<p>This is going to sound weird, but are their colleges where the typical student is more… not exactly uptight… serious? </p>
<p>I just want to know if there are any colleges that have a student body that is not exactly “where the fun goes to die” but more of a serious environment where students are more mature / grown-up.</p>
<p>Sorry if this doesn’t make any sense.</p>
<p>Hmmm, I would try a place like Carnegie Mellon and possibly U Chicago.</p>
<p>But you should really pick a school where you will have both fun and study. College is a one-time opportunity, you should enjoy it. Let the real intense studying come during graduate school (if you plan to attend).</p>
<p>thanks! I’ll check those out.</p>
<p>it’s not that I want to study intensely, it’s just that I don’t want that high school - teen - drinking - partying atmosphere. I would really like to surround myself with people who know when it is appropriate to do certain things, and that there are limits.</p>
<p>A few suggestions:</p>
<p>1) A school with a graduate student population will enable you to potentially socialize with older students if your peers feel a bit young.</p>
<p>2) An urban school, with opportunities to engage socially-and live- off-campus might be a good idea. </p>
<p>3) Community colleges often have adult learners and nontraditional students who lend maturity and unusual perspectives to the classroom.</p>
<p>If what you are really looking for are just serious students who know how to act like grown-ups, than I’d say most of the top colleges and universities have a significant population of those. Look for the non-party schools.</p>
<p>Oh gotcha, try looking into Rice University, University of California Berkeley, and UCLA (its a good mix of intense academics and some fun and its also where I am attending this fall). Good luck with the search.</p>
<p>UChicago, UCLA, Rice, and Carnegie Mellon are all great choices. Throw in Columbia, Villanova, Swarthmore, and maybe Reed as other serious-minded places.</p>
<p>When I read this, UChicago was the first school to come to mind. I completely agree that a school with a graduate population (one that’s an influence, not like 15 people) is likely to be more mature. City schools are often more mature as well, because there isn’t as much of a “campus bubble”. I classify political awareness with maturity (not necessarily political activity - just awareness), so I’m looking at schools that have student bodies that are aware of what’s going on in the world around them. In short, I’m looking for a school that is:</p>
<p>Integrated into a city that is NOT purely a “college town”
Influenced/populated by graduate students
An attraction for high-achieving students (but not really Ivy league, think WUSTL, GW, etc)
Not considering “nuturing”
Void of a “freshman year experience” that focuses on fostering students as opposed to an orientation/service/get to know each other FYE (like, American has “get out into DC” and service programs, but it’s not like a nurturing experience - at least the literature isn’t)
Rigorous academically, but I want to have fun, so it’s not like back-bending
Not obsessed with Greek life - preferably less than 20% (but it’s the atmosphere of the Greek life that matters, really)
Not a party/drinking/drugs school (I mean, I want to party, have fun, etc. but not seven days a week… seriously)</p>
<p>You might like colleges that fight those qualifications, as well. That’s my idea of a “mature” school.</p>
<p>If you are female, Wellesley would be a good choice.</p>
<p>Well you may find what your looking for closer to a Ivy League university, maybe Peperdine ( if I spelled correctly), and some LACs. Basically a private university/ college within your state may be what your looking for, even closer if you look at religous base universities/ colleges.</p>
<p>I second UChicago, Columbia, Carnegie Mellon, Rice, and Swarthmore.</p>
<p>I’ll throw in Johns Hopkins University. Honestly, the teachers here truly TREAT their students like graduate students and expect a lot of discipline and responsibility. Great great school, imo. If you like UChicago, you will most likely enjoy Johns Hopkins because Uchicago was modeled almost exactly after the Hopkins Research-University Model as were/are most other elite schools in the U.S. to some degree, though Uchicago is cited as the most prolific and closest (if not even more hardcore! lol).</p>
<p>I third UChicago, Columbia, Carnegie Mellon, Rice, Swarthmore, JHU.
I would also put in Caltech, Brigham Young, Wheaton, all the women’s colleges, Wesleyan, College of the Ozarks, CUNY’s, Olin, and Notre Dame.
Maybe NYU. A city can make you mature pretty quickly, and it has the best philosophy department in the world…</p>
<p>Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t a college by definition going to be a place for people that are mature for their age? My advice would be to not worry about it and just avoid the usual list of crackhead universities. Stay away from schools like Cal-SB, Colorado, Reed, Harvey Mudd, LSU, and any school with more than 4 words in its name.</p>
<p>wait, there’s nothing wrong with Harvey Mudd. That’s an engineering school. most people there aren’t party crazy…</p>
<p>I think Barnard would suit you (if you’re female)
Close relationship with an ivy league university (grad school at Columbias)
You can even take classes at the grad school. (I don’t this is for everyone)
Not a traditional womens college, located in New York City
Very small, so not a huge party school (all womens) but connection to a coed school where you can have the opposite sex in your classes
Very politically aware…</p>
<p>I also second Uchicago, Columbia, Johns Hopkins, and NYU.</p>
<p>wow, thanks for all of the replies.</p>
<p>i really love barnard, so I’m glad it was one of the recommendations. i’m looking into the schools suggested, and they all seem like really great places!</p>
<p>You may find “quiet living” dorms to be a haven on a larger campus.
They are dorms where students specifically choose to live and abide by rules that make for a more peaceful living space.
Not all colleges have them, but I know UC Berkeley has one.</p>