@MYOS1634 What about Rutgers Uni? Do you have any info on that?
Rutgers is complicated. New Brunswick isn’t all that great to live in except for some areas (it’s not Newark or Camden obviously but…) , many dorms on campus aren’t great except for the new honors dorms. That’s all I know. Rutgers is good academically but the campus layout and building quality aren’t to my liking, and yes I realize that’s wholly subjective lol. It’s well located to travel, I’ll grant you that.
Are those your only three choices?
@MYOS1634 UPenn, Rutgers Uni, URochester, UMinnesota Twin, UDenver. Then there’s a bunch of canadian unis but I guess you don’t know much about those?
Anyways from what I briefly researched, I had the impresion that Rutgers was quite one party uni, which is not bad haha. I’m not really fussy regarding student accommodation by the way.
I’d rank them, for the purpose of an exchange, as: UPenn, URochester/UMN-TC, Rutgers. I understand UDenver isn’t as comprehensive for you (in terms of what it covers).
Penn has the best location and the best academics, then UR and UMN-TC (UR for strong academics, UMN-TC for academics and being in a vibrant city). I’m not sure Rutgers ranks all that high for partying but if your main goal is to party, you’ll find that at all of them and I’d say Philly and Dinkytown (Minneapolis) win for bars.
@MYOS1634 Yes, I was kind of thinking the same. UPenn will almost likely be my first choice, it looks awesome and of course its reputation beats that of all the others.
Rochester, like Denver, doesn’t guarantee accommodation, but, maybe you can confirm that, I had the impression that the former offered more availability.
I teach at a Colorado state university and have a son in college in Boston, and base don’t my experience I understand what you are saying about not wanting to be in a dorm with freshmen. You will feel out of place since most of the kids are out the house for the first time and many won’t have traveled out of state (though schools like Penn and Denver will not have the party types as at a large state college). But get off base housing if you can afford it. As for the following years, it depends on the school and the person. Most students want to get off of campus, but in a place that is near campus so they can walk to school. This will be easy to find at Denver. It’s up to your personal preference and what you can afford.
As for Denver, it is a great underrated school in a fun section of town. Plus Denver is a cool city and up and coming - a lot of college grads are moving there Great local beers and a fantastic music scene. Plus a major airport in the city, and some of the best skiing in the world 2 -3 hours away.
Penn is in a good location too if you’re looking for a large city.