shoboemom

After 4 years of AP or IB level classes, I'm thinking that some students might be ready to go to a school that is selective and offers a great education, but is also a relatively lower stress environment. I don't mean a school where they can now just coast and party, but maybe a school that fosters a cooperative attitude between students rather than competitive, aren't known for excessive workloads and grade deflation, that sort of thing.
Are there schools that might fit that bill?

zobroward

hendrix and muhlenberg

quakerstake

Brown and New College of Florida

shoboemom

I'm not familiar with hendrix and muhlenberg. I'll have to look them up.

Why Brown? It surprised me to see that one listed.

irishsson4

Brown is really laid back. There is no core curriculum.

PAGRok

Pomona College is pretty laid back, but still selective and not too rigorous. It's a really mellow atmosphere, same with Pitzer and probably Claremont McKenna. Wesleyan was really nice when I went and everyone was friendly and a bit lax, not crazy focused on school like I saw at Swarthmore. This feeling is probably the same at Vassar, and many other small liberal arts schools. At big universities, I'd probably say Northwestern, WashU, Brown, and Rice are all pretty laid-back and not too rigorous. Also USC, and UC Berkeley and UCLA will have laid back and nice students but also competitive and crazed students. But that is pretty much true of any school.

hotair

Georgetown MSB and Brown are pretty laid back, Gtown MSB has no classes on friday for one. Just don;t mistake the school of business with the SFS or you'll get run over by the difference in grade in/deflation

bruno14

As a current Brown student, I'd warn any student looking for a "not stressful" school against applying here. The absence of a core curriculum does not mean it's not a difficult place academically.

saintfan

Do you have a region or school size in mind?

shoboemom

We are in Florida, so Florida, the southeast, or the east coast are the most likely.

Chedva

University of Rochester. Even the premeds cooperate. No cut-throat atmosphere; kids don't even discuss grades.

zobroward

Florida southern,rollins,stetson

OsakaDad

The Claremont schools are VERY rigorous and selective. Pomona College is as difficult to get into as Harvard. Most of the other schools are crazy busy with Harvey Mudd being absolutely nuts when it comes to work load and stress. However, I do agree that Pitzer is laid back and more relaxed.

PAGRok

Pomona has about twice the acceptance rate as Harvard from a much smaller pool of applicants! Pomona will not receive nearly the same percentage of international or out-of-state applicants as Harvard either, and Pomona's student body is about a third from CA. From personal experience and family experience, it is not as selective as you may think. My sister was admitted three years ago with a 2000 something SAT and good grades and all she did was softball, which of course helped her be accepted but she was in no way Ivy material. I was waitlisted at Pomona, Amherst, Bowdoin and Reed and rejected from Brown, Yale and Swarthmore. Pomona is highly selective, but not crazy selective like HYP or Brown etc. Pomona has not been too rigorous for my sister who attends. She has nearly gotten all A's and maintaned a GPA as high as she had at a uncompetitive public high school. The students themselves are also not competitive at Pomona according to my sister, and she loves the friendliness people have.

wavylays94

Wesleyan/Oberlin