<p>I’m a transfer student and made a rather terrible error in selecting colleges the first time around–I assumed that because it was college with several thousand people, I’d be able to easily find a niche no matter what. (In retrospect, I don’t know why I thought this. Blind optimism, maybe.) I mean, certainly, there are always going to be some people you click with at schools, but some schools are going to have way less of those people than others. So, I’m at a school I hate now. The social scene is the absolute opposite of what I’d like… raucous partying, very sporty/preppy, pretty traditional, conservative set of students.</p>
<p>Obviously, I don’t want to make the same mistake this time. I want a more intellectual, sort of nerdy/geeky environment with preferably a lot less focus on partying every single weekend. (I don’t have a problem with drinking or anything; I just don’t like that being the main activity every. single. weekend.) What would be the best way to determine what kind of student body a college has? I know visiting probably would be the best way, but it’s simply too expensive and I don’t have the time.</p>