I know this question has been asked before, but they were looking for colleges like Wash U in different ways…
I’m looking for another school like Wash U that has Greek life but not too strong, a strong social science department (I’m looking to study/major in international/global studies, maybe something in history and philosophy), a strong campus that is close to a large town/small city, and isn’t in the Northeast (I live in CT and I’m avoiding that kind of person in college). I would really like to double major, maybe, and study abroad.
Please, I would love any college that has any of these, but after visiting colleges, my college list is down to about 5 schools (oops). Thank you so much for the help!
I would suggest Case Western and University of Rochester as being similar schools on the whole
From the characteristics you liked, perhaps Northwestern could fit that mold rather well
Northwestern has a very noticeable Greek Life presence on campus. They essentially monopolize the party scene.
Northwestern was the first school I thought of. UChicago might work. A smaller, less selective school that seems to have a good international relations program: the University of Denver.
Rice was my first thought as well, but its lack of Greek life may be an issue unless the OP likes the residential college system there. Macalester lacks Greek life too but might otherwise be a good fit; it’s an urban college with a very international and service-oriented student body.
Tulane meets your criteria fairly well. If you’re willing to go smaller, there’s Rhodes (beautiful campus!), Trinity in TX, U Richmond (also a very attractive campus), and Davidson.
@naviance Tufts is in the northeast and OP doesn’t want northeast.
SMU, Rice and Notre Dame.
I am from the Boston suburbs. I can only guess what you mean by “that kind of person”, but you might want to take a look at Tufts. It has a different culture than what you find at most schools in the northeast. My daughter found it a very welcome change from high school.
Since you are interested in both philosophy and history, consider that the notion of culture tends to be persistent within a group or organization and that it is intertwined with the notion of beliefs. New England colleges that were founded before the Civil War typically had a religious affiliation. Although now non sectarian, one can argue that elements of culture that were tied to the belief system can still persist. An analysis of the underlying philosophical differences between Universalism (Tufts) and Calvinism (most other Ivy/NESCAC schools) supports the claim that Tufts’ culture is different.
Tufts has top notch International Relations and Philosophy programs (Google Daniel Dennett) and Philosophy is one of the departments that is affiliated with the International Relations program.
Case Western, Carnegie Mellon, U of Chicago
SMU is a bit more preppy, and a notch below academically.
Tulane, Case Western, Emory.
I echo those who have suggested Rice. It is very similar to WashU in many ways, right down to vast urban park (featuring museums) located more or less across the street.
While Rice lacks a Greek scene, its residential college system actually offers a coed and more inclusive version of the social cohesion and built-in networking typically associated with fraternities and sororities.
My freshman daughter was accepted at both WashU and Rice, and she had a very tough time deciding between them. She ended up at Rice and seems to be enjoying her first year. I will say that she is MUCH more socially involved than she was in high school, thanks both to the residential college system and to the general campus atmosphere.