<p>Not THAT often, really...maybe more so during Restaurant Week (mmmmmm!!)</p>
<p>then there's the on campus/off campus scene</p>
<p>Unalove,
I’m glad you’re happy with your experience at U Chicago as that is really all that matters, but I think that your comments could be interpreted as assigning equivalence to the social scenes at virtually any college. Without meaning to suggest that one scene is automatically superior to another, let me strongly state that there are GREAT differences in the social scenes at the USNWR Top 20 schools and beyond. In fact, I would say these colleges are much more similar inside the classroom than outside it and that, in many cases, the non-academics aspects of a college will determine “fit” and best college choice. </p>
<p>Let me try to give you a few examples. If you like the great outdoors and welcome the winter sports environment and long winter seasons offered by a Dartmouth or a Cornell, then you’d likely not be too keen on a Rice or a U Penn or an Emory. If you like the Greek scene at a Dartmouth or a Northwestern, then chances are you’d be a little frustrated at several of the Ivies or at a U Chicago. If you like the major athletic scene at a Duke or a Vanderbilt or one of the major publics, then you’d likely be disappointed at almost any of the Ivies or a school like Wash U. I can go on, but I hope you see my point that the nature of the undergraduate experience will differ significantly from college to college, even among the most selective universities. </p>
<p>I think we’d agree that the academic environments at all of the USNWR Top 20 are exceptional and, while there will be departmental strengths that will favor certain schools for an individual student, all of these colleges can provide a terrific education and a great launching pad for postgraduate life. But the actual experiences, particularly outside the classroom, that these colleges offer during the four years of undergraduate life are quite different. The more that a student can understand and appreciate these differences, the more likely it will be that he/she can make the right college choice.</p>
<p>Since when has the University of Chicago been an Ivy League college? </p>
<p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivy_League%5B/url%5D">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivy_League</a> </p>
<p>This kind of topic drift is precisely why I merge threads sometimes on this forum.</p>
<p>lovya tokenadult!</p>
<p>Hahaha, I don't consider the technicalities of the IV League when I see the word "ivy" being applied to a forum, because many times Ivies and non-Ivies are under direct comparison anyway. Mea culpa.</p>
<p>As to Penn, it is located, along with Drexel, in what is called the University City section of the western portion of downtown Philadelphia. The area is replete with restaurants, cafes, shopping and music, including World Cafe Live, one of the preeminent music venues in the area with 2 caberet/dinner style performing spaces. 10 minutes by cab gets you to center city Philadelphia where there are about a dozen major venues for theater, musicals, ballet, opera, orchestral music. Add to it a gizzillion restaurants and cafes, shopping, several major museums. There is a ton of social and cultural stuff to do outside of campus activities and events.</p>
<p>"Well, what else do you expect at Harvard? Beer pong and dance parties?"</p>
<p>i'm a harvard student right now, and i can tell you one thing... beer pong and dance parties are plentiful on campus. college is college, and from experiences at harvard, yale, and dartmouth, i can say that each school has a solid party scene. I have never not been able to find at minimum 5 parties any given weekend on campus, and these are GOOD parties. at harvard we might work hard, but we sure know how to play hard too....</p>
<p>oh, and there are plenty of harvard students that certainly do "getting drunk off your *** " at least 3 days a week. don't knock harvard social scene till you've tried it.</p>
<p>
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don't knock harvard social scene till you've tried it.
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</p>
<p>Unfortunately, Harvard's too exclusive to allow many to try it! =p</p>
<p>I've heard that Penn's called the "Happy Ivy" because of the social life there.</p>
<p>Even at the same university, the social scene can vary widely across the school. The social scene I experienced as an undergrad and the social scene that my classmates on many parts of West Campus experienced were not the same. :)</p>