At a meeting for another purpose, students from different colleges were discussing their upcoming break. A few had plans to meet to continue a project started in a class with the hopes of turning it into something more important than a class assignment. The conversation morphed into discussion about the different prevailing intellectual climates at the various schools. The one group went to a very competitive (meaning difficult to get into but with a cooperative student body) small liberal arts school where their interests seemed to be nurtured. But many different kinds of schools were represented. Some students said it was unusual for conversations to be about issues or politics and rarely about any course content ever. Once out of class they were done thinking about it. Conversations about classes were usually about upcoming tests, or hassles or most often, grades. Others said that discussions were often what might be described as intellectual. Even tho the one group was from a LAC, there didn’t seem to be on prevailing type of school that supported one climate vs another but it was a relatively small group.
What type of climate do you find at the school you (or your son or daughter) attend? Is there an intellectual climate where students are driven to discuss and pursue important ideas? If so, what encourages it? If not, do you miss it? What discourages it? Does it matter? Or, on your campus can one group of students be intellectual while another isn’t with all being supported by the school? What do you think about this issue? Should it enter into the selection process?
also what type of climate do you want in the school you go to. Would you like one that encourages intellectual discussions outside the classroom or would you rather take classes then have fun in totally unrelated things like going to a game? I’d say a place like Swarthmore has rep for encouraging an intellectual atmosphere whereas Miami may encourage taking classes then having fun. but is it really the school or is it driven by the type of student attracted to the school. Then again, maybe all schools are pretty much alike.
There may not be a single prevailing climate in the aspect you are describing at larger schools. In larger schools, it is likely that there will be cohorts of students who engage in intellectual discussions on their own and other cohorts who do not beyond topics immediately applicable to stuff assigned in courses. There may be variation by major, and large majors may have their own different cohorts. E.g. within a large CS major at a large school, there may be some students who have a strong interest in CS for its own sake, while others just see the major as a stepping stone toward a well paying job (though they are probably less likely to be successful at the technical aspects of computing jobs than the first group).
My daughter attends a large school. She goes to games and concerts on campus, she is involved with two large organizations, she sees speakers on campus and then has discussions with the group while eating frozen yogurt, and frequently has two hour one-on-one discussions with her TA and with one of her professors. I am actually quite pleased with how personalized the school is given the size of two of her classes (two classes are medium size lecture halls, while three classes have 25 or less). All of her classes are taught by professors who know her name. She was invited to take a research class and to tutor. When she decided to attend this school she joined the FB group, where the discussion taking place had to do with politics. There are frat parties off campus every weekend, but the school does not have a large Greek presence and she does not attend parties. I am very pleased with this school and am glad she chose it.
I would think those outside of classroom discussions and pursuits reflect individuals more than institutions. While most schools probably have all sorts of clubs/groups for a wide variety of interests which encourage those sorts of discussions, don’t most people who thrive in thought-provoking conversations gravitate toward friendships with others with similar personalities? I’m not sure “institutional support” is key as much as the individuals finding friends who thrive in similar interests.
My D2 was looking for intellectual immersion (sort of like language immersion, I think 
). This was really her top criteria for a college. Her short list, accepted to all, was Swarthmore, UChicago, and Harvey Mudd. She picked Mudd, partly because it is also a supportive environment. It has met all of her expectations.