Least stressful Top 30 or so schools

[Anonymous]

Look for schools where the current students describe the vibe as collaborative and not competitive.
Ask during tours, connect with a student opportunities, message boards/reddit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UVA, pretty laid back unless you are in pre-med, then it is cut throat and intense. Good balance of work hard, play hard.

UNC also comes to mind.

That was not the experience of my DD at UVA - she started in aerospace engineering and moved to PPL. Both were very difficult - the latter had lots of seminars and papers. And it's because so difficult to get into . . .

I don't really want to fly in the craft designed by the "laid back" aerospace engineer. Thanks anyway.

I do. Laid back doesn’t mean lacks attention to detail or competence, and overly anxious, stressed out engineers are too scared to innovate.

I'm with you!

Hoping to find more engineering recs that fit this. Supportive rather than pitting kids against one another for limited spots, not grading on curve (that just pits kids against each other and offers little sense of material mastery), rather emphasis on really understanding materials.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dartmouth College for economics--if your son likes to celebrate life frequently as Dartmouth has a very social atmosphere.

For math and/or economics with less partying than Dartmouth College, consider Bowdoin College.

University of Virginia for economics.

Vanderbilt University for economics.

Most SLACs offer a less intense environment. Hard to narrow down SLACs without knowing more about your son's likes and dislikes.

Not Vanderbilt for economics.

- vandy current parent. Nashville is great, the people of Nashville are a blast. Vanderbilt is not a chill place in math/econ/medicine

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NYU. People on here with no experience will tell you otherwise, but this is the answer.

As evidenced by what? NYU seems to endure an unusually high suicide rate and living in Manhattan is inherently stressful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dartmouth College for economics--if your son likes to celebrate life frequently as Dartmouth has a very social atmosphere.

For math and/or economics with less partying than Dartmouth College, consider Bowdoin College.

University of Virginia for economics.

Vanderbilt University for economics.

Most SLACs offer a less intense environment. Hard to narrow down SLACs without knowing more about your son's likes and dislikes.

Not Vanderbilt for economics.

- vandy current parent. Nashville is great, the people of Nashville are a blast. Vanderbilt is not a chill place in math/econ/medicine

Why "not Vanderbilt for economics" ?

Are you asserting that Vandy econ is intense or that it is bad ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UVA, pretty laid back unless you are in pre-med, then it is cut throat and intense. Good balance of work hard, play hard.

UNC also comes to mind.

Vanderbilt, except for pre-med track. I’m an Econ grad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wesleyan

I went to Wesleyan and found it intense.

[Anonymous]

TOP 30 on what list? I'd say Macalester

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wesleyan

I went to Wesleyan and found it intense.

+1

Even the theatre kids were intense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NYU. Agree. Stern may be more demanding though so if business will be a little more competitive. Avoid Cornell as very competitive (kid there now). Avoid Columbia (other kid graduated from there). Georgetown I hear is pretty competitive. Generally, avoid BU, GW, and Cornell.

This may be major specific experiences at BU, Cornell and GW. I have a kid at Cornell and friends with kids at BU and GW and this is not their experiences at all. Maybe the poster is trying to psych you out so your kid does not apply to these good schools and their kid has less competition.

My kid is at Cornell now. I was the poster. I myself went to GW. We have friends with kids at BU. So I am speaking from experience. I still know a lot of GW kids there now as a donor from various events and groups. All my kids are in college or out. Two from Columbia and one from Cornell. Please don't cast false motivations, I am only trying to be helpful.

You describe great outcomes But yet you told the OP avoid these schools? Maybe a more nuanced reply would have been more helpful. Thank you for explaining your motives. It’s not always apparent why someone is posting negative comments about otherwise great schools.

I

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NYU. People on here with no experience will tell you otherwise, but this is the answer.

As evidenced by what? NYU seems to endure an unusually high suicide rate and living in Manhattan is inherently stressful.

False

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Laidback, yet very smart, DS starting college search. Probably economic, math. Would like top-notch academics without the ultra-competitive environment. Is it even possible? Suggestions?

When I went to Wash. U., in parent times, it was challenging, but not really that competitive for anyone but premeds. I don’t think that the premeds themselves were especially competitive with each other; it was just them against hard tests.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:USC. works hard plays hard. DC loves it.

work hard = less stressful?

= has a work ethic, goal oriented, driven. unequal to lazy, stupid, apathetic.
Plays hard = knows how to close the books, blow off steam with parties and friends, ski trips, beach trips.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NYU. People on here with no experience will tell you otherwise, but this is the answer.

And it only costs a bazillion dollars to have the laid-back atmosphere of... Manhattan.

If you have a place to live and places to be in the day, Manhattan is actually a tranquil, old-fashioned kind of place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NYU. People on here with no experience will tell you otherwise, but this is the answer.

As evidenced by what? NYU seems to endure an unusually high suicide rate and living in Manhattan is inherently stressful.

False

Honestly it depends on the person. My IL loves the city and is at peace there. Finds the suburbs stressful, have to drive everywhere, not as easy to get around.