Re Michigan Honors, I meant to say "And grad/professional school placement was top notch." Most of my friends ended up at HYPS, UChicago, Columbia, or (of course) Michigan.

Can people who looked at NESCAC colleges chime in? Would you say the cultures at Amherst, Williams, Wesleyan, Bowdoin, Middlebury, Hamilton, Bates and Tufts (sorry if I omitted a few) tend to be more friendly and collaborative than HYPS? Less? Or just smaller?

I'm especially interested in hearing about Amherst, Williams and Wesleyan.

Anonymous wrote:less snootiness and social-climbing pressure

You never even visited Brown.

Anonymous wrote:My son got into Yale and felt like it would be too much of a "frat-bro" environment and chose Stanford instead. After spending a weekend at Yale he told me "I feel like I'd accidentally be friends with guys who date rape girls but don't think of themselves as rapists."

DD got into Brown and chose Berkeley instead. Both kids felt like California kids are smart and strive to do well, but without pushing other people out of their way.

He didn't want a "frat bro" environment but chose Stanford instead. Fascinating. Let me guess, he joined a fraternity at Stanford.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The notion that Oberlin and Michigan are remotely comparable to HYPS is laughable. But nice try!

Go away, troll. Oberlin is a different deal because it’s a SLAC (not worse, just different), but Michigan is 100% comparable to HYPS.

That’s a clown post.

Michigan's top tier of students (many found in the Honors program) are generally comparable to HYPS. I knew many who turned down HYPS for various reasons (financial, programmatic, extracurricular, personal, etc.). The classes were tough too. And head/professional school placement was too notch. Obviously, top to bottom, the Michigan undergraduate cohort does not match HYPS.

The top public universities: Michigan, Berkeley, and UCLA. My oldest chose Michigan over Penn and Brown for more or less the reasons OP mentioned. Kids are just as smart and accomplished but there’s less hand-holding, less snootiness and social-climbing pressure, and as far as we can tell, in many industries (outside of the ones for which being extremely wealthy or an Ivy Leaguer are the main qualifications) alumni are equally well regarded.

UVA if you are local.

Brown for sure, according to my son who's a rising junior there

If anything, he's been the tiniest bit disappointed that the 'relaxed' approach to school there means a surprisingly substantial percentage of the students aren't very engaged with academics

But after a couple of years, he's found his niche and appreciates that the school's culture allows him to be serious about some things and laid back about others, just as it does for other students who might choose to be laid back about studying

The arrogant frat bros from our HS were not admitted to HYP and are headed elsewhere. HYP got the super nerds in my neck of the woods.

If you are in VA, you can't beat William and Mary. Instate tuition, and top 10 for undergrad quality of teaching. Top 10 for undergrad research.

My son chose Rice for this reason. He has loved it and we’ve been very impressed with the school. He’s not nerdy but didn’t want the aggressively competitive environment of the Ivy League schools. Wash U feels like a similar environment.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD looking for a similar environment found it at Smith. Not helpful if you have a son, though.

Maybe William and Mary? Or St Mary's College of Md?

So new to looking at women's colleges. Any non-snarky advice re: Smith, Wellesly, Bryn Mawr, Scripps, Barnard, others? Basically what OP was describing with great academics and a nice community of students. Which ones fit (and they don't really have to be mini-HYP)?

Bryn Mawr

+1.

Rice completely fits this bill. DD just graduated and I can’t say enough about the wonderful community there. And btw, I don’t think she’d be described as “nerdy.” There are all types of kids there, but few a**holes. These kids got into top jobs (Silicon Valley, BCG) and grad school programs (Harvard, Columbia, etc.), but they don’t stab others in the back to get there.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rice
Notre Dame
WashU
URochester

Way to sneak Rochester in there.

Sneaky or not can we hear more about this school? Anyone send a student there? Did they like it? Aside from the cold which is fine. Mine is a hot weather hater and wants to go north

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD looking for a similar environment found it at Smith. Not helpful if you have a son, though.

Maybe William and Mary? Or St Mary's College of Md?

So new to looking at women's colleges. Any non-snarky advice re: Smith, Wellesly, Bryn Mawr, Scripps, Barnard, others? Basically what OP was describing with great academics and a nice community of students. Which ones fit (and they don't really have to be mini-HYP)?

Bryn Mawr