<p>I've seen posts about XXX college or YYY college being highly competitive and cut-throat. </p>
<p>What colleges out there are known for their more relaxed/friendlier atmosphere, yet still retain their challenging and stimulating courses?</p>
<p>Carleton College.</p>
<p>I have heard that the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is challenging but friendly.</p>
<p>I've herad CalTech is really friendly (like people collaborate on problems assigned, etc.) and that Stanford was very laid-back (but I don't know if that means it isn't competitive)</p>
<p>washu is mad friendly</p>
<p>U. Richmond, Vandy</p>
<p>Wake Forest
UNC Chapel Hill
St. Olaf
Bowdoin
Davidson
Rice
Swarthmore
Bryn Mawr</p>
<p>Pomona one of the Claremonts</p>
<p>Stanford exemplifies this.</p>
<p>WOW, most of these schools are pressure cookers! Swat? Wake? Caltech? These are the opposite of laid back and friendly!</p>
<p>The true laid-back and friendly schools I am familiar with:</p>
<p>Stanford
Brown
Dartmouth
UNC-CH</p>
<p>i totally agree with slipper. you know, ive heard that harvard is pretty chilllllllllllllll too.</p>
<p>No, I've even heard from a guy that goes there (and someone that wants to) that Caltech competition isn't as cutt-throat--that people collaborate to solve assingment problems, etc. The work is definately hard though, I'm not denying that.</p>
<p>Ohio University</p>
<p><a href="http://www.ohio.edu%5B/url%5D">http://www.ohio.edu</a></p>
<p>Bard College</p>
<p><a href="http://www.bard.edu%5B/url%5D">http://www.bard.edu</a></p>
<p>Colgate College</p>
<p><a href="http://www.colgate.edu%5B/url%5D">http://www.colgate.edu</a></p>
<p>Brown, definitely. I can't imagine anything being more friendly than the Open Curriculum.</p>
<p>vassar, wesleyan, brown, conn college, mt holyoke</p>
<p>URochester, open curriculum, much like Brown</p>
<p>brown & stanford</p>
<p>Bowdoin! Carleton too.</p>
<p>WashU, Emory (both cases if not pre-med), many top state schools (UNC, UVA, UMIch, UIUC, UWisc), Vandy (might be too much partying for some).</p>
<p>agree with huskem, add: </p>
<p>hamilton, haverford, kenyon, amherst, middlebury, colby, bowdoin</p>