What T20 school isn’t “grim” these days?

[Anonymous]

I suspect there are plenty of places where the humanities crowd is intellectual and lively. My dd is double majoring in humanities and another more pre-professional major at Yale. She's doing humanities simply because she loves it, the classes are fun and engaging, and she loves the content and discussion. The environment at Yale is definitely lively, not without its stressors for sure, but pretty all around vibrant social/cultural scene. It's a lottery ticket school, nobody can count on going there, but by all means sounds like your kid should throw their hat in ring if interested

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reading the Princeton thread.
And Northwestern thread….depressing.

Which T20 schools aren’t “grim” or soulless?

Looking for semi- intellectual but still social and lively.
Small class sizes key.
Where you know your classmates……
Humanities major.

Most kids at Princeton and Northwestern are quite happy and thriving. If you're going to make decisions based on the outliers, you probably shouldn't be looking at T20 schools because they will all have kids who weren't happy about their experiences.

Almost 1/3 of kids at Princeton major in computer science and engineering; add biological sciences and econ to the mix and that’s just over 1/2 of all students. This disproportion is only growing with expansion of engineering etc. Not a good place for a humanities major.

Wouldn’t that make a great for humanities major? Really small class sizes, access to professors and a ton of resources going your way since the herd has moved in another direction?

Not any more than Johns Hopkins is good for humanities majors. Sometimes life of the mind types don’t want to be surrounded by preprofessional grinder types.

Because the 'life of the mind' does not include trying to learn physics or chemistry or engineering, right? The life of the mind does not include facility with math or interest in biology, right?

Say you don’t have a humanities kid and did not major in humanities without saying you don’t have a humanities kid and did not major in humanities…

That was a lame response. The students have interests beyond their majors, and it's not like students are "preprofessional grinder types" just because they are majority in CS or ORFE any more than every Comparative Lit major intends to get a Ph.D and become a professor.

I was looking at another web site where there are Q&As about Princeton and other Ivies and discovered that the most critical posts about Princeton repeatedly came from one Harvard graduate who thought he knew all about Princeton because he'd dated someone for a year who went to Princeton. It was hard not to conclude that it must have been a bad break-up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reading the Princeton thread.
And Northwestern thread….depressing.

Which T20 schools aren’t “grim” or soulless?

Looking for semi- intellectual but still social and lively.
Small class sizes key.
Where you know your classmates……
Humanities major.

Most kids at Princeton and Northwestern are quite happy and thriving. If you're going to make decisions based on the outliers, you probably shouldn't be looking at T20 schools because they will all have kids who weren't happy about their experiences.

Almost 1/3 of kids at Princeton major in computer science and engineering; add biological sciences and econ to the mix and that’s just over 1/2 of all students. This disproportion is only growing with expansion of engineering etc. Not a good place for a humanities major.

Wouldn’t that make a great for humanities major? Really small class sizes, access to professors and a ton of resources going your way since the herd has moved in another direction?

Not any more than Johns Hopkins is good for humanities majors. Sometimes life of the mind types don’t want to be surrounded by preprofessional grinder types.

Because the 'life of the mind' does not include trying to learn physics or chemistry or engineering, right? The life of the mind does not include facility with math or interest in biology, right?

Say you don’t have a humanities kid and did not major in humanities without saying you don’t have a humanities kid and did not major in humanities…

That was a lame response. The students have interests beyond their majors, and it's not like students are "preprofessional grinder types" just because they are majority in CS or ORFE any more than every Comparative Lit major intends to get a Ph.D and become a professor.

I was looking at another web site where there are Q&As about Princeton and other Ivies and discovered that the most critical posts about Princeton repeatedly came from one Harvard graduate who thought he knew all about Princeton because he'd dated someone for a year who went to Princeton. It was hard not to conclude that it must have been a bad break-up.

Yes, why not just send humanities kids to technical schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reading the Princeton thread.
And Northwestern thread….depressing.

Which T20 schools aren’t “grim” or soulless?

Looking for semi- intellectual but still social and lively.
Small class sizes key.
Where you know your classmates……
Humanities major.

Most kids at Princeton and Northwestern are quite happy and thriving. If you're going to make decisions based on the outliers, you probably shouldn't be looking at T20 schools because they will all have kids who weren't happy about their experiences.

Almost 1/3 of kids at Princeton major in computer science and engineering; add biological sciences and econ to the mix and that’s just over 1/2 of all students. This disproportion is only growing with expansion of engineering etc. Not a good place for a humanities major.

Wouldn’t that make a great for humanities major? Really small class sizes, access to professors and a ton of resources going your way since the herd has moved in another direction?

Not any more than Johns Hopkins is good for humanities majors. Sometimes life of the mind types don’t want to be surrounded by preprofessional grinder types.

Because the 'life of the mind' does not include trying to learn physics or chemistry or engineering, right? The life of the mind does not include facility with math or interest in biology, right?

Say you don’t have a humanities kid and did not major in humanities without saying you don’t have a humanities kid and did not major in humanities…

The “ …without saying…” thing is officially over. PLEASE find a less tedious way to be cute.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reading the Princeton thread.
And Northwestern thread….depressing.

Which T20 schools aren’t “grim” or soulless?

Looking for semi- intellectual but still social and lively.
Small class sizes key.
Where you know your classmates……
Humanities major.

Notre Dame, SLACs like Williams, kids seem happy at WUSTL

I hear Williams is a grind from a student there now

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reading the Princeton thread.
And Northwestern thread….depressing.

Which T20 schools aren’t “grim” or soulless?

Looking for semi- intellectual but still social and lively.
Small class sizes key.
Where you know your classmates……
Humanities major.

Most kids at Princeton and Northwestern are quite happy and thriving. If you're going to make decisions based on the outliers, you probably shouldn't be looking at T20 schools because they will all have kids who weren't happy about their experiences.

Almost 1/3 of kids at Princeton major in computer science and engineering; add biological sciences and econ to the mix and that’s just over 1/2 of all students. This disproportion is only growing with expansion of engineering etc. Not a good place for a humanities major.

Wouldn’t that make a great for humanities major? Really small class sizes, access to professors and a ton of resources going your way since the herd has moved in another direction?

Not any more than Johns Hopkins is good for humanities majors. Sometimes life of the mind types don’t want to be surrounded by preprofessional grinder types.

Because the 'life of the mind' does not include trying to learn physics or chemistry or engineering, right? The life of the mind does not include facility with math or interest in biology, right?

Say you don’t have a humanities kid and did not major in humanities without saying you don’t have a humanities kid and did not major in humanities…

The “ …without saying…” thing is officially over. PLEASE find a less tedious way to be cute.

+1. Especially when it’s as convoluted as what PP came up with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Rice

+1
Rice is really a gem!

[Anonymous]

How is the vibe at UVA?

[Anonymous]

I was looking at another web site where there are Q&As about Princeton and other Ivies and discovered that the most critical posts about Princeton repeatedly came from one Harvard graduate who thought he knew all about Princeton because he'd dated someone for a year who went to Princeton. It was hard not to conclude that it must have been a bad break-up.

Be careful not to dismiss all criticisms of Princeton together. I think it should come with a “buyer beware” due to the level of rigor and the eating clubs.

As a Princeton alum with a decidedly negative experience and who knew someone who committed suicide there, I think there’s a lot to criticize Princeton for(although admittedly also a lot to praise them for).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reading the Princeton thread.
And Northwestern thread….depressing.

Which T20 schools aren’t “grim” or soulless?

Looking for semi- intellectual but still social and lively.
Small class sizes key.
Where you know your classmates……
Humanities major.

Notre Dame, SLACs like Williams, kids seem happy at WUSTL

I hear Williams is a grind from a student there now

Interesting. Can you share major?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reading the Princeton thread.
And Northwestern thread….depressing.

Which T20 schools aren’t “grim” or soulless?

Looking for semi- intellectual but still social and lively.
Small class sizes key.
Where you know your classmates……
Humanities major.

Notre Dame, SLACs like Williams, kids seem happy at WUSTL

I hear Williams is a grind from a student there now

Interesting. Can you share major?

j

Prefer not to say since it’s a small school. Sophomore double majoring in a humanities and a soft science

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

What are those schools? I’ve heard Yale…

At least academically Harvard seems relaxed as well

They certainly seem okay with lackadaisical plagiarism.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reading the Princeton thread.
And Northwestern thread….depressing.

Which T20 schools aren’t “grim” or soulless?

Looking for semi- intellectual but still social and lively.
Small class sizes key.
Where you know your classmates……
Humanities major.

Notre Dame, SLACs like Williams, kids seem happy at WUSTL

I hear Williams is a grind from a student there now

Interesting. Can you share major?

j

Prefer not to say since it’s a small school. Sophomore double majoring in a humanities and a soft science

OK, thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rice

+1
Rice is really a gem!

Really? It seemed incredibly boring and dull when we visited. And the one person we know who went confirmed that impression.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reading the Princeton thread.
And Northwestern thread….depressing.

Which T20 schools aren’t “grim” or soulless?

Looking for semi- intellectual but still social and lively.
Small class sizes key.
Where you know your classmates……
Humanities major.

Notre Dame, SLACs like Williams, kids seem happy at WUSTL

I hear Williams is a grind from a student there now

And my DC at Williams loves it. So it just depends.