I kind of hate the term but it’s useful. Some schools are just play hard, others are just work hard. Some are both.

Duke, Dartmouth, Notre Dame, Holy Cross, Vandy, and Davidson.

"Work hard/play hard" ugh. Expression almost annoying as a school that's "nuturing".

Dartmouth

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MIT

Disagree. Yes, they go hard on the weekend but it’s more of a bunch of nerdy introverts blowing off steam. Even most of the athletes aren’t outgoing and social.

Honestly, this is true. I went RPI and know about 20 close family and friends that went to MIT or Harvard. They are really nice people, all who I respect greatly, but on the nerdy or geeky side. I’ve been to the raging parties at both schools. They were in the 90s but unless it has changed, they are not exactly wild. The people I know at Harvard are geeky lawyers, now highly successful. The RPI/MIT folks were tech.

None of these are work hard/play hard schools. They are work hard schools and grinders who can let steam in their own way. These are often the kids who didn’t go to any parties in HS.

Anonymous wrote:MIT

Disagree. Yes, they go hard on the weekend but it’s more of a bunch of nerdy introverts blowing off steam. Even most of the athletes aren’t outgoing and social.

UMD (Honors).

any of the pre professional colleges - Wake Bucknell Colgate - don’t attract the tippy top nerds who populate the T20s, mostly the jocks cool kids etc from hs who are at ease in parties and social situations. Understand clearly their priorities lol - that academics are a means to an end, and party hard while ur young

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD is very academically oriented, with top stats, recs, and nat’l awards, and also very outgoing with active social life. She’s trying to get a sense of whether any of HYPMS might be a good fit these days (recognizing all are reaches).

For HYPMS, oddly it's only MIT that has a healthy social vibe these days.

Other than that;

Vanderbilt
Duke
Dartmouth
Notre Dame
Rice - not a party school, but very friendly
Brown
McGill
UCLA

My daughter attended MIT CPW when she was admitted. She attended a sorority party which was really sad and a frat party that was VERY well-attended by women from neighboring colleges. We had already read about how the male students there do not really respect the women. That and what she saw definitely played into why she turned it down. Chose Harvard — no party scene but no complaints as she made many good friends. Same with another girl from our town who chose Harvard over MIT. It’s all a matter of where you find your tribe! No point attending MIT if the men want to socialize with non-MIT women!

Interesti NY, I had not heard that about MIT. Re the others, a lot of them already on the list. DD’s school caps the number of applications so she’s basically trying to decide whether she should include HYPMS at all. Her own crowdsourcing not turning up a lot of positive reviews on the social side. FWIW she crossed off Dartmouth and Cornell bc too far north.
- OP

I think Yale would be great for your DD.stanford is supposed to be intense. I don’t know enough about Princeton.

Y is pretty social too, while everyone works hard as well.

Vanderbilt - perfect blend of SEC social life and T20 academics, with ridiculous MBB placement. It’s the top choice for DD and many of her friends from DCUM area privates - checks all the boxes an 18 year old kid could want.

Anonymous wrote:DC is a junior and loves Harvard. No big party scene but the housing block system builds up friendships over four years. Even the social scene is competitive but kids all eventually find their tribe and mellow out.

What do you mean that the social scene is competitive?

My work hard play hard daughter just graduated with a 4.0 from Dartmouth in a STEM field. So it is possible. At Dartmouth it helps if you’re outdoorsy and social. It was a great fit for her but not everyone.

Anonymous wrote:DD is very academically oriented, with top stats, recs, and nat’l awards, and also very outgoing with active social life. She’s trying to get a sense of whether any of HYPMS might be a good fit these days (recognizing all are reaches).

You have an ivy caliber kid, but hitting up an anonymous forum for school ideas?

DC is a junior and loves Harvard. No big party scene but the housing block system builds up friendships over four years. Even the social scene is competitive but kids all eventually find their tribe and mellow out.