Article provided by The Princeton Review
Are you ready for a challenge? Well, be prepared to spend many late nights at the library with the students we talked to at these schools. They're not only smart, but they're driven and dedicated to being better than you. Sleep is for the weak, though, right? The Princeton Review's survey of 120,000 college students for "The Best 368 Colleges: 2009 Edition" revealed the top 10 schools where students study the most. Read excerpts from the students’ responses to the survey below.
Are you ready for a challenge? Well, be prepared to spend many late nights at the library with the students we talked to at these schools. They're not only smart, but they're driven and dedicated to being better than you. Sleep is for the weak, though, right? The Princeton Review's survey of 120,000 college students for "The Best 368 Colleges: 2009 Edition" revealed the top 10 schools where students study the most. Read excerpts from the students’ responses to the survey below.
Article provided by The Princeton Review Are you ready for a challenge? Well, be prepared to spend many late nights at the library with the students we talk... more
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1
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, Mass.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the East Coast mecca of engineering, science and mathematics, "is the ultimate place for information overload, endless possibilities and expanding your horizons." Students need to be able to manage a workload that will "definitely push [you] beyond your comfort level." A chemical engineering major elaborates: "MIT is different from many schools in that its goal is not to teach you specific facts in each subject. MIT teaches you how to think. Not about opinions, but about problem solving. Facts and memorization are useless unless you know how to approach a tough problem." At MIT, "It may seem . . . like there's no life outside problem sets and studying for exams," but "there's always time for extracurricular activities or just relaxing" for those "with good time-management skills" or the "ability to survive on [a] lack of sleep. "Students who considered Massachusetts Institute of Technology also looked at Harvard College, Stanford University, Yale University and Princeton University.
2
Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering
Needham, Mass.
"Academics-wise, the school kicks people's [butts] right and left. It takes the best and the brightest and breaks them, pushing them when they likely have never had to work hard before. Around here, everyone is smart, and professors assume that, so the classes are taken to that level; there is no such thing as an easy class."Many people choose to spend what little free time they have "working on cool projects" like "hacking the thermostat in their room" and "playing with lasers and circuits." Students who considered Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering also looked at Harvard College, Cornell College, University of California -- Berkeley, Stanford University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
3
Reed College
Portland, Ore.
Students here "work hard constantly." Most relish the challenge; one undergrad explains, "We take a great deal of pleasure in complaining about the amount of work we have on a daily basis, but never feel as though we are doing something that does not contribute to our ultimate academic project." As one undergrad puts it, "Reed allows only three of the following: sleep, a serious relationship, friends, academic success, extracurriculars, a job." Still, once they finish their work, most students find time to "take full advantage of every part of the world outside the library, be it the fantastic Portland restaurants, the huge outdoor sports scene in the Pacific Northwest, or other cultural events around the city, like the art walks that happen twice a month in Portland." Students who considered Reed also looked at University of Chicago and University of California -- Berkeley.
4
California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, Calif.
Nestled in sunny Pasadena, this world-renowned research university makes no concessions to students expecting to coast on natural ability alone. As one student explains, "Every day is a new challenge, and sometimes I find it miraculous that I'm able to keep up." One interesting aspect to note is a test-taking policy that "allows you to take your exams whenever you want, wherever you want" with a much-respected honor code that stipulates, "No member of the Caltech community shall take unfair advantage of any other member of the Caltech community." Despite the proximity of Los Angeles and all the forms of entertainment it provides, most students "live in our own little bubble of problem sets and lectures." In this high-stakes environment, the need to blow off steam is equally pressing, often involving "whatever crazy spontaneous stuff happens to pop up." Students who considered California Institute of Technology also looked at Harvard College, Stanford University and Princeton University.
5
Harvey Mudd College
Claremont, Calif.
Harvey Mudd "is a vortex of challenges and opportunities where you work until you drop, but it doesn't bother you because everyone else is in the same exact situation you are." A curriculum that teaches "way more math and science than you knew existed, then adds one third humanities on top of it" means students here leave with "a broad education" that "prepares undergraduates (and undergraduates only) for both industry and grad school." Best of all, Mudd somehow manages to accomplish all this without creating the high-stress environment common at other tech schools, perhaps because "take-home closed-book tests are the norm." Most students here are "fairly sleep-deprived," and "a lot of socializing is done over homework." Students who considered Harvey Mudd also looked at Stanford University, Princeton University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
6
Bennington College
Bennington, Vt.
Bennington students don't declare majors; rather, they formulate an interdisciplinary academic plan in consultation with faculty advisors. The system makes Bennington a great place "for motivated self-starters who may not know exactly what they want from school but who will thrive if they have control of their education." Bennington is strongest in the arts; students love their work in writing, visual arts and theater. Undergraduates at Bennington "work really, really hard and play with the same intensity. In fact, if you were going to describe Bennington in one word, you would call it 'intense.'" Daily life consists of "a mix of independent work and cooperative work. Everyone is working on a project that they are excited about, stressed out about, etc." Students who considered Bennington also looked at New York University and Bard College.
7
Harvard College
Cambridge, Mass.
Those who are lucky enough to attend this legendarily "beautiful, fun, historic and academically alive place" in Cambridge, Mass., find a "dynamic universe" that has the ability to both inspire and intimidate, and to open up a portal to an "amazing, irresistible hell," plus about a billion opportunities beyond that. Needless to say, it's "very difficult academically," but the school "does a good job of watching over its freshmen through extensive advising programs." With such a definitive grouping of intelligent people, there does tend to be "latent competition"; nobody is cutthroat in classes, but "people find ways to make everything (especially clubs and even partying) competitive," which makes for "a vibrant social atmosphere on campus." Students who considered Harvard also looked at Yale University, Princeton University, Brown University, Stanford University and Cornell University.
8
Middlebury College
Middlebury, Vt.
Home to "smart people who enjoy Aristotelian ethics and quantum physics, but aren't too stuck-up to go sledding in front of Mead Chapel at midnight," Middlebury College is a small, exclusive liberal arts school with "excellent foreign language programs" as well as standout offerings in environmental studies, the sciences, theater and writing. Expect to work hard here; "It's tough, but this is a mini-Ivy, so what should one expect? There is plenty of time to socialize, and due to the collaborative atmosphere here, studying and socializing can often come hand in hand." Students who considered Middlebury also looked at Harvard College, Dartmouth College, Williams College and Amherst College.
9
University of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago students believe that "no university offers a better academic experience." Undergraduates must complete an intense, "interdisciplinary" core curriculum that "teaches them how to think about literature and philosophy and science." The Core is "rigorous" but also "fantastic, and you come out an incredibly well-rounded thinker with opinions on a wide variety of subjects." The quarter system "makes for a particularly fast-paced" schedule. "We wear T-shirts that say 'U of C: Where fun comes to die,' and we're proud of it," explains a first-year student. "Don't come here if you don't plan to work very hard," an economics major warns. However, according to one student, "As much as a lot of people complain about the extremely rigorous academics at this school, we all secretly love it or we wouldn't be here." Students who considered University of Chicago also looked at Northwestern University, Brown University, Cornell University, Washington University in St. Louis and New York University.
10
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore, Penn.
Swarthmore College, a school that is "as intense and stimulating as it claims to be," suits students who are "passionate and devoted to something." Swatties love that "Swarthmore is amazingly flexible. The requirements are very limited, allowing you to explore whatever you are interested in and change your mind millions of times about your major and career path. If they don't offer a major you want, you can design your own with ease." "There is a misconception that Swarthmore students do nothing but study," students tell us. "While we certainly do a lot of it, we still find many ways to have fun." One student sums up, "While it is tough to generalize on the life of a Swarthmore student, one word definitely applies to us all: busy. All of us are either working on extracurriculars, studying or fighting sleep to do more work." Students who considered Swarthmore also looked at Haverford College, Amherst College, Williams College, Brown University and Wesleyan University.
[source: https://spotlight.encarta.msn.com/Features/encnet_Departments_College_default_article_Top10StudyMost09.html ]
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