Some help needed

[Antonio the Sixth]

Hi everybody ! I'd like to hear your opinions on an important choice I'm about to make.

First of all, you have to know that, for my University, I have to spend my next year abroad. Of course, I immediately knew that my destination would be the USA. I'm extremely excited to eventually visit the country I like so much... but I also feel lost due to the amplitude of the choice I have to make. Sciences Po, my university, has partnerships with around 70 american universities. So, now time has come to choose them (actually, I'm quite late...). By december 16, I'll have to rank 4 different US universities (then a commission will decide which one I will go to).

I've started to have a look at university websites in the past few days, but I've found myself unable to restricting my choices to a low number. So far, I've come up with 41 (!) universities which all seemed fine to me. They are from all over the US, as I don't have any geographic preference. Here's the list :

Northeastern University
Tufts University
Trinity College
Middlebury College
New York University
Columbia University
Vassar College
Syracuse University
Hamilton College
Princeton University
University of Pennsylvania
University of Pittsburgh
St. Mary's College of Maryland
The George Washington University
University of Richmond
Northwestern University
University of Illinois
University of Chicago
DePaul University
Washington University in St. Louis
University of Missouri
University of Notre Dame
Indiana University
Oberlin College
University of Michigan
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
University of Wisconsin - Madison
Marquette University
MacAlester College
Vanderbilt University
University of NC
University of SC
Emory University
University of Florida
University of Southern California
University of San Francisco
San Diego State University
Colorado College
University of Denver
University of Colorado - Boulder
University of Arizona

That's quite a lot of them, as you can see. Of course I'm not asking for a general review of all of those. But since we have forumers from everywhere in America, you could give me some practical info about the universities of your region.

Here is the kind of issues you could help me with. I intend to study Political Sciences, and I've checked the universities websites to see the courses that were given, but they all seemed very interesting to me. I'm not necessarily looking for the very best Poli Sci departments, but maybe you could give me a clue about which university has the most interesting teachnings in this domain. Another important aspect to me is the atmosphere of the campus : I'd rather be in a small campus where everybody can know each other than in a gigantic one where I would get completely lost. If you could give me some tips about these aspects, It'd be really great.

Thank you infinitely : you can really help me a lot with a very stressful task. If I happen to go to a university close to where you live, I hope we'll have occasions to meet.

[angus]

Northeastern University

I applied to, and was accepted into, their PhD program.  After visiting, I turned it down because I knew I could do better.  I did have a roommate who got all her degrees there and she liked it.

Columbia University

I spent a summer there as a visiting scholar.  Loved it.  Fine school.  Extremely high cost of living.  I paid $3000/month for a tiny one-bedroom apartment with few amenities on the 16th floor of my building.  Lots to do in the City that Never Sleeps.  Nice enough neighborhood around Columbia, but don't expect much in the way of living large unless you're rich. 

Don't know the others very well on your list.  Well, I've visited a some of their campus but I can't really say I have intimate knowledge of any of them.

Good luck.

[TJ in Oregon]

I grew up about 20 minutes from Oberlin College. It's in a very small town (there isn't much else in Oberlin besides the college) and has only 3000 students. It's known for being very liberal and was the first college in the US to have co-ed dormitories.

I don't know anything about their political science program, but their hard science claim to fame is discovering the process used to refine aluminum ore.

[Torie]

Wow that is quite a range, from absolutely top tier (Princeton), to third rate (DePaul). Your choice depends on what you are looking for, but if it were me, balancing quality, the intelligence of the students, location, climate and amenities, and if money were no object, this would be my rank order:

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Madison! Known for parties and riots.

[Lief 🗽]

I agree with Torie's list (except for #14, there's no reason to go to the state of Arizona).

Also I assume George Washington's political science program is good, and you'd be in DC, so that would be good choice. I'd definitely try for Princeton, Columbia or NYU if I were in your shoes though.

[Boris]

I've taken political science classes at both the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Unless you're into partying, I wouldn't advise going to either. Hell, I'm sitting typing this right now while in a political science class; haven't paid attention to really a single word in the lecture yet I can state with 100% certainly I will get ~95% in the class. I'd say UW/UIUC/Michigan/Indiana/Colorado/Mizzou/Florida/etc. give you the more classical American college experience, but aren't too big in terms of intellectually stimulating an inherently vapid subject.

Madison! Known for parties and riots.

Riots don't really happen anymore. State street during Halloween is pretty tame; you can't even drink outside. Mifflin is basically the equivalent of similar events that happen at all Big Ten Schools.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Thank you guys, it's really nice to have an advice of what unis really are beyond their own website.

Maybe I should add that I'll study at the undergraduate level (it's the first cycle, right ?).

Wow that is quite a range, from absolutely top tier (Princeton), to third rate (DePaul). Your choice depends on what you are looking for, but if it were me, balancing quality, the intelligence of the students, location, climate and amenities, and if money were no object, this would be my rank order:

Thank you Torie, that's a nice insight. Basically, I chose not to rely on the traditional rankings because I didn't want to be prejudiced toward the Greatest Universities Of The World (Ivy League and all). The few things that scare me about them is maybe the level of competitivity (I like intellectual stimulation but hate when I have to constantly strive to avoid failing) and the size of campuses (being in a huge campus makes it far harder to develop relationships and to get help). I've always had the ideas that aside from all those "big names" I could find some "small jewels" which people usually ignore. Of course, that also involves including some bad universities in my research...

[Grumpier Than Thou]

Well if you'd prefer to stay away from me, the University of Pennsylvania is not a great idea, as I live roughly 30 minutes from the campus

[Insula Dei]

That sounds like a really fun experience, Antonio.

On a related note, and I'll post thise here because I know you'll be reading this thread, do you have any ideas about the University of Paris-Nanterre? I might be trying to get a spot there for an Erasmus exchange next year (in philosophy). (Other contenders are University College Dublin and Queens' at Belfast, so if anyone else has ideas, feel free). It's an Erasmus exchange, so the academical side of things takes a back seat, but I'd hate to be stuck at some third-tier university for a prolonged amount of time.

(As I may have mentioned before on here, I'm currently at the Catholic University of Leuven, so I'd like to maintain that sort of Academical level or not too far below it)

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Oh I just noticed Macalester in St. Paul! Dude you should go there and then I could show you were all the cool places are. Do you go to hardcore and emo shows in France? I'm sure you don't care about the strip clubs since French ones are no doubt far superior.

[Torie]

Thank you guys, it's really nice to have an advice of what unis really are beyond their own website.

Maybe I should add that I'll study at the undergraduate level (it's the first cycle, right ?).

Wow that is quite a range, from absolutely top tier (Princeton), to third rate (DePaul). Your choice depends on what you are looking for, but if it were me, balancing quality, the intelligence of the students, location, climate and amenities, and if money were no object, this would be my rank order:

Thank you Torie, that's a nice insight. Basically, I chose not to rely on the traditional rankings because I didn't want to be prejudiced toward the Greatest Universities Of The World (Ivy League and all). The few things that scare me about them is maybe the level of competitivity (I like intellectual stimulation but hate when I have to constantly strive to avoid failing) and the size of campuses (being in a huge campus makes it far harder to develop relationships and to get help). I've always had the ideas that aside from all those "big names" I could find some "small jewels" which people usually ignore. Of course, that also involves including some bad universities in my research...

If you want a smaller school, that is reasonably high quality, but not hyper competitive, you might consider Colorado College then. Middlebury is another option if you can afford it (it is a simply marvelous school), but it is quite selective, and that may put you off a bit.

[Yelnoc]

One thing you really need to keep in mind is climate.  You absolutely do not want to be miserable the entire time.  Remember, the United States has extremely diverse climates, encompassing most biomes.

I can tell you that anywhere in the southeast will be hot as hell in the summer, and humid to match.  And I'm not joking; in Atlanta this past summer we routinely had a heat index above 100 F (38 C) with humidity hovering around 99%.  It can get hotter in the southwest, though it's a "dry heat" so you don't feel like you are drowning and the shade does offer some relief.

Moving father west, California has varied weather.  Obviously, the desert is the desert.  Speaking from experience, the southern and central coastal areas are perfect weather wise.  Progressing north, one enters the temperate rainforest of the Pacific Northwest, which stretches up through British Columbia.

I cannot speak from experience about the north, but from what I understand, it's cold

[Bacon King]

^^^^^^

Yelnoc raises a very good point.

If you find very cold weather unbearable, don't go up north; if you find very hot and humid weather unbearable, don't go anywhere in the Southeast.

[Cincinnatus]

I agree with Torie's list (except for #14, there's no reason to go to the state of Arizona).

Also I assume George Washington's political science program is good, and you'd be in DC, so that would be good choice. I'd definitely try for Princeton, Columbia or NYU if I were in your shoes though.

I know someone who goes to GW, and he says it's great.  Unfortunately, none of these Universities are relatively close to me, so I have no further insight.

I cannot speak from experience about the north, but from what I understand, it's cold

Absolutely frigid.. There's a reason it's snowing up in Buffalo and we're stuck in our cars...

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Pardon my bigotry, this is just a "thing" I have... What's the point of you going to Notre Dame? If you catch my drift...


Anyway, I encourage you to go to something in the Mid-West. Biased due to my home state, I'd suggest anything between PA & IL, with MI being the northern limit. I've gotten like 2 or 3 things from U of Chicago...

[Kaine for Senate '18]

Middlebury College
New York University
Columbia University
Vassar College
Princeton University
University of Pennsylvania
Northwestern University
University of Chicago
Washington University in St. Louis
University of Michigan
University of Wisconsin - Madison
MacAlester College
Vanderbilt University
University of NC
Emory University

The ones here are the ones you should choose from; I bolded what I thought were your best options.  For UNC, make sure it's Chapel Hill.

[Хahar 🤔]

Go to a big public school, preferably in the Midwest. If you're going to go to an American university, you need the American college experience. Pick a school with a good football team. The University of Michigan has a football stadium with more than 100,000 seats; you won't find a school like that in France. Now the Michigan football team is good again after a few bad years, so that would certainly be fun. Make sure not to go to Southern California; that's the worst school in the world.

Ranked in order:

Michigan
Wisconsin (Madison)
Florida
Illinois
Missouri
South Carolina
Arizona
North Carolina
Colorado
Indiana
Pittsburgh
Notre Dame

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Go to a big public school, preferably in the Midwest. If you're going to go to an American university, you need the American college experience. Pick a school with a good football team. The University of Michigan has a football stadium with more than 100,000 seats; you won't find a school like that in France. Now the Michigan football team is good again after a few bad years, so that would certainly be fun. Make sure not to go to Southern California; that's the worst school in the world.

Ranked in order:

Michigan
Wisconsin (Madison)
Florida
Illinois
Missouri
South Carolina
Arizona
North Carolina
Colorado
Indiana
Pittsburgh
Notre Dame

Thank you for the kind mention of Michigan University.

[ilikeverin]

What, no Michigan State?  Are we not good enough for you or something?

*insert BCS reference here*

[Torie]

I agree with Torie's list (except for #14, there's no reason to go to the state of Arizona).

Also I assume George Washington's political science program is good, and you'd be in DC, so that would be good choice. I'd definitely try for Princeton, Columbia or NYU if I were in your shoes though.

Torie didn't notice Northwestern. That would be up there with my alma mater, the University of Chicago, but I suspect Antonio would be happier with Northwestern. The U of C is for eggheads. Antonio however seems to want a more intimate place than a large university, although the college at the University of Chicago is quite intimate, about 3,000 students or something.

[Psychic Octopus]

Make sure not to go to Southern California; that's the worst school in the world.

This fact cannot be stressed enough. If that's the only college I get into my senior year, I'll have to do a complete 180 on my hatred of the Trojans -- something I do not wish to do. Plus, I doubt that Antonio would like it very much...

If I was in your shoes, Antonio, I would personally try for Columbia, Chicago, Penn, or Princeton; though we might have different interests. If you really want the quintessential "American" college experience, do as Xahar said, and go to Michigan.

It's a shame Stanford isn't on your list; it's one of our top universities, has laid back Californian-weather, and has a great football program to boot. I would have chosen there.

I agree with Torie's list (except for #14, there's no reason to go to the state of Arizona).

Also I assume George Washington's political science program is good, and you'd be in DC, so that would be good choice. I'd definitely try for Princeton, Columbia or NYU if I were in your shoes though.

Torie didn't notice Northwestern. That would be up there with my alma mater, the University of Chicago, but I suspect Antonio would be happier with Northwestern. The U of C is for eggheads. Antonio however seems to want a more intimate place than a large university, although the college at the University of Chicago is quite intimate, about 3,000 students or something.

As you know, I'm interested in UChicago... is it really that small, though? I always assumed it was around five thousand students. Still, a lot smaller than Northwestern.

[TheDeadFlagBlues]

GWU
Princeton
Columbia
NYU
UChicago
Penn

Experience the best of the America, not the cultural wastelands that are our state-schools (which I might unfortunately be relegated to).

[Psychic Octopus]

GWU
Princeton
Columbia
NYU
UChicago

Experience the best of the America, not the cultural wastelands that are our state-schools (which I might unfortunately be relegated to).

Schools like Cal, Virginia, and Michigan, are not cultural wastelands, and are not cake to get into. They offer similar environments (though a larger student body and sports culture) to top privates.

Now, if we are talking about a school like ASU, then perhaps you are onto something...

[TheDeadFlagBlues]

GWU
Princeton
Columbia
NYU
UChicago

Experience the best of the America, not the cultural wastelands that are our state-schools (which I might unfortunately be relegated to).

Schools like Cal, Virginia, and Michigan, are not cultural wastelands, and are not cake to get into. They offer similar environments (though a larger student body and sports culture) to top privates.

Now, if we are talking about a school like ASU, then perhaps you are onto something...

I like all of those universities as schools but their locations certainly make them something close to a cultural wasteland. Then again, I'm terribly biased towards large cities because I've been trapped in Idaho my whole life. Perhaps Antonio would enjoy a small city like Ann Arbor.