<p>I'm a rising sophomore and am (like many on this board) pretty college obsessed--less with the idea of getting in, more with thinking about what college I'd like to go to.</p>
<p>Anyways, I'm pretty set on my path of majoring in both Political Science and Economics, so I would want a school with good programs in those subjects, and I'd also like there to be some sort of International Relations or Studies minor. What I'd really like in a school would be for there to be an intellectual and intelligent environment, preferably with a low student to faculty ratio. </p>
<p>I don't care how large or small the school is as long as it's larger than 1000 students, not to mention that I don't care whether the school is in an urban or whatever environment as long as it isn't literally in the middle of nowhere. I also would really like a student body that isn't cut-throat competitive, that is liberal, and that while intellectual is still relatively laid back.</p>
<p>Stats: 3.7 GPA at private school that sends most students to top schools, taking toughest possible curriculum and even a course usually reserved for Seniors during my Sophomore year.</p>
<p>If you're female, Wellesley would be a good choice -- and I agree with the Claremont McKenna recommendation. Since you mention wanting a relatively laid back, non-competitive environment, Macalester may be a good fit. Georgetown may be a bit more on the competitive side (and G-Town's SFS is certainly known for international studies -- and econ is strong, too -- but, surprisingly, not the strongest for poli sci.)</p>
<p>There are lots of great LACs with fantastic political science and economics departments. Some that immediately come to mind, which also have an IR type offering, include:</p>
<p>o Haverford College (offers either a peace and conflict studies or international economic relations minor)
o Pomona College (offers an international relations minor)
o Swarthmore College (offers a peace and conflict studies minor)
o Williams College (offers an international studies minor)</p>
<p>Based on the other factors you describe, I think Haverford is your best bet.</p>
<p>Georgetown does seem interesting--but from what I've heard it's lacking in actual Political Science and only strong in International Relations. I also don't know if I would want a college with a religious affiliation.</p>
<p>Claremont McKenna sounds great: just what exactly is the town of Claremont like? And CMC also seems more business focused than Politics/Economics, any thoughts on this? Pomona also sounds good too!</p>
<p>UChicago my history teacher actually recommended to me and does seem very interesting, I'm just worried that the student culture might be a bit too nerdy for me. I mean, I'm nerdy myself but is there a sense that sometimes you should just lay back and have fun at Chicago?</p>
<p>It's actually funny that Haverford and Swarthmore should be mentioned: I live a 2-minute walk from Haverford's campus and Swarthmore is around a 5-minute drive from where I work. They both sound great, except I would be worried that Haverford would be too close to where my parents live for comfort.</p>
<p>Tufts sounds okay, I just think they might be weak in regular PoliSci/Econ with their real strength in IR. Also, Williams is in the middle of nowhere and is also known to be a bit jocky/preppy, which is a deterrent for me. I'm quite nerdy!</p>
<p>I've noticed that most of these (at least according to The Princeton Review) would be reaches! Are there any other reaches, matches, or safeties?</p>
<p>IMHO, CMC isn't as "liberal" as many of the other elite LACs. So, that's something for you to think about/investigate...</p>
<p>Since you're a sophomore, it's a little early to tell what will be a reach or match exactly... You might also want to investigate Carleton, Kenyon, and Macalester.</p>
<p>I still may consider Haverford and Swarthmore though.</p>
<p>Carleton and Kenyon just seem, very, remote--middle of nowhere. I don't really know about Macalester though.</p>
<p>Even though I am just a sophomore, my grades have always been very consistent, so there is no doubt in my mind that I will continue to have at least a 3.7 though I will try to raise that number.</p>
<p>UChicago gets a bad rep, IMO. You get a good mix of kids at any school - the kids who spend all their time studying, the kids who are hooked on video games, the kids who get drunk on weekdays... Chicago kids seem to have the common bond of being intellectually curious, and from there I would think you'd be able to find a niche of other students with interests similar to yours.</p>
<p>You can go anywhere for your undergraduate work. Just go somewhere that you would be comfortable at - a place you think that you can have a lot of fun at. I would most likely get into Berkeley or UCLA, but those are not the right schools for me.</p>
<p>Think about the criteria for what you look for in a school. Laid back atmosphere? Small private school? Diverse student body (in terms of social class and race)? Athletics?</p>
<p>Berkeley actually sounds appealing to me, not UCLA as much.</p>
<p>The main thing I want to get away from though is the Ivies. I've grown up around wealth, power, and prestige and it disgusts me. I just really think there would be too much of that at an Ivy--even though there are certainly kids there that don't fit that description.</p>
<p>Ultimately I want a laid back, nerdy, liberal, socioeconomically diverse school. Athletics aren't much of a concern...</p>
<p>"The main thing I want to get away from though is the Ivies. I've grown up around wealth, power, and prestige and it disgusts me."
Wow, we sound like we are in a very similar situation. I don't like the city of Berkeley but the campus is very nice. The school is a bit too cutthroat for me.</p>
<p>Yeah it does sound like we are! And is Berkeley really that cutthroat? I'd just think as a big public institution that there wouldn't be really room for that much competition. Guess I was wrong!</p>
<p>I think it depends what you're majoring in at Berkeley. A lot of kids from my high school go to Berkeley. I know that the competition is fierce in Pre-Med, Engineering, and Business at Berkeley. Think people ripping pages out of books at the library. The environment at UCLA is more laid back and the students don't seem as stressed out. Most of the people I know that go to Berkeley are nice people though.</p>
<p>I just don't think I'd like LA. I've never actually been there, so I can't say for sure, but I just hate the whole Hollywood and Celeb culture. I'd just hope that PoliSci and Econ are less competitive than like, Pre-Med at Berkeley!</p>
<p>"Ultimately I want a laid back, nerdy, liberal, socioeconomically diverse school. Athletics aren't much of a concern..."</p>
<p>You might consider Macalester more closely. It's definitely not in the middle of nowhere -- right in St. Paul -- and your preferences listed above are very consistent with Mac.</p>