<p>I love USC. If I had to choose one dream school, that would be it. But I've been looking into other options, just in case I don't get excepted to that college, and wanted to know if anybody knew of any other universities (could be anywhere in the US) that had a similar campus. I know that the campus isn't the only thing to consider, but the colleges that i've been looking into don't really go into detail about peoples impressions when they visit the campus. What i really love about USC when I visited the campus was:
-the layout and the spirit (it felt very upbeat and positive).
-a lot of the dorms had mini gyms/exercise equipment and some even had private bathrooms.
<em>The location isn't the best, so if I had to choose id say that the location of UCLA is more what i'm looking for.
-the buildings weren't overly modern or industrial, but there were also weren't extremely old fashion to the point where I felt that i had gone back in time. I like brick building and glass buildings, but I hate it when colleges go to much towards one direction or another.
*</em><em>I love having different places to go to on campus, such as multiple places to eat and maybe a coffee house were I could read or do assignments somewhere except my dorm room.
*</em> If any of you guys have been to the USC campus, and kind of have an idea of what i'm talking about (sorry, i'm terrible at describing things) could you tell me if you know of any colleges with a similar campus and overall idea? </p>
<p>GWU is ultra-urban and is much city as it is campus. More like NYU or BU. It doesn’t have as much green space as USC, but it is similar in a lot of ways. I was just at Pitt, which is a lot more like USC than GWU, more green, less city, altho it is city on one side of the campus in particular. More neighborhood-y like UCLA, but certainly not suburban or chi-chi. Some of the dorms have athletic facilities in the dorms, but you’ll get most of your energy just walking up and down the hill. You’ve got your neo-gothic architecture, your romanesque, your modern. Georgetown has its own campus and altho it is in DC it abuts some pretty wealthy neighborhoods. Nice shopping nearby, good restaurants, more closed-off than Pitt, more like USC. Certainly the safest of the neighborhoods of any of these colleges. Gothic, but also modern and neo-Romanesque with some Georgian tossed in. Weird, but it works. Don’t know about in-dorm sports facilities, but the campus facilities are good, as are Pitt’s. WashU might not be reach-able for you, but it has a very nice park-like campus and abuts one of the larger city parks. Pretty, quiet. Tulane is in an okay neighborhood with architecture that does nothing for me but that others have defended as pretty (in a hotel-kind of way, I guess). Of course, you have the great city of NOLA at hand, with its music, food, and drink. Perhaps the best entertainment scene of any of these schools, unless you like watching 15-second celebs in Georgetown or the Staples Center. More under-rated than any of these but similar to USC is the campus at University of Denver, my favorite region of the country. Good neighborhoods surround it on the southern edge of the city, and the outdoors are half an hour in almost any direction. It’s quiet with many good places to study. It doesn’t have the reputation of these other schools but I used to leave home just to study on their campus it was so pleasant.</p>
<p>NORTHWESTERN.</p>
<p>hold on, has someone acquired par72’s laptop?! 
</p>
<p>I think you might like U of Washington, which I just toured. The buildings are a nice mix of old and new, the student body is very spirited and it’s a pretty large campus with plenty of places to hang out, including a bowling alley and billiards room.</p>
<p>I took a look at Pitt too. It’s nice, but not really what I had in mind. I like a bit more of that whole closed off look, as jkeil911 said, and Georgetown would definitely be good for that. I actually really like Tulane university, even though i wasn’t so sure about it at first. I haven’t visited the university of Denver, but I looked it up and it’s pretty. Only problem is that it’s in the mountains, so my guess is that it’s pretty cold during the winter. Not to crazy about Northwestern, but the university of Washington is a great blend of everything I’m looking for. Thanks for the replies!</p>
<p>One word, though: While fit and the people you’ll be around is important, choosing a school based on campus layout or building types seems a bit crazy to me. After you’ve been there for a few months, you won’t even notice. 30 years after graduation, thinking that you decided on those factors would seem a bit ridiculous.</p>
<p>I’m not deciding on these factors. The academics, the pricing, the chances of getting financial aid, the programs, the diversity, the likelihood of getting accepted and your major and minor play a huge roll in picking the college. But liking the college and being happy there is important too. I’ve looked through the academic programs of almost all of these colleges, and now that i’ve narrowed it down, id like to look through which one I think would be best for me as a home for a few years. Thanks for the advice PurpleTitan!</p>
<p>UDenver is not in the mountains. It sits on the Great Plains about ten miles from the foothills to the Rockies. The elevation is about a mile high, so you’re dealing with high desert climate that occasionally gets snow. Most years, snowfall hangs around til the sun hits it and then it’s gone. It is not unusual to have 70 degree days in February and with the altitude that means an opportunity to worship the sun, something that Coloradans major in. There’s a reason that UDenver and nearby UC Boulder are the second homes of so many southern Californians. I’m from Philly and loved the Denver climate the three years I was there. 300 days of sunshine each year. YMMV. </p>
<p>Opps… i could have sworn the pictures showed mountains right behind the school, but I guess I was wrong :). Thats what i get for going into the pictures before going into the map. I’ll definitely look into it! </p>
<p>I’ll talk a little about Georgetown.</p>
<p>No dorm sports facilities, but each dorm is less than a 5-10 minute walk to the gym and there’s plenty of places to jog or toss football with some guys. </p>
<p>Architecture is unique. There’s old gothic buildings but also lots of modern new construction, such has the Hariri building, Regents Hall, and Healy Student Center (which will be ready in 2 weeks)</p>
<p>There’s quite a few study places and about 3 restaurants and coffeehouses on campus, though only 1 restaurant takes meal plan meals. There’s tons of stuff a short walk away off campus, and the neighborhood is very safe and friendly even at night. </p>
<p>I would say the campus is upbeat and positive. I’ve met quite a few people from Cali and they might not be so upbeat when it starts snowing. Most people are extroverted to some degree and anyone is very approachable. The people are probably better than some of the students at USC, if the rich & stuck up stereotype holds true.</p>
<p>now, now, tbb, fess up that you’ve abandoned your plans for the southwest and are enrolling in GU this week or next <:-P </p>
<p>I’m sitting in my dorm with views of the Washington Monument as I type this on my HipsterBook Pro.</p>
<p>I cant really say if the stereotypes are true. I’ve only visited, but when I went the people there didn’t seem rich and stuck up. Thanks for telling me a bit more bout Georgetown. </p>
<p>Northwestern campus isn’t remotely like USC’s, par72. </p>