Road Trippin' in the land of Ivy

Just because Ivy Leaguers scored 1560 on their SATS and will one day be your boss doesn't mean they can't whip you at cornhole. Amidst all the gothic architecture, pipe-smoking professors and a cappella groups, however, there is one Ivy that tops them all.

1. YALE

Every Ivy League school has quirky and inane traditions, but at Yale each of the 12 residential colleges (known everywhere else as dorms) has its own set of bizarre mascots, college rivalries and theme parties. For example, Sillman College always hosts Tequila Mondays. Want to go out on a Tuesday night? Head over to Pierson for the Tuesday Night Club keg party. The colleges also go head to head to win the Tyng Cup, the award for best overall performance in intramurals.

Think of it like sibling rivalry as the 12 residential colleges try to one-up one another all year with parties, tailgates, you name it. For that reason the alma mater of Jodie Foster is the No. 1 Ivy League road trip. Now, if only Yale could get its varsity sports to match the extracurricular activities.

2. BROWN

Welcome to Brown, home of the happiest Ivy Leaguers in the land. Don't just take our word for it; the Princeton Review ranked Brown third happiest school in the nation this year, behind only by No. 2 Whittman College and No. 1 Stanford. Why so happy? Well, the "new curriculum" virtually eradicates the intense academic rivalry felt at all other Ivy League institutions. So if you don't want to take math ever again, you don't have to.

Situated on the east side of Providence (an area with a suburban-like quality), the city is just large enough that students can escape the campus but not as �beracademic as Cambridge, as sketchy as New Haven or as overwhelming as NYC. Though Brown students have a rep for being crazy liberal hippies, the school boasts a wide range of students and has the requisite number of popped collars and Ivy League preppiness.

On the field, Brown might not get recognition for its football or basketball teams, but like most Ivies it has had success in smaller sports. The men's soccer team is downright nasty, and women's crew has won five national championships in the past 10 years. The women's ice hockey team was a pioneer when women's ice hockey got no respect. Speaking of pioneers, the Brown football program recently received national attention when Fritz Pollard, class of 1919, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Pollard was the first African-American to play in the Rose Bowl in 1916 and the first black coach in the NFL

And please don't challenge any Brown students to a game of Beirut. They take the "sport" very seriously.

3. PRINCETON