<p>I've taken a big interest in Michigan State's residential James Madison College, a respected public policy college withing MSU. The concept of a small "school within a school" seems like the ideal setting, as you get the benefits of a small LAC (class sizes, personal attention, professor interaction) as well as the opportunities of a big research university(study abroad, take classes taught by famous professors, alumni network)
So what are some schools that offer these small residential colleges, especially in the field of political science or public policy?</p>
<p>bump.... bump....</p>
<p>I... think you're describing an honors college, which almost every large school has. Personal attention, smaller classes in whatever field you're studying, and - often - a smaller intimate dorm for its members. But I could be wrong.</p>
<p>I'm bumping this - I'd like to hear some other answers.</p>
<p>Not so much an honors college, as a more focused residential school, like a LAC within a university. So far MSU is the only example i know of of what i'm looking for. They do have an honors college as well, where the classes are more intense and the students are more competitive (because of the more rigorous entrance requirements) but this is not what i'm searching for. I'm more interested in their James Madison and Lyman Briggs colleges (and a new one for humanities/liberal arts) which are focused on Public Policy/IR, natural sciences, etc.
Sorry for the very specific question, but the concept has really piqued my interest.</p>
<p>Have you looked at the University of Texas honors colleges, such as Plan II?</p>
<p>My D is in the Residential College at U Mich and really likes it. Classes are small and she's on a first name basis with the professors. The RC is geared more toward students with an interest in the arts and languages, and while the RC offers majors within the program, most students choose a major outside of it. </p>
<p>One nice thing is that RC classes are held in the same building where students live and most of those classes are only open to RC students. RC students can still be in the Honors program and take any classes in the big U. The RC at U Mich began in the 1960's and is a very well-established program.</p>
<p>I think that Vanderbelt and Rice may have Residential Colleges, too. But I'm not sure how they compare to U Mich or MSU.</p>
<p>UW Madison has Chadbourne Residential College and Bradley Learning Cooperative. I can see why these seem attractive in theory but really, you will find communities that you fit you well once you're in college. These might be only marginal at best.</p>
<p>I lived in Chadbourne at UW Madison and was unable to take a single course offered (taught in the building) by the program. They were incompatible with a science schedule and didn't offer enough breadth to cover my pre requisite courses.</p>
<p>On the plus side, they did have a lot of free pizza during welcome week and promoted "interest groups" for students sharing similar interests.</p>
<p>Northwestern has themed residential colleges. I stayed in one my freshman year.</p>
<p>University of Michigan has residential colleges too.</p>
<p>Rice has AWESOME residential colleges (seriously, it's like the best residential college system I've ever seen, better than Harvard or Yale's...). If you want to go to college for that experience, go to Rice.</p>
<p>Rice has a residential college system, which is amazing, but it sounds like the OP is more interested in a college based around a certain academic subject, which is not how the Rice system works. On top of that, Rice not at all a "big university." I'm not sure what large universities have what the OP is looking for. UT's Plan II honors sounds like it might fit the bill. Also, I would consider Northwestern a medium-sized school, but I know they have various themed residential colleges.</p>
<p>Check out the University of California campuses- UC San Diego and UC Santa Cruz, for example, and maybe some of the others.</p>