Least Pretentious Top Universities?

College Search & Selection
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<p>Right now I'm going to apply to University of Oregon (my top choice) and University of Washington. I feel that even though I think I'll end up at Oregon, I'd like to at least explore other options. I have a 3.9 uw gpa and a 2300 on the SAT. I really doubt I'll apply to any private schools because I don't want to be surrounded by a bunch of snooty people (i.e. Stanford/USC). I was considering University of Texas in Austin. I want to major in Economics and Political Science and then go to law school. I'd prefer a laid back environment where the students are friendly.</p>

<p>Also, I'm not interested in schools with a total student body of < 10,000.</p>

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<p>Least out of top 20 goes to Rice imo.</p>

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<p>Everywhere you go there will always be snooty people, friendly people, and crabby people. It just depends what kind of people you hang around with. Don’t be discouraged by Stanford and USC just because of a few snooty people - they don’t represent the whole student population. </p>

<p>I’ve heard very good things about the midwest though.</p>

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<p>least pretentious of top ??? universities ???</p>

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<p>UT-Austin is a fine option if you can afford it and if you do Plan-II Honors – pretty rigorous program.</p>

<p>I won’t argue the Stanford snootiness – but you should probably visit before you make that conclusion.</p>

<p>Uchicago seems like it would fit you.</p>

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<p>^ Agree with noobcake about Rice.</p>

<p>You may want to check it out… My coworker’s son attends Rice. He chose it over UC Berkeley and Stanford because he got phenomenal financial aid (cheaper than in-state for Berkeley :eek:).</p>

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<p>“I won’t argue the Stanford snootiness – but you should probably visit before you make that conclusion.”
I live very close to Stanford - about 30 minutes away. I’ve been there many times. My dad went to Stanford as an undergraduate.</p>

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<p>Yeah. The Baker institute at Rice is pretty well known. </p>

<p>Emory maybe? Are you looking at any top publics besides UT-Austin?</p>

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<p>Rice may actually be a possibility. I know they have really solid athletics. How is Rice’s reputation on the West Coast though? I want to live in either California, Oregon, or Washington after college. Not a real big fan of Houston. The city is very polluted and really conservative.</p>

<p>What about the “cannabis culture”?</p>

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<p>Chicago is too small, he wants a huge school.</p>

<p>I’ll say you’re being rather bigoted by labeling all private schools as full of “snooty people”. Where do you even come from with a statement like that?</p>

<p>The desire to go to a huge school is a pretty specific requirement, and you seem to be tracking it yourself pretty well. Schools to look at:</p>

<p>UC- Berkeley
UCLA
University of Michigan
UVA
UNC</p>

<p>NYU might be worth a look.</p>

<p>The upshot is you get some pretty sweet football.</p>

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<p>Rice has ok athletics. A superb baseball team + a supposedly up and coming football team. That’s about it.</p>

<p>Houston is not as conservative as people think. </p>

<p>As for cannabis culture – there’s little, however Rice is a wet campus.</p>

<p>Besides the top publics I don’t know any big schools that fit your reqs.</p>

<p>Mcgill?</p>

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<p>NYU is very pretentious. UCLA and Berkeley are out of the picture for sure. Virginia is conservative and preppy. I want a nice, laid back, liberal environment.</p>

<p>Michigan might be a place that I’d consider. Are the students pretty laid back? Don’t really know anything about UNC.</p>

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<p>Rice has significantly less than 10,000 students, though.</p>

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<p>Rice does have some cannabis culture. ;)</p>

<p>But you’re right, probably not a lot in comparison to other schools.</p>

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<p>

</p>

<p>What does that even mean? I’m calling you out on this simply because I’d like you to justify your own beliefs- have you ever even been to NYC, let alone NYU? Do you know any NYU students? What leads you to that belief?</p>

<p>And I have no love for NYU, nor any bias in its favor.</p>

<p>I understand it’d fail other tests (sports culture is apparently something you’re looking for), but I’m not going to let that sort of remark slip by unchallenged.</p>

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<p>Really? Never really thought it was significant enough to be mentioned. </p>

<p>And to repeat, I really only think the top publics are compatible. Do you have a preference for any?</p>

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<p>"What does that even mean? I’m calling you out on this simply because I’d like you to justify your own beliefs- have you ever even been to NYC, let alone NYU? Do you know any NYU students? What leads you to that belief?</p>

<p>And I have no love for NYU, nor any bias in its favor."
I’ve been to NYC many times. My dad actually took me to NYU’s “campus” last year because the Stern Business school is apparently very good. The students were dressed up and didn’t even acknowledge my presence when I attempted to ask questions about the school. This is the type of environment that I’ve grown up in and want to get out of. I hated the feel of NYU. It didn’t even feel like a college.</p>

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<p>Ok, but most of that has nothing to do with any supposed pretention of NYU. The students who were all dressed up? Probably graduate students working on their MBAs, with no time or ability to answer a prospective undergraduate’s questions.</p>

<p>Your other points are exactly why I hate NYU, though, and totally valid. Just be more careful with your words!</p>

<p>And to answer your earlier Michigan question, I wouldn’t really use the term laid back, but they’re mostly Midwesterners. They’re nice, they’re down to earth, and they’re definitely not pretentious for the most part. All generalizations, but those are my universal experience with them.</p>

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<p>VANDERBILT>rice>other top 25. </p>

<p>end of story.</p>

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<p>I am sorry, I think you misunderstood the word. The OP is not looking for the biggest part school.</p>