<p>mini,</p>
<p>you have a very generous view of college students:)</p>
<p>I think it would be more accurate to say that I have a very generous view of the POTENTIAL of college students. ;)</p>
<p>I would add Haverford and Macalester to this list.</p>
<p>humanities - Chicago
science - Caltech (everyone there wants to be the next Einstein)</p>
<p>williams college</p>
<p>I'm sure that all of the top LACs are quite intellectual. It would be a mistake to attend Swarthmore over Amherst because of its perceived image as being more of an intellectual place, as this is simply not the case. A lot of the "which colleges are intellectual" issue comes from how colleges market themselves.</p>
<p>I guess I can't speak for any college other than the one I currently attend, but I'm at Williams, and I can vouch for the incredible intellectual atmosphere both in and out of class. Dining-hall intellectual discussions are not only commonplace, but the norm. I can't tell you how many times I've abandoned a red sox game on TV for a discussion of Hume or Descartes. I can't tell you how many games of scrabble and scategories I've had cut short by arguments about free will, or the pareto efficiency of various room draw procedures. Teachers regularly invite their classes to their houses for dinner, take students out for coffee, and even go to lunch with the class after the class is over (I have two classes this semester where the professor efffectively extends class into the dining hall every day for those who can join). At Williams you're going to learn as much outside of the classroom as in.</p>
<p>Williams! The tutorials offered are outstanding (one professor, two students). The opportunities to learn there are amazing.</p>
<p>D's quality of education story of the day: She just called after an invitational track meet for 10 or so D2 and D3 schools which was held at the University of MN. She reported that the only student-athletes who were doing homework during the meet were the ones from Carleton.</p>
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<blockquote> <p>A lot of the "which colleges are intellectual" issue comes from how colleges market themselves.</p> </blockquote>
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<p>Baloney. There are very, very real differences in the overall culture of various colleges.</p>
<p>I will not disagree with you that some students at Williams are passionate about their classes and the ideas they are studying. Heck, some students at Ol Miss are passionate about their classes.</p>
<p>But, we are talking percentages here. What is the average student interested in? Williams' own professors complain about the lack of investment by many of their students. You would never hear that complain at Swarthmore. In fact, the students write editorials in the school newspaper that visiting professors are too "easy".</p>
<p>I spent four years at Williams, at a time when it was much more heavily tilted towards academics. I never saw anything like what my daughter is experiencing at Swarthmore. Her friends were buying each others' books at the end of the semester -- not because they were planning to take the class, but just because the books looked interesting.</p>
<p>Wow, Swarthmore sounds awesome, Interestdad. We did visit it and my D was very intrigued. Thanks for the heartfelt reply.</p>
<p>They've already been mentioned, but Reed and Swarthmore. Also, Kenyon, due to its very secluded location has quite an intellectual atmosphere.</p>
<p>Interesteddad--I would argue that Williams is probably significantly more intellectual now than it was when you went there.</p>
<p>The average student at Williams is primarily interested in their academic studies. I've never even HEARD of a student who came to Williams for any other reason than to learn. </p>
<p>Basically everything you've just said about Swarthmore would hold completely true at Williams. Students buy (more often than not, are given w/out having to pay for) books for classes that they find interesting from friends. Students constantly complain about how easy visiting professors are, and tend to avoid them when at all possible (I was unfortunate enough to have a visiting professor from UChicago this last semester). Williams professors who return from semester at peer colleges often express surprise about the lessened academic expectations these other schools have. </p>
<p>I strongly disagree with your assertions that Swarthmore is more intellectual than Williams. Personally, my experience shows me that Swarthmore is more pseudo-intellectual than Williams but I'm not going to claim that this personal opinion arises from anything more than the several Swatties I know.</p>
<p>I think the biggest difference between Williams and Swarthmore is in what students choose to focus on outside of classes. At Williams students are academically focused and passionate about their classes. However, the vast majority of students manage to also be brilliant musicians, talented actors, and world-class athletes. Do I think that it's a bad thing that Williams students are so multi-dimensional? Of course not! Does the fact that Williams student are quite extracurricularly active mean that they are any less involved or invested in their academic pursuits? Not at all! </p>
<p>I'm happy that your daughter is loving Swarthmore as much as she is. I'm sorry that your own experience at Williams (how many years ago?) wasn't as intellectual as you may have liked. I would encourage you to talk to a few more current students as I think that you'll be pleasantly surprised by how much Williams has positively changed over the last 30 years.</p>
<p>^“unfortunate enough to have a visiting professor from Uchicago”</p>
<p>Excuse me? Did you just call a Uchicago professor “easy”? Perhaps that one particular professor from Uchicago was “easy” but that line unfairly suggested that all Uchicago professors are “easy” and un-intellectual. That is completely opposite of my perceptions. Uchicago seems to be King of intellectualism, requiring responses to creative and intellectual essay prompts etc.</p>
<p>^“unfortunate enough to have a visiting professor from Uchicago”</p>
<p>Excuse me? Did you just call a Uchicago professor “easy”? Perhaps that one particular professor from Uchicago was “easy” but that line unfairly suggested that all Uchicago professors are “easy” and un-intellectual. That is completely opposite of my perceptions. Uchicago seems to be King of intellectualism, requiring responses to creative and intellectual essay prompts etc.</p>
<p>Edit: sorry, old thread</p>
<p>University of Chicago, nuff said</p>
<p>
No, they did it like seven years ago.</p>
<p>I would also add Oberlin to the list. Son often found himself in intellectual discussions late into the night.</p>