nonpressure cooker/well adjusted yet prestigious schools

[Anonymous]

My kids at Chicago are happy- good friends, good internships. They go to dinner after sport practice with friends and see them on weekends. They also work crazy hard, but are really proud of how they are challenged in courses and manage to survive and sometimes excel. As a parent, I am thrilled but I think they should give 10 weeks for quarters, not 9 weeks-this is what makes the pace insane and causes at least one all nighter every week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:yes, I am concerned about prestige, but we also want a school that is nice, friendly.
Do they exist? When I Google I find things about the best special services but that clearly doesn't mean it's a healthy environment

Carleton. The academics are rigorous but the community (students, profs, staff) is known for being friendly and supportive.

I have a student there and agree with this. It’s such a kind community all around. My DC is having such a good experience.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:So no schools in the top 25 or so that are NOT pressure cookers? Really?

By nature of being the top 25, of course they are pressure cookers.

And the mindset of the kids that make it in are not related Ed.

You are looking for a unicorn.
Consider seeking healthy balance instead of prestige for your child. One leads to a more solid foundation.

Hi I would like a universally recognized elite college attracting the highest achievers in the world, and you need perfect grades/scores to even enter the lottery to get in but NO PRESSURE and also NO COMPETITION once there.

Next up, find me a house in perfect condition in a great neighborhood that’s super safe with great schools and short commutes, but UNDER MARKET PRICE.

OP here, and I hear you. Does it hurt to ask?
I don't think it's an inherently insane idea that a good school might also be prestigious, and also not a pressure cooker.

Beware of the opposite: Mid schools that are packed with unhappy, competitive students rejected from T10s.

Which schools are these? I want to avoid....

Tufts, Chicago, Cornell, WashU, Berkeley, Swarthmore, Hopkins, Carnegie Mellon.

Tufts?!?!

Tufts doesn’t have more than its share of ticked off Ivy rejects?

I’ve just never heard Tufts on the common lists of unhappy schools (like I have of UChicago) All top schools have a decent amount of Ivy rejects.

[Anonymous]

Id imagine the smaller schools that are extensions of prep schools -- i.e. Bates, Colby, Bucknell etc. have a less pressure cooker environment. They are less rigorous than Middlebury, Bowdoin etc. but still sort of in the same bracket -- elite SLAC adjacent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So no schools in the top 25 or so that are NOT pressure cookers? Really?

By nature of being the top 25, of course they are pressure cookers.

And the mindset of the kids that make it in are not related Ed.

You are looking for a unicorn.
Consider seeking healthy balance instead of prestige for your child. One leads to a more solid foundation.

Hi I would like a universally recognized elite college attracting the highest achievers in the world, and you need perfect grades/scores to even enter the lottery to get in but NO PRESSURE and also NO COMPETITION once there.

Next up, find me a house in perfect condition in a great neighborhood that’s super safe with great schools and short commutes, but UNDER MARKET PRICE.

OP here, and I hear you. Does it hurt to ask?
I don't think it's an inherently insane idea that a good school might also be prestigious, and also not a pressure cooker.

Beware of the opposite: Mid schools that are packed with unhappy, competitive students rejected from T10s.

Which schools are these? I want to avoid....

Tufts, Chicago, Cornell, WashU, Berkeley, Swarthmore, Hopkins, Carnegie Mellon.

I don’t think WashU is competitive or high-stress who would do the work, major in non-STEM topics and tolerate some C’s.

[Anonymous]

One all-nighter a week at Chicago? That sounds absolutely miserable. Why would anyone subject their kid to this? Serious health consequences too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In the T25 I think Brown, Vandy, UNC, UVA, maybe Emory are your best bet for what you’re looking for.
In the T30 UF, UC Davis, USC

Agree w Brown, UNC, UVA! Don’t have experience w the other schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Id imagine the smaller schools that are extensions of prep schools -- i.e. Bates, Colby, Bucknell etc. have a less pressure cooker environment. They are less rigorous than Middlebury, Bowdoin etc. but still sort of in the same bracket -- elite SLAC adjacent.

It's so dismissive to call these schools "extensions of prep schools." I bet if a 17-year-old is attending a prep school, you're impressed by their academic pedigree, but if an 18-year-old attends a SLAC, you think they're a slacker.

[Anonymous]

Is this the list? I’m trying to aggregate from this 10pg post….


Rice
Brown
Vanderbilt
Dartmouth
UVA
Emory
USC
UNC
Wisconsin
Wake
Santa Clara
UMiami
Tulane
Davidson
Bates
Colby
Bucknell
Carleton

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is this the list? I’m trying to aggregate from this 10pg post….


Rice
Brown
Vanderbilt
Dartmouth
UVA
Emory
USC
UNC
Wisconsin
Wake
Santa Clara
UMiami
Tulane
Davidson
Bates
Colby
Bucknell
Carleton

Yes and I'd split the list in terms of prestige/chances like this:

Tier 1
Rice
Brown
Vanderbilt
Dartmouth

Tier 2
UVA
Emory
USC
UNC

Tier 3
Wisconsin
Wake
Santa Clara
UMiami
Tulane

LAC's
Davidson
Bates
Colby
Bucknell
Carleton

[Anonymous]

I want to distinguish between three distinct concepts that people often conflate when discussing colleges. The three concepts often but don't necessarily overlap.

(1) Rigor/Workload: How much work students are assigned and/or the time demands of a school's academics.

(2) Pressure/Stress: The extent to which a school's academics negatively affect students' mental well-being.

(3) Competition: Whether students are competitive with one another, gunning for top grades, internships, etc. The opposite is a collaborative student body that works together and probably doesn't discuss grades.

Personally, I think most top schools will have rigor, but whether they also have pressure or competition is another matter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Id imagine the smaller schools that are extensions of prep schools -- i.e. Bates, Colby, Bucknell etc. have a less pressure cooker environment. They are less rigorous than Middlebury, Bowdoin etc. but still sort of in the same bracket -- elite SLAC adjacent.

It's so dismissive to call these schools "extensions of prep schools." I bet if a 17-year-old is attending a prep school, you're impressed by their academic pedigree, but if an 18-year-old attends a SLAC, you think they're a slacker.

I think PP could have been more careful with their wording, but IME it’s 100% true that if you went to Andover Exeter etc, a SLAC is going to have a really similar feel. There’s nothing wrong with that - plenty of my classmates went on to matriculate at SLACs and it was perfectly respectable. But believe it or not, they are similar settings, just with more public drunkenness added in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So no schools in the top 25 or so that are NOT pressure cookers? Really?

By nature of being the top 25, of course they are pressure cookers.

And the mindset of the kids that make it in are not related Ed.

You are looking for a unicorn.
Consider seeking healthy balance instead of prestige for your child. One leads to a more solid foundation.

Hi I would like a universally recognized elite college attracting the highest achievers in the world, and you need perfect grades/scores to even enter the lottery to get in but NO PRESSURE and also NO COMPETITION once there.

Next up, find me a house in perfect condition in a great neighborhood that’s super safe with great schools and short commutes, but UNDER MARKET PRICE.

OP here, and I hear you. Does it hurt to ask?
I don't think it's an inherently insane idea that a good school might also be prestigious, and also not a pressure cooker.

Beware of the opposite: Mid schools that are packed with unhappy, competitive students rejected from T10s.

Which schools are these? I want to avoid....

Tufts, Chicago, Cornell, WashU, Berkeley, Swarthmore, Hopkins, Carnegie Mellon.

Interesting. Visited Chicago just recently and students seemed happy and proud to be there.

I sure hope so. 90+% of the students at UChicago applied ED

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So no schools in the top 25 or so that are NOT pressure cookers? Really?

By nature of being the top 25, of course they are pressure cookers.

And the mindset of the kids that make it in are not related Ed.

You are looking for a unicorn.
Consider seeking healthy balance instead of prestige for your child. One leads to a more solid foundation.

Hi I would like a universally recognized elite college attracting the highest achievers in the world, and you need perfect grades/scores to even enter the lottery to get in but NO PRESSURE and also NO COMPETITION once there.

Next up, find me a house in perfect condition in a great neighborhood that’s super safe with great schools and short commutes, but UNDER MARKET PRICE.

oh here we go again... these numbers have been actually released by the dean of admissions last December. EA/ED rate was 5%.

OP here, and I hear you. Does it hurt to ask?
I don't think it's an inherently insane idea that a good school might also be prestigious, and also not a pressure cooker.

Beware of the opposite: Mid schools that are packed with unhappy, competitive students rejected from T10s.

Which schools are these? I want to avoid....

Tufts, Chicago, Cornell, WashU, Berkeley, Swarthmore, Hopkins, Carnegie Mellon.

Interesting. Visited Chicago just recently and students seemed happy and proud to be there.

I sure hope so. 90+% of the students at UChicago applied ED

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Id imagine the smaller schools that are extensions of prep schools -- i.e. Bates, Colby, Bucknell etc. have a less pressure cooker environment. They are less rigorous than Middlebury, Bowdoin etc. but still sort of in the same bracket -- elite SLAC adjacent.

It's so dismissive to call these schools "extensions of prep schools." I bet if a 17-year-old is attending a prep school, you're impressed by their academic pedigree, but if an 18-year-old attends a SLAC, you think they're a slacker.

I think PP could have been more careful with their wording, but IME it’s 100% true that if you went to Andover Exeter etc, a SLAC is going to have a really similar feel. There’s nothing wrong with that - plenty of my classmates went on to matriculate at SLACs and it was perfectly respectable. But believe it or not, they are similar settings, just with more public drunkenness added in.

So for the 400 seniors at Andover and the 300 at Exeter, these schools might be more of the same. But they're not more of the same for most of the rest of the 3.8 million seniors graduating every year.

Maybe better just to say that Andover and Exeter are like SLACs for pre-college students?