Need help with Impression/Perspective of/on some colleges (Swarth, UChic ...)

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hello,</p>

<p>I'll cut the long story short - i'm an international student and theres just this much 'true' information about colleges you can get on their websites and even visiting doesnt give the whole picture-</p>

<p>I want perspective, views on these colleges/universities as they are the top ones I am considering and im having a tough time deciding which ones will be fit for me and my personality. (Swarth is more or less decided ED, im pretty sure its 'me' but I really want to hear everyone's views for it and the rest - its the next four years of my life.)</p>

<p>So it would be really really really helpful if anyone, an alumni, current student, mom, dad, high school student or any random person could tell me what they think of the following colleges in the categories (just copy paste). Since it can be time-consuming, you can just write your impression for any of them, anything will be helpful. [I ask for your personal opinion (through experience or knowledge), not what you think people think generally, incase my wording became confusing]</p>

<p>Swarthmore College
General Impression:
The Academics:
The Students (i.e. the type of students):
The General Atmosphere of the place:
Any other Information (eg. how hard is it to get admission):</p>

<p>Amherst College
General Impression:
The Academics:
The Students (i.e. the type of students):
The General Atmosphere of the place:
Any other Information (eg. how hard is it to get admission):</p>

<p>University of Chicago
General Impression:
The Academics:
The Students (i.e. the type of students):
The General Atmosphere of the place:
Any other Information (eg. how hard is it to get admission):</p>

<p>Northwestern University
General Impression:
The Academics:
The Students (i.e. the type of students):
The General Atmosphere of the place:
Any other Information (eg. how hard is it to get admission):</p>

<p>Brown University
General Impression:
The Academics:
The Students (i.e. the type of students):
The General Atmosphere of the place:
Any other Information (eg. how hard is it to get admission):</p>

<p>Tufts
General Impression:
The Academics:
The Students (i.e. the type of students):
The General Atmosphere of the place:
Any other Information (eg. how hard is it to get admission):</p>

<p>Thanks so so so much guys, I really hope people post, im sure this will help other people too :D.
PS- I love CC and its people.</p>

2

<p>I visited the University of Chicago a few weeks ago and really liked it. (I wish I had been there when school was in session, but I got to talk for a while with 2 current students and went to the tour/info session so I got a lot of info about it)</p>

<p>General Impression: Quirky, in a good way- seems like everyone there is at least a little bit of a nerd about something.
The Academics: Known for the “core” classes, which students seem to enjoy. These take up 1/3 of your total classes, as does your major, leaving ~1/3 for 2nd major/minor/electives/changing your major (one student I talked to changed his major 6 times from biochem to english and is graduating in 3 years, so there’s a lot of flexibility)
The Students (i.e. the type of students): Again, a little quirky, a bit geeky, but very intelligent and passionate about academics
The General Atmosphere of the place: Pretty academic, overall.
Any other Information (eg. how hard is it to get admission): Admit rate dropped to around 19% this year due to a surge in applications, probably because people are starting to realized that not all of the best colleges are in new england (though many are).</p>

3

<p>I visited too, I dint get a chance to talk to any students. I’ve read alot about how U Chicago has this quirky and nerdy atmosphere, and at a level it appeals to me … but when I visited, I felt as if the place had a cold feeling, one of indifference attached to it … It could have been a bad day or I could have been reading wrong, do you, or anyone for that matter think that the people at U Chicago are snobby or unfreindly ? Boy I hope not, cause I really liked that place.</p>

<p>Thanks for your reply :)</p>

4

<p>I visited Swarthmore and Tufts earlier this summer.</p>

<p>Swarthmore College
General Impression: It has a truly beautiful campus-one of the best. However, I felt that it was too spaced out and big. The buildings and classrooms were great though!
The Academics: From what I gathered, it is really focused on academics. I’ve heard that many people get trapped in the “Swarthmore Bubble” and really emphasis on their studies over everything.
The Students (i.e. the type of students): I didn’t get to speak or talk to any students, but I did see some. Honestly, I believe that Swarthmore is a massive melting pot. I saw quirky, science guys, a woman painting in the grass, and a group of seemingly gangsters on campus. It was remarkable.
The General Atmosphere of the place: Swarthmore, I felt, was relatively secluded from Philadelphia. It really has a world class education, and it shows. However, I felt that many people on campus were pretentious. The admissions person I saw was incredibly rude, and I was very disappointed with how she taught a prospective student.
Any other Information (eg. how hard is it to get admission): I thought Swarthmore was great, but it wasn’t what I was looking for. I’m more into the big cities anyways, but I was also completely out of place in Philadelphia. However, I would definitely consider it if it was in a different location!</p>

<p>Tufts
General Impression: Massive, confusing campus that focused primarily on engineering and hard sciences.
The Academics: Tufts has great academics, but I do feel that they specialize in the natural sciences and engineering. It’s also very competitive sounding.
The Students (i.e. the type of students): My tour guide was terrible; he really just talked about himself and the rivalry between the upper and lower campus. Other guides seemed really nice and thorough. I’d say that the majority of students are very academic, and they also have a certain quirkiness about them. I did feel comfortable there.
The General Atmosphere of the place: It was a primarily brick campus that also encompasses a certain amount of modern building. It’s a great mix of new and old. However, I just didn’t feel it.
Any other Information (eg. how hard is it to get admission): Tufts is very competitive; they have median SAT scores that are in the mid-700s for all of the sections.</p>

5

<p>Northwestern University
General Impression: vibrant, eclectic campus with warm friendly students
The Academics: topnotch but not in your face
The Students (i.e. the type of students): smart quirky and athletic kids who are friendly and social
The General Atmosphere of the place: for those looking for a “normal” college experience with high-achieving but laidback students; amazing location; it’s apparent the school has a large endowment; has a “cool” carpe diem vibe.
Any other Information (eg. how hard is it to get admission): 23% acceptance rate for fall 2010</p>

6

<p>I’ll do the ones I visited, but these are just my personal impressions.</p>

<p>** Amherst College **
General Impression: Absolutely stunning campus, very preppy, great college town
The Academics: Very good, and strengthened by the resources of the 5-college consortium.
The Students (i.e. the type of students): To be honest, the majority of the students I met seemed like preppy white New Englanders - many were athletes, but this didn’t really bother me since I’m an athlete myself. However, everyone was very friendly and welcoming.
The General Atmosphere of the place: I really, really loved Amherst and I felt like it had a very welcoming, if preppy, atmosphere. Also, it is absolutely stunning.
Any other Information (eg. how hard is it to get admission): Pretty hard. Amherst is very selective. However, I don’t know about international applicants. I do think that it was slightly harder for me to get in as a white Connecticut female, since basically 10 or 15 students from my high school alone applied, so I think they have an abundance of that type of applicant (only one was admitted - a recruited athletel the majority of people were waitlisted). I do know that they waitlist a lot of people, and that they didn’t take anyone off of it this year.</p>

<p>** Northwestern University **
General Impression: Great place to spend four years.
The Academics: The academics appear to be really strong. In particular, what attracted me to NU was the ability to take classes - and even design majors - across the different colleges (Arts and Sciences, Journalism, etc.), and the immense academic flexibility that was offered.
The Students (i.e. the type of students): Smart, motivated, friendly, and somewhat preppy would be how I would describe students. All were welcoming and veryh friendly.
The General Atmosphere of the place: Great. Very welcoming, fantastic location, and sports if you’re into them (thought they don’t dominate the campus, which is nice).
Any other Information (eg. how hard is it to get admission): I know that their applicants have jumped majorly in the last few years, but that’s about it. I do know that their accepted students’ days are very very nice. :)</p>

<p>** Tufts **
General Impression: Didn’t like Tufts. The campus was absolutely dead (thought pretty), the town was run-down, and the tour guide was awful.
The Academics: Seemed to be strong. Our tour guide was constantly reminding us that the academics were “just as good as, if not better than, the Ivy League! By the way, did I mention that anyone here could go to Cornell?” (He made quite the impression on me.)
The Students (i.e. the type of students): Didn’t get much of a feel for them, as I didn’t see any. It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon, and I didn’t see a single student outside or in any of the buildings, which was a little unnerving.
The General Atmosphere of the place: Beautiful, serene, and above all, quiet.
Any other Information (eg. how hard is it to get admission): I think that Tufts is one of those love-it-or-hate-it schools. I was really turned off by both the tour guide, the town, and the emptiness of the campus. However, I hav friends who both visited and attend Tufts and love it, so I’d recommend seeing it for yourself.</p>

7

<p>Hey guys, really loving the responses - its helping me bring together a fair picture of what my life would be at any of these if I got it (low chances, but meh).</p>

<p>Just want to ask some questions …</p>

<p>Does Swarthmore have a pretentious atmosphere ? I was under the impression it was one of the school with really friendly students.</p>

<p>Preps usually refer to the snobbish people right ? (I know not neccesarily, but mostly)</p>

8

<p>I visited Swarthmore, but I didn’t include it on my list because I didn’t officially tour it or anything. But the students I met were very friendly.</p>

<p>Preps to me aren’t necessarily snobbish, just openly wealthy - aka they dress like they just stepped out of a J. Crew catalogue. They can certainly be friendly.</p>

9

<p>Thanks, that cleared things up a bit :)</p>