Agnes Scott, Earlham or Lewis & Clark?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hello people, </p>

<p>I'm an international student and right now, I don't have access/guidance from people that are more knowledgeable about US colleges. Well, except for CC. And this is why I come here asking for your sweet words of advice. </p>

<p>So far, I've been accepted and given all the FA I needed by Agnes Scott (GA), Lewis & Clark (Portland) and Earlham (Richmond, Indiana). I've gotten a couple of rejections and was waitlisted at Mt. Holyoke (though with all the aid I need, I find it hard to ever get it at MoHo, assuming I get off the waitlist). There are still some colleges about to notify me, but to be honest, I'm not really the last coke in the desert... I doubt any other college will be that generous to me. </p>

<p>I found it really hard to compare these colleges because they're very much different, ASC is a women's college down there in the South, L&C has all that northwestern hipsterness and Earlham attracts me because of its Quaker roots but it's kind of in the middle of nowhere... </p>

<p>In the end, it comes down to academic strength to me. I want to go to the most academically respected college, the one that will offer me the most opportunities of learning and growth. I wanna go to a place where students are VERY serious about academics, and passionate and engaged. (:</p>

<p>My possible majors/minors are: Political Science (for sure), Economics, Foreign Languages, Art History... </p>

<p>If there's anything else you'd like to know, please, ask. And please please please tell me what you think, I don't want to make a choice based in angry students' reviews or college-sponsored comments. Thank you all in advance.</p>

<p>p.s. - sorry for the wrong title in the 1st thread! :P</p>

2

<p>Like I said in the other thread: </p>

<p>If it’s academic reputation you’re looking for, Lewis & Clark comes out on top in terms of test scores and GPAs of those admitted, graduation rate, and percentage of students who are going to graduate school or working in their field within a year of graduation.</p>

<p>Try looking up all three schools on the College Board’s website here, it has the most recent information: <a href=“https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/college-university-search[/url]”>https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/college-university-search&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Personally, I’ve never considered either school. So as a neutral observer I feel I would really love the environment at Lewis & Clark the most as well. Portland is a great city to live and learn in.</p>

3

<p>My sister looked into Agnes Scott when she was applying to colleges, and I was very favorably impressed. Smart, energetic young women, nice facilities, and an absolutely stunning campus. Being just outside Atlanta is very nice as well. (It’s somewhat unfortunate that some of the colleges I’ve liked best are women’s colleges.)</p>

<p>I’m very fond of both Earlham and Lewis & Clark as well, however. Earlham is mildly quirky and intellectual but laidback, a combination I’ve always found immensely appealing. </p>

<p>I don’t think there’s a wrong decision to be made here. Deciding between single-sex (Agnes Scott) and co-ed (Earlham, L&C) should help, as should deciding between a large city (Agnes Scott, L&C) and a small town (Earlham). Once you pick a stance on those two things, picking a top choice should be easy.</p>

4

<p>I think it comes down to location and how you feel about coeducational v. women’s colleges. For the location, I’d recommend L&C.</p>

5

<p>No bad choices here. ASC has been known as a college for women from wealthy families. Lewos & Clark students are probably a bit more diverse socially. Earlham attracts independent thinkers who are not necessarily Quakers.</p>

6

<p>Thank you all! I wasn’t expecting such quick replies (mainly after I messed up the first thread). </p>

<p>DavidSSabb94 - is there a specific reason you never considered any of them? or they’re just not your cup of tea?</p>

<p>LakeWashington, warblersrule & tk21769- I’m glad you said there’s no wrong decision to be made… and yes, Lewis & Clark is more of an obvious choice, co-educational and cosmopolitan is a great combination. The thing is… there is something about it that doesn’t fully convince me. </p>

<p>I wanted to know more about how L&C is perceived by the people that know it, so maybe I could get a brighter picture or get to know that overlooked detail that would make me certain about attending. </p>

<p>I’ve mostly heard neutral things about L&C (and about Agnes Scott as well). And concerning Earlham, I heard their students don’t really live up to the purpose/ideal of the school, that there is A LOT (for a LAC) of partying, binge drinking and there’s not much else to do.</p>

7

<p>I was never looking to go as far away as Indiana or Oregon, I mostly looked at schools in my region. But I considered small LACs like those three. One school I considered was also Quaker (Guilford College) and I did like the relaxed environment there. The Quaker influence is actually really cool, for example you call everyone, from professors to the President himself, by their first name because Quakers believe in equality.</p>

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<p>Have you tried the L&C forum?</p>

9

<p>yep, tk21769, I’ve researched a lot on it. actually, i’ve started reading CC and other forums (thinking of my own college choices) in 2009. got to see a lot of comments telling that L&C is hippieish, hipster, lots of internationals, good international affairs program, athletes are over-glorified, cliqueish, one of the most beautiful campuses, not well-recognized outside of the Northwestern region… I just wanted to get to know if there’s something else about it (and I hope there is).</p>

10

<p>I am also an international student…L&C is on my school list now.Z</p>

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<p>None of these 3 is well recognized outside their regions, or even inside.
That is the lot of almost all small liberal arts colleges (except within academic circles or among people who know American colleges very well).</p>

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<p>You can check what you want on **************.</p>

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<p>college…¥¥*******</p>

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<p>As I wrote in the other thread, I do know Earlham is quite well respected in the Midwest. I know several successful graduates. It’s a very personal decision, and not really one someone else can make for you. I guess there’s no way you can visit? Besides statistics and academics, there’s an intangible ‘fit’ to a college that no one can tell you. If you can’t visit, I’d check out any websites that show what it looks like, student sites, Facebook if you can, and so on. My daughter ruled out one college based on their own promotional materials—the students ALL looked very like each other, very non-diverse, and not at all like her. This may not be a deal breaker for you, but it is info. Good luck.</p>

15

<p>I would suggest that you investigate transportation between each of these places and your home. How often will you want or need to make that trip? Once each year? More often? Some people would find the extra travel to reach Earlham to be too much. Likewise, check out the weather. If you enjoy snow, Earlham might be for you.</p>

<p>Really, you can’t go wrong with any of these. It is OK to choose one for some random reason.</p>