University of Chicago vs. NYU but in California?

College Search & Selection
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<p>From what I have been reading online, both University of Chicago and NYU are exactly the type of colleges I would go for. Their students and faculty challenge the norm and are quirky. They are in a very urban environments near or in the city. They both have fairly modern campuses/dorms that appeal to me. The house system (u of c) and the type of community where teachers and students are equal are things that are very similar to the current high school I attend. I love my high school and i see aspects of it in these two colleges, not two mention they all are high-caliber schools. </p>

<p>I am thinking of majoring in cs and both schools are good for that, my only problem with the two is the fact that they aren't in california (where i want to live eventually). I am not a cold weather person in the slightest and I like the progressive/liberal feel of california vs where I live currently. So far I have found UCSD and UC berkeley to be my two favorite schools that i've looked at (no way i'm getting into Stanford with an 1870 SAT). My problem with UCSD is that the social life may not be good. U of C looks like it has the option to be a recluse when you want; however, there a plenty of opportunities to be outgoing and participate in activities that UCSD looks like it lacks. UCSD and bard college are my favorite options in terms of college looks/ dorm feel and I feel like UC berkeley doesn't really achieve that look and doesn't seem to have the same quirky-progressive-community feel as NYU or U of C. </p>

<p>I know this post seems to be a little crazy and all over the place, but are there any colleges in California that would fulfill the same criteria that U of C and NYU seem to achieve?
Want I want:
progressive
small community to be friends with tons of people but still in a populated, urban area.
very high caliber school for cs or in general.
warm weather (I HATE the cold with a passion)
willing to challenge the norm and think outside of the box.
modern or european feel (like italy or spain)</p>

<p>if there is a college preferably in california that would fulfill all of these criteria I would be very satisfied.
also how well would you think the following colleges would fit in these criteria?
UCSD
UCLA
UC Berkeley
UC Davis
UCSB</p>

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<p>??? University of Chicago and NYU are quite different schools. I do not see the similarities you describe.</p>

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<p>I don’t know a lot about the UC schools (I’m from the east coast) but maybe look into UC-Santa Cruz. I know two people who went there and they were both smart and a bit quirky.</p>

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<p>I agree that the environments at U of C and NYU are totally different. NYU is smack in the middle of the city and in fact is really part of the city. There are tons of restaurants and cultural events that probably make the “campus” less defined. U of C seems just the opposite to me. There are only a few restaurants within walking distance and the students we talked to said that are really too busy to take advantage of all that the city of Chicago has to offer. I think the U of C campus could close in on you pretty fast. And if you hate the cold, Chicago isn’t for you!!!</p>

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<p>Quick question: did you get into NYU and UChicago? (Assuming not, as NYU’s RD isn’t out and they only have ED.) Best of luck in the admissions process, but it’s very possible that those two schools might make the decisions for you. However, U of C and NYU are both extremely…unique. I don’t think they really have Cali equivalents. </p>

<p>If your whole reason for not going to U of C/NYU is weather related, you might want to reconsider…</p>

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<p>Easterners and Europeans tend to like San Francisco best as a city, of those in California, which would lead to Berkeley (or Stanford) though neither are right in SF. (Stanford’s weather is much better than SF, if you are able to get admitted there.) UCSB is a great school, imho, but I can’t say it is like either UC or NYU – but it is on the beach, if you like beaches.</p>

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<p>What is your GPA? A 1870 SAT seems a bit low for the three UC’s located near big cities. </p>

<p>Have you looked at San Francisco State or the University of San Francisco? Or San Diego State? You might want to look at a list of the CSU campuses to see if any appear to be close enough to urban areas.</p>

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<p>Very unlikely that an 1870 would get you into U Chicago.</p>

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<p>It’s hard to imagine two private universities as different from each other as Chicago and NYU. They’re both in major cities, but that’s about as far as the similarity goes. Chicago is a small private university (about 5,500 undergraduates); NYU is a very large one with over 22,000 undergrads, more than many public flagships. Chicago is in a quiet, leafy residential neighborhood, pretty far removed from the hustle and bustle of the city; NYU is in the heart of bustling lower Manhattan. Student life at Chicago is strongly campus-oriented, and it has a classic, well-defined campus dominated by Collegiate Gothic architecture; student life at NYU is much more outer-directed, toward the city, and there is no well-defined campus, just a random collection of buildings, most of them undistinguished and modern, more or less interspersed with the surrounding neighborhood. Chicago is known for rigorous academics and a sometimes-crushing student workload; its own students describe it as “Where fun goes to die.” NYU’s academics are . . . well, let’s charitably say, mixed, and a lot of students are there primarily to have four years of fun in the city.</p>

<p>There is no university in the world that is “like” both Chicago and NYU, because they are so unlike each other. And there is no university in California that is quite like either of them. If pressed, though, I’d say the school in California that is most like Chicago is Caltech, though Chicago has a much broader humanities and social sciences curriculum and Caltech is pretty heavy in engineering, which Chicago lacks. And the California school most like NYU is USC, though each reflects the distinct character of the city in which it is located.</p>

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<p>Even if you want to “eventually” live in California, you don’t have to go to college in California. By the time you graduate from college you will have your entire life to live in California. Moreover, if you are an OOS resident, the UCs may be prohibitively expensive for you - they don’t give a lot of aid to OOS students. (I also agree that I think Chicago and NYU are quite different - the only things they have in common is that they are fairly liberal and in urban areas, but there are hundreds of schools that fulfull that criteria).</p>

<p>Berkeley is known for being quite progressive, but it’s not a small community; it’s a huge state college. Same with UCLA. Also, these schools are very competitive even for in-state students, and your chances aren’t terribly good with an 1870.</p>

<p>Nevertheless, a school that immediately came to mind with that quirky leftist bent is UC-Santa Cruz. It’s medium-sized (17,000). Cal Poly Pomona is larger (21,000 students) but is known for computer science and is in/nearby a large city; it’s also less expensive for OOS students (CoA is around $30,000).</p>

<p>For CS I immediately thought of Harvey Mudd; if you can get your scores up you might like the Claremont Colleges environment and Harvey Mudd’s a technical liberal arts college. Occidental College is also in Los Angeles; it’s a small LAC but is progressive and has a good reputation. Santa Clara University is also a great, well-reputed university that has a sort of more-liberal reputation; it’s in Santa Clara, and it’s a medium-sized school (about 8500 students) You also may want to check out Azusa Pacific, Loyola Marymount Los Angeles, and Pepperdine; they don’t have the personality quite that you’re looking for but they’re all in urban areas in CA.</p>

<p>Another school that fulfills a lot of your criteria (especially the progressive feel, modern campus and outside-the-box curriculum) is Eugene Lang College of the New School. The New School, however, is known for terrible financial aid.</p>

<p>Reed College is also known for being quirky and progressive, but Portland isn’t that warm and your SAT scores are a bit on the lower end of the middle 50% range. Another suggestion is New College of Florida, but it’s not urban.</p>

<p>And now I am just going to suggest urban universities/colleges in warm areas: UNC-Charlotte (and, depending on how urban you want, UNC-Asheville and Wake Forest - Wake is test-optional); Austin College and Southern Methodist U (TX); College of Charleston and Furman (SC); Oglethorpe University (GA); UMiami, Nova Southeastern, Rollins College (FL)</p>

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<p>I think UC Santa Cruz (totally underrated) with the access to Silicon Valley is a perfect suggestion. Ditto Cal Poly SLO. Occidental only offers a minor in CS. They do have a 3/2 plan with Caltech for Engineering but I don’t know how many students actually do it. Mudd would expect much higher SAT and is very selective. </p>

<p>Berkeley has a large varied student body but you could find the 4.000 Chicago students right in there. Those people will be there. The Bay Area is a fantastic place to live. But UCB, UCLA and UCSD are difficult for OOS. They aren’t as score oriented as most colleges though, at least for instate.</p>

<p>USC has lots of overlaps with NYU, but not in all the ways you mention and good CS.</p>

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<p>I think the closest equivalent to U’Chicago in California is Pomona (with the other 5C’s), and for NYU- USC. But with an 1870 SAT they may be really high reaches.</p>

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<p>I am a junior in high school currently with a 3.8 (moving close to 3.9) unweighted GPA at one of the best college prep schools in the area (lancaster, PA). My activities are MUN (my school is one of just 6 schools in the US to be invited to the hague for the largest MUN conference in the world and this is a competitive entry course), ceramics, photography, Mock trial (won best witness 2 years in a row), I am Youth Lit certified and have been volunteering teaching kids how to read, Participant of CTY for many years, newspaper (head webmaster), I have a part time job at a bike shop for 15.25 hours a week, National french honor society, and italian club.</p>

<p>I will be retaking my SAT’s in the fall of my senior year and will actually practice for it this time but from what i’ve read online U of C looks more at the essay and standardized testing scores seem to be not as important.</p>

<p>I can handle the cold, just prefer to be away from it, I won’t not apply to a school just because of the weather, just a personal gripe for me. I love beaches and city life, even if it’s not immediately in the city that’s fine for me, as long as it is somewhat near a city or if there are plenty of things to do I will be content. I want to party but it won’t be a priority by any means. I grouped NYU and U of C together mainly because they are both unique and progressive, U of C seems to be very similar to my own school (house system, harkness tables, student led discussions, etc) and so that is my current preference. I love my high school so I would like an education similar to that. </p>

<p>I have looked at the other schools near/in san francisco besides berkeley and stanford and frankly they aren’t near the caliber I want (at least in top 50 university rankings preferably top 25). I don’t have a personal preference for bigger or smaller universities but my school is very small and i enjoy that but I still enjoy being around lots of people so I’m conflicted. I am really just looking for the OPPORTUNITY of doing things or being near a city. if the campus is different than the city, that’s fine with me. U of chicago seems to have the opportunity to explore the city and NYU is in the city so i lumped them together for my preferences. U of C seems to have both gothic and modern buildings so I would be content with the architecture style. U of C doesn’t seem to be as gaudy as princeton with it’s gothic style, more like harry potter design. U of C also seems to be heading towards a more modern feel from what i’ve seen with the new residence hall looking incredibly modern and opening in 2016 (year after i graduate high school). </p>

<p>Thanks for the replies everyone! I will be definitely looking into the schools you have been suggesting</p>

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<p>Cancelled my comment. NA.</p>