<p>If you were less confined on size Wisconsin would have everything you want and top 10 CS and econ departments. Also a kickass boathouse and lakefront campus. The student outdoors group also has a large fleet of boats and kayaks.</p>
<p>ahaha bdude, I read the title without initially reading your first post, and I was literally about to say “Stanford and Duke. Done, end of discussion.” lmao</p>
<p>Anyway, I think Vandy is another good one. Dartmouth and Penn moreso than the other Ivies…</p>
<p>Peers at the big state schools can be weak and the Greek scene can be pretty exclusive. Duke, Georgetown, Vanderbilt, William & Mary, Rice would be good matches.</p>
<p>^ Meh, all the kids I know going to Rice this year are uber-nerds, not that well-rounded at all. Granted, I only know 4 kids going there, and only from the Class of 2013, but still. I typically think of Rice and UofC in the same category: academically/intellectually good, but socially lacking.</p>
<p>barrons, you are right about the boathouse and location of the UW being awesome. Saw the boathouse firsthand a few days ago. I grew up near Madison and while I would never have gone to the UW myself (way too big and impersonal, not enough of an academic focus), I have always thought it had a perfect location in a great college town sandwiched between lakes–beautiful area.</p>
<p>I would dispute impersonal and lack of academic focus. While some come to party most these days are far more focused on school leaving the parties for the weekends. Also it is very easy to get to know both profs in your dept and even the admin people with a little effort. Most people at UW are very friendly and far from stuffy. It is big but with every significant dept having its own building and library it gets much smaller as soon as you pick a major and spend more time in your own dept where you will see the same people all the time.</p>
<p>If you are looking at Penn, you might also consider some other Phila area schools - many of whom have very good rowing programs - Temple, LaSalle, Saint Joe’s, Villanova etc.
Philly is also the site of the Dad Vail Regatta along the Schuylkill River & Boathouse Row.</p>
<p>That’s true barrons. As they say, “You can make a big school small, but you can’t make a small school big.” If you can’t find an “academic focus” at a great public university, then you aren’t trying too hard.</p>
<p>I didn’t say there wasn’t an academic focus at all, rjkofnovi, I said that there wasn’t enough of an academic focus in terms of what I was looking for in a school. While some of the students who go there are every bit as driven and accomplished as those found at top-tier schools, others are, shall we say, not. This tends to drag the university down on several levels, in my opinion.</p>
<p>The UW is an excellent public university, it just wasn’t the right fit for me–I wanted to be able to ask questions and discuss things with professors. I’m the type of person who learns much better in a small setting than I do in a massive lecture hall.</p>
<p>^^^Once again you can make a large school small by applying to a residential college within the univeristy. I’m not sure if Wisconsin has any, but I know Michigan does. You also are perpetrating a myth that all public school classes are huge and there is no give and take in lectures at any level or in any discipline.</p>
<p>rjk, you’re being too defensive. While it is indeed possible to thrive in a public university environment, it is silly to deny that LACs often offer a level of handholding that one simply won’t find at research universities, public or private. While not all courses at public universities are huge, they are certainly much larger on average. </p>
<p>bigp wasn’t saying large universities were bad, simply that they weren’t for him/her. They’re not for everyone.</p>
<p>I agree to an extent. But to make blanket statements that you can’t get have an interactive experience with professors, not enough academic focus, and all classes are in huge lecture halls is a bit one sided IMO. The implication is there.</p>
<p>Unless there was something about a massive school that particularly drew me (like the sports, for example), why would I want to do that when I could just go to a smaller school in the first place?</p>
<p>Going to either UPenn, Bryn Mawr, Haverford, or Swarthmore might work well for you. If you get into one, you can access the other schools in the consortium. All schools are academically very strong, and with different niches for each school, you’re bound to find the balance you are looking for. </p>
<p>But ultimately, I think Stanford most closely matches what you are looking for.</p>
<p>"Unless there was something about a massive school that particularly drew me (like the sports, for example), why would I want to do that when I could just go to a smaller school in the first place?</p>
<p>That’s your opinion of course. Personally, I find small school suffocating and too limiting.</p>