<p>Why is MIT so low on everyone's lists? I think people are letting the stereotypes of a college like MIT get to them.</p>
<p>While one might assume that MIT is full of nerds who don't know how to party, it actually has a huge party scene and social scene.</p>
<p>Firstly, MIT has some of the most frats/sororities than ANY of the other schools on the top 20, which means more parties, and a bigger social scene. And these parties aren't lame either...kids from BU, Tufts, Harvard, Simmons, Wellesly, etc, all come to these parties because they are known to be and are awesome.</p>
<p>Secondly, MIT has an awesome campus atmosphere that greatly encourages collaboration, connecting and working with your fellow peers on various things.</p>
<p>Thirdly, MIT is only a short walk away from Boston, arguably the best college city. With access to an incredible array of concerts, Red Sox games, clubs, restaurants, etc, the things to do in Boston are endless.</p>
<p>So, I do not really think that MIT ranks at the bottom 5. I would go as to say it should be in the top 10, and I'd even go as far as to say the top 5.</p>
<p>I don't know why anyone here thinks any school on this list can actually hang with vandy socially. Although I admit I do go here, I have visited some schools and none are even close. I just cannot possibly believe that any rankings are legit if vanderbilt is not the clear #1.</p>
<p>One time I visited Northwestern and they said "tonight's dead cause we don't party on fridays"... That, ladies and gentlemen, is ridiculous. I rage harder than they do on a Monday morning. </p>
<p>Feel free to argue about spots 2-20, however don't delude yourself into thinking anyone besides Vandy is atop this list.</p>
<p>^ MIT is a very fun and social school with the caveat that you enjoy science/engineering. No matter how much collaboration there may be, I'd venture that anyone who doesn't like math and science would hate MIT. While these people probably wouldn't even apply to MIT, this makes the student body pretty techie-heavy and thus not very fun for non-techie people.</p>
<p>I've heard that Vanderbilt has the best social scene by a wide margin, if word of mouth means anything. Social life at USC and UCLA beat any top 20 school =)</p>
<p>One thing is that Vanderbilt has an active social life but I question whether its inclusive. Vandy has changes over the last 10 years, but this is a place where wearing a suit to a football game actually happens. I strongly believe that in terms of an "inclusive" and friendly social scene that its hard to top Dartmouth, Stanford, Princeton, Penn, maybe Northwestern, and a couple others.</p>
<p>i have a few friends that go to some of these schools, have visited them all and have realized that yes, by far Vanderbilt is socially, the best of them all. I think Stanford is pretty good too.</p>
<p>^It gets the stereotype of being a pressure cooker for premeds. It might not be 100% true. However, JHU still might not be as social and fun as places like Vandy Penn and Dartmouth. Like any ranking system, you can nit pick all you want, but it's just subjective bs.</p>
<p>Also, is Vandy really the best socially for everyone? I get the impression that it just isn't as diverse as other schools in the top 50 of USNWR.</p>
<p>Also, @ Pizza Girl, is it legal or even kosher for a Stanford student to hang out at Cal? That just seems so wrong on so many levels.</p>
<p>I think dingleberry's post kind of gives away a little bit of why I don't love places like Vandy, Penn, and Duke (to a lesser extent). Inclusive means everyone is nice and cool, and everyone is invited anywhere. Dartmouth is like this more so than any top school, perhaps Stanford as well. Just a lot of friendly people who like to hang out with each other and have good time doing it.</p>
<p>slipper, have you been to Vanderbilt or just basing your posts on stereotypes? I'm a minority (hispanic) and loved my time at Vandy. Great academics, great social scene, and down-to-earth people.</p>
<p>slipper, loves darthmouth. To him there is no better school .Slipper we already know for whatever reason you don't like Penn, you have made it very clear with all those posts about why dartmouth should be better. But, I know this is crazy. I mean really crazy. But do you maybe think that Dartmouth is no more inclusive than penn or most other schools and thats just your perception. With the exception of MIT, cal tech, Chicago and Hopkins...I would say the kids who go to these schools are all around very similar...so I doubt there is too much of a disparity.</p>
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One time I visited Northwestern and they said "tonight's dead cause we don't party on fridays"... That, ladies and gentlemen, is ridiculous. I rage harder than they do on a Monday morning.
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<p>You must have talked to some tech nerds.</p>
<p>For most of the school year, there are parties Wed. thru Sun. - and during the beginning of each quarter, it's usually a week long affair.</p>
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The social scenes at Northwestern and Stanford are kind of dead. I don't even know what the kids really do there. Maybe they just go and hang out in Chicago and San Francisco? The majority of students certainly don't party 3-4 nights a week at a central location.
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<p>The social scene at NU is fragmented (as well as it is at Stanford).</p>
<p>At NU - you have the Greek scene, on/off campus parties not associated w/ the Greeks, the local bar scene and people who go bar-hopping in Chicago.</p>
<p>Having partied at 20+ schools (including some major party schools like Penn State, Wisc. and Indiana), I'd say that NU does pretty well for itself.</p>
<p>its all a matter of preference... mit and harvard share the boston scene with lots of other colleges and students.. washu is known for being very activity oriented and listening to students demands... dartmouth has a good greek scene but is otherwise dead.. and so on</p>
<p>obviously you have ur jhu and cit and others that are known for being dull as ****, but overall theyre good in their own way</p>
<p>***btw, i hear duke's social scene is dying, when i visited it was mad quiet and the frat houses arent on campus, kegs must be registered, and alot of frats share floors with students...</p>
<p>Wesleyan has a music scene, a limited frat scene, active NESCAC participation and, is generally considered one of the most politically active colleges in the United States.</p>