I’m just wondering where students tend to work together, and where they tend to not work with other classmates.
Common: Case Western (I go here and people say it’s common), Vanderbilt?
Uncommon: Berkeley, Carnegie Mellon, Cornell, Columbia
Does anyone know of other places where student collaboration is common/uncommon?
I wouldn’t say it’s uncommon at Cornell. If I know people in my classes, I’ll always discuss the material and projects etc. with them. I’ve had required group projects before and in some classes, study groups are required as well.
Basically, I’d say it depends on the individual regardless of what college you go to.
I’d imagine it’s harder for students at commuter schools to collaborate. I know last year I had a lab partner who lived thirty minutes away from me and had a wife and a three year old. I ended up doing most of the work myself since it was unfair to his family to have to drive down to complete a worksheet or write up.
UCSD. especially the graduate programs. every professor i have had who has gone there has said the exact same thing, that fellow students dont help you at all. i think some of them get a little cliquey and share among themselves (the asians) but they dont help other students or anything even if you ask for help. same goes for professors.
@Ranza123 good point, that is true.
I would add URochester to the collaborative group. There’s an apochryphal story that is part of their tour spiel which speaks to that issue. And, from what I’ve seen, that does describe the academic culture there.
Haverford College – collaborative and all about doing your own best, not beating the other person to some goal.
I would not be surprised if it were more related to the specific programs or majors. For example:
A. In courses required of pre-meds that are graded on a curve, it is easy to imagine a competitive atmosphere as the pre-meds all compete for the allocation of A grades.
B. Where a given major has competitive secondary admission after students enroll, the introductory courses for that major, if graded on a curve, may have a more competitive atmosphere since students are competing against each other to get the highest grades to gain admission to the major.
Perhaps if a college has a high population of pre-meds and/or many of its majors have competitive secondary admission, then the college overall may have a more competitive atmosphere.
Harvey Mudd is highly collaborative. Students are all going through the difficult core sequence together. The first semester is pass-fail, which helps reduce competition for grades. Freshman are intentionally housed with older students in their suites or in their halls to provide support. I often think of it as a group working together to get over a big wall obstacle. My kid told me, “No one is good at everything here. I get help with Chem from my friends, but I give help in mechanics to everyone else.”
@whenhen really good point.
Anecdotally, cooperation seems very common at all of the LACs, and less so at the larger universities.
@intparent I would think Harvey Mudd is less collaborative, so that is good to hear.
@SeinfeldFan1, I think people think that because of the intensity, Mudd isn’t collaborative. Don’t think for a minute that the workload is anything but demanding. But it is also very supportive – my kid has found that both fellow students and profs are willing to spend a lot of time helping if you need it.
@intparent I would be scared to go to Harvey Mudd because of the workload, just as I would be to go to Chicago or Reed.
Well, Chicago & Swarthmore were my kid’s other two final choices. 
One of the main reasons she picked Mudd after accepted student visits to all 3 is that it felt the most collaborative.
@SeinfeldFan1, if you’re admitted to these schools you have already shown them you can handle the load. It’s the first question they ask themselves about applicants.
@vonlost yes, I am aware.