<p>Okay. So, in my oh-so-diligent quest in the college application process, I have stumbled upon a grave proble. (very grave indeed..) ; ) I have too many colleges that I am interested in. As of now, I have "narrowed it down" to 12, but though I know people who applied to 18 last year, I would rather have the figure down to a high single digit.</p>
<p>To help me, I was wondering if you guys could "stereotype" these following colleges - you know, the most prominent feature or student body/environment quality etc. So voila - here is the list. Enjoy ;D</p>
<p>Yale University (absolute dream..sigh)
Stanford University
Brown University
Princeton University
Harvard University
Cornell University
Duke University
University of Michigan Ann Arbor
Northwestern University
Carnegie Mellon University
Washington University in St. Louis
University of California - Berkeley</p>
<p>And before any of you can say that my list is a ridiculously ambitious list, I will say right now that I am prepared to rejections (but hopefully not too many). ; ) </p>
<p>OH. and a little bit about myself too, of course. I'm a pretty laid back person but am also an intense competitor (oxymoron much? hahah) and furious multitasker. I am characterized as quirky with a serious undertone and I have pretty good "stats" (I hate how everytone looks at stats and judges too much..ugh. But here are mine: GPA UW: 4.0, SAT1:2390, SATII: 770 Bio-E, 800 Physics, 800 Math2...blahblah bunch of APs blahblah yay awards blahblahblahblah....)</p>
<p>Sorry for the long post, and if any of you care to contribute to my quest, please help yourselves. : ) Much appreciated.</p>
<p>Unless the people who respond to this thread are actual students at those universities, you'll get a colorful blend of fact and fantasy. :rolleyes:</p>
<p>While I am generally against stereotyping as it obviously does not provide a complete and accurate picture of a university, I do believe it has some value to students whose ability to visit and experience each campus they are considering is limited by $, time and other constraints. That said, I have found some interesting and entertaining entries about colleges at urbandictionary. com, which should generally be taken with a grain of salt. However, with respect to the campuses I have some familiarity with, there is also a grain of truth to them.</p>
<p>the word "sterotype" triggers indignation in the sorts of people who have only seen racial minorities on TV, but pretend to live among the downtrodden</p>
<p>Yale University (absolute dream..sigh): Old school money meets nouveau ghetto. Gotta love Gothic architecture.</p>
<p>Stanford University: California, but not warm; smart but not Harvard; cool but not Berkeley; gotta love Spanish architecture.</p>
<p>Brown University: A playa only because the open curriculum allows you to take a bunch of classes in things you already know about, and lets you avoid broading your mind with subjects you know nothing about...perfect for liberals trying to avoid the laws of nature and the realities of international affairs.</p>
<p>Princeton University: Quaint town, beautiful campus. Still the little brother of Harvard and Yale, though it probably provides the best education in the world. Just ask Brooke Shields.</p>
<p>Harvard University: The gold standard. The most famous. The most cliche. Interesting town. Big secret: nobody cares about undergrads.</p>
<p>Cornell University: If it weren't an Ivy, it would be the U of Rochester with a view.</p>
<p>Duke University: Basketball put them on the map. Dick Groat went there.</p>
<p>University of Michigan – Ann Arbor: Arthur Miller and Mike Wallace went there...it's a place where hip New Yorkers blend well with quasi-hip Midwesterners. </p>
<p>Northwestern University: Cold and scenic. Doormat of the Big 10. Charlton Heston and Ann Margaret went there.
Carnegie Mellon University: Despite all the breast jokes, a great technical school for those who didn't get into MIT and act like that doesn't bother them. Squiggy went there.
Washington University in St. Louis: The one in Seattle? George Washington U?
University of California - Berkeley: Bring an American flag and a book of matches.</p>
<p>"Colorful blend of fact and fantasy" -- actually, more of fact and bias and prejudice than fantasy ;)</p>
<p>You should say what you're potentially planning to study (your interests for college) and what you're looking for in your college search. Don't just blindly apply to name brand colleges without knowing why.</p>
<p>I'm interested in Cognitive Science (or Neuroscience if they don't have that as an option) and Music (flute aka. near impossible to get into actual studios). </p>
<p>I wanted people to stereotype because as of now I really know the posterboard information about all these schools (stats, facts etc) and no "real" input. And hey, stereotypes often stem from the truth. I should know 'cause all those asian stereotypes we sometimes protest about? For the most part, they ARE true. Sadly, but truly.</p>
<p>PS Tourguide - very amusing, hahah. Thank ye kindly :)</p>
<p>You should apply to schools being well informed.</p>
<p>If you are not satisfied with stats and hard facts, then do everyone who attend each of these universities a favor and get the real facts by going to your loca library or ask your guidance counselor about the FISKE guide.</p>
<p>Its everything you want, Its quite literally what you think as Sterotype but its actually real information that will assist you in your college selection.</p>
<p>ooh - I sense hostility. Fine, maybe asking people to STEREOTYPE the schools was a bad idea, but as I did not know about the Fiske guide and etc, I guess I was just trying to get to the reality of these schools in a way that made sense to me. Much apologies for my stupidity. I shall check out those guides tomorrow, actually.</p>
<p>Not to be mean or anything, your obviously welcome to come back and enlighten us about these universities. Separate fact versus myth. Fiske is a great resourceto have, it will satisfy all your craving for knowledge and gives you insider insight and detail about every school mentioned above.</p>
<p>Yale: A lot of work to do to live down Bush and Cheney</p>
<p>Stanford: A copy of Cornell with Taco Bell Architecture.</p>
<p>Brown: The only Ivy you can buy your way in to.</p>
<p>Princeton: What the heck is an eating club?</p>
<p>Harvard: People in Trenchcoats mumbling in dark Corners</p>
<p>Cornell: Anyplace that produced Bill Maher, Kurt Vonnegut, Keith Olbermann and Christpher Reeves has got to have more to it than cows and gorges.</p>
<p>Duke: Long Islanders Slumming at a Basketball Camp in the South</p>
<p>U Mich: Will this place still be left when all the jobs in Michigan are gone?</p>
<p>NW: Cutsie Suburban school for sheltered midwesterners</p>
<p>Carnegie Mellon: For nerds who think MIT is not ugly enough</p>
<p>Wash U: The first University created by US News and World Report</p>
<p>Berkely: Still living off it's reputation from the 60's as a protest school but now a boring school for tools</p>
<p>how about that for flippant and off-the-cuff</p>
<p>mihan, I would definitely invest in Fiske's or Princeton Review's college guides (or, you know, read them furtively at Barnes & Nobles) b/c I've found them VERY useful, but keep in mind that they're not going to tell you the bad parts about each college. So definitely read the guides, but also try to talk to students who go to the college!</p>
<p>Yale University: the gay Ivy. The artsy Ivy.
Stanford University: where all of the smart kids who get sick of the East Coast go.
Brown University: where hippies, hipsters, and trust fund babies mingle
Princeton University: the orange bubble
Harvard University: the hardest part is getting in
Cornell University: I dunno...all I can think about is the miserable location
Duke University: smart kids and jocks who party hard
University of Michigan – Ann Arbor: huge
Northwestern University: athletic
Carnegie Mellon University: full of engineering students with an odd contingent of artsy students
Washington University in St. Louis: ???
University of California - Berkeley: hyper-liberal and good for engineering</p>
<p>Little_galaxie, I actually went to the library and read a lot of Fiske, and I found that exact problem. They all paint such pretty pictures of these places that I can't find ACTUAL information that's useful for me to cut down on the numbers. On the contrary, it convinced me that some other schools that I were considering were also AWESOME schools, and I had to remind myself WHY they didn't make my list to resist.. :)</p>
<p>It's exactly what it sounds like: student reviews of colleges. Beware though, there seem to be a lot of bitter people on the site, but it's the site that convinced me I should DEFINITELY apply to Pomona : )</p>