<p>how is the south not relaxed? Duke is full of great well-rounded people who care about both academics and social life, which is a very rare mix these days. When I went to Duke I fell in love with both the school and the people. The atmosphere on campus is so refreshing.</p>
<p>what do you guys think about Johns Hopkins? cut-throat or no?</p>
<p>Berkeley has a lot of competition.</p>
<p>I would say most schools with a big preppie student body would have that hard competitive edge to it.</p>
<p>Laid back: Haverford, Pomona, Grinnell, Brown, Wesleyan, Stanford, UCLA, Whitman, Wisconsin.</p>
<p>How laid back is Penn?</p>
<p>Dartmouth for sure</p>
<p>According to Princeton Review:</p>
<p>"Penn is known among the Ivies as the school where students unwind most enthusiastically; "Everyone at Penn is very stressed out, all the time, which is why most people have to let loose on the weekend," explains one student. Adds another, "The average Penn student is a thinker and a drinker. Everybody studies really hard all week long and lets loose on the weekends at wild parties. But the students are also insanely smart. On our first day, the dean asked everyone to stand up in the auditorium who had been valedictorian. The number of people who stood up almost scared me to death."</p>
<p>Dartmouth,, in Princeton Review:</p>
<p>Undergraduates agree that "life is like summer camp" at Dartmouth. Students explain that "you're in a beautiful place, living with your best friends and having as much fun as you can. The only difference is going to class and studying, both things Dartmouth students take very seriously." Students are understandably happy to be at Dartmouth, and that helps generate "an incredible sense of community. As soon as you get here, you immediately feel like you're part of a group." Greek life adds to the community spirit. Students regard it as "an amazing compliment to the sometimes arduous demands of academia" and praise the Greek houses' "welcoming atmosphere and the 'come one, come all' attitude at their parties." That's good news for Independents, since "the Greek scene is pervasive and positive." Students note that "there's never any pressure to drink" and that there are a lot of things to do on campus. The Hop has shows and movies every night, the skating rink has open skate all winter long, and there are all kinds of lectures and discussions put on by the college and by groups on campus. Everyone goes to home games, especially hockey; intramural sports are big; there are several newspapers and literary publications; there are dance and a cappella groups, [and] the list goes on." Campus grounds include a golf course and ski way and excellent rock-climbing areas and hiking trails. In short, the school's outdoorsy reputation is well deserved. </p>
<p>GOOD GOD, why the hell didn't I apply there?!</p>
<p>Tufts, UCSC, Dartmouth and Stanford.. from my experience.</p>
<p>geezus, stop bashing Duke's social atmosphere just because it's a) in the south and b) amazing academically (the points listed by said posters).</p>
<p>those two points in no way prohibit an awesome social life and laid-back student body, which 100% of the Dukies I've talked to agree it has.</p>
<p>A school can be laid-back or a pressure-cooker, it's really what you make of it (unless you go to Harvard or Princeton, which are extremely competetive at the expense of high rates of fun, from what i've unanimously heard). The impression you get will obviously depend on who you talk to- his classes, how competetive he was in highschool/how much work he was used to doing coming into college, etc. For example, MIT's reputation sure doesn't contribute to the impression of a laid-back atmosphere. However, 3 students I know at MIT are having the time of their life because they know how to balance their work and fun, and were used to working hard throughout highschool (depending on where you go to school, it can take 6 hours of homework a night or just 1 hour of homework a night to remain in the most competetive pool of students. Most colleges will seem relatively easy/normal, or harder than your highschool experience ever was, respectively).</p>
<p>Just because a school is on the westcoast does not make it an automatically laid-back experience for everyone. Stanford and Berkeley, for example, are as competetive as their eastcoast counterparts, and will thus have the same challenges and stress that also come with the counterparts. Going to college in California is NOT the same thing as living a "Californian lifestyle". You're on a college campus for 4 years (not sunbathing on the westcoast beach 24/7!), where you will be doing just as much studying and hard work as any other top eastern top 10 school.</p>
<p>Bryn Mawrrr!!</p>
<p>Mount Holyoke seems very friendly. :)</p>
<p>We visited about 8 campuses with my D--Mount Holyoke probably was the friendliest.</p>
<p>Brown and Stanford.. The Princeton Review lists them as having the best quality of life for their students..</p>
<p>Notre Dame definitely. No competitive atmosphere there, at all!</p>
<p>Duke, Notre Dame, UNC, Holy Cross, Bowdoin, Williams, and Dartmouth. The preceeding also have great school spirit and strong alumni groups.</p>
<p>willamette! i even turned down caltech and stanford!</p>
<p>Kenyon is pretty laid back and friendly. We call it a country club here!!!</p>
<p>Wisconsin--one of the most well rounded places anywhere.</p>
<p>colorado college</p>