<p>Hi.I'm a rising senior,eager to embark on the college admissions process, but I can't finalize my list. Up until this year I was set on Yale and Columbia; but after a college trip of some ivies during spring break,I had a change of heart. Now, I'm madly in love with Princeton.(Brown/Rhode Island was freezing for a girl from Georgia.Seriously, I don't own clothes for that weather lol) And each college tour guide made their school sound amazing....kinda...or at least help my decision. But there is nothing like hearing firsthand information about the school from students who go there everyday and can provide deep information outside a cheerful college/campus tour. In short, I want the truth about all these schools. </p>
<p>What is the worst thing about some of these campuses? What is the best? And can I ask you some more questions as they come up? Thank u!</p>
<p>wooh…kinda dry on here…</p>
<p>sad… ill write here!! haha</p>
<p>ok so i did my college visits over last years summer and i visited five schools: Columbia, UPenn, Princeton, Harvard, and Yale.
ill leave UPenn out of this post since youre not interested.</p>
<p>Columbia: It was nice… just too much city like for me. Its RIGHT in the middle of a HUUUGGGEEE city and right next to Harlem and i couldnt stand that. it just didnt have that college campus feel to it for me. and they have a gate around campus and they lock it up at night so that creepers cant get in… >.<</p>
<p>Princeton: Has the most gorgeous campus ive ever been to!! I loved it!! the buildings are beautiful. then i went there for an official visit… and it turned out that i actually didnt like it there… haha. the campus is wonderful. but the little town its in is too small for me. and because the town is so small there arent that much stuff to do so over the weekend all the students just party. it kinda got annoying. they have these eating houses which are mansions and basically all they do is party. and I like a good sized college town so that place wasnt really for me. The people there too… well you can tell that school is an elitist school. The people are nice and stuff, but i dunno i just felt they were kinda cocky. Not everyone obviously… but a good deal. But the place has lots of trees and green 
and you can take a train to either Philly or New York in one hour. </p>
<p>Yale: Campus is also really nice! nice gothic architecture and old looking buildings. (even tho they are all fake) and the people there are REALLY down the earth. they are super nice and i loved the people there. I really liked Yale during my summer visit but when I went there for my official… i just couldnt see myself living there. The town… new haven is just… not for me. It looks like the inside of a dirty coffee pot. and its kinda sketchy. even though students say the campus is safe… the town really isnt. I just couldnt see myself living there for 4 years. and also its not a good sized town. too small for me. </p>
<p>Harvard: I loved EVERY aspect of Harvard. Boston is right there. a nice sized town with lots of opportunities and things to do with museums and theaters and stuff but not HUGE. and Cambridge is such a nice college town. I loved the Campus. So lively and the people there were also really nice! Theres also the Charles river right next to Campus. </p>
<p>ultimately is where you can see yourself living for 4 years. for me it was Harvard.</p>
<p>hey can you add your experience in Upenn please? thanks I’d appreciate it : )</p>
<p>If you like Princeton… Go for it! Really, I mean, it’s a great place, true, very green, beautiful campus, and the people are so friendly. Plus they put all their efforts into they undergraduate body. That being said, what about it is attracting you over Harvard, specifically?</p>
<p>I’ve been to the UPenn, Harvard, Princeton, Brown and Colombia campuses and they are all pretty decent. But for RAlec114, I’ll describe the UPenn Campus. It is basically in the center of a dirty part of Philly near Temple. But the campus is a haven in the middle of a garbage part of town. There is much greenery, I’d say more modern architecture. People seemed nice there. Overall the campus was large and beautiful similar to Princeton, but as soon as you step outside those gates it looks ugly. I could see myself living there for 4 years.</p>
<p>WHOA, that is all wrong about UPENN. Temple’s on another side of Philly. The past two summers I have spent in Philadelphia working at UPENN and Drexel University on engineering summer programs, and I have to say, the city is a lot of fun. There’s plenty of stuff to do, it’s gorgeous, but I will agree with the part that UPENN is almost like a bubble in the middle, it is very green and almost suburban like. It really is not ugly at all, Philadelphia is a wonderful place. Lots of clubs, the waterfront scene is really nice, there are really nice restaurants, and its rich in history as well. Trust me, it’s a really nice place. Not dirty!!!</p>
<p>But I will agree, Temple is dirty and a nasty place. One of my friend’s sisters who goes to Temple got mugged. Twice. Don’t go there. But UPENN has a fantastic security force, nationally ranked in terms of response time, and it is once again a fabulous university!!!</p>
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<p>We’re not a ‘dirty and nasty place’, thank you very much. We also have a larger and better police force than Penn.</p>
<p>@shiraz9: lol i don’t really know. I think their focus on their undergraduates is what really attracts me. Princeton’s overall size was also supportive. I’ve spent the vast majority of my life on the coast of Georgia and Princeton has the “southern gentleman/southern belle” feel with a Northern twist. But don’t get me wrong, Harvard is still Harvard. I’m still interested in Harvard as well, I just feel as though the hustle and bustle of the cambridge/boston area would overwhelm me at times and some of their class sizes. There’s more but its late and I’m tired. lol i’ll post more tomorrow.
Thank u guys for all your advice!</p>