How to pick between Columbia, Cornell or Princeton?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

And some don’t want campuses emptied out by that same phenomenon.

I agree. Students will have different preferences.

But there was a poster who was saying that wanting other universities in the area to have bigger social circles was unheard of. My argument has been that many students want other universities in an area to have a more dynamic and novel social opportunities. Different strokes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When you find yourself in a hole, PP, stop digging. Your arguments about the vast superiority of attending school in a city like Boston may appeal to a handful of posters. That's why some urban schools thrive. But they'll largely fall flat on the majority of people, whose own experiences don't square with your characterizations at all. And it won't help your cause if you respond to them by making assumptions about where they attended school or whether they are intellectually curious or not.

In any event, you now seem to have focused your arguments on what you think life is like at rural colleges or universities with 4000-6000 students, which does not describe Columbia, Cornell, or Princeton. Each of these universities has more than 6000 students on campus, taking graduate students into account, and only Cornell could be described as rural, although Ithaca provides some additional small-town amenities beyond those on the Cornell campus.

No, my argument is regarding small colleges in both rural and suburban areas.

No one is taking graduate students into account, and my posts are not entirely about Princeton/Columbia/Cornell solely.
Its about Princeton's suburban, sheltered setting that many students will find boring after 2 years.
Columbia is in the city
Cornell is a large school

I did not say that attending urban schools is 'vastly' superior, at any point - you are again making random assumptions based on your personal sensitivities and perhaps insecurities having attended a suburban/rural school. I specifically argued that many students will want to congregate and meet with students from other universities while they are at college, rather than being sheltered in a boarding school-like environment for 4 years. Perhaps you like that sort of lifestyle, many don't.

And neither are Boston College, MIT, Harvard, etc. hyper "urban" schools like NYU - they have their own campuses within the larger city - it's simply that if the students chooses, they have the option to explore wider. Those in small suburban and rural colleges don't have that option at all.

You said previously, and I quote: "Being stuck in the same rural college town of 4000-6000 students gets very old after 1-2 years, especially for college students." Not that attending a suburban school easily accessible to two of the nation's largest cities, or that attending Princeton specifically, would "get very old."

It seems just as likely that students would find the lack of community at a larger and/or urban school as off-putting as they might find the greater cohesiveness of a school like Princeton stifling. And those who attend a larger and/or urban school don't have any option - besides transferring - to change those attributes of a larger and/or urban school if they conclude it is not to their liking.

Your argument that many students want to "congregate" with students from other schools has been debunked repeatedly by multiple posters. Repeating it over and over again - along with references to "boarding schools" - won't make it any more convincing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

And some don’t want campuses emptied out by that same phenomenon.

I agree. Students will have different preferences.

But there was a poster who was saying that wanting other universities in the area to have bigger social circles was unheard of. My argument has been that many students want other universities in an area to have a more dynamic and novel social opportunities. Different strokes.

Yeah. It's called hypothetical in my mind fantasy rather than reality.

Kids don't go to BU or BC or Northeastern on the off chance they can hang out with Harvard students. They may say Boston is a cool place with lots of college kids but what it means is more bars for them to go to, not meeting students from other colleges. And they really don't go out of the campus safety zone for the allure of "grown up" bars till junior, or more realistically, senior year. The one exception would be political years with students volunteering on various presidential campaigns because outside that there really aren't venues for students from various colleges to come together and meet each other, if they were so inclined.

If you're the same poster talking about 4-6k student body being too small and homogeneous, that's a sizable enough student body to have all the cliques from the jocks to the druggies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

And some don’t want campuses emptied out by that same phenomenon.

I agree. Students will have different preferences.

But there was a poster who was saying that wanting other universities in the area to have bigger social circles was unheard of. My argument has been that many students want other universities in an area to have a more dynamic and novel social opportunities. Different strokes.

Yeah. It's called hypothetical in my mind fantasy rather than reality.

Kids don't go to BU or BC or Northeastern on the off chance they can hang out with Harvard students. They may say Boston is a cool place with lots of college kids but what it means is more bars for them to go to, not meeting students from other colleges. And they really don't go out of the campus safety zone for the allure of "grown up" bars till junior, or more realistically, senior year. The one exception would be political years with students volunteering on various presidential campaigns because outside that there really aren't venues for students from various colleges to come together and meet each other, if they were so inclined.

If you're the same poster talking about 4-6k student body being too small and homogeneous, that's a sizable enough student body to have all the cliques from the jocks to the druggies.

+1. I wonder if PP is the same person whose has dragged the W&M thread to almost 30 pages.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

And some don’t want campuses emptied out by that same phenomenon.

I agree. Students will have different preferences.

But there was a poster who was saying that wanting other universities in the area to have bigger social circles was unheard of. My argument has been that many students want other universities in an area to have a more dynamic and novel social opportunities. Different strokes.

Yeah. It's called hypothetical in my mind fantasy rather than reality.

Kids don't go to BU or BC or Northeastern on the off chance they can hang out with Harvard students. They may say Boston is a cool place with lots of college kids but what it means is more bars for them to go to, not meeting students from other colleges. And they really don't go out of the campus safety zone for the allure of "grown up" bars till junior, or more realistically, senior year. The one exception would be political years with students volunteering on various presidential campaigns because outside that there really aren't venues for students from various colleges to come together and meet each other, if they were so inclined.

If you're the same poster talking about 4-6k student body being too small and homogeneous, that's a sizable enough student body to have all the cliques from the jocks to the druggies.

Agree with this. There are a handful of situations where students may pick a school with the goal of studying and/or socializing with students from other schools. The best examples are the U. Mass consortium (U. Mass, Hampshire, Amherst, Mount Holyoke, and Smith) or the Claremont Colleges in CA (Pomona, Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd, and Scripps). But BU kids picking Boston so they can meet Harvard kids, or Harvard kids looking to hang out with Babson students? Nope.

[Anonymous]

I don't have a dog in this fight - have Yale and Harvard degrees. This isn't close. Princeton will be better while child is there and forever after in terms of what is says on resume and likely alumni enthusiasm. Only make a different choice if child is actually turned off by Princeton or crazy about one of the other two.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

And some don’t want campuses emptied out by that same phenomenon.

I agree. Students will have different preferences.

But there was a poster who was saying that wanting other universities in the area to have bigger social circles was unheard of. My argument has been that many students want other universities in an area to have a more dynamic and novel social opportunities. Different strokes.

Yeah. It's called hypothetical in my mind fantasy rather than reality.

Kids don't go to BU or BC or Northeastern on the off chance they can hang out with Harvard students. They may say Boston is a cool place with lots of college kids but what it means is more bars for them to go to, not meeting students from other colleges. And they really don't go out of the campus safety zone for the allure of "grown up" bars till junior, or more realistically, senior year. The one exception would be political years with students volunteering on various presidential campaigns because outside that there really aren't venues for students from various colleges to come together and meet each other, if they were so inclined.

If you're the same poster talking about 4-6k student body being too small and homogeneous, that's a sizable enough student body to have all the cliques from the jocks to the druggies.

You flat out contradict your own point within the 2nd line of your post. It means more bars, clubs, organizations outside of campus, networking, etc. etc.
If you can't fathom the idea that Boston is an attractive place to attend school because it has 8+ universities, rather than a small college in Podunk, you are a moron with a very limited view of the world. It's why schools in urban, dynamic environments are getting more popular than cities in rural and suburban environments.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When you find yourself in a hole, PP, stop digging. Your arguments about the vast superiority of attending school in a city like Boston may appeal to a handful of posters. That's why some urban schools thrive. But they'll largely fall flat on the majority of people, whose own experiences don't square with your characterizations at all. And it won't help your cause if you respond to them by making assumptions about where they attended school or whether they are intellectually curious or not.

In any event, you now seem to have focused your arguments on what you think life is like at rural colleges or universities with 4000-6000 students, which does not describe Columbia, Cornell, or Princeton. Each of these universities has more than 6000 students on campus, taking graduate students into account, and only Cornell could be described as rural, although Ithaca provides some additional small-town amenities beyond those on the Cornell campus.

No, my argument is regarding small colleges in both rural and suburban areas.

No one is taking graduate students into account, and my posts are not entirely about Princeton/Columbia/Cornell solely.
Its about Princeton's suburban, sheltered setting that many students will find boring after 2 years.
Columbia is in the city
Cornell is a large school

I did not say that attending urban schools is 'vastly' superior, at any point - you are again making random assumptions based on your personal sensitivities and perhaps insecurities having attended a suburban/rural school. I specifically argued that many students will want to congregate and meet with students from other universities while they are at college, rather than being sheltered in a boarding school-like environment for 4 years. Perhaps you like that sort of lifestyle, many don't.

And neither are Boston College, MIT, Harvard, etc. hyper "urban" schools like NYU - they have their own campuses within the larger city - it's simply that if the students chooses, they have the option to explore wider. Those in small suburban and rural colleges don't have that option at all.

You said previously, and I quote: "Being stuck in the same rural college town of 4000-6000 students gets very old after 1-2 years, especially for college students." Not that attending a suburban school easily accessible to two of the nation's largest cities, or that attending Princeton specifically, would "get very old."

It seems just as likely that students would find the lack of community at a larger and/or urban school as off-putting as they might find the greater cohesiveness of a school like Princeton stifling. And those who attend a larger and/or urban school don't have any option - besides transferring - to change those attributes of a larger and/or urban school if they conclude it is not to their liking.

Your argument that many students want to "congregate" with students from other schools has been debunked repeatedly by multiple posters. Repeating it over and over again - along with references to "boarding schools" - won't make it any more convincing.

The quote in italics is an example of being stuck in a rural/suburban environment.
Princeton is an hour away from NYC - its not exactly right next door. Again, as I have argued in this thread, Princeton is the best university for undergraduate CS given education quality. However they are all good options and fit matters depending on student.

My argument is not being "debunked" by multiple posters so much as multiple posters here prefer the suburban environment - given they live in the suburbs of DC - to the dynamics of urban environment. That does not change the fact that many students prefer to live in urban environments with more opportunities including more college students from different colleges. That's why colleges in urban environments are becoming more and more popular.

Colleges like Harvard and Boston College do have a college community despite being in a city. But they also have the advantage of opportunities outside of that small community. That's an advantage that rural/suburban isolated schools don't have. This is not difficult to understand.

Let me put it into kindergarten terms so that perhaps you understand: Being good at two things is better than one.

[Anonymous]

Shocked that a kid from around here got into all three RD. Legacy, hooked, URM or athlete seems to be an absolute.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

And some don’t want campuses emptied out by that same phenomenon.

I agree. Students will have different preferences.

But there was a poster who was saying that wanting other universities in the area to have bigger social circles was unheard of. My argument has been that many students want other universities in an area to have a more dynamic and novel social opportunities. Different strokes.

Yeah. It's called hypothetical in my mind fantasy rather than reality.

Kids don't go to BU or BC or Northeastern on the off chance they can hang out with Harvard students. They may say Boston is a cool place with lots of college kids but what it means is more bars for them to go to, not meeting students from other colleges. And they really don't go out of the campus safety zone for the allure of "grown up" bars till junior, or more realistically, senior year. The one exception would be political years with students volunteering on various presidential campaigns because outside that there really aren't venues for students from various colleges to come together and meet each other, if they were so inclined.

If you're the same poster talking about 4-6k student body being too small and homogeneous, that's a sizable enough student body to have all the cliques from the jocks to the druggies.

Agree with this. There are a handful of situations where students may pick a school with the goal of studying and/or socializing with students from other schools. The best examples are the U. Mass consortium (U. Mass, Hampshire, Amherst, Mount Holyoke, and Smith) or the Claremont Colleges in CA (Pomona, Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd, and Scripps). But BU kids picking Boston so they can meet Harvard kids, or Harvard kids looking to hang out with Babson students? Nope.

Wait, so you agree entirely with my argument that college kids want to have the option to hang out with students from other nearby colleges? That going to a college consortium like the Claremont Colleges in better than going to an isolated SLAC in a rural/suburban area?

You don't think Harvard kids would hang out with MIT kids? Or that Northeastern, Boston University and Boston College kids would hang out together?
You realize that Harvard kids can take courses at MIT and vice versa? And that being next to multiple excellent colleges is better than being next to none?

You yourself argued that college kids would prefer to live next to other universities rather than middle-aged families and barns.
If you were a college kid, would you rather

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When you find yourself in a hole, PP, stop digging. Your arguments about the vast superiority of attending school in a city like Boston may appeal to a handful of posters. That's why some urban schools thrive. But they'll largely fall flat on the majority of people, whose own experiences don't square with your characterizations at all. And it won't help your cause if you respond to them by making assumptions about where they attended school or whether they are intellectually curious or not.

In any event, you now seem to have focused your arguments on what you think life is like at rural colleges or universities with 4000-6000 students, which does not describe Columbia, Cornell, or Princeton. Each of these universities has more than 6000 students on campus, taking graduate students into account, and only Cornell could be described as rural, although Ithaca provides some additional small-town amenities beyond those on the Cornell campus.

No, my argument is regarding small colleges in both rural and suburban areas.

No one is taking graduate students into account, and my posts are not entirely about Princeton/Columbia/Cornell solely.
Its about Princeton's suburban, sheltered setting that many students will find boring after 2 years.
Columbia is in the city
Cornell is a large school

I did not say that attending urban schools is 'vastly' superior, at any point - you are again making random assumptions based on your personal sensitivities and perhaps insecurities having attended a suburban/rural school. I specifically argued that many students will want to congregate and meet with students from other universities while they are at college, rather than being sheltered in a boarding school-like environment for 4 years. Perhaps you like that sort of lifestyle, many don't.

And neither are Boston College, MIT, Harvard, etc. hyper "urban" schools like NYU - they have their own campuses within the larger city - it's simply that if the students chooses, they have the option to explore wider. Those in small suburban and rural colleges don't have that option at all.

You said previously, and I quote: "Being stuck in the same rural college town of 4000-6000 students gets very old after 1-2 years, especially for college students." Not that attending a suburban school easily accessible to two of the nation's largest cities, or that attending Princeton specifically, would "get very old."

It seems just as likely that students would find the lack of community at a larger and/or urban school as off-putting as they might find the greater cohesiveness of a school like Princeton stifling. And those who attend a larger and/or urban school don't have any option - besides transferring - to change those attributes of a larger and/or urban school if they conclude it is not to their liking.

Your argument that many students want to "congregate" with students from other schools has been debunked repeatedly by multiple posters. Repeating it over and over again - along with references to "boarding schools" - won't make it any more convincing.

The quote in italics is an example of being stuck in a rural/suburban environment.
Princeton is an hour away from NYC - its not exactly right next door. Again, as I have argued in this thread, Princeton is the best university for undergraduate CS given education quality. However they are all good options and fit matters depending on student.

My argument is not being "debunked" by multiple posters so much as multiple posters here prefer the suburban environment - given they live in the suburbs of DC - to the dynamics of urban environment. That does not change the fact that many students prefer to live in urban environments with more opportunities including more college students from different colleges. That's why colleges in urban environments are becoming more and more popular.

Colleges like Harvard and Boston College do have a college community despite being in a city. But they also have the advantage of opportunities outside of that small community. That's an advantage that rural/suburban isolated schools don't have. This is not difficult to understand.

Let me put it into kindergarten terms so that perhaps you understand: Being good at two things is better than one.

NP. You seem seriously under-employed.

In any event, 80% of joint admits to Princeton and Columbia pick Princeton. In the wake of Covid-19, that percentage should increase.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

And some don’t want campuses emptied out by that same phenomenon.

I agree. Students will have different preferences.

But there was a poster who was saying that wanting other universities in the area to have bigger social circles was unheard of. My argument has been that many students want other universities in an area to have a more dynamic and novel social opportunities. Different strokes.

Yeah. It's called hypothetical in my mind fantasy rather than reality.

Kids don't go to BU or BC or Northeastern on the off chance they can hang out with Harvard students. They may say Boston is a cool place with lots of college kids but what it means is more bars for them to go to, not meeting students from other colleges. And they really don't go out of the campus safety zone for the allure of "grown up" bars till junior, or more realistically, senior year. The one exception would be political years with students volunteering on various presidential campaigns because outside that there really aren't venues for students from various colleges to come together and meet each other, if they were so inclined.

If you're the same poster talking about 4-6k student body being too small and homogeneous, that's a sizable enough student body to have all the cliques from the jocks to the druggies.

You flat out contradict your own point within the 2nd line of your post. It means more bars, clubs, organizations outside of campus, networking, etc. etc.
If you can't fathom the idea that Boston is an attractive place to attend school because it has 8+ universities, rather than a small college in Podunk, you are a moron with a very limited view of the world. It's why schools in urban, dynamic environments are getting more popular than cities in rural and suburban environments.

If you want to start calling people names, by all means go ahead and do so with the knowledge that it's not going to win people to your cause.

Bolded above - you really think this happens? Going to BU so that you can network with MIT or Babson students in the bars? What clubs or organizations outside campus do you reasonably think attracts meaningful numbers of kids from a variety of colleges that allows them to develop meaningful friendships?

I do agree kids can be attracted to the notion of a buzz provided by a city with a large number of college kids but that does not translate into developing a broad social network of friends from other colleges that you prefer over a social life that revolves around your own college. The vast majority of students at the schools we're talking about on this thread will very much be focused on their own campuses. Any applicant thinking of going to a Boston school over a different school in the hopes of developing friendships with students from different colleges really has no idea what he or she is getting into.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

And some don’t want campuses emptied out by that same phenomenon.

I agree. Students will have different preferences.

But there was a poster who was saying that wanting other universities in the area to have bigger social circles was unheard of. My argument has been that many students want other universities in an area to have a more dynamic and novel social opportunities. Different strokes.

Yeah. It's called hypothetical in my mind fantasy rather than reality.

Kids don't go to BU or BC or Northeastern on the off chance they can hang out with Harvard students. They may say Boston is a cool place with lots of college kids but what it means is more bars for them to go to, not meeting students from other colleges. And they really don't go out of the campus safety zone for the allure of "grown up" bars till junior, or more realistically, senior year. The one exception would be political years with students volunteering on various presidential campaigns because outside that there really aren't venues for students from various colleges to come together and meet each other, if they were so inclined.

If you're the same poster talking about 4-6k student body being too small and homogeneous, that's a sizable enough student body to have all the cliques from the jocks to the druggies.

Agree with this. There are a handful of situations where students may pick a school with the goal of studying and/or socializing with students from other schools. The best examples are the U. Mass consortium (U. Mass, Hampshire, Amherst, Mount Holyoke, and Smith) or the Claremont Colleges in CA (Pomona, Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd, and Scripps). But BU kids picking Boston so they can meet Harvard kids, or Harvard kids looking to hang out with Babson students? Nope.

Wait, so you agree entirely with my argument that college kids want to have the option to hang out with students from other nearby colleges? That going to a college consortium like the Claremont Colleges in better than going to an isolated SLAC in a rural/suburban area?

You don't think Harvard kids would hang out with MIT kids? Or that Northeastern, Boston University and Boston College kids would hang out together?
You realize that Harvard kids can take courses at MIT and vice versa? And that being next to multiple excellent colleges is better than being next to none?

You yourself argued that college kids would prefer to live next to other universities rather than middle-aged families and barns.
If you were a college kid, would you rather

For someone who has challenged other posters' reading comprehension and intellect, you seem to be lacking in both, if that's the inference you are drawing from the prior post.

And why are going on about Harvard? OP's kid didn't even apply there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When you find yourself in a hole, PP, stop digging. Your arguments about the vast superiority of attending school in a city like Boston may appeal to a handful of posters. That's why some urban schools thrive. But they'll largely fall flat on the majority of people, whose own experiences don't square with your characterizations at all. And it won't help your cause if you respond to them by making assumptions about where they attended school or whether they are intellectually curious or not.

In any event, you now seem to have focused your arguments on what you think life is like at rural colleges or universities with 4000-6000 students, which does not describe Columbia, Cornell, or Princeton. Each of these universities has more than 6000 students on campus, taking graduate students into account, and only Cornell could be described as rural, although Ithaca provides some additional small-town amenities beyond those on the Cornell campus.

No, my argument is regarding small colleges in both rural and suburban areas.

No one is taking graduate students into account, and my posts are not entirely about Princeton/Columbia/Cornell solely.
Its about Princeton's suburban, sheltered setting that many students will find boring after 2 years.
Columbia is in the city
Cornell is a large school

I did not say that attending urban schools is 'vastly' superior, at any point - you are again making random assumptions based on your personal sensitivities and perhaps insecurities having attended a suburban/rural school. I specifically argued that many students will want to congregate and meet with students from other universities while they are at college, rather than being sheltered in a boarding school-like environment for 4 years. Perhaps you like that sort of lifestyle, many don't.

And neither are Boston College, MIT, Harvard, etc. hyper "urban" schools like NYU - they have their own campuses within the larger city - it's simply that if the students chooses, they have the option to explore wider. Those in small suburban and rural colleges don't have that option at all.

You said previously, and I quote: "Being stuck in the same rural college town of 4000-6000 students gets very old after 1-2 years, especially for college students." Not that attending a suburban school easily accessible to two of the nation's largest cities, or that attending Princeton specifically, would "get very old."

It seems just as likely that students would find the lack of community at a larger and/or urban school as off-putting as they might find the greater cohesiveness of a school like Princeton stifling. And those who attend a larger and/or urban school don't have any option - besides transferring - to change those attributes of a larger and/or urban school if they conclude it is not to their liking.

Your argument that many students want to "congregate" with students from other schools has been debunked repeatedly by multiple posters. Repeating it over and over again - along with references to "boarding schools" - won't make it any more convincing.

The quote in italics is an example of being stuck in a rural/suburban environment.
Princeton is an hour away from NYC - its not exactly right next door. Again, as I have argued in this thread, Princeton is the best university for undergraduate CS given education quality. However they are all good options and fit matters depending on student.

My argument is not being "debunked" by multiple posters so much as multiple posters here prefer the suburban environment - given they live in the suburbs of DC - to the dynamics of urban environment. That does not change the fact that many students prefer to live in urban environments with more opportunities including more college students from different colleges. That's why colleges in urban environments are becoming more and more popular.

Colleges like Harvard and Boston College do have a college community despite being in a city. But they also have the advantage of opportunities outside of that small community. That's an advantage that rural/suburban isolated schools don't have. This is not difficult to understand.

Let me put it into kindergarten terms so that perhaps you understand: Being good at two things is better than one.

You're the only person talking about a suburban versus urban context and arguing that everyone else is stuck in a suburban mindset

We are more realistic than you. It doesn't matter whether the school is urban or suburban or rural. For the nation's top colleges (consider all the top 50 universities and LACs) the vast, vast, vast majority of students will be very much focused on their own college and their campus and will develop friendships with students from their own college. This is true of Bowdoin or Dartmouth or Hamilton or Cornell or Harvard or Brown or Penn or Princeton or Hopkins or Georgetown or UVA. These are intense four year academic experiences. These students aren't going to have much opportunity or even interest in reaching out to students from other colleges. Take Penn. Philadelphia has more college students than Boston. Penn has Drexel right next door. Do Penn students hang out with Drexel students? No. They do not. Sometimes friends of friends from high school who's at Drexel might come to an off campus party, but that's about it. And Drexel students don't hang out with Temple students.

I'm sure you can find the exceptions. I can think a few. Very religious groups can have overlapping friendships through quasi-off campus religious facilities. The super rich kids all know each other and shuttle between Philadelphia and NYC for their parties but to be strictly fair the colleges aren't their purpose in life or source for networking. But for your typical college kids, his or her social life and academic experience will be very much focused on their campus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

And some don’t want campuses emptied out by that same phenomenon.

I agree. Students will have different preferences.

But there was a poster who was saying that wanting other universities in the area to have bigger social circles was unheard of. My argument has been that many students want other universities in an area to have a more dynamic and novel social opportunities. Different strokes.

Yeah. It's called hypothetical in my mind fantasy rather than reality.

Kids don't go to BU or BC or Northeastern on the off chance they can hang out with Harvard students. They may say Boston is a cool place with lots of college kids but what it means is more bars for them to go to, not meeting students from other colleges. And they really don't go out of the campus safety zone for the allure of "grown up" bars till junior, or more realistically, senior year. The one exception would be political years with students volunteering on various presidential campaigns because outside that there really aren't venues for students from various colleges to come together and meet each other, if they were so inclined.

If you're the same poster talking about 4-6k student body being too small and homogeneous, that's a sizable enough student body to have all the cliques from the jocks to the druggies.

You flat out contradict your own point within the 2nd line of your post. It means more bars, clubs, organizations outside of campus, networking, etc. etc.
If you can't fathom the idea that Boston is an attractive place to attend school because it has 8+ universities, rather than a small college in Podunk, you are a moron with a very limited view of the world. It's why schools in urban, dynamic environments are getting more popular than cities in rural and suburban environments.

If you want to start calling people names, by all means go ahead and do so with the knowledge that it's not going to win people to your cause.

Bolded above - you really think this happens? Going to BU so that you can network with MIT or Babson students in the bars? What clubs or organizations outside campus do you reasonably think attracts meaningful numbers of kids from a variety of colleges that allows them to develop meaningful friendships?

I do agree kids can be attracted to the notion of a buzz provided by a city with a large number of college kids but that does not translate into developing a broad social network of friends from other colleges that you prefer over a social life that revolves around your own college. The vast majority of students at the schools we're talking about on this thread will very much be focused on their own campuses. Any applicant thinking of going to a Boston school over a different school in the hopes of developing friendships with students from different colleges really has no idea what he or she is getting into.

It seems you are really struggling to understand the meaning of the word "option".
And yes, MIT and Harvard kids hang out and network together. They even take classes together.

BU students, especially graduate BU students, do hang out and network with graduate students at Harvard. The undergraduates may not but that is entirely due to the differences in interest and academic quality.