you stay on top of your schedule. You DO have to work hard there, and there is no hiding from profs if you slack off[ one of the downsides to small class sizes], but if you are organized and work efficiently, you can have a social life there. It is not party central, nor is it like the typical "Big U" rah-rah college experience, but you will be better prepared for graduate school placement than at almost any other U in the US.</p>
<p>I'll definitely have to look more into UChicago, then.</p>
<p>Also - does anyone have any opinions on the Claremont Consortium, Northwestern (which I researched more than UChicago because it seemed more social), Brown, Penn or WashU?</p>
<p>And some schools that provide good merit aid? My family can afford college, but I'd feel uncomfortable with them spending $200,000+ for undergrad.</p>
<p>Opinions on the schools you just mentioned (Claremont group, NU, Brown, Penn, WashU)-- I think they are all great.</p>
<p>You identified the U of C as bookish, which is true and not true. One of the reasons I wanted to go to a school like Chicago was because I felt that students were supercharged in the classroom and intensely interested in the discussion. I went to a pretty high-flying high school, but even in our honors tracks, I think maybe 5 out of 20 kids actually wanted to be there while everybody else wanted to be there to get the highest grade possible by doing the minimum work possible.</p>
<p>(I don't want to point fingers, but I did find it funny that the kids who seemed to be into the subject at hand for its own value ended up at schools like Wesleyan, Barnard, Pomona, Swarthmore, and Vassar-- i.e. small LAC's-- while the kids who just wanted a grade ended up at schools with a flashy nametag. Thus I think it's worth your while to see if you can convince your parents-- pull out the US News ranks if you have to-- that a school with lower name-brand value might have more educational value than one with high name-brand value. All of the small schools I mentioned have EXCELLENT grad/professional placement, as they have EXCELLENT students).</p>
<p>Anyway, in the typical U of C classroom you might find that 19/20 or 20/20 students are there to learn and there because they want to be. Even in the core classes, which everybody takes regardless of major, you'll find 16/20 or 17/20 students heavily involved in a course, even if they are econ majors or pre-meds in a humanities or social science core class. So yes, these kids can be pretty "bookish," as the in-class intensity needs to come from somewhere.</p>
<p>But I would also say that U of C kids do plenty of things that are outside the realm of academics. They perform in improv comedy groups or in plays, they play intramural sports, they form bands and give concerts, they party. So even though it's not a "party school" by any stretch of the imagination. We are 10% Greek, though, and with our house system, students bond to each other and retain their house affiliation even if they decide to move off-campus. So students still find plenty of outlets for being away from academics and for being social.</p>
<p>Personally I think Brown is perfect for you. Its undergrad focused, great placement, fun "laid-back" student body, and East Providence is awesome in my book. Its the perfect balance of an academically great school with a great social life. I think its the best fit I can think of based on what you've mentioned.</p>
<p>I don't think you will like Chicago. It IS very intense and its campus social life is probably the least active among the top 20 USNEWS schools. Great school, but based on what you've said I think you're too fun-loving and outgoing. </p>
<p>I think you'd also like Stanford, Northwestern, and maybe Duke. </p>
<p>Dartmouth actually has the most active on-campus social life among the Ivies and with lots of unique elements (fantastic study abroad, grants, great professors, etc); its worth applying. I never got bored once and I have a huge sense of adventure. Then again I love road-trips, pranks, jumping off rope swings, going to ridicuously fun formals, going to huge parties etc. Dartmouth is full of activity.</p>
<p>Thanks for the input. It's very interesting to look at the perspective of students/alumni instead of dealing with the rankings and the literature the school chooses to put out.</p>
<p>Any other schools to consider? Especially less selective ones?</p>
<p>Can't believe I didn't think of this earlier - Rhodes College in Memphis. Very Gothic style campus (in my opinion, the most beautiful campus I've visited), excellent academics, and you will probably be offered a nice merit scholarship. In my opinion, it should be higher in the rankings.</p>
<p>i was going to suggest BC, Georgetown, Villanova but then i saw you were iffy about the religious affiliation. i would suggest checking them out anyway. Villanova is probably the most noticably Catholic out of the three. while most of the campus IS Catholic at BC, i definetly dont feel like its a requirement, and it is not forced on you in any way. the theology requirement does not have to be fuffilled by studying Christianity. all 3 of those schools are in/by a major city, and have beautiful campuses.</p>
<p>i know you asked for less selective colleges but Penn sounds spot on too. i fell in love with it on my visit and LOVED how the freshman quad area looks exactly like Hogwarts.</p>
<p>Haverford, Macalester, Reed, Swarthmore, Trinity (CT), and Vassar Colleges</p>
<p>Also Bryn Mawr and Wellesley, if you are a female.</p>