These are the most recent PR survey results with respect to alcohol consumption: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/2119062-princeton-review-rankings-related-to-alcohol-consumption-p1.html.
Oh, looks like Hamilton has fallen off. Thanks for that, Merc!
Thanks MYOS. I had heard about this kind of housing when looking at Carleton, and I have to say I was very interested. I don’t know if I’ll drink when I come of age, but if I do, I’d be very responsible with it. I don’t, though, want to seem like I’ll be a snooty purist kind of person when I want this housing. I doubt I’d be judged for that. I just don’t wanna hear or see things that make me really uncomfortable. I often encounter tipsy people at work during late-night rushes (We’re open til 2 A.M.) and they usually spell awkwardness or even trouble sometimes. They’ve flirted, caused scenes, and most often are just a little too loud when socializing, causing others to stare. One dude came IN the restaurant already drunk coming for more, but he passed out and had to be taken to a hospital. This may be TMI, but I thought it was a little interesting.
Once I get back from my workout I’ll look into St. Olaf in the Princeton and Fiske Guide, if it’s in them.
Sorry, Linda and I were working on revising a Rice fly-in essay. My UStrive mentor hasn’t gotten back to me on my essay, so I’ll send it your way. I still have to cut it down by about 120-150 words. I have to finish the other.
Should I also work on individual college application essays for each college? Rice and UChicago have sent me emails with links to view their essay prompts for this year. I don’t know if I should start on those and any other emails I get from colleges of interest, or just hold out on the QB application. (I feel like that wouldn’t be a good idea) What do you think?
With respect to comparative campus atmospheres, you may want to consider athletics. Amherst and Hamilton offer varsity programs in football and women’s and men’s ice hockey and swimming, for example, while Haverford concentrates on a somewhat more limited group of teams (though it offers the distinctive sport of cricket). From your perspective, you might simply want access to an on-campus ice rink or pool for exercise and recreation. On the other hand, if you perceive too strong of an athletic emphasis, that could be something to avoid as well.
Why is Hamilton off the list now?
Yeah, trying to find an LAC that does not share the same regional provenance and general academic philosophy as the Ivy League is going to be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Why? Because most of them, a clear majority of the Ivies and their counterparts in NESCAC, began either as founding institutions for dissenting, non-established, Protestant churches fleeing from religious persecution in England and Europe (Harvard, Princeton, Yale) and the Colonies (Brown) or nearly all their courses were taught by ministers for the first 100 years of their existences. Some LACs, like Wesleyan and Trinity, wear their histories in their names; others like Oberlin, Amherst, Dartmouth and Williams require a little digging, but, long traditions of “muscular”, Christian crusading are there nonetheless. Think it’s difficult being a conservative nowadays? Be glad you weren’t at Kings College during the Revolutionary War (before it changed its name to Columbia!)
Seriously, I think your original list of six (Northwestern, Davidson, Emory, Chicago, Duke and Vanderbilt) are fine. You might add William and Mary, Rice, and Carnegie-Mellon to the mix. You need to stay on the large to medium sized spectrum, otherwise, you will drive yourself crazy trying to figure out how many conservatives can dance on the head of a needle at places like, Amherst, Middlebury, Carleton, and Claremont McKenna.
@Lindagaf: Kelsey appears to have been referring to two Princeton Review survey rankings related to alcohol consumption.
@circuitrider , you know, John Jay went to King’s College, when he was still a conservative who felt we should try to remain on good terms with England?. As we know, he became an ardent rabble-rousing patriot. Good thing he did!
Rice was added to my mix, but Duke was taken off due to some opinions floating around. I’ve heard about Carnegie-Mellon a good bit; will do more looking into. Duke might be back on when I do research on it. Rice, Tufts, and Vandy actually seem really similar now that I’ve done a lot of research on Rice. They have almost the EXACT same stats and notes in The Princeton Review book I have except for acceptance rate and the fact that Tufts seems more “liberal”. That’s kinda cool.
I do like to work out and stay fit, so I will consider some athletic opportunities. I’m not a sports person though, I don’t think I’d be on any teams. I don’t think I could get on one anyway; I have no experience. Haha.
Based on suggestions from information you posted up-thread, make sure you don’t rely on PR for current statistics. For those, access the most recent Common Data Sets. Swarthmore, for example, registers a middle-range ACT profile (31-34) similar to that of the country’s few other very top colleges, so you would land (quite remarkably!) right at its 75th percentile by this measure. For another source, the convenient IPEDS also appears to be accurate and current (e.g., https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=Tufts&s=all&id=168148#admsns).
I agree, If you will be ranking a school such as Tufts, then adding the statistically comparable Rice only makes sense.
Linda mentioned “Common Data Sets” once too. What are those? Do they just offer a good set of stats that can compare colleges like the PR does but better? Where can I find this set?
I’ll look at the source you gave me, thanks Merc.
Speaking of Swarthmore, Swarthmore’s fly-in application ends today, and I’ve been recommended to apply to other colleges such as Hamilton, Haverford, Tufts, Rice, and Williams. I’ve got around 24 hours to complete this fly-in, if I should even do it. Given the time and what people have said, I should just stick with the fly-ins I have, correct? Any last-minute recommendations before I forget about it permanently? Haha.
Common Data Sets can be found through specific searches such as “Tufts University Common Data Set.” Then download the pdf for the most recent year. They are regarded as a primary source (i.e., they are produced by the colleges themselves). PR is regarded as a secondary source (and therefore may rely on Common Data Sets for its information, but may not be updated regularly and consistently).
I’m more inclined than other posters to recommend Swarthmore and Haverford roughly equally for you. Whatever efforts you make to research Haverford more deeply (such as through a fly-in application), I suggest you direct to Swarthmore as well.
I will definitely look those data sets up. Thanks a ton Merc.
I’ll wait to hear from others about Swattie, though I do value and appreciate your input.
When you have a few minutes to relax, this recent video will offer you a sense of whether you might enjoy a college experience associated with a small village such as Clinton: https://www.nbcsports.com/video/clinton-arena-2018-kraft-hockeyville-has-long-ice-hockey-history. (Unfortunately, they don’t really show the village itself though.)
Great find! The vibe associated with the video is uplifting and cheery, and I wouldn’t mind being a part of something like that, to be honest.
I am guessing that you will find the fly-ins really helpful. It’s one thing to read about an environment, and it’s something else altogether to experience it (even though it’ll be more like the trailer for a movie than the movie itself.) Frankly, I would focus more on the things you can do on each campus to connect with others rather than ideology. A conservative rich debutante may not be your cup of tea while a liberal who loves science and is passionate about birds could be your best bud.
Yeah, those fly ins are going to be a real help if I get accepted to them. I hope I get accepted to most of them.
Alright, so I had pasted research on here last night on Grinnell and Tufts, but they were deleted because of a fair use problem. However, all of my research on all colleges is on a nearly formatted Google Doc that I can share. Would any of you like to see this document so I don’t have to paste oodles of info here? You can edit and make comments on it like you would here and I think you can see all comments and edits that have been made if you have joined. you can even add tidbits of your own knowledge to each colleges section but that is optional of course, as is the rest of this. if you would like I can also continue it here; however, I would have to simply refer you to articles from now on instead of pasting quotes. It’s up to you guys if you would like. What would you like to do?
@KelseyM, I am the mom of a past QB Match recipient. I don’t want to come across as negative, but you are taking all of this wayyyyy too far. It’s one thing to do your research, but to nitpick every school to death isn’t productive, IMO. Sometimes you just need to take the facts you have and make your decisions. NO school is going to be 100% of what you want, but that is part of going to college. You learn and grow from others and learn to adapt. I told my kid going I to the QB process that ANY school that is willing to take her is THE school. When finances come into play, you take what comes your way and thank your lucky stars that you have been given the opportunity.
Don’t overthink it.
@KelseyM, you are not permitted to link to a Google Doc on this website.
I’m just trying to make accurate rankings and get a good assessment of every college recommended to me. They specifically recommend on the QB website to carefully research their partners so you can rank accordingly. If I go on hunches I may just end up screwing myself over.
I have a good hunch that Oberlin would be keen to accepting me. I think I could get in. However, god forbid I actually go there. Research told me about that place. Out of all QB partners, that’s my least favorite.
Grinnell was also heavily recommended, but from further research, I’m not interested in the environment. I’d hate to rank it high, get accepted, and go somewhere I don’t fit.
Oh, goody! Guess I’m trapped with my research then. Sometimes I don’t really get the rules of this place but I’ll listen anyway. I’ll just eventually repaste everything except with most of it cut out and instead refer you to articles or websites where I got my information. Hope you don’t mind doing that bit of extra work if you care to read it. Big whoops.
Doing your research IS a smart and good thing, but I think you are taking it too far. Again, JMO. Remember that your chances at being matched are slim so at that point they will roll you over into RD. Your best bet if you are unsure is to forego the match if you are chosen as a finalist and go straight to RD. That will alleviate your angst for the binding match in the early process.