Davidson is a great school with some strong students, but it also has a fairly heavy jock culture with their DI athletics. That may nor may not be appealing, but makes it a bit different than some of your other choices listed.
Yale is plenty intellectual, but New Haven is hardly NYC or Boston.
I must say I’m very impressed by your mindset. I’ve never met someone who would turn down UMich (EA), Georgetown (Deferred EA, Accepted RD), Cornell (RD), NYU (RD), Yale (RD), USC, Cambridge. Even if you didn’t know what you wanted, it’s good that you knew enough to know you didn’t just want to go to a school for the prestige. I mean while all the schools you listed are very prestigious, I’m honestly in awe that you turned down Yale and Cambridge.
Impressive that you got in. Impressive that you’re that focused on pursuing the best fit.
Just remember there are only so many doors!!! Don’t close the wrong one:)
Good luck to you.
@LoveTheBard It seems like your D and I have a lot of similarities! I will look at UT Austin - though I’m not particularly keen on going to the South, even if it is Austin. And I hope your brother is alright. It was definitely very hard on my family - as it would be on any family. It was the beginning of my brother’s Senior year of high school, so it was pretty heartbreaking to see that he wouldn’t be able to go to college 
I will definitely look into SLE at Stanford - just emailed a professor actually, and the friend I’m staying with told me her freshman year roommate did SLE and that she could introduce me to some professors.
@ColdinMinny Thank you for that! I love the curriculum at Davidson, but I forgot it’s a D1 school. I’m not a huge fan of the jock culture, but I will look into it more. It obviously can’t be as bad as some of the schools I got into last year like USC or UMich in terms of jock culture lol.
@justliviglife Thank you for that! I’ve heard many, many people lecture me about why I didn’t choose Yale (or any of the others schools) and many people have lectured me on taking a gap year (particularly my mom), but I’ve never had someone tell me that they are impressed by it. That really means a lot to me. I definitely wish I could have known what I wanted a year ago, but taking a year off is nothing, and I’m definitely very glad I did. And yes, to be completely honest, the only reason I care about the prestige of a school is because I think it’ll be easier to find like-minded people for me at a “prestigious” school (i.e. people who like to work hard and learn). Since my sister dropped out of college and my brother did not have the option to go, I’m just thankful for the opportunity to go, and I’m just excited to learn and challenge myself.
Re: “jock culture”
Smaller schools may have a relatively high percentage of students who are intercollegiate athletes, compared to large schools. Some large schools like USC and Michigan do have a very big spectator sports culture.
@takacatboy I completely understand the whole finding 'like-minded" people thing at a prestigious school. I’m feeling the same way! Good luck!!!
@ucbalumnus Oh wow. I’ve never thought of it like that. Being a tennis player, I never had a lot of spectators with the exception of my larger tournaments lol. I don’t think I really mind student-athletes as long as they don’t have the vibe of superiority that many D1 athletes sometimes have. I don’t particularly care for the “rah-rah” culture of a school like USC or UMich, but I don’t actively dislike it or anything. Thank you for that clarification though; I’ve never really thought of a difference between the athlete and the spectator culture.
The OP can do better than Reed. I also think the OP can score some hefty merit aid at LACs that offer it. Not much reason left to apply to Reed, unless OP qualifies for need-based aid. Getting a PhD, aside from in economics, is a silly idea, so I’m not sure why Reed’s reputation in academia should really matter. I also think because Reed has a culture of sending students to PhD programs, good students who could flourish outside of the ivory tower are indoctrinated into thinking there is no life outside of academia. Not the best environment for everyone, to be honest.
@takacatboy - Yes, I do think you and my D have much in common. That’s why I’ve taken such interest in your situation and feel like I understand some of your issues and concerns – and why I am writing treatises on the subject.
D had applied (and gotten into) to many of the schools you’ve mentioned (including HYPS, Wash U, USC, Vandy, Rice, U. Chicago, Bryn Mawr, Grinnell, Duke, UVA, and Davidson). She had been very thoughtful and thorough in her research. Ultimately, like you, her main criterion was that she wanted to be with really bright kids in a highly intellectual environment with students that are passionate about learning (she had done TASP the summer before and loved that experience. More than anything, she wanted to replicate it). Her other criterion is that she was looking for merit, but ultimately, we made a decision as a family to forgo that for HYP or S if indeed she felt one of those would be a much better fit. It turned out – much to our surprise (and delight) that Stanford was a really good fit, which is funny because D hadn’t seriously thought about it as an option because a) she assumed she wouldn’t get in, and b) she assumed that it would be overly tech-y/entrepreneurial and that the humanities would be disparaged there. She has not found that to be the case at all; then again, SLE might be a bit of a bubble. But it’s a pretty amazing bubble. FWIW, my husband – a professor in the Social Sciences – contacted a couple of Stanford profs to get their take on the humanities at Stanford versus Yale (her two top choices). What he was told – and this does seem to be the case – is that yes, the school does have a very techy bent, but many kids majoring in STEM fields are doing so not because it’s their passion, but because feel a lot of parental pressure go that route and that they are not so happy about it. In contrast, the kids that are choosing the humanities seem much happier, that there is a lot of faculty support, and there is a lot of solidarity among the students. This certainly matches what my D has perceived thus far.)
Stanford also has a more quirky irreverent vibe than HYP or U.Chicago, which may or may not appeal to you. But if you’re looking for smart kids, you’ll find them there. Or at most of the schools you’ve got on your list for that matter. Having said that, D did find a qualitative difference in the level of intellectualism among students at H, Y, P, S, UChicago versus some/most of the other schools; she got the impression that the kids at Yale, Stanford and UChicago (she ended up not visiting Princeton or Harvard) were brilliant, and she felt that there was a higher degree of intellectualism there as compared with schools like Vandy, Rice, and Wash U where she thought the kids were really smart but the level of intellectualism was just a notch lower. And, like you, it was not about the prestige, it was about finding like-minded peers.
I didn’t get a too-sporty vibe from Davidson, but my D was in it for the Belk full-ride (she was a finalist, but it was a relief that she didn’t get it as it would have been tough to turn down). It was a lovely school, but I think that it may lack the level of intellectualism you seek. Swarthmore would likely have it. Carleton too.
The other question I have for you is whether you want and LAC or a research Uni. You seem to lean in both directions (I wouldn’t expect someone to have both U. Michigan and Swarthmore on their list, for example). Ultimately, my D felt that LACs would be too limiting in terms of course offerings and faculty (if there are only a handful of faculty in your area of interest and you don’t like one or two of them, you’re kinda screwed.). D didn’t apply to UT Austin – too big and “open carry” were big turn-offs.
As for your gap year, it sounds like you’ve matured quite a bit and are have been having some amazing experiences, so don’t look back.`That said, as I mentioned before, if you really think that Yale would be a good fit and that you made a mistake by turning it down, you have nothing to lose by contacting them, re-applying and explaining your circumstances. And there’s nothing stopping you from re-applying to Princeton while you’re at it.
As for my brother, sadly, he’s got some pretty major issues that he will never recover from. I hope your brother fares better (and, given his age, your brother’s prognosis may be better than mine, who was ca. 60 when it happened).
"The problem with this is that you won’t have many peers and that will get annoying after a while. While MIT can be really intellectual, MIT really is dominated and I mean DOMINATED by STEM majors. "
This rings true based on a young grad I know who decided to go the non-STEM route after freshman year. It was a bit of a frustrating experience for her. Not enough interest from the student body in humanities and non-STEM activities and events. Not enough like-minded peers.
re: "I’m hoping to major in Classics, Philosophy, or Comparative Lit. "
Perhaps some of these old threads may be useful?
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/18793099#Comment_18793099
There may be some useful information here, if you weed out the bickering:
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/1315771-best-philosophy-undergrad-programs-in-the-us-p1.html
Also suggest:
think about what you want a city for; how much free time you are really going to have, whether you will have enough money and time to do those things in a given city, whether you will have a car, how easy it is to get to the city, and to get around in the city yourself if you don’t have a car, how much connection to your campus do you want to feel, do you think you’ll have that if everyone there is going off all the time into the city, etc.
What size social circle do you really plan on maintaining?; Does it really matter if other people who are also studying there but perhaps are not part of your social circle do not share every one of your values, so long as there are plenty who do?; Maybe you can grow and learn from people who are not identically the same as you think you are now. Whether it might be better to focus on places with a high density of really smart people, even if some of them want to get jobs on Wall street, or whatever. Maybe by the time you graduate You will want to get a job on Wall street. You will grow and change as a person over the next four years. Hopefully.
@International95, getting a PhD isn’t necessarily a silly idea. In fact, people with a deep intellectual streak like the OP often really enjoy research, and may want to go down that path if intellectual stimulation is particularly important to them. I do agree that Reed, while of academic interest to the OP, seems inappropriate unless the OP qualifies for need based aid. No merit st Reed – it is a lot to pay for a school where you are near the top of the applicant pool.
Please say that to 6th/7th year graduate students in the humanities and let me know what you hear from them. This includes graduate students at top schools like Yale and NYU. And it sounds like OP wants to go through some sort of professional track after college, so not the most useful digression to make here.
@LoveTheBard I emailed the Yale admissions officer earlier today and explained all my thoughts. He emailed back quickly and was incredibly nice and told me he would make a note of that on my application. Though, as of right now, I definitely think I would still pick Columbia over Yale and I’m glad I did ED to Columbia (but here’s to hoping I get in!).
In terms of size, I’m definitely hoping for the sweet spot in-between a LAC and a Research Uni. A school like Williams seems too small (especially since it’s in the middle of nowhere) but a school like UMich seems way too big. I love the classes at most LACs and the accessibility to most professors, but I love the resources offered by a Research Uni. Part of the reason I like Swarthmore and Haverford is because they have the accessibility to Philadelphia which makes them feel bigger even if they are small, and Haverford, particularly, also has the accessibility of Byrn Mawr which offers more resources. I definitely understand why your daughter picked Stanford. I did a ton of research on SLE last night and this morning, and it truly does seem great—getting that “LAC feel” at a Research Uni. I also reached out to two of the kids I graduated with who are attending Stanford, and one of them is doing SLE. He said all his SLE classes are on Tuesday and Wednesday, so he can’t take me to any classes, but he is going to take me to some of the professor’s office hours to introduce me. The one thing I can’t seem to figure out from the website is how do you enroll in SLE? Is there something on the Common App to check? Do I have to do a separate application? Is it open to anyone who is admitted? I will obviously interrogate the guy I went to high school more once I get to campus tomorrow afternoon, but in the mean time, I thought you might know the answer.
@intparent @International95 I definitely agree with the above about not applying to Reed. Based on my experience last year with need-based aid, I’d qualify for some, but not enough for me to justify going. I can justify graduating in debt if I believe I’m going to enjoy my experience and have a more “prestigious” degree to help me in the future. I’d definitely feel much more confident graduating in debt with a degree from, say, Stanford than I would from, say, Reed. As well, in terms of a professional degree, I’m a little all over the place, and that’s what I think I’ll discover in college. When I was younger, I always said I wanted to be a doctor. As I got more into the humanities, that shifted to “I’m going to get a dual MD/JD,” and even later it shifted to just a JD, and then it sometimes shifts into a PhD. I definitely intend to go to graduate school, I’m just not sure what the degree I’ll be getting is. Some days I want to go into politics, others academia, others medicine, it differs based on my mood. However, one thing does stay constant, I know I love to learn and I know I hope to make a change—whether that means discovering the cure to some rare disease, becoming the President, being the next big Philosopher, or simply raising my kids to be kind people.
As of right now, based on comments said in this thread and the research that it’s inspired for me in the past day or so, this is my revised list:
Definitely:
Columbia (already applied ED)
UChicago (already applied EA)
Most Likely:
Stanford (after I figure out this SLE thing - and as much as I hate the weather, I think I could tolerate it 
)
Brown
Carleton
Swarthmore
Haverford
Yale
Maybe:
Georgetown (partly just because I’m a legacy and have a load of family in the DC/Maryland/Virginia area)
Tufts (given my GPA and test scores I’m afraid I might just be another case of Tufts syndrome, and I’m not quite sure I would attend if I did got in)
Harvard (again, partly because I’m a legacy. I have mixed reviews on Harvard - it sometimes seems to be a mix of people who worked there way into Harvard and a mix of people whose parents worked their child’s way into Harvard).
Davidson
Reed (I definitely like the vibe at Reed, but I’m personally not a fan of Portland (it feels a little too “granola” for my tastes))
Unlikely:
MIT (already applied EA, but I’m unlikely to attend if I get in)
Vanderbilt (not the “vibe” I’m looking for)
Princeton (I do like many aspects of Princeton, but I’m not sure it’s the experience I’m looking for either. Not to mention, I cannot stand the town)
Have to do more research:
WUSTL
Rice
One thing I do find kind of interesting, is the things that attract me to Columbia/UChicago are the same that attract me to Brown. Despite the curriculums being antithetical to one another, they essentially have the same goal in mind. Columbia/UChicago gives me the structure of a liberal arts education while Brown gives me the freedom to create my own. Just something I thought was interesting.
If Portland itself is too “granola” for your taste, then Reed probably isn’t for you. I will say, you need to be careful. There is no guarantee that your stock has stayed the same or gone up due to the gap year. You want to make sure you have a couple of schools you are really sure of getting into.
@intparent My college counselor told me the gap year will make me a more desirable candidate—especially since I am using my time valuably with internships, volunteer work, and then travel. However, I agree—I was admitted to McGill and I applied to my local state school. Those are part of the reason I’m not as worried about a safety. As well, my final semester grades only help my application given that they were straight As - 5 AP courses and an elective plus Calc 3 at the local community college. I got all 5s on my senior year AP courses as well.
You’ve got a very well thought out list. You certainly can’t go wrong with either Columbia (or U.Chicago, even though you say you’re unlikely to attend) I think there’s something to be said for a strong core rather than self-fashioning or cobbling together something on your own, but YMMV,
With a core, you have a cohort and (hopefully) camaraderie (or at least commiseration). Everybody is reading the same books and are engaged with the same material; there’s a common base of knowledge. (Of course, for you have the advantage in that you want to study that stuff. For others not too keen on the material, it’s not as much fun.
With an open curriculum, on the other hand, you can indeed take the same courses, but it won’t be with a cohort. Personally, I like the idea of a program like Directed Studies at Yale or SLE at Stanford or Humanistic Studies at Princeton insofar as everyone that’s doing it is doing it by choice.
At both Yale and Stanford, you have to request to be in Directed Studies or SLE. Yale will sometimes offer a direct admission into DS shortly after they admit you. At Stanford you indicate your interest in SLE after you’ve committed to attend. There are, of course, no guarantees, but I’m pretty sure that if it’s your first choice and you’ve expressed interest by visiting or otherwise reaching out to the professors, you are likely to get in. But don’t quote me on that. (I wouldn’t suggest interrogating your friend – just asking or querying him is probably a better bet 
)
My D had a direct admit to Yale’s DS but took the chance on SLE. No regrets (obviously).
As hard as it is to live with uncertainty, things generally work out the way they’re supposed to work out. I hope that for your sake – if indeed you are certain that Columbia is where you want to be – that you get in ED and can enjoy the rest of the year without second-guessing yourself.
Otherwise, keep us along for the ride.
I haven’t seen those numbers posted anywhere.
College Factual does post data on faculty composition.
According to that data, about 8% of total instructional employees are graduate assistants at UChicago.
I believe that percentage is quite low compared to many other top research universities.
UChicago takes the Core very seriously.
I’m less familiar with how Columbia implements its Core program.
There may be some posts or a thread here somewhere that compares the two.
At Chicago, AFAIK, Core class size remains capped at 19 students. Faculty who teach undergrads are appointed to “The College” at large. You can check faculty profiles/bios on the department pages to see which ones are so designated. You can identify the instructor(s) for each course on the course schedule pages, then look up their CVs. When I was there, Core and other undergraduate courses often were taught by distinguished/senior faculty members. Here’s the CV of one professor who teaches a social science Core course:
https://pbpl.uchicago.edu/sites/pbpl.uchicago.edu/files/uploads/Leitzel%20vita%20March%202014.pdf
(PhD, Duke, 1986; awarded the Quantrell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, University of Chicago, 2004.)
In general, Columbia uses a lot more part time teachers than UChicago.
Yes, I made the comment about TAs and adjuncts more with respect to Columbia than UChicago. Grad students teaching the core at Columbia are called “Precepts” and it’s part of their training. This is old data (from 2007) that I found on Wiki:
Lit Hum
In Spring 2007, 9 of 58 sections of Lit Hum are being taught by Senior Faculty, including one taught by a retired professor and another by an assistant dean at the Law School, another taught by a visiting professor from the University of Chicago, and another faculty member teaching only section open to GS students.
17 are being taught by junior faculty, of whom 2 are temporary appointments, 1 is a post-doc fellow, and only 2 hold the more seniors Associate status.
9 sections are taught by graduate students
15 are taught by 10 instructional lecturers, 5 of whom teach 2 sections each.
8 Section leaders are not in the directory.
At Chicago you don’t have to worry about adjuncts or TAs teaching core classes – they’re all taught by faculty.
Chicago’s core has a bit more flexibility than Columbia’s. At UChicago, it’s more like a prescribed selection of Gen Ed classes – students choose courses in each of the required disciplines (social studies, civilization studies, humanities, arts, foreign language, math, natural and physical sciences) designed to fulfill the core requirement. So no one takes the exact same set of classes and there are different possible “tracks” within Chicago’s Core.
Columbia’s core, in contrast, is one size fits all – everyone within each school takes the same classes and everyone reads the same books.
Regarding Columbia’s undergrad core – for Ph.D. students at Columbia, getting a section of LitHum or other Core course is a mark of excellence, those positions are highly competitive, and the best of the best get them. These are late stage Ph.D. students, preparing to move on to teaching at highly ranked schools, for the most part, as tenure track faculty. No slacking there.