I've got a map of places to go... NSE Exchange program! (where to stay, credit)

[loop636]

Moderator cut: Link to PDF explanation of the NSE program

I currently attend the University of Louisville and am taking my last year off (as I only need a few more credits to graduate) to do the NSE exchange program.

On that note, there's a lot of schools to choose from and I'd like some help picking my top 5.

What I'm looking for in a school/city:
Good climate (snowy winters or warm year round, none of that 50 degrees in winter nonsense)
Lots of entertainment opportunities, I like live music, hitting the bars, travel, cooking, food (huge foodie here).
Friendly people
Far from the 'Ville.
Not TOO huge of a city.

I'm thinking:
South Dakota
Minnesota-Twin Cities
New Hampshire
Illinois State
Michigan Tech
Portland State
Washington
Alaska-Anchorage
Cal State - East Bay or San Jose State
Humboldt State (cool year round, fine by me)
Wisconsin-Superior

Any recommendations on these schools and their surrounding communities? Any tips or neat things in any of these? Thanks so much!

P.S. Those are not in ANY kind of order.


For some reason it won't let me take the URL tags off and link to the map, but you can copy and paste it!

[ckhthankgod]

What about Syracuse University?

[loop636]

It's not on the list or it'd definitely be a contender :P One of my favorite out of the Big East, forget the Cardinals :P

The link didn't display right, I'll fix it.

[ckhthankgod]

After looking at the list, in NY, I would look at Buffalo State College, SUNY-Binghamton(very good school) and maybes for SUNY-Plattsburgh(only an hour south of Montreal) and Skidmore College in underrated Saratoga Springs(about an hour north of Albany). Stony Brook on Long Island might be another school to consider.

[loop636]

I don't know why the link was cut but it can be found by googling the organization name and the word "map". Either way, how is SUNY Buffalo? Since I'm simply finishing up my degree and still getting a degree from UofL, the quality of the school doesn't really matter that much to me. I'm looking more into good towns, maybe somewhere to stay even. Southern Maine looks neat, but it doesn't say which campus it is.

I mainly want to be in a place with charm and character rather than cookie cutter rows of Wal-Marts, Taco Bells, and McDs.

[loop636]

???

[Verseau]

As far as the University of New Hampshire, Durham is a pretty small, quaint New England town that is definitely dominated by the college. The entertainment options in the town are typical of a college town but limited due to the town's size; however, Durham is close to Portsmouth, which is a *fantastic* small city with a very historic, walkable center, and some really great restaurants and bars considering its relatively small size.

Definitely a four season climate with warm summers, amazing autumns, and snowy winters. "Cookie cutter" is the last word I'd use to describe the area - we tend to be a little more resistant to all that chain stuff and proud of our history up here, although that doesn't mean the Wal-Marts aren't around somewhere. Portsmouth probably has more of the cultural amenities you're looking for than Durham itself, although it is typically more expensive to live in.

For more excitement, trains and buses run to Boston in a little over an hour.

[ckhthankgod]

Interestingly, SUNY-Binghsmton, Stony Brook and New Hampshire play in the same league for sports except for Football.