<p>hokayy, well i decided to make this thread as a place to start in the college search process. basically, if u have info. about a school, then reply! :)</p>
<p>School X
snooty/preppy people, flexible curriculum, nice campus, many close cafes, shops, etc.</p>
<p>also, any stories about a friend who chose X college over Y college and now really regrets it??</p>
<p>any stories, period??</p>
<p>yahh, it's basically for good, informative, fun :)</p>
<p>LOL @ "Flexible Curriculumn" (10char) :)</p>
<p>SMU???</p>
<p>10 char</p>
<p>bump bump bumpity bump</p>
<p>B
U
M
P</p>
<p>=]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]</p>
<p>Ok, I'll try to start.</p>
<p>University of Chicago:</p>
<p>Campus and Neighborhood: Neo-gothic (Hogwarts) eye-poppingly beautiful quads, modern buildings on the surrounding streets that aren't quite as awe-inspiring. Located in Hyde Park, 7 or so miles from downtown. Hyde Park isn't very fashionable or hip (or even urban-feeling) but there are some amazing dive-y restaurants, beautiful old homes, tree-lined streets, numerous independent coffee shops and bookstores and an unbelievable number of Subways. No clothing stores, no high-end retail.</p>
<p>Academics: Extensive core curriculum grounded in the liberal arts (it's similarly different to Columbia's). No pre-professional or engineering majors. Small classes-- of the top 10 ranked schools this year by USNWR, we have the fewest % of classes over 50. (I thought that was a neat stat). 4500 undergraduate students, ~10,000 graduate students.</p>
<p>Social life: Probably not as drinking-oriented or large party-oriented as other schools (that's just speculative, btw, I haven't attended or visited other schools while they're in session). Students split time between on-campus and off-campus and go downtown about once a week. Most of the parties I've been to (and enjoy the most) tend to be smaller apartment parties. Alcohol is present, but there isn't a divisive aspect between drinkers and non-drinkers. Most students drink socially.</p>
<p>Student body: The kids who tend to be attracted to Chicago tend to be the ones who felt that high school wasn't enough in one aspect or another. For me, I didn't think high school was challenging enough for me to be truly happy, but, as my friend puts it, she chose Chicago because "Sometimes I like watching MTV... and sometimes I want to read Proust." While you'll probably find a lot of lovable nerds here (think: Lisa Simpson, Daria, Dexter from Dexter's Laboratory) most of the students here are surprisingly non-nerdy, at least in the way that pop culture characterizes nerds. Most students are still nerds in some way or another-- they get very excited when they talk about academics.</p>
<p>Chicago kids also poke a lot of fun at themselves and don't really do the whole "Look how awesome we are." We'd rather sit around thinking up catchy and self-deprecating slogans that we can sell on t-shirts and make enormous profits off of. "Where Fun Comes to Die" is already taken.</p>
<p>One of the things that really attracted me to Chicago (and the midwest in general) for college is that the midwest is more or less absent of status-conscious, socially aggressive "East Coast" personalities. Honestly, coming home to the East Coast for me is a little bit like Alice in Wonderland-- I forget that some people CARE about clothing, social status, etc. Students are competitive with themselves and tend to care very much about their classroom performance, but talk of grades doesn't happen outside of the classroom unless it's specifically provoked or unless I'm reading over a resume for a friend on which they list their GPA.</p>
<p>Chicago kids like to talk a lot. This could be a good thing and a not-so-good thing, as sometimes it leads to fascinating conversation and sometimes it's just BS. You can check out a video for Scav that lampoons the "That Kid" stereotype of the kid who always likes to talk in class and usually says nonsense.</p>
<p>wow, that was great! :D</p>
<p>NO ONE else has any useful info. about universities...?</p>
<p>Brown actually does have a flexible curriculum.</p>
<p>okay...
and...?</p>
<p>i love how i'm shamelessly bumping :(</p>
<p>once u make a thread on CC...it's addicting :</p>
<p>bumpbumpbump</p>
<p>I'll flex your curriculum.</p>
<p>I'll post out of the excitement of leaving for college in just a few days. Keep in mind I'm an incoming freshman so this isn't based on personal experience (other than a 3-day visit in April). I'll borrow unalove's template :)</p>
<p>Princeton University:</p>
<p>Campus and Neighborhood: Absolutely beautiful gothic campus. It's almost entirely a pedestrian campus bordered by a picturesque suburban area's main shopping area. High-end shopping for those interested, and a short bus ride from stores normal college kids can afford. About an hour by train to NYC and 1.5, maybe 2, hours to Philadelphia.</p>
<p>Academics: I'd say fairly solid! More of an undergraduate focus than its peers (it has no professional schools--just a smallish grad school) with abundant research opportunities and funding. Very favorable class sizes as well as availability of seminar courses all taught by world-renowned scholars. The few larger lecture classes are supplemented with a small precept (roughly 15 students, I believe) taught by a grad student. Quite thorough, but flexible, distribution requirements for all students (you can't AP out of them)--all students but engineers are awarded the Bachelor of Arts degree as a result of the liberal arts focus. All of the departments are strong, so if you're not sure what you want to study attending Princeton is a great way to make sure you'll always be in a department with ample opportunities. Grade deflation is a recent controversial topic: the university encourages teachers to award no more than 35% A and A- grades in a class.</p>
<p>Social life: Numerous clubs as the student body is very active. The "party scene" is dominated by the eating clubs (where juniors and seniors often take their meals). With 5000 undergrads, I feel the school is large enough that anyone can find their niche without feeling too overwhelmed by the numbers.</p>
<p>Student body: Very much type-A personalities: not merely intelligent, but perhaps more importantly passionate and ambitious. Students tend to be well-rounded in all facets of life, from academics to clubs and community service to socializing. You'll find people who specialize in each of those categories. The overall style of the school is often characterized as more East Coast preppy, but you'll still find your kids with mohawks and other styles. The current head of admissions seems to have a desire to reach out more to "alternative" students who are underrepresented.</p>
<p>Also worth mentioning is the school's fantastic financial aid program. Princeton meets 100% of need and does so with grants--no loans whatsoever. The school's administration so far has always been quite friendly and helpful, and it's always a pleasure to deal with them even for not-so-pleasant situations. I'd say they deserve their position in Princeton Review for "school runs like butter."</p>
<p>awesome! :)
oh, and...eating club?</p>
<p>Click on "college visits" in the main menu. You'll find plenty of interesting evaluations regarding most good colleges.</p>
<p>
More like 40 minutes to Philadelphia (on Amtrak). :)</p>
<p>that's a helpful site, Hindoo ;)</p>
<p>err...bump!</p>
<p>how about...nyu, u miami, uc davis, brown, bu...</p>