where should i start looking?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>im looking for a school with a non-competitive atmosphere yet very academic(academics has highest priority).
i want the school to have a good social scene(artsy/quirky is good, diversity is good, mix between liberal/conservative is good.).
i'd like a typical college party-hard experience combined with rigorous academics
im looking for a school with a very good physics department.
I havent decided what size school i like yet or urban/suburban campus.</p>

<p>Id like a college in the northeast/somewhat close to the northeast(basically anywhere except the deep south and west coast)</p>

<p>i know that no college will fit perfectly and im willing to sacrifice some things on my list provided other aspects are there.</p>

<p>My matches would fall at colleges ranked from 15-25 for Universities and 5-15 for LAC's(according to us news). but id also be interested in some good safeties/reaches.</p>

<p>thanks!</p>

2

<p>You want a non competitive college ranked 15-25? I don't think that's possible.</p>

3

<p>Based mostly on the work hard/play hard and artsy/quirky requirements, some possibilities to consider are:</p>

<p>Matches/Reaches - Kenyon, Oberlin, Reed, Wesleyan, Wake Forest, Whitman, Vanderbilt, Pomona, Claremont McKenna, University of Virginia, William & Mary, Colby, Bowdoin, Bates</p>

<p>Safeties - Miami University of Ohio, Willamette, University of Puget Sound, University of Richmond, Pitzer</p>

<p>If you are a girl, you may also want to consider Barnard, Wellesley, and Scripps (my personal favorites of the women's colleges).</p>

4

<p>Non-competitive atmosphere is not impossible, that practically all top LACs except Harvey Mudd, and that's many top universities, not every school is cut throat like Princeton or CIT, there are some more lay back atmoshpere like Stanford and Emory.</p>

5

<p>My best friend is going to Haverford (very academic, not competitive, but it is very liberal), and I'm going to Bowdoin (sort of similar atmosphere, but more New England-y and a bit more preppy it seems), and as far as LAC's go, both of these fit a lot of your criteria. For a lot of partying, Colgate would probably be a match for you. Possibly also look at Bates, Colby, Bucknell, Lehigh</p>

6

<p>michigan sounds pretty good...laid back but a strong focus on academics. i don't know how you feel about large student populations, but that means there is plenty of diversity and an array of opinions. i've heard that the michigan physics dept. is excellent...among the best. and although i haven't actually started attending umich yet, from what experienced students say, it's very hard to get lost in the crowd despite its large size.</p>

7

<p>double post whoops</p>

8

<p>Semi serious has good ideas. I second CMC & Wesleyan particularly.</p>

<p>I suggest Carleton; not sure about Physics, and it is a bit more intense than some of the others, but rather well balanced in the areas you want.</p>

9

<p>BTW make sure you grab safe matches & safetys. The 15 USNWR raned schools are way too selective to be absolutely counted upon no matter your stats.</p>