Yale

Anonymous wrote:If you are a STEM major anywhere, it is a massive grind. If you major in non-STEM it will be pretty easy.

Well, actually . . . https://williamsrecord.com/457351/features/in-search-of-the-hardest-course/

Anecdotally, I've heard that the most grindy college may be . . . RISD. Regular all-nighters, not just at the end of the semester, are commonplace. And, per Niche, RISD seems to have the lowest percentage of students who "agree that the workload is easy to manage": 9%. By comparison, it's 24% at Swarthmore, 30% at Columbia, and 34% at MIT and Cornell, all of which have a grindy reputation. I think Juilliard has a similar reputation to RISD.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are a STEM major anywhere, it is a massive grind. If you major in non-STEM it will be pretty easy.

Says the gamer geek who struggles with a 3-page paper or reading the whole big book

Some would be surprised. For decades now, UVA 1st year Engineering students have had higher average SAT Verbal and higher SAT Math scores than UVa Arts & Sciences. Their non-STEM AP scores also often as either same as the college or higher.

There might be some E School students at some universities who struggle with reading/writing, but that mostly is a 50 year old outdated stereotype.

Davidson, Duke and Tufts are excellent choices for work/life/fun balance.

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Anonymous wrote:Second for Davidson!

Is Davidson presitigious?

Yes. 14% admit rate. Best SLAC in the South/Southeast. Meets full financial need with grants (no loans). Has a unique culture of strong academics and supportive professors, staff, and students. Excellent medical, law, and PhD admit rates. Your kid will both learn and like being there. Our Ivy-qualified kid successfully ED’d there. Wasn’t interested in the NE.

Just to add, tied for 5th in USNWR national liberal arts colleges after you remove service academies and rank tied schools at the same level. Ranks above NE schools like Hamilton, Colgate, Bates, and Colby. Above Haverford. Above Washington & Lee and URichmond in the SE.

For some on DCUM, endowment is a big deal. Davidson’s per student endowment is similar to Duke’s, at about $700k/student (thus the excellent financial aid).

Agree w/Harvard. Grade inflation is ridiculous.

Brown, few requirements.

Depending on your definition of "prestigious" other places like Sarah Lawrence and Bard and Oberlin can be so open ended that you don't need to kill yourself, and the culture doesn't tend to push you to.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Second for Davidson!

Is Davidson presitigious?

Yes. 14% admit rate. Best SLAC in the South/Southeast. Meets full financial need with grants (no loans). Has a unique culture of strong academics and supportive professors, staff, and students. Excellent medical, law, and PhD admit rates. Your kid will both learn and like being there. Our Ivy-qualified kid successfully ED’d there. Wasn’t interested in the NE.

Just to add, tied for 5th in USNWR national liberal arts colleges after you remove service academies and rank tied schools at the same level. Ranks above NE schools like Hamilton, Colgate, Bates, and Colby. Above Haverford. Above Washington & Lee and URichmond in the SE.

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Anonymous wrote:USC and UCLA

PP must be confused. UCLA is a major grind — it’s miserable.

Miserable, huh? Is that really the adjective you wanted? UCLA scores awfully well in quality of life and student satisfaction, and its workload is comparable to its peers. Naturally, there are a handful of joyless grinders among the massive student body, but most kids enjoy themselves and find a good balance between working hard and having fun. If you don’t believe me (an alumnus), check out Niche, Unigo, Fiske, Princeton Review . . . .

+1. DD is a senior at UCLA and has had the time of her life. I just visited her and she was telling me how UCLA is the perfect place to go to school. Westwood is a great "college town" in the middle of a world-class city. Beaches, mountains, etc. It is filled with super smart, ambitious students who work very hard but recreate very hard as well. Surfing, mountain biking, hiking, skiing, hanging at the beach, great sport spirit, etc. And the food scene is second to none. DD was able to strike a really good balance of working the grind but also frequently unwinding with friends.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Second for Davidson!

Is Davidson presitigious?

Yes. 14% admit rate. Best SLAC in the South/Southeast. Meets full financial need with grants (no loans). Has a unique culture of strong academics and supportive professors, staff, and students. Excellent medical, law, and PhD admit rates. Your kid will both learn and like being there. Our Ivy-qualified kid successfully ED’d there. Wasn’t interested in the NE.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bowdoin
Middlebury
Pomona
Vandy
Brown

Isn't Vandy a pressure cooker? A stressed out place??? Inquiring minds want to know!

No, it is not a pressure cooker type environment.

Some fear schools on the quarter system because there is no down time. You get your money's worth at quarter system schools.

Anonymous wrote:Bowdoin
Middlebury
Pomona
Vandy
Brown

Isn't Vandy a pressure cooker? A stressed out place??? Inquiring minds want to know!

Depends upon the major as to whether or not an all work grinder culture is needed for success.

For all majors and professional goals, it depends upon the individual student. Med school aspirants need top grades while others get most of their self-worth from high grades.

Anonymous wrote:Son is a biochem at UVA/Pre med. HUGE grind. It depends on your major--surely you must know this?

Funny, mine is too, they probably know each other. Definitely a grind. My kid decided to add an Econ major to the mix because it interests him...SMH.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are a STEM major anywhere, it is a massive grind. If you major in non-STEM it will be pretty easy.

Says the gamer geek who struggles with a 3-page paper or reading the whole big book

I am not disagreeing that STEM folks can struggle with reading the book or a 3-page paper...but they do end up knocking it out.

However, the reverse is nearly impossible. I was a business major (admittedly...easier than both STEM or liberal arts) and I took a 2nd-year Math class after having done well in Multivariable, and I didn't understand anything written on the Board. Needless to say, I dropped that class and that was the end of any more college math for me.

The equivalent is a professor saying, you need to write a 10-page paper in 7th century Irish English, and BTW, you need to learn 7th century Irish English on your own.

Anonymous wrote:If you are a STEM major anywhere, it is a massive grind. If you major in non-STEM it will be pretty easy.

Says the gamer geek who struggles with a 3-page paper or reading the whole big book