<p>...but with a better community feel?</p>
<p>I really like Northwestern's:
- easy access to a large city
- medium sized student body
- flexible class choices, easy to double major
- relaxed student body (not too studious)
- great reputation (for grad schools/job placement)
- small class sizes</p>
<p>But I've spoken to a few current students who describe it as "segmented" and "cliquish"... any similar schools that are more tight-knit?</p>
<p>It sounds like you described Rice -- all that you said and with a very integrated, socially inclusive student body due to the residential college system.</p>
<p>ya i went to visit northwestern definitely very cliquey</p>
<p>Brown comes to mind (though Providence is no Chicago), and I agree about Rice. Any school with a residential college system will probably feel more integrated, though I can't think of another one that fits your other criteria off of the top of my head.</p>
<p>Any other ideas?</p>
<p>How about Tufts?</p>
<p>Penn, USC, UCLA, Georgetown</p>
<p>USC and UCLA? That's surprising considering they're so huge and Greek-heavy.</p>
<p>Brown or Rice. Not USC/UCLA</p>
<p>Duke and Vanderbilt.</p>
<p>I don't think Rice and Northwestern are at all similar. They just aren't. Northwestern has a strong Greek scene. Rice has none. Northwestern has strong D1 sports. While Rice is D1, only baseball is strong. Rice has no law or med school. I am a big Rice fan (D is a grad) and attended a Big Ten school myself. </p>
<p>I would compare Penn and Northwestern.</p>
<p>^ My problem with NU is the Greek scene, so I'm interested in a similar school that's not as cliquey.</p>
<p>Boston College and Tufts</p>
<p>Are there some music school "cliques" or theater "cliques" or engineering "cliques" at Northwestern? If you define cliques as groups of people with common interests who hang together, sure there are. If you define them as groups who define themselves by superficial/surface issues like money, clothes, appearance then NO with a capital NO.</p>
<p>On the contrary, if there's one thing that has long set Northwestern apart from many northeastern cousins (and that has long been a major draw for the school) it is an environment that is generally less competitve while being more accepting and egalitarian. This is not a school that draws students from the country's moneyed elite (and the elite prep schools that often educate their children) to any where near the degree seen at out east. What cliques you do find here tend to be based in areas of study that dominate one's time in some off-the-charts kind of way and inevitably draws these kids together. The music and theater programs I mentioned, for example, offer more a way of life for four years than a major. On an academic level, this is somewhat similar in engineering given the enormous time requirement academics alone demand.</p>
<p>Having said that, the vast majority of students at Northwestern count among their closest friends a ridiculously heterogenous group. For me this meant kids in multiple majors in WCAS, engineering, ed, and comm - future docs, lawyers, teachers, engineers, PR people, journalists, and even a few humanities professors.</p>
<p>It's this very diversity in interests and unusual lack of pretense at Northwestern that is among the school's greatest assets.</p>
<p>Check out Rice. Sounds like it might be a good fit for you. Vanderbilt has a huge Greek scene, too.</p>
<p>I don't have a lot of personal experience with these schools... but what about Boston University, Boston College, George Washington University, American University, Northeastern University?</p>
<p>I mentioned USC and UCLA because they offer similar academics and laidback atmosphere like Northwestern. Yeah, UCLA is public and huge but it's located in a large city (Los Angeles). Lots of access to film and theatre and engineering.</p>
<p>I'd also recommend Rice - but I'm not too sure about your "not too studious" requirement. Students at both Northwestern and Rice are pretty darn studious. Wash U might also fit the bill.</p>
<p>I'm fine with studying.. just not to the extent of UChicago or Swarthmore. =]</p>
<p>Bala - I wasn't trying to imply that NU was snobby or superficial, but the students I spoke with both said that while they loved NU, they found the campus to be heavily Greek and lacked a strong sense of community. I prefer a more LAC-y atmosphere.</p>
<p>Well, looks like you probably want smaller schools. Rice and LACs would fit the bill.</p>