<p>I've recently become interested in the idea of a residential college, and I'd appreciate any information on the system itself (experiences, etc.) as well as schools that have them.</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>UMICH has one...there have been a couple threads talking about this in the UMich area of this message board in the past 6-9 months.</p>
<p>Yale, Princeton, Rice. The system is slightly different at each school. At Yale it seems to have a huge impact on a student's identity, whereas at Princeton you can be in one for either two years or (now) for all four years, and so it's diluted. At Princeton I hear that students very much appreciate the support they get from their own deans, the many activities (inexpensive Broadway trips, study breaks, lectures by famous people, etc.) and the facilities (dining hall, libraries, gym, dance studio, etc.). The colleges are pretty much all built around their own quads where students gather, sun themelves, etc. They make good friends in the college, but those who opt out after two years seem also glad to be able to room with friends in other colleges at that point. In a school larger than a LAC, it's very nice to have that extra care you get from being in a residential college.</p>
<p>UC San Diego also has residential colleges. Applicants rank the six colleges when they apply, and are assigned to a college at the time they are accepted.</p>
<p>I noticed that the Penn State Honor College (called Schreyer's Honors College) puts all of its students in two specialized dorms and "organizes" them for social and academic effects. This seemed to me to be an attempt to create a similar atmosphere to residential colleges. I can't speak to it personally, not having attended either a residential college myself or the PSU program, but it looked attractive as an alternative.</p>
<p>Average SAT at Schreyer's was 1428 last year, I believe, so there is an attempt to match the intellectual level of the best residential colleges too.</p>
<p>Harvard, Caltech, and UC Santa Cruz also have this kind of residential system.</p>
<p>Here's a link that lists residential colleges around the world with an explanation of what they are:
<a href="http://collegiateway.org/colleges/%5B/url%5D">http://collegiateway.org/colleges/</a></p>
<p>I think the only two that have all students in residential colleges for all four years (as opposed to some schools where its an option, or an upperclassman thing) are Yale and Rice.</p>
<p>Rice is all four years - but you are allowed to live off-campus if you want. You are still a full member of your college, and hang out there, take part in sports etc. with your college.</p>