Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Northwestern! D1 school with excellent academics. Kids are collaborative not competitive, yet everyone gets good results. I think it also helps when there is no grade deflation.

So good to hear this twice in this thread, DD got in ED and this is the goal.

Congratulations!!

I went to Duke and when I went to a top tier professional school, it was very clear how much more relaxed and comfortable in their own skin the Duke alums than people from almost every other school (while still being top achievers). We got our work done very well with much less drama than others.

Unfortunately, I think Duke has a lot more strivers now than it used to. Which is really too bad. I think a non-striver can still be happy there if they can avoid getting sucked in.

DC has several friends who are at UChicago and describe it as collaborative. The classes are so tough that you pretty much need to be that way to survive.

Midwest and California

If you're looking Ivies, look at Yale. It was very collaborative back in my day, although I have heard clubs are competitive now (unfortunate change).

Anonymous wrote:Can you please suggest colleges for a bright person but without the rat race mentality that is still prestigious?

This is what both my kids wanted, so yes!

Schools on their lists:
Smith
Wesleyan
Oberlin
Denison
Colorado College
Middlebury
William & Mary
Furman
Lafayette
Mt Holyoke
Bryn Mawr
Vassar
Colby
Elon
St Lawrence
Sarah Lawrence
Hamilton

Wake Forest, Holy Cross, Colby, and Colgate.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Northwestern! D1 school with excellent academics. Kids are collaborative not competitive, yet everyone gets good results. I think it also helps when there is no grade deflation.

So good to hear this twice in this thread, DD got in ED and this is the goal.

Congratulations!

Wake Forest

Anonymous wrote:Northwestern! D1 school with excellent academics. Kids are collaborative not competitive, yet everyone gets good results. I think it also helps when there is no grade deflation.

So good to hear this twice in this thread, DD got in ED and this is the goal.

Anonymous wrote:I hate posters who use the word “strivers.” Any legitimate university will have students who work hard and those who don’t.

Diligent and Striver have different meanings, at least here in Lake Wobegon.

Northwestern! D1 school with excellent academics. Kids are collaborative not competitive, yet everyone gets good results. I think it also helps when there is no grade deflation.

Anonymous wrote:Midwestern and Southern SLAC’s

+1

Midwestern and Southern SLAC’s

I think any LAC outside the top 10 and even the top 10 are more collaborative than most of the top 20 national universities.