<p>Hey there,
I'm currently a freshman at Duke, and realized a few weeks ago that its not really what I want in my college experience. I'm pretty sure I'm going to go into academia, maybe a research field of some sort. So, I decided I want more of a liberal arts education. Duke seems to provide great preparation for professional school, not so much with expanding the mind. That's not the only factor though, but I won't go into all of them. Anyway, so I was wondering if someone knew about these three schools, and could compare them in some way? I really, really like the academics of Reed, and its encouragement of free thought. But, I'm a little worried about the social scene. Anyway, any input would be great. Thanks!</p>
<p>I would suggest looking into Reed, Haverford, Swarthmore, Pomona, or Williams.</p>
<p>Also consider Carleton, Grinnell and Oberlin.</p>
<p>I think you can expect to hear from some of the very loyal Duke students and alumni about your thread. Colorado College has their block plan which students either love or hate. I think it is perfect for the right student and their rankings have gone up. I absolutely love everything about Kenyon College and it offers some great research opportunities and academics. I don’t know anything about Reed other than its reputation which is exceptional. The social scene at Colorado College is strong but don’t expect any type of a scene at Kenyon, it is extremely remote with Columbus, Ohio as the closest major city.</p>
<p>One school not on your list that you should consider is Macalester. Intellectual and free spirited student body, great research opportunities and St. Paul is a very cool city with a great social scene. It seems to fit everything you said you were looking for.</p>
<p>Reed and Colorado College are each very intense but in distinct ways. </p>
<p>As you may know, Lauren Pope (author of Colleges That Change Lives) called Reed “the most intellectual college in the country”. It’s a great place to prepare for a career in academia. The senior thesis, qualifying comprehensive exams, course requirements, and resistance to grade inflation make for one of the most challenging academic environments in the country. </p>
<p>Colorado College is unusual among LACs for two reasons, first for its location in a mid-sized city at the foot of the Rockies, and second for its one-course-at-a-time “block plan”. It’s a good choice if you want a hands-on approach to learning, for example in subjects where field work is important (such as archeology, geology, or environmental science). Classes are very discussion-heavy and often include team projects. Due to the location and the 4-day break between blocks, outdoor recreation (skiing, mountain climbing etc) is popular among students. It’s not at all a rah-rah jock school, but it does have D1 men’s ice hockey with an enthusiastic following.</p>
<p>Both of these are good places for students who march to their own drummers, who want to take control of their own educations and are not very mindful of social prestige.</p>
<p>Thank you all for your help and advice, I really appreciate it. I was wondering though, if any of you know about the social scenes at any of these schools? I am quite the nerd; at the moment my major choices are philosophy, biology, and physics and I thoroughly enjoy learning about all of them. However, I also like more ‘normal’ stuff and I like sitting around doing nothing once in a while and watching some silly movie with my friends or going to a party and getting drunk. Basically, I’m just a bit concerned (especially with Reed) that the intense intellectualism might inhibit the social scene a bit. I want to go to a liberal school, its just that I feel like Reed might be a little too extreme for me. Do any of you have some knowledge of the social dynamics of Reed, in particular? What is it like? Do people study almost all the time?</p>
<p>Our D1 just graduated from Reed in May. She had a great social life along with the hard work. Reedies tend to relax on Friday afternoons and evenings, unless a major paper is due on Saturday at 5 pm, in which case it’s moved to Saturday night. If you budget your time well, you’ll have plenty of time to socialize.</p>
<p>Go over to the Reed board and post the same question; some current Reedies will likely answer.</p>
<p>The social life at Colorado College, like everything else, is influenced by the location and by the block plan. First, unlike many other LACs, you are <em>in</em> a city, not in a suburb or out in the boonies. Within about a 1-mile walk or bike ride, there are shops, restaurants, clubs, a city park, etc. On the outskirts of the city, you have the Rocky Mountains with all they have to offer. 60-90 minutes away by car is Denver (professional sports, museums etc). 2-4 hours away are world-class alpine ski areas. </p>
<p>You get a 4-day break between blocks every 3.5 weeks (with no exams hanging over you between blocks). Many kids leave campus during these breaks to ski, go camping, or visit Denver. As with any residential college though, there is a lot to do on campus. Intramural sports are very popular.</p>
<p>Some people think the Princeton Review “rankings and lists” are pretty worthless. In the case of Colorado College, most of them seem to ring true as far as I can tell (my S is a freshman there). “Class Discussions Encouraged” (#12) - check. “Everyone Plays Intramural Sports” (#9) - check. “Happiest Students” (#10) - hmm, I’m not sure how to measure “happiest” but I’d say the environment does provide lots to be happy about. “Reefer Madness” (#7) - no comment. It used to be known as sort of a hippie school but lately there seems to be a balance of hippies, mountaineers, bi-coast preppies, a few NHL hockey hopefuls, science nerds, nice well-balanced Midwestern kids, etc. There is a small, understated and inclusive Greek scene.</p>