college - tell me about "the best kept secret" schools - anyone have one?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh and Rice? Harder to get into than Chicago and several other top schools - not a hidden gem ...

Rice is a great school but UChicago is harder to get into. Nearly half the acceptance rate

Chicago games their numbers more than any other top 20 school with their ED set up and crazy marketing, so I don't put much stock in their acceptance rate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For smaller STEM schools STEM: WPI, RPI, Rose Hulman, I would say SUNY- Stonybrook but it is more of commuter school in that it empties out on the weekends.

For business: Miami (Ohio)

Most RPI students are extremely awkward and the school is in a depressed part of upstate NY. It is best kept a secret, rather than a best kept secret.

Some prefer upstate NY, some prefer middle of Indiana. Your choice.

Some prefer neither, but it doesn’t change the fact that RPI is a geek fest in a cold, depressing run-down area.

[Anonymous]

Check out Wake Forest. Top 30 school becoming tougher to gain admission now at less than 30 percent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For smaller STEM schools STEM: WPI, RPI, Rose Hulman, I would say SUNY- Stonybrook but it is more of commuter school in that it empties out on the weekends.

For business: Miami (Ohio)

The best engineering schools in this class are missing from your list: Clarkson University and Case Western. If go to either before considering RPI.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here's a story I like to tell (and probably already have here): I went to a small liberal arts school in New England. My best friend from HS went to Harvard. The summer after we graduated from college we were hitting balls at the driving range at her country club. I looked over and there was my history prof from sophomore year (yes, my prof belonged to a country club - old money....) I went over and said hi. He recognized me right away and asked about my sister whom he had taught 6 years earlier. My friend was in shock. She couldn't believe a professor would even know my name, much less 3 years later.
Just goes to show that you get a lot more attention from your professors at a smaller school.

My DD is home from her small MA school and is feeling the same way. She saw a professor she had last year at the airport who bought her dinner as a Christmas gift. The school does so many nice, personal things for the kids. We found some local alums before she left and they were full of great stories and connections for her. I’m impressed!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh and Rice? Harder to get into than Chicago and several other top schools - not a hidden gem ...

Rice is a great school but UChicago is harder to get into. Nearly half the acceptance rate

Chicago games their numbers more than any other top 20 school with their ED set up and crazy marketing, so I don't put much stock in their acceptance rate.

+1
Their marketing tactics really are out of control. My child, and all of his friends, have been inundated with flyers/brochures from UChicago. Most would never be accepted there - the school is just trying to flatter kids into applying so they can reject them. It's reprehensible.

[Anonymous]

University of Exeter: great minerals engineering program, good weather (for England) and they’re slowly coming to terms with the wave of Yanks in their midst. Oh, and they don’t care about pointyness of students, it’s all based on academic promise.

[Anonymous]

William & Mary

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For smaller STEM schools STEM: WPI, RPI, Rose Hulman, I would say SUNY- Stonybrook but it is more of commuter school in that it empties out on the weekends.

For business: Miami (Ohio)

Most RPI students are extremely awkward and the school is in a depressed part of upstate NY. It is best kept a secret, rather than a best kept secret.

I work in an industry that hires lots of engineers, and RPI is extremely well regarded. It's not even a secret for those who actually hire in STEM fields. (and I have absolutely no connection with the school, otherwise).

[Anonymous]

The Great Lakes College Association (GLCA) is generally overlooked by east coast except those colleges nearer to the coast (e.g. Oberlin, Kenyon) but there are a lot of great ones--Oberlin and Kalamazoo are probably the more "artsy" ones--though Oberlin is far stronger in music and is generally more academic and Kalamazoo also has strengths in biology/international studies.
Grinnell College in Iowa is another very strong school that might be a good fit.

[Anonymous]

Macalester.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh and Rice? Harder to get into than Chicago and several other top schools - not a hidden gem ...

Rice is a great school but UChicago is harder to get into. Nearly half the acceptance rate

Chicago games their numbers more than any other top 20 school with their ED set up and crazy marketing, so I don't put much stock in their acceptance rate.

Totally agree!
Chicago plays dirty.

[Anonymous]

I went to Smith. It was a wonderful time! And, the career placement office is just fantastic. There are A LOT of Smithies in high places. And, many of my friends also went to top notch graduate schools. Several of my friends had financial aid packages that seemed fairly generous. I'd check it out. The campus is super pretty, and they have a great housing system. I was so glad to have gone there.

[Anonymous]

sewanee

[Anonymous]

Northeastern