serious but fun students?

College Search & Lists
1

<p>Does anyone have suggestions please for colleges/universities that:

  • the students regularly enjoy intellectual conversations (not just within the classroom) but also like to have fun (not necessarily parties…)
  • the atmosphere is more collaborative than cut-throat competitive
  • is not overwhelmingly liberal (mid-way between liberal to conservative would be good)
  • is located in the west or the south (esp. CA or TX) with a coed student population under 8,000
  • is good in sciences (esp. biology or genetics, not necessarily pre-med) with undergrad research opportunities</p>
2

<p>Rice University.
Harvey Mudd.</p>

3

<p>Second TippuSultan. Rice fits your list exactly.</p>

4

<p>Except for the not liberal requirement Reed would be a good match.</p>

5

<p>can i ask the same question, but about schools in the northeast with stong psychology/ history programs?</p>

6

<p>Wesleyan in Connecticut.</p>

7

<p>bigexplore, if you are open to LACs, check out Davidson.</p>

8

<p>yes - certainly open to LACs - we’re considering Davidson; also, Rice is at the top of the list - I think it fits well too, glad to have some confirmation… Reed is probably too liberal for a good fit, as is Occidental or Pomona… any other thoughts? this is great - thank you!</p>

9

<p>Wesleyan is probably too liberal. I would suggest Claremont McKenna perhaps? It’s not necessarily known for its sciences, but its a well respected LAC. But Rice is probably one of your best bets.</p>

10

<p>Have to plug Hendrix here. It’s quite liberal, but not in-your-face about it, and conservative students do in fact exist here. It fits the rest of your criteria quite well- intellectual conversations, parties, and various silliness abound here (we have a club for hitting each other with PVC swords, after all), it’s definitely a collaborative and supportive environment, it’s in the South and small, and our science program is supposed to be quite good.</p>

11

<p>*the atmosphere is more collaborative than cut-throat competitive

  • is not overwhelmingly liberal (mid-way between liberal to conservative would be good)
  • is located in the west or the south (esp. CA or TX) with a coed student population under 8,000
  • is good in sciences (esp. biology or genetics, not necessarily pre-med) with undergrad research opportunities *</p>

<p>What state are you in?</p>

<p>What are your stats?</p>

<p>how much will your parents pay?</p>

12

<p>Also, University of Virginia, Wake Forest University, and Vanderbilt University are more moderate, well balanced work-life.</p>

13

<p>live in California but raised in Spain - am a US citizen
1810 SAT 560-690M-560 not stellar, but ok given that all schooling (until now, senior year) has been in the catalan language and system
will be needing good financial aid… low EFC</p>

14

<p>*1810 SAT 560-690M-560 not stellar, but ok given that all schooling (until now, senior year) has been in the catalan language and system
will be needing good financial aid… low EFC *</p>

<p>What is your GPA?</p>

<p>Hmmmm…it’s really hard for someone with a 1810 (1250 M+CR) to get great financial aid. The schools that give great financial aid often require better stats.</p>

<p>What is your EFC? Is your family income under $70k?</p>

<p>If your family income is low enough, your EFC is low enough, and your GPA is good enough, then you really need to apply to a school like UC Merced as a safety school. </p>

<p>It’s small (which is unique for a UC) and probably not overly liberal. </p>

<p>The good thing is that if your family income is under $70k and your EFC is low, then your costs will get covered.</p>

<p>It is really hard to find schools that will give you enough financial aid when your stats are “good,” but not strong.</p>

15

<p>I think Blue and Gold, for the under $70,000 families at UCs, just covers fees, not room and board.</p>

<p>If the OP gets a good TOEFL score, he should focus on the less competitive schools that meet need.</p>

16

<p>-GPA is 3.7 but that’s just for this year - the international grades and rigor really don’t translate easily and colleges say that they will do that internally

  • yes, income is under 70K
  • have considered UC Merced but really want close student-faculty interaction (UCM is small now, so that might occur there) with undergraduate research opportunities
  • Hendrix (as mentioned in an earlier post) looks interesting - any thoughts on Centre or Rhodes?</p>
17

<p>I don’t know much about their science programs, but they fit your other criteria, and are more moderate than Hendrix. Might be worth looking into.</p>

18

<p>Rhodes would be a very good choice. St Jude is accessible for internships, etc.</p>

19

<p>I really appreciate everyone’s input - thank you! Hadn’t heard of St. Jude’s until now - have heard that Centre is also big on internships</p>

20

<p>Hendrix isn’t huge on internships, but they’re available if you look for them, as is funding for internships and other co-curricular opportunities (study abroad, special projects, attending conferences…).</p>