<p>irish200: I would appreciate it if you would offer objective school selections if you want to help out. Obviously, no one would have heard of Miami U if not for your constant rambling about how great a school that is. Top public universities? You got to be kidding. I have heard of UCB, UCLA, Michigan, UNC but definitely not Miami prior to coming on this board.</p>
<p>But I would definitely agree with you that Kenyon does not have much to offer in terms of social life. It's definitely a school where drinking is dominant. But it is more intellectually-stimulating compared to some other "top public universities in the country". </p>
<p>And yes, I am not here to argue, but I am here to present my side of view objectively. I have stated Kenyon's weakness (its location) in my post while you have been saying how great Miami is all the while.</p>
<p>Alexandre, I'm shocked you say Dartmouth doesn't have school spirit. While we may not all be at every football game, everyone I know loves the school, and its one of the few schools I know of where everyone knows the Alma Mater :D.</p>
<p>gaaar, I never said that Dartmouth doesn't have school spirit. But I do not think Dartmouth has the kind of school spirit the OP was asking for.</p>
<p>As for objectivity, I offered two schools which I stated I absolutely despise (Michigan and Duke), as well as Denison U. You merely offered Kenyon. I offered Miami to offer some variety to a discussion and offer some new insight.</p>
<p>Each school does have some negatives and now you have thoughtfully showcased some of Miami's, but I still say it is among the best public univ. in the nation, and rising.</p>
<p>the 8 original public ivies:
UNC, Cal-Berkely, U of Mich, MiamiU, Utexas, Vermont, UVA, William and Mary</p>
<p>As for the original post I would like to second the University of Notre Dame and I also think Villanova University would be an excellent fit.
*Please note both schools are catholic institutions but a vast number of students are not religious or catholic/christian</p>
<p>I think Dartmouth has the most school spirit of anywhere I know. Its just focused on the community (i.e. Homecoming is crazy but its all about alumni, the bonfire, parties, etc) as opposed to sports.</p>
<p>Slipper, I am sure Dartmouth has unbeatable school spirit. But many other schools do too. I think Duke and Michigan have equally spirited students and alums...and it isn't only because of Sports. The lifestyle in Ann Arbor, the quality of life at those universities and the pride in the university's academic strengths all contribute to these school's undauntable spirit.</p>
<p>Thank you guys so much. There are a lot of great suggestions here. I am definitely looking into Duke...and I wish I could be looking into Yale, but I don't like to depress myself ;)</p>
<p>Any other suggestions anyone?</p>
<p>And could anyone answer my question about the other website that is similar to collegeconfidential, but it is the uk addition?</p>
<p>Thanks so much. It is really hard to get an idea of a college by just looking at their website. Muchos gracias!</p>
<p>University of Washington sounds like it could be a good match. It has a beautiful campus with a student body that has a good amount of school spirit. Moreover, not only is it located in Seattle, which fits your requirement of a big city, but the school is also fairly diversified.</p>
<p>Don't leave the women's colleges out of consideration:</p>
<p>Mount Holyoke has a long tradition of attracting and producing good writers--it stretches all the way back to Emily Dickinson--although she became a dropout. Also look at Bryn Mawr and Smith. All have pretty "gothic" campuses and school spirit. Sporting events for women--no football teams, though. MHC and Smith are in a 12-college exchange where you can spend a semester at Dartmouth! Bryn Mawr is right near Haverford. Haverford also accepts women.</p>
<p>All the women's colleges are more laid back on the party-drinking scene.</p>
<p>I agree with pyewacket, don't leave the women's colleges out!</p>
<p>Barnard has a long history of producing fabulous female writers, and has it's own campus in NY, so you would have the urban feeling but not loose the campus. Barnard is also attached to Columbia, so then you can have access to all of the sporting activities there.</p>
<p>i second the recommendation for barnard! in fact they just had this big "great writers conference" celebrating how so many women that go to barnard end up being successful writers. not just novelists but poets and reporters and all kinds of professional writing. so it's a fabulous place for creative writing.
it's in new york, new york which is the coolest city in the whole world. the hudson river and riverside park are two blocks away in addition to barnard's gorgeous campus. and you benefit from columbia's campus too.
there are lots of athletes here, although all athletics are shared with columbia. it's not as rah-rah as a big 10 school would be, but we're definitely not the nyu violets.
and there are lots of people here who dont drink.. i think they say 1/3 of students never drink or only drink a little bit. (they have posters up around the school lauding that fact.) it's new york, there are all kinds of fun things to do without getting wasted out of your mind.
barnard is awesome, i hope you look into it more!</p>
<p>Blawned, There are quite a few schools that meet most but not all of your criteria. If you want big, then a few that come to mind are Carnegie Mellon, Johns Hopkins, Brown, Yale, UMich, this list is fairly open ended. For small liberal arts colleges same situation there are many schools that offer what youre looking for in a range of selectivity. Take a look at Skidmore, Kenyon, Williams, Amherst, Hamilton, Bowdoin, Smith just to name a few. </p>
<p>Point by point
1. Writing program
Do you mean fiction, poetry, non-fiction or journalism? Some colleges have stand alone creative writing programs. Some incorporate creative writing into their English departments. All topflight schools have excellent English departments and focus heavily on expository writing skills. In order to evaluate you should take a look at the course catalogs and the number of well known authors on the faculty. Also look at campus lectures and readings -- how serious is the college in supporting writing and possibly other arts.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Help with publishing
I dont know of any college that does this. Some are more aggressive with career placement than others. Take a look at the career placement offices website. After youve narrowed down your list and start visiting, ask the professors directly. One positive about smaller schools is that you get to know your professors well and they are available to help you get started in life after college.</p></li>
<li><p>Campus
Many many good choices.</p></li>
<li><p>Diversity
Diversity is a hot button at all colleges today. The bigger the college the more depth of diversity, but even at small LACs in the middle of no where youll meet a range of people. Diversity can be ethnic, religious, sexual, economic, geographic, political so its more than just percentages.</p></li>
<li><p>Location
Again, plenty of choices. (You ask about a UK site like this one. I dont know of any but many posters here live in the UK or have kids attending UK colleges. Bath and Bristol have excellent writing programs. What exactly are you looking for?)</p></li>
<li><p>Politics/Ambience
After you do some more research youll get a feel for the personality of the individual colleges. Most colleges lean left. Some (like the ones I listed above) are more friendly to a conservative view. Partying goes on at most colleges, but quiet people can also fit in. Again, after you narrow your list you can visit to determine the best fit for you.</p></li>
<li><p>Sports
Most of the big universities are big sports schools. Among the LACs Id look to Williams, Amherst, Kenyon, Hamilton, Bowdoin for lots of school spirit.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I have been looking at Barnard very closely lately, but I am from a very small town and I am afraid that I won't adjust to city life well. BUT, I am goign to be visiting NYC for schools this summer, so I will definitely check out Barnard. </p>
<p>I am mainly interested in fiction writing. I like the closeness of the LACs because I feel that that is important when it comes to getting a good education in writing, but I also really love school spirit. If it can't be sports (sigh), I would at least want my peers to be proud to go to that school. </p>
<p>I also really don't mind a party or two, but I don't drink or party much now, and I doubt that I will care for it in college. As long as there is SOME social life, I am good.</p>
<p>As far as schools in the UK go...I know nothing about them. I have always been fascinated with England through the books I have read, and my dream is to some day travel through Europe, so I thought I might apply to one school in England. I have never been outside of the country so I don't know anything about their colleges or how different it is, but I thought I might check it out. </p>
<p>Seriously, thank you guys for all of the support and information. I have added 4 or 5 more colleges to my list of ones to check out. You can never give me too much advice.</p>