<p>Which do you prefer in general and why? What are the pros and cons of each? Can rural campuses get boring besides the parties, can urban campuses get quiet b/c everyone goes out exploring the city, and can suburban campuses have drawbacks? Furthermore, what about SMALL LACs in rural areas...I personally feel like that could get boring b/c I'm not a huge partier. Any thoughts? Feel free to give examples of specific schools and their campuses/locations.</p>
<p>Let the discussion begin!</p>
<p>I prefer suburban campuses, because they have the benefit of both urban and rural campuses. Suburban campuses have access to cities in a way where the campus life is not sacrifice. I can have a close knit campus and the choice to venture into a city. They're the best of both worlds.</p>
<p>RURAL:
Pros: Strong community feel, good scenery.
Cons: Isolation, nothing to do but study and party, limited shopping and dining options.</p>
<p>SUBURBAN:
Pros: You have some amenities of the big city, but you still have a pretty, residential campus.
Cons: Suburbs require a lot of driving. They typically aren't very walkable..this can be a concern with gas prices.</p>
<p>URBAN:
Pros: Lots to do, convenience to airports, walkable areas, good for internships.
Cons: Less of a campus feel, usually.</p>
<p>bump......</p>
<p>I prefer the stimulation that goes with a city environment but the peacefulness and beauty that is normally associated with suburban or rural campuses. There are a few places that do a good job of combining these factors. Johns Hopkins' Homewood campus is right in Baltimore but it is a beautiful, park-like place with stunning, Georgian architecture. When on campus, you'd have no idea that you were in the middle of a big city. </p>
<p>Georgetown also has a real campus in a big city--although it is much more compact than Hopkins.</p>
<p>bump.......</p>
<p>hallowarts and world changer pretty much nailed it on the head.</p>
<p>I'm going to say I like suburban with easy access to a big city, for the mix of reasons that world changer listed.</p>
<p>Safety is a great pro for rural and suburban campuses - being able to walk around at night, not having to worry about having your things stolen, etc. </p>
<p>And being in the suburbs doesn't mean a campus isn't walkable. It depends on the size and cohesiveness of the campus - same goes for rural. </p>
<p>Sometimes rural and suburban schools also have more school spirit because you are on campus a lot more. Parties and things will be in frats/rooms instead of at clubs and bars. I think that even if you're not a huge partyer there will be tons to do on campus anywhere you are (shows, movies, club activities).</p>
<p>I wouldn't want everyone to spill out into the city on the weekends (and yet I'm still interested in Columbia, haha) or to be smack-dab in the middle of a city like NYU or UPenn. However, I love the privacy cities ironically offer, and the fact that so many cultures congregate there. Suburbs have the advantage of being near cities but containing the campus so that it feels like an actual college. Rural I could never do, however, coming from a tiny town (a suburb, technically, but without a driver's license, there's practically nothing to do!).</p>
<p>Prefer Urban campuses but not the BU/NYU type of urban campus. more like the UCLA, UMiami, Boston College and Northwestern Kinda Urban where its not smack in the city but it still feels like u are in a major city in the sense that there is lots to do in the surroundings and easy access within minutes to the city centers or downtowns and finally these schools have a nice green campus with a park feel as opposed to the NYU/BU kind of urban campus were u lose the college campus atmosphere (to a certain degree).</p>