<p>Hey guys. I'm an international student, and it would really help if I got an opinion from people who are actually living in the US and hopefully have visited some of the colleges. I'm really lucky that I have some really great acceptances and right now I'm torn as to where I will choose to spend the next four years of my life. I got accepted into Stanford, Brown, Rice, Carleton, Wesleyan, Penn and Michigan. Now I really love Stanford, it was my dream school but I don't want to go to a place which focuses on research, even though I read that Stanford's professors are really accessible and in comparison to other Ivy League colleges, the professors, not TAs, teach the classes. </p>
<p>I love Stanford's location, the Californian weather, its campus, but I'm thinking whether any of the other colleges might offer a better undergrad education. Right now I feel that it's come down to Stanford, Brown or Rice. I hate Minnesota's icy cold winters, so Carleton seems to be drifting away, Penn seems to be very pre-professional and I don't want to go to a college with cut-throat competition and Michigan is just huge. </p>
<p>Any opinions or comments would greatly be appreciated. Cheers.</p>
<p>Based on what you’ve written, it sounds like Rice would be the best fit because of weather and undergraduate focus. It is ridiculously hard to get into Stanford as an international btw, so props to that.</p>
<p>I’ve never heard of anyone who turned down Stanford out of concern for the quality of the undergraduate experience. The Princeton Review interviews students from every campus and ranks the top 20 in a variety of categories on their responses. It’s not highly scientific, but there’s an obvious trend:</p>
<p>Quality of Life - #18 in the U.S.
Best Classroom Experience - #4
Happiest Students - #4
Lots of Race / Class Interaction - #4
Class Discussions Encouraged - #19
Dorms Like Palaces - #20
School Runs like Butter - #1</p>
<p>Having grad programs and research expectations does not automatically mean that undergrads are ignored. Stanford students are effusive about their praise of the university. If it’s your dream, the concern you raised is no reason to let go of it.</p>
<p>But FWIW, stereotypes of limits on faculty accessibility in the Ivies are very exaggerated.</p>
<p>Right now it’s a question of Stanford vs Brown for me. I really like Brown’s open curriculum, the fact that students in all classes want to be there. I read that Brown offers one of the best undergrad experiences in the US. Plus it has a somewhat urban location. The only negative thing that I can think of Brown is it’s smaller and perhaps crammed campus, and the weather in Providence.</p>
<p>I love Stanford’s campus and I believe that there exists a laid-back attitude on both campuses. I am aware of those rankings by the Princeton Review, but I feel like some of them can’t be trusted.</p>
<p>Yup. That’s about right. And you’re choosing between two of the most sought-after schools with some of the most satisfied students in the country. There’s no wrong choice there.</p>
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<p>So instead of trusting the handful of actual students that PR surveys, you prefer to trust two or three of us anonymous posters on CC? :)</p>
<p>I have read some not-so-flattering comments regarding Stanford’s econ dept. Are the professor’s more interested in research than teaching undergrads? How big are the classes?</p>