What's a collaborative, happy yet very rigorous research university that's not Rice?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Probably not highly ranked enough for you but William and Mary has a lot of similarities to Rice.

Caltech too if your kid is STEM focused.

DC's super nerdy personality may be a fit at Caltech (and she has the stats for it) but assume it's out of reach for someone without national-level competition ECs and it's another where-fun-goes-to-die school, no?

Don’t necessarily need national level competition, especially if female. And it’s definitely not a where-fun-goes-to-die school. They have a house system which creates great community and some of the houses are very much into partying. The houses also do these huge themed parties once or twice a year for the whole campus that are impressive - themes and set construction… The classes and research are very rigorous but the kids there are brilliant enough to handle them and having fun. But your kid must be certain she wants STEM.

The house system has undergone changes that has lessened the unique culture of each - students are now randomly assigned, and hence each house is basically a smaller version of the student body rather than their own unique institution.
Only a few kids have a lot of free time - the majority work 40-60 hours a week. (Actual working, not the oseudowork that a lot of mediocre students do). And the ones with the free time are generally the super geniuses who already studied the entire undergrad curriculum, have published meaningful research, etc.

E.g. https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/comments/18f752r/indian_internationals_miraculous_journey_to/

Do you have personal experience or just Reddit? The houses still have their own culture. Many of the kids have time for fun and the rigors of class and research. But these aren’t run of the mill smart kids. These are brilliant kids. And Pasadena and the weather are great.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Has the stats for any of the most selective schools but not focused on HYPMS due to unlikely odds. What are top schools that fit description but are more attainable like at U Chicago, Cornell level?

Already considering Rice but the Texas thing makes it not an ED choice.

Research in what specific area? That matters.

Quantum chemistry or AI

UChicago is elite in physics and chemistry and thus quantum chemistry. They even have a molecular engineering major, although I would recommend a major in either chem or physics for quantum chemistry. If she likes it I wouldn't hesitate to ED.
One nice thing about UChicago is that they have advanced standing exams she can use to take the second year major courses early - most other top universities don't allow this for your major classes.

University of Chicago is in financial distress.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:hopkins. student life has improved a lot with a ton of research opps.

columbia, penn also come to mind

I thought Hopkins was a grind, Columbia kids are miserable and Penn is pre-professional and competitive?

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:hopkins. student life has improved a lot with a ton of research opps.

columbia, penn also come to mind

I thought Hopkins was a grind, Columbia kids are miserable and Penn is pre-professional and competitive?

Hopkins is not at all what it used to be, and is notably easier for ED than any other T10 besides Chicago. They both have multiple ED rounds and generally admit "second tier" (just outside the top10% kids) students from private schools in ED, whereas plenty of top-everything Vals chose Penn, Dartmouth, Duke, Brown in ED.

Penn is no more competitive or preprofessional than any other T15/ivy, in fact less toxic than a couple of them, but is also not really an easier admit than HPYMS. All T10/ivy are "preprofessional"(lots of premeds, Econ/finance, prelaw). It has been like that since DH and I attended different ones then met at another for law school, '98. Even Chicago is preprofessional, no more "life of the mind" esoteric thinkers there than anywhere else.

Columbia from our private has slid to easier than other ivies for ED, though that is likely as it has many issues and a locked campus the past 2 years.

How is JHU an easier admit in ED round? ED acceptance is around 13% . Comparable to any ivy.

bc you are not competing against the top applicants across the country in the ED round.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:It’s difficult for us to understand why someone would reject a college solely because it’s in a certain state. Seems short sighted at best

My kids don’t want to live in a place that doesn’t value women’s lives.

Students who aren’t willing to live in a lovely blue bubble in an effort to vote to turn a light red state blue don’t actually care all that much about women or reproductive rights.

If they actually cared in a meaningful way, they’d prefer to attend blue or purple colleges in potential swing states.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s difficult for us to understand why someone would reject a college solely because it’s in a certain state. Seems short sighted at best

My kids don’t want to live in a place that doesn’t value women’s lives.

Students who aren’t willing to live in a lovely blue bubble in an effort to vote to turn a light red state blue don’t actually care all that much about women or reproductive rights.

If they actually cared in a meaningful way, they’d prefer to attend blue or purple colleges in potential swing states.

Come to Georgia

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s difficult for us to understand why someone would reject a college solely because it’s in a certain state. Seems short sighted at best

My kids don’t want to live in a place that doesn’t value women’s lives.

Students who aren’t willing to live in a lovely blue bubble in an effort to vote to turn a light red state blue don’t actually care all that much about women or reproductive rights.

If they actually cared in a meaningful way, they’d prefer to attend blue or purple colleges in potential swing states.

Come to Georgia

You already started another GA thread. It’s completely irrelevant here as OP wants a rigorous school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s difficult for us to understand why someone would reject a college solely because it’s in a certain state. Seems short sighted at best

My kids don’t want to live in a place that doesn’t value women’s lives.

Students who aren’t willing to live in a lovely blue bubble in an effort to vote to turn a light red state blue don’t actually care all that much about women or reproductive rights.

If they actually cared in a meaningful way, they’d prefer to attend blue or purple colleges in potential swing states.

Come to Georgia

You already started another GA thread. It’s completely irrelevant here as OP wants a rigorous school.

I also was thinking Emory, Spelman, Morehouse, GA Tech.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s difficult for us to understand why someone would reject a college solely because it’s in a certain state. Seems short sighted at best

My kids don’t want to live in a place that doesn’t value women’s lives.

Students who aren’t willing to live in a lovely blue bubble in an effort to vote to turn a light red state blue don’t actually care all that much about women or reproductive rights.

If they actually cared in a meaningful way, they’d prefer to attend blue or purple colleges in potential swing states.

LOL no. It’s not my kid’s job to fix your f-ed up state.

[Anonymous]

ND

[Anonymous]

USC

[Anonymous]

If you can’t tolerate your kid being in a big blue bubble in a red state then you’re making your kid’s college journey more about your own preferences/prejudices. My kid is in a similar blue bubble in a red area. Their college experience/environment has been way more varied/diverse/open than my deep blue state SLAC circa early 1990’s .

[Anonymous]

OP ignore the people sniping at each other you seem to have a solid rationale for how to balance the state politics factor, i.e. not ED'ing to Rice. It is great that your DD has such a solid idea of what she wants to study and future grad school plans.
Focus on looking for schools with substantial programs in those areas, how many students in the major, what are the resources- this is important in the current financial situation, colleges are cutting majors etc. Then take advantage of virtual tours/sessions and conversations with current students so she can see herself at various schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you can’t tolerate your kid being in a big blue bubble in a red state then you’re making your kid’s college journey more about your own preferences/prejudices. My kid is in a similar blue bubble in a red area. Their college experience/environment has been way more varied/diverse/open than my deep blue state SLAC circa early 1990’s .

It’s not *my* preferences. My kid doesn’t want to live in a state that doesn’t respect women or LGBTQ people. They are fortunate to have that choice.

And it is not their job to fix a state whose current policies were crafted by generations of ignorant voters.