Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If a relaxed, non competitive vibe is really important...I don't think T20 is the place to look.

This. You have to be driven/intense/goal-oriented to get into those schools.

Ok but Harvard and Columbia are not looking to be known for their great social atmosphere for young adults. Did any of you tour these places? They don't pretend that that are not in the business of academic excellence and achievement.

Guess you haven’t been following the Harvard Supreme Court case, and the emphasis Harvard admissions places on “personality.”

DD went to Rice and had a fabulous time. I met her friends and there was not one a-hole among them. They were -- and are -- supportive, friendly, and motivated. They helped each other and continue to help each other now, despite being all over the country in various grad school programs, work situations, etc. I'd highly recommend that your DC look into Rice.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a parent of a freshman a T15 school. Kid thought they were selecting a place commensurate with their [holds nose] top credentials that would nonetheless have a lot of fun kids who don't take themselves seriously and prioritize having a good time. Spoiler alert: this is not UChicago.

Anyway, kid is wrong. Not every student at kid's school is a Tracy Flick, of course, but there are so many of them that the vibe is affected. The seriousness and intensity permeates the dorms, the quad, the on campus coffee places ...

I promise I'm not a troll. Kid is grateful for this opportunity but really surprised at how wrong they were.

I'd rank the "lowest a-hole percentage" among T20 as follows:
Vandy
Rice

Northwestern

UCLA









most of the rest










Harvard









































Duke

UCLA? Seemed like a barbie and Ken hellscape of eating disorders and who had a car that was deemed worthy from what I could see. Like all the Tracy flick energy was devoted to social life instead of academics. Opposite of laid back in my view but whatever floats your boat I guess

Who goes to a T20 thinking they won't come across their share of douchey jerks? Ignore and do your thing

Anonymous wrote:I'm a parent of a freshman a T15 school. Kid thought they were selecting a place commensurate with their [holds nose] top credentials that would nonetheless have a lot of fun kids who don't take themselves seriously and prioritize having a good time. Spoiler alert: this is not UChicago.

Anyway, kid is wrong. Not every student at kid's school is a Tracy Flick, of course, but there are so many of them that the vibe is affected. The seriousness and intensity permeates the dorms, the quad, the on campus coffee places ...

I promise I'm not a troll. Kid is grateful for this opportunity but really surprised at how wrong they were.

I'd rank the "lowest a-hole percentage" among T20 as follows:
Vandy
Rice

Northwestern

UCLA









most of the rest










Harvard









































Duke

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Washington & Lee, UCLA, USC, UVA, Vanderbilt come to mind

Are these schools even top20?

Vandy is #13 in national universities
UCLA is #20 in national universities
UVA and USC (assuming you mean the one in California) are tied for #25 in national universities
W&L is #11 in National Liberal Arts Colleges.

These schools want perfect stats with a laundry list of extracurriculars. They get in by being hyper competitive, driven, and goal-oriented. Sounds like you need to stop seeking a name and status and go somewhere with a more diverse student body.

Vanderbilt and Rice.

https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/g11438356/happiest-college-students/

Brown (grading policy helps)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If a relaxed, non competitive vibe is really important...I don't think T20 is the place to look.

This. You have to be driven/intense/goal-oriented to get into those schools.

Ok but Harvard and Columbia are not looking to be known for their great social atmosphere for young adults. Did any of you tour these places? They don't pretend that that are not in the business of academic excellence and achievement.

There is a difference between understanding it’s an intense place and finding yourself surrounded entirely by Tracy Flicks.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If a relaxed, non competitive vibe is really important...I don't think T20 is the place to look.

This. You have to be driven/intense/goal-oriented to get into those schools.

Ok but Harvard and Columbia are not looking to be known for their great social atmosphere for young adults. Did any of you tour these places? They don't pretend that that are not in the business of academic excellence and achievement.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I’m fairly certain that your kid is at Columbia (my DD recently graduated from there). It’s a pretty miserable experience, and the highly driven, competitive, pressure cooker, Type A, achievement-oriented, Tracy Flick-esque nature of the school makes it an awful four years.

I really regret not allowing my DD to transfer. Please, OP, let your kid leave Columbia. It is no way to spend four years of college.

You are saying that your child is the sole student that was not type A? That is ridiculous. All these elite colleges have agressive type As well represented.

And the more relaxed students exist at all of them but obviously would be more rare. These schools are looking to admit driven over achievers.

+1

Parent of another miserable Columbia student

SLACs are the way to go for this.

Anonymous wrote:If a relaxed, non competitive vibe is really important...I don't think T20 is the place to look.

This. You have to be driven/intense/goal-oriented to get into those schools.

Anonymous wrote:Surprised nobody has mentioned Notre Dame here, which of course is rigorous, but tends to have students who are more collaborative than competitive. Plus the focus on "making the world a better place" and football helps bring community together. My son is bright, but not necessarily a type A and found a group of friends with varying levels of intensity.

I went to Notre Dame, and I think it's definitely worth a look for OPs kid, IF it's the kind of school OP would want to attend.
The kids at Notre Dame were the ones leading the pep rallies in high school and getting involved in a bunch of activities and enjoying belonging to clubs/groups/sports/etc. While ND students are smart, typically they aren't the uber-intellectual kids you'd find at a place like Chicago. There really isn't a competitive vibe on campus at all (outside of football... which... well... not competitive there either, turns out...)

Obviously it's a Catholic school, so that may make it a no-go for OP's kid, but if that's OK it's a good option.