<p>Hey, I want to apply to some schools besides the Ivy League. I have good enough stats to get into nearly all non-Ivy schools, and a good shot at the Ivies as well. But I don't want to have so much anxiety about where my applications are going. </p>
<p>What are some great all-around places (public or private) with at least 3000 students where anyone can have a wonderful college experience, academically and socially?</p>
<p>I don't care about US News rankings or prestige, but I would like to go somewhere that at least I have heard of, in an urban or suburban location with an interesting atmosphere to explore. Preferably I'd like to go somewhere outside the Southeast, where I currently reside.</p>
<p>Just make sure you are not overly confident. No one has good enough stats to get into “nearly all non-Ivy schools”. And by the way, if you do have them, you look really stupid and inmature having to come into this forum to ask about what schools you should apply to.</p>
<p>There are a lot of good suggestions listed above. By all means, investigate them. </p>
<p>However, your tone may be a bit too overconfident. Schools like Northwestern, Washington Univ, Duke, Georgetown, Rice and Vanderbilt are not going to admit you on the basis of your “stats” alone. Guaranteed.</p>
<p>I would say that Berkeley is pretty good. Not perfect by any means, but certainly at least as good as schools that have already been mentioned like Michigan, North Carolina, and Texas. </p>
<p>Of course, if you’re not from California, then getting into Berkeley is going to be just as hard to get into as some of the Ivies.</p>
<p>When I hear the expression “great all-around” I think of the following characteristics:</p>
<ol>
<li> Great ACADEMICS (and personally I prefer schools that are more limited in size so as to enroll uniformly strong student bodies and provide educational experiences in more manageable class sizes)</li>
<li> Great SOCIAL LIFE (this will be defined differently by different people but the objective is to study and live in an environment where you will be happy and fulfilled outside of the classroom and where there is a variety of social alternatives)</li>
<li> Great ATHLETIC LIFE (which I define as both the scene surrounding the athletic events at a college, the quality of the athletic teams at a college and the quality and quantity of the intramural and club sports at a college)</li>
<li> Great POSTGRADUATE options by which I mean job placement across a breadth of industries (including the frequently discussed elites of I-banking and consulting but extending much further) and geographies (extending well beyond the hyper focus on CC on NYC and considering other regions of the country) and strong graduate school placement (mostly related to medical school and law school and, to a lesser degree, MBA school)</li>
<li> Great ALUMNI network and bond that will extend for the balance of one’s life</li>
</ol>
<p>IMO, the schools that best accomplish the above are those in the major Division I athletic conferences which also have outstanding academics. The Ivy League schools may have greater prestige in the Northeast and in pockets around the country, but the quality of the undergraduate experience at these non-Ivy colleges will be better for many, many students. Specifically, I suggest the following:</p>
<p>TOP PRIVATE ALL-AROUND
Stanford
Duke
Northwestern
Vanderbilt
Rice
Notre Dame
USC
Georgetown
Wake Forest</p>
<p>TOP PUBLIC ALL-AROUND
U Virginia
U North Carolina
UC Berkeley
UCLA
U Michigan</p>
<p>Within the Ivies, I would suggest a few as providing good balance (Princeton, U Penn, Cornell, and Dartmouth), but none of these offer athletic life remotely close to that at the above list of colleges. </p>
<p>You may also want to consider weather factors as they relate to your personal interests, eg, if you love skiing, then look closely at Dartmouth or if you like warm weather, then look at Stanford, USC, Duke, Wake Forest, Rice and Vanderbilt.</p>
<p>If you’re looking for a terrific all-around university with great academics and social life — and a high profile, high-energy athletic program is not a high priority for you — definitely look at WashU. Larger LACs might also suit you, such as Wesleyan or Colgate.</p>
<p>Well, Stanford, USC, and Rice have warm winter weather, but not the others. It gets plenty cold in North Carolina and Tennesse in the winter. As for Rice, early fall and late spring can be unbearably hot and humid. Weather at USC and Staford is pretty good, though!</p>
<p>I would say Stanford tops the list. Even the campus itself is beautiful, don’t need to comments about sports and academics as everyone already knew. The surrounding areas isn’t so bad either. </p>
<p>Next is probably UNC, Berkeley, UCLA, and maybe Duke.</p>
<p>Tarhunt, if you think Nashville and the RTP area have “cold” winters, you really need to venture north of the Mason-Dixon line more often! Much of the nation would consider those areas to be quite mild in the winter, if not downright balmy.</p>
<p>U Wisconsin. Three major sports, good social scene, great campus in walking distance of downtown but with lots of green space and lake frontage. Academics are good in just about any area from Art to Zoology. Lots of school spirit and large national alum network.</p>
<p>I agree wholeheartedly that Tennessee and NC have mild winters compared to New England and the Midwest. But compared to the California Bay Area, Southern California, and Southeast Texas, they seem pretty cold.</p>