What colleges should I visit? (1 Viewer)

[Andy]

This December I'm going to be out in the Midwest looking at colleges. I've got an idea for a couple of places to visit (UChicago, Northwestern, UMich), but I'm trying to find a few more to round out the list.

I'm looking for a good, medium-sized school focused on academics. While I do participate in a few sports, I don't want to go to a jock school like Lousiana State University or anything like that. I'm trying to find a place with a good history, business, philosophy, and biology departments that also offers Chinese. Also, I'm looking for a school-centered on the school, not a commuter place.

I've taken the SAT. I got a 2340 (800 Critical Reading 780 Math 760 Writing) I'm at a good boarding school and am in the top 15% of my class. I'm captain of a nationally ranked quiz bowl team, an energy conservation club, and run my own energy conservation business.

These schools need to be in the Midwest (Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, etc.) Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

 

[CaptainCourtesy]

You have some very strong academic stats. Here are a couple of schools that may match up well for you you.

These may be a little small:
Grinnell College (IA)
Carleton College (MN)
Kenyon College (OH)

A little bigger:
Oberlin College (OH)

A little bigger (closer to the schools you've already identified):
Notre Dame (IN)
Washington University (MO)

WashU was my second choice when I was collegebound. Excellent school. Oberlin may be a bit to much of an artsy atmosphere (from what I've heard). Notre Dame is also excellent, though may be a little 'jockish'. Don't know too much about the other schools except that they are strong academically and somewhat small.

 

[aps]

This December I'm going to be out in the Midwest looking at colleges. I've got an idea for a couple of places to visit (UChicago, Northwestern, UMich), but I'm trying to find a few more to round out the list.

I'm looking for a good, medium-sized school focused on academics. While I do participate in a few sports, I don't want to go to a jock school like Lousiana State University or anything like that. I'm trying to find a place with a good history, business, philosophy, and biology departments that also offers Chinese. Also, I'm looking for a school-centered on the school, not a commuter place.

I've taken the SAT. I got a 2340 (800 Critical Reading 780 Math 760 Writing) I'm at a good boarding school and am in the top 15% of my class. I'm captain of a nationally ranked quiz bowl team, an energy conservation club, and run my own energy conservation business.

These schools need to be in the Midwest (Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, etc.) Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

*sigh* I'd recommend Rice University, but that's in Texas, and you haven't listed that state. It is an excellent school, and I believe offers everything you are looking for. It has the highest percentage of National Merit Scholars in the country.

You sound like a very smart person, and I have no doubt that wherever you go, you will be successful. Let us know where you end up going.

 

[Justagurl]

I'll second Rice but Northwestern is a very good school.

 

[aps]

I'll second Rice but Northwestern is a very good school.

.............

 

[Andy]

Captain: I'm adding Kenyon and Carleton to the list. I looked at the Grinell site, but I didn't like it. I thought about Notre Dame, but I decided it would be a bit too jocky. I would add WashU (at St. Louis?), but it wouldn't fit in the schedule.

aps: I've thought about Rice, but I can't get over the fact that the school is in Texas. I'm purposely not looking at any southern schools, but at the same time Rice has intrigued me. Do/did you go there? If you went there I'd love to hear about it.

 

[Justagurl]

I'm a student at Rice. It's a very small school with a huge endowment. 5th highest per student in the USA which equates to the highest graduation rate in Div 1 A schools. They are very selective with their admissions and have professors that genuinely care. As Aps pointed out, Rice has the highest percentage of National Merit Scholars in the country. It's an unbelievable environment and well respected nationally.

Ya, it's in Houston. But Galveston and Kemah Boardwalk are doable for dinner and Corpus, North Padre Island, or South Padre can be done on a weekend.

Ratings from the Princeton Review :


#3 Best Overall Academic Experience for Undergraduates Academics


#16 Their Students Never Stop Studying Academics


#1 Lots of Race/Class Interaction Demographics


#1 Best Quality of Life

Wherever you go, Good Luck !! Okay...now I feel like a spammer...lol :2wave:

 

[aps]

Captain: I'm adding Kenyon and Carleton to the list. I looked at the Grinell site, but I didn't like it. I thought about Notre Dame, but I decided it would be a bit too jocky. I would add WashU (at St. Louis?), but it wouldn't fit in the schedule.

aps: I've thought about Rice, but I can't get over the fact that the school is in Texas. I'm purposely not looking at any southern schools, but at the same time Rice has intrigued me. Do/did you go there? If you went there I'd love to hear about it.

Yes, I went there, and I feel the same way that Justagurl feels. I went there more than 10 years ago, and it hasn't changed. I have never been more intellectually stimulated than I was there. The people who go to Rice are very substantive--they're not bragging about what cars they drive, how much money their parents have, how great they are, etc. I still consider my Rice friends to be my closest friends (they are also my most successful friends). The campus is beautiful, and it is in a very hip area of Houston. The professors genuinely care about the students.

Good luck!

 

[MSgt]

Parris Island, SC.

 

[Tashah]

Andy...

I am a graduate of the University of Chicago and I believe it currently ranks as number six in the Top 100. It is highly focused on academics and highly accelerated. Indeed, you will get the equivalent of six years of college education within a four year span. It's a bit pricey - currently over $30,000 per year - but you get every penny's worth. Northwestern is an excellent school with a similar tuition cost. Notre Dame is in this price range also, but offers too many distractions Hope this helps!

 

[Deegan]

Parris Island, SC.

LOL, another good one.

I would also like to add NorthWestern, a very good school for business, if that's what you are after, plus you could live downtown, and it's great here!

 

[Andy]

I'm definitely going to apply to UChicago and Northwestern, both of which are already in my current top 10 list. I don't know enough about Rice yet, but I'm going to ask my college advisor and look around the web. Plus I've got a couple of friends that are applying there now. I think I've gotten over my replusion of going to a Southern school (too close to home). I've spent a lot of time looking at the Northeast as well as California in addition to probably UChicago, Northwestern, UMich (b/c of rolling admissions), and probably one more in the Midwest. I've decided that I'm probably going to have to apply to more than 12 schools. I've already decided on aobut 5 in the Northeast, 3 in CA, and 3 in the Midwest. Unfortunately they're all really tough schools so I need to find some lower caliber places. I never thought finding colleges could be so difficult

 

[Andy]

Two questions;

Tashah
1. I know the UChicago is great for economics, but I can't find anything about their strength in languages, specifically Chinese. Do you have an idea?

Justagurl + aps
How is Rice in bio?

 

[shuamort]

You might wanna check out Grinnell College down in Iowa. Here's a link to their Chinese program. I was going to suggest my alma mater, Concordia College in Moorhead, MN, as their language program is really strong, but alas no Chinese.

 

[aps]

Two questions;

Tashah
1. I know the UChicago is great for economics, but I can't find anything about their strength in languages, specifically Chinese. Do you have an idea?

Justagurl + aps
How is Rice in bio?

I am not sure, but check this out: http://biochem.rice.edu/

 

[TurtleDude]

why the midwest? In the Midwest U Chicago is maybe the best school-Oberlin (for music especially-my late Cousin went there), Kenyon (excellent school-in the same league as Hamilton, and near Amherst and Williams). Others that are very good academically include Dennison (Ohio) and Miami of Ohio. My father-due to the Navy-spent two years at Miami and then two at Yale and considered them fairly equivalent (of course that was during WWII).

Rice is an excellent school-one of the top guys in my office went there and then graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School

 

[RightOfCenter]

South Dakota State University

 

[Tashah]

Tashah
1. I know the UChicago is great for economics, but I can't find anything about their strength in languages, specifically Chinese. Do you have an idea?

Andy
I do not believe languages are available. There are not many universities in the US that do teach Chinese. The UChicago is exceptionally strong in these disciplines:

Biological Sciences - Medicine
Humanities - Arts
Physical Sciences
Social Sciences
Political Sciences
Economics - Business

The UChicago is well known in academia for its plethora of Nobel Award winners. It owns and staffs the University of Chicago Hospitals, and also manages the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory for the US Dept of Energy. It is on a par academically with Harvard, Yale, and MIT and exceeds these schools in select areas.

 

[Andy]

Andy
I do not believe languages are available. There are not many universities in the US that do teach Chinese. The UChicago is exceptionally strong in these disciplines:

Biological Sciences - Medicine
Humanities - Arts
Physical Sciences
Social Sciences
Political Sciences
Economics - Business

The UChicago is well known in academia for its plethora of Nobel Award winners. It owns and staffs the University of Chicago Hospitals, and also manages the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory for the US Dept of Energy. It is on a par academically with Harvard, Yale, and MIT and exceeds these schools in select areas.

I can assure you that I know of Chicago's reputation. I knew they were good in the social sciences as well as physical science and especially economics, as I thought though there bio program isn't the particular field I'm interested in (molecular bio or genetics) I'm still going to apply because of their top econ department though.

why the midwest? In the Midwest U Chicago is maybe the best school-Oberlin (for music especially-my late Cousin went there), Kenyon (excellent school-in the same league as Hamilton, and near Amherst and Williams). Others that are very good academically include Dennison (Ohio) and Miami of Ohio. My father-due to the Navy-spent two years at Miami and then two at Yale and considered them fairly equivalent (of course that was during WWII).

The main reason I'm looking at the midwest is because I don't want to put all my eggs in the New England basket. Plus UChicago and Northwestern were already on my list and I thought it'd be good to see them as well as anything else out there. Ultimately I think I'm probably going to end up in New England though because that's where all my top dream colleges thus far are located. I know the UC and NW are great, but the midwest is, well... the Midwest. There really isn't much to say about it. I've been in New England for about a year know and I've really learned to like it here.

 

[Tashah]

I know the UC and NW are great, but the midwest is, well... the Midwest. There really isn't much to say about it. I've been in New England for about a year know and I've really learned to like it here.

Lol. Perhaps you've never been to Chicago. I've been to every major city in the US and it's still my favorite. A strikingly beautiful city with a slower pace and it has that vaunted Midwestern hospitality. Whatever you choose to do Andy, I wish you all success and happiness!

Tashah

PS. If you ever visit Israel, Tel Aviv University is another alma mater of mine and the very best in the Middle East. I am an intern instructor there at the Sackler Institute of the Exact Sciences. Astrophysics/Cosmology.

 

[128shot]

Eh. Not to put the downs on things however..


ever thought about not going to college? Sometimes, college isn't even worth its time. Remember, college doesn't garuntee riches or security, unlike what the state preaches.

However, I'm not anti college..

Then again, I name some extremely wealthy people who either didn't go to college, or dropped out of college.

 

[Andy]

Honestly, no. Never thought about it. My parents expect me to go, and at this point I've put in too much effort to not go. Besides, what on Earth could I possibly do if I didn't go to college? Sure Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard, but he was capable of going to Harvard in the first place, and I doubt I'm going to invent the next Windows. I certainly don't want to end of working at a fast food joint or anything.

 

[Deegan]

Eh. Not to put the downs on things however..


ever thought about not going to college? Sometimes, college isn't even worth its time. Remember, college doesn't garuntee riches or security, unlike what the state preaches.

However, I'm not anti college..

Then again, I name some extremely wealthy people who either didn't go to college, or dropped out of college.

That may have been true a few decades ago, where a man could just work hard, and make a decent living, but today college is essential to getting a good job, and keeping that job. If you can go, you should go, just be sure you choose the right career path for yourself, and stick to it, I know so many folks that changed their minds half way through, and that's just wasted time.

 

[128shot]

That may have been true a few decades ago, where a man could just work hard, and make a decent living, but today college is essential to getting a good job, and keeping that job. If you can go, you should go, just be sure you choose the right career path for yourself, and stick to it, I know so many folks that changed their minds half way through, and that's just wasted time.

I'm sure bill Gates' parents were ticked off that he didn't finish college, after all, he was an the top ivy league school.


Job security, making a decent living, good job, keeping that job..


sounds like what the department of education tells us. What do you say to those 90s tech gurus who are having their jobs outsourced? None of this is garunteed.

Its a dog fight out there. Really, it is.

 

[Thorgasm]

Don't chase money. Do what you love, and love what you do. That is what is the true measure of success. Keep this in mind when picking a major. You can make money but still not be happy if you hate your career. The most important thing is that your work is your passion.