<p>Hi everybody. I'm a senior and am already in the midst of my applications, but no school seems perfect for me. I am sooooo stressed out. I'm open to any new school choices, but I am in need of some "safety" and "good fit schools" (any "reaches" are welcome, too). I'm looking for the most absolute, perfect fit you can find! There has to be some school for me...
Stats: 93 uw avg. @ competitive Jesuit prep school in Buffalo, NY; Senior year courseload (AP English, AP Gov, AP Eco, Religion 12, Writing and Film [kind of a media study course], German 1, Precalculus); SATs (combined best scores--I did worse my second time w/ the exception of the writing section) V660 M590 W 670
ECs: Theater: acted in 2 plays (Shakespeare and part of ensemble), musical directed 4, played piano for 7, and am in the midst of composing a musical w/ a theater group that will have a national tour ending in Times Square; I compose freelance and have played the piano for 10 years, winning a few local competitions; I do a good deal of community service (but mostly because my school requires it); yearbook staff member (just this year); and I rowed on the Novice and Varsity Crew team Freshman and Sophomore years, coming in second in the NYS championship.
What I want out of college: I want a small school (1000-3500 )in the Northeast, Southeast (not too far south), or Midwest (my limit is Wisconsin) and with at least a decent academic reputation. I plan on being an archaeologist (I have interests in ancient studies, medieval studies, mythology, art history, religious studies, and all that other good Indiana Jones stuff) and later a museum curator (maybe even a professor). However, I don't want to sacrifice my passion for music composition, musical theater, and creative writing (fiction, nonfiction, and playwriting), so the school has to good English, Music (a conservatory isn't needed, but as long as they have involvement from nonmajors as well), and Anthropology departments. The school must also have loose distribution requirements and no core. I need a school that offers a passible amount of financial aid and also offers a good amount of internships and study abroad (Germany and Egypt would be awesome, but it's okay if they don't have 'em). The student body should be somewhat liberal, but not too far left (I'm not really into that whole political activism thing), and should be smart, intellectual, and love to talk about class outside of class. The party scene shouldn't be too hectic, and Greek life should be minimal. There should be some musical theater on campus, as well as an orchestra and/or ensembles open to nonmajors.<br>
Whew. With that said, what are some schools that I should consider (particularly good fits and safeties, although reaches are welcome)? I need a school that does not sacrifice anyone of the points I listed above. Thank you so much guys!! Comment as much as you want!!</p>
<p>what are some of the schools that you are already looking at?</p>
<p>U of Rochester, Kenyon College, Dickinson College, Lawrence U, Beloit</p>
<p>HarryP, You have a terrific list! </p>
<p>Don't worry too much about trying to uncover some hidden gem that you haven't yet heard of --- I've seen you around on these boards often enough to know you've done a thorough job of researching what's out there and, as I said, you've picked some excellent schools. Think of this like ordering off a menu in a fancy restaurant --- everything may sound yummy, but at some point you need to pick out what you really want to order and order it without worrying about the other items you didn't pick.</p>
<p>Best of luck!!!!</p>
<p>we are looking at a lot of the same colleges, so I will give you a few other schools that I am considering...although I know nothing of their music departments. </p>
<p>Middlebury
Bowdoin
Vassar
Clark
Colgate
Colby
Amherst
Johns Hopkins
Bucknell</p>
<p>Why not SUNY Buffalo or SUNY Fredonia? Ithaca C, Syracuse, Earlham, Skidmore, U Pittsburgh. U of Rochester is an all-around great school.</p>
<p>SUNY Buffalo sounds almost perfect for you, except for size. </p>
<p>strong musical theater:
Carnegie Mellon
Catholic U
Emerson C
Hampshire C
Ithaca C
NYU
SUNY Fredonia
SUNY New Paltz
Syracuse
U Cincinnati</p>
<p>for Anthro:
Skidmore
Earlham
Lafayette
SUNY Buffalo
U Pittsburgh</p>
<p>for Classics:
Holy Cross
Skidmore
Catholic U
U Cincinnati</p>
<p>for archaeology:
George Washington U
Boston U
Bard College
Hamilton
Washington and Lee</p>
<p>Museum Studies:
Earlham
Juniata</p>
<p>Theater deign/tech:
Boston U
Emerson
Hampshire
Ithaca C
NYU
SUNY Fredonia
Syracuse
U Cincinnati
Dickinson C</p>
<p>Oberlin and Carnegie Mellon</p>
<p>You might also want to look at Northwestern.</p>
<p>~stellar musical theatre (including the Waa-Mu show, a huge, entirely student-written musical called "the greatest college show in America")
~Tons of theatre tech opportunities. It's in very high demand here...you can jump right into lighting/set design/TDing as a freshman!
~Tons of music opportunities for non-majors
~no core, and light distros...a very "make your own major" kind of school
~excellent Creative writing minor program
~a school full of dorks that love to discuss Shakespeare at 2 in the morning
~As you mentioned, it's pretty liberal, but not entirely left</p>
<p>However, it is a little bigger than you listed (about 8,000 undergrads), but it has a very small-school feel, and professors are pretty accessible. Also, there is a rather large greek scene, but it's very laid back and it's not hard at all to find plenty of other stuff to do. It doesn't dominate the entire social scene...people only go greek if that's their thing. </p>
<p>It's definitely a bit of a reach, but with your ECs, you probably have a chance...if it piques your interest, it's definitely worth applying!</p>
<p>One that hasn't yet been mentioned but would be a fit is the College of Wooster in Ohio. They have a solid interdisciplinarian program in archeology(<a href="http://www.wooster.edu/archaeology/%5B/url%5D">http://www.wooster.edu/archaeology/</a>) and Wooster also fits everything else you're looking for as well (music, writing, not overly Greek, etc.). The nice thing about Wooster is its requirement that every student do a major independent research project before graduation. That would not only be a great thing to show graduate schools down the road, but it would also give you some flexibility to pursue your specific interests in a more in-depth manner. I'd say Wooster is a solid bet for you in terms of admissions as well.</p>
<p>Thank you everybody for your help! I'm at ease now!</p>
<p>I am concerned that the names Hopkins, Northwestern and Carnegie Mellon came up. The best indicator of safety/match/reach is the 50% SAT ranges. Some people look at the SAT scores and think that they have a chance if they are in the range even if they are at the bottom of it. However, in order for a school to be a match for a non-URM, non-legacy, non-athlete, non-ED; you need to be near the top of the 50% range. In order for a school to be a reasonable reach, you need to be in the middle. If the range is 1300-1500, then you should have near a 1450 for a match and near a 1400 for a reach. Hopkins is 1280-1490. NU is 1300-1480. CM is 1270-1470.</p>