<p>What would you say are the most intellectual colleges and universities? I know at some schools it is taboo to talk about school work during down time, where at other schools it is common.</p>
<p>university of chicago. they have a stereotype that basically states that UC students love to show off how smart they are and engage in conversations about theoretical physics, etc.</p>
<p>In general, almost any college in the top 50 USNWR rankings (not saying they’re accurate, just using it so I don’t have to name 20+ schools) will have very intellectual students and will provide you with opportunities to stay active in academics outside of the classroom. It depends a lot on the people you meet and befriend.</p>
<p>Chicago, Swarthmore, Reed have pretty intellectual reputations.</p>
<p>In my opinion, Rice University is known to be a very intellectual university, but not to the same degree as UChicago. When I visited during admit days, I had a few intellectual conversations myself with other prospective freshmen 
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<p>However, the students at Rice appear to be balanced; they know how to work hard and play hard. This “work hard play hard” mentality is also present at schools like Duke, Emory, Ivies, Stanford, and many of the other top 25 universities.</p>
<p>I’d say Chicago, Swarthmore, Haverford, Wesleyan, Oberlin, Bryn Mawr, Reed, Carleton, Amherst. These are all schools with strong intellectual traditions and a track record of producing large numbers of candidates who go on to gain entry to top Ph.D. programs-- as good an indicator of “intellectual culture” as you’re likely to find.</p>
<p>Oh and Caltech/MIT but only if you’re interested in talking about math/science.</p>
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<p>Maybe that’s the stereotype. However, in the classes I took there, trying to “show off how smart you are” was about the fastest way possible to earn an embarrassing put-down from a professor bent on guiding a sincere discussion of the material.</p>
<p>You’ll be able to find people to have good conversation with at any good university (and by good I mean more than just top 25). I was definitely concerned about the same thing, but if you that many of your high school friends care about school and don’t mind talking about life, physics, etc., you’ll probably end up knowing at least some of these people at any university.</p>
<p>i’ve found over time that i look for friends that aren’t necessarily really really smart, but friends that are passionate about what they do, whether that’s pre-med, community service, travel, physics, mentoring, etc.</p>
<p>Florida State</p>
<p>St. John’s College, either campus.</p>
<p>There are any number of honors college programs at various universities that have a strong intellectual vibe. On the parents forum right now, there’s a rave review of the Honors Tutorial College at Ohio University. I’ve seen other people highly enthused about the honors college at U Pitt, or Plan II at UT-Austin, or the College of Creative Studies at UC Santa Barbara. I’m sure there are many, many more. Having an honors program living environment, with a dedicated dorm or similar hub, may be something else to look for. Another benefit for some of these programs is that there can be significant merit money attached, making these schools financial safeties.</p>
<p>This kind of fits here, but I have to tell this story.</p>
<p>About 5 years ago, I was in a conversation with a couple who had both graduated from MIT. The husband went on to finish post-graduate work at Stanford.</p>
<p>I told them the following…</p>
<p>My impression of the people who are at MIT is they want to find the next great discovery that is going to change the world. But those who go to Stanford are there to find the next great discovery that is going to make them a billion dollars.</p>
<p>They both laughed and said “you don’t know how right you are.”</p>
<p>Any top LAC</p>
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Kenyon, Vassar, and Grinnell also come to mind, although I agree with Anonymous about many of the LACs.</p>
<p>Interesting how MIT and Stanford are massive military-industrial complexes which feeds off federal grants from the US government. </p>
<p>Stanford skyrocketed into national prominence because of federal support and investment in military related research and development.</p>
<p>Srry, this is random. Just saying how they got famous. 
Same could be said with Caltech. No JPL, No Argonne/Fermilab with Chicago, No LLNL, LBNL, Los Alamos with UC Berkeley, MIT UARC with Institute Nanotech Soldiers Lab? YEAH!</p>
<p>Was Florida State sarcastic? I hope so.</p>
<p>I think so, kmhuether. It made me LOL when I read it!</p>
<p>Friggin’ Deep Springs College. Talk about intellectual insanity.</p>
<p>pseudo intellectuals!</p>
<p>New College of FL is a small public honors college that is pretty intellectual (in a laid back way.)</p>
<p>you’re not intellectual unless you’re 50+ and smoke a pipe</p>