<p>So I'm a rising junior, and this summer I've started to seriously start looking for colleges. I'm pretty sure that I want to go to a small (I love to develop relationships with my professors), liberal arts (I like to feel intelligent all-around, and I believe in the idea that learning a little of everything will make you a more well rounded and intelligent person) college. My guidance counselor, who (or whom?) I trust immensely and knows me very well, said that he thinks I'll like colleges in the New England area, so I've started looking around there. My uncle also went to college in Boston, and has nothing but wonderful things to say about the area. I live in Maryland, so it's not too far away as well (relatively speaking, of course).
I'm also looking for a college with a strong and reputable history/art history program, as I'm looking to eventually have a career working in art museums.
A couple of colleges that have peaked my interest are: Brandeis (but the campus is ugly and the art gallery is contemporary stuff, which isn't my cup of tea), Williams, and Oberlin (yes, in Ohio, but the campus is STUNNING and the art museum takes my breath away).
Another thing that would be lovely would be an intramural volleyball league.
Any suggestions? Please, tell me all that you want, I'm curious!</p>
<p>I have similar interests to you! I want to go to a nice New England school too. The ones I found that I like is Alfred University in New York. Alfred is a small school and seems to have that vibe of liberal arts I really like it, but after I showed it to my friends they all seemed to dislike it. My current goal now is Colby College in Maine. I haven’t done much research but it looks like it’s a big school (nobody quote me on that) and it is liberal arts. I don’t know about volleyball though. </p>
<p>@SomethingWithin I just checked, and Colby has around 1850 students, so it’s actually pretty small! I’ll have to look into both of those, thanks for letting me know about them! :)</p>
<p>You’re welcome! 
I literally fell in love with Colby. It’s my dream school. Also I’m just now seeing you’re a junior, so you have plenty of time to decide. Kudos for the early research! </p>
<p>@SomethingWithin Can I just say, WOW. I just did a bunch of research into Colby…it definitely is the closest to what I want in a college yet!! Thanks so much for pointing it out!!! :D</p>
<p>Aww yay!!! 
You are very welcome!! I noticed the similarities in what we wanted and just thought you should know about it! Glad I could help!! :)</p>
<p>My son graduated from Williams with a degree in art history and art studio, which has one of the strongest art history programs in the country. You’ll find Williams grads at all of the top museums and with three world-class museums on or near campus there are many opportunities for hands-on involvement during the school year.</p>
<p>Some other small liberal arts colleges that my son considered for art/art history are Wesleyan, Hamilton, Kenyon, Skidmore, Conn College. He didn’t look at Oberlin or Vassar, but these are also good. As is Smith, for wormen. </p>
<p>Actually many medium and large schools have good art history departments and good career placement in the field. I would look at Brown, Yale, Johns Hopkins to start.</p>
<p>A couple of others to look into:
Bates College in Maine
Bowdoin College in Maine
Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts</p>
<p>-If you liked Colby, definitely look at Bates and Bowdin.
-Look at Tufts in the Boston areas as well (it is a mid sized university but I think it is strong in what you want) and if you will consider the women’s colleges places like Smith, Mt Holyoke etc. might be good.
-Lots of choices in PA such as Lafayette (my D is there and absolutely loves it), Bucknell, Franklin & Marshall, Dickinson, and Muhlenberg to name a few.
-NY you have Colgate, Hamilton, Skidmore, and Union to name some as well as Barnard in NYC.
-In CT there is Wesleyan, Conn. College, Trinity.
- In PA Swarthmore, Haverford, Bryn Mawr</p>
<p>I’d look at this USNWR list not so much for the ranking but because it provides a good list of schools as a starting point.
<a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-liberal-arts-colleges”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-liberal-arts-colleges</a></p>
<p>Some other suggestions: Hamilton, Colgate, Smith, Vassar, Barnard, Mt. Holyoke, Skidmore, Amherst</p>
<p>There are a lot of great suggestions in these posts. Have fun looking into them. And later this school year, when you have a better idea what your SAT/ACT scores and GPA are likely to be, you will be in a better position to determine which schools are good safety/match/reach schools for you.</p>
<p>One other bit of advice: if you are really starting to put together a list now, you should probably sit down with your parents and have them give you the information you will need to fill out the NPCs (Net Price Calculators) on the college’s web sites. And ask them how much they can afford. The NPCs will use your family’s financial numbers to give you a ballpark idea of what it will ACTUALLY cost you to attend (which may vary widely school-to-school, even if their published tuition is pretty much the same). It can be very helpful in eliminating some schools from your list, an helpful so you can be realistic and not get your heart set on someplace you can’t afford to attend… Remember, though, that you may be awarded merit aid at some schools which MIGHT reduce the cost, especially if it is a school known for good merit aid and your stats are in the top 25% for that school.</p>
<p>Also, I’d encourage you to visit schools this year, if possible. You will get a MUCH better idea of what a school is like if you visit while school is in session (as opposed to over the summer when LAC campuses are pretty dead.) My D visited most of the colleges during her junior year over Columbus Day break and spring break. Then she was able to go back and do second visits and overnights and class visits in the fall of her senior year, when she’d narrowed her list down considerably.</p>
<p>Williams is prob the only LAC that can attract art historians from top universities.</p>
<p>I highly recommend Vassar and Sarah Lawrence.</p>
<p>
As an educator? Conservator? Curator? Graphic designer/exhibit designer? Grant writer? Marketer? Registrar? Art museums hire many different people from an extremely wide variety of fields. What you’re interested in may determine what you’ll need in a college. </p>
<p>If you’re interested in art conservation, for instance, an extremely important aspect of a graduate application is several hundred hours of hands-on work experience. One should look for a college with strong chemistry and art programs that offers such experience (e.g. Scripps, somewhat uniquely).</p>
<p>Most curating jobs require a PhD. Although most high schoolers obviously won’t know, it’s helpful to have at least some vague idea of what you are (or aren’t) interested in. Williams, for example, focuses its attention on Western Europe, with only a token specialist in some other major fields (e.g. one each in Asian and African art) and some fields not represented at all (e.g. Precolumbian American and Egyptian/Near Eastern). If you want to study Egyptian art, you won’t be interested in how many Rembrandt specialists are on faculty – that’s not the best prep for graduate school. Language preparation in particular can be key to getting into good graduate programs.</p>
<p>If you’re undecided, an art degree pairs quite nicely with a degree in business. Looking for colleges that offer both in your region of interest (New England) may help narrow the list of suspects. </p>
<p>----- All of that said… -------</p>
<p>I’ll echo staceyneil’s post. Much will depend on your stats and what you can afford. Given that this remains to be determined and that your interests may very likely change in the next year, I wouldn’t worry too much about picking specific colleges of interest at this point. At this stage, it’s a good idea to start visiting local colleges to get a better idea of exactly what you’re looking for in terms of size, location/setting, atmosphere/“feel,” etc. Hood, Goucher, Hopkins, and UMD-College Park are all rather different places – if you haven’t visited any colleges in person yet, visiting these and others should help you figure out what type of college works for you. </p>
<p>Many students are surprised to learn that they hate colleges they loved on paper and/or really like colleges they were meh about before a visit. Remember that you’re choosing a college for your next four years (i.e. future you). High schoolers are in a constant state of change; what seems small and cozy today may feel stifling tomorrow – or what seems big and exciting may turn out to be overwhelming. Having some variety in a list can avert the situation of having acceptances in April you’re no longer quite so enthusiastic about. </p>
<p>At Dickinson, art history students curate their own exhibit at the on-campus art museum.
<a href=“Art History | Art History | Dickinson College”>http://www.dickinson.edu/info/20095/art_and_art_history/1865/art_history</a></p>
<p>@warblersrule Wow, that was REALLY helpful. Do you mind if I ask you a couple of other questions? I’m not trying to bug, but you just seem to have quite the plethora of knowledge.
Yes, at the moment, I’m interested in going into art conservation, so I guess a college with a strong chemistry program would be a good idea. I’m actually REALLY bad a chemistry (I just barely had a B all year in Honors Chemistry, and got a D on the final. 
), do you think this could hinder me? Also, do you know of any other colleges that offer such an experience?
Actually, I’ve really been into Egyptian art ever since I was little. I’m pretty knowledgeable (or a much as a high-schooler can be) on the subject. I’d like to take at least one or two courses on the subject as an undergrad, which actually seems to be a difficult feat. I’ve had trouble finding colleges that offer these courses - do you know of any? Unfortunately, I didn’t know that art history is really big on knowing French or German, so I’m pretty invested in the Spanish language.
Why do art history and business pair well together? I don’t have much experience in the area, but I’m taking AP Macroeconomics this year, which will give me some exposure. </p>
<p>Arts conservation is a specialized field that is not generally part of the undergraduate curriculum. Scripps is an exception. Chemistry and studio art are important parts of the program.</p>
<p>For a concentration in Asian, Egyptian and other non-Western art you might want to look at some medium to large scale programs like Brown, Yale, NYU, Michigan, Virginia or some of the other large State universities. </p>
<p>Small LACs with well funded Art History programs – like Williams, Smith, Bryn Mawr, Vassar , Oberlin, Skidmore – offer a wide range of art history courses across cultures – including non-Western cultures – and across historical time periods – not just Renaissance – though they may not offer every course every term. Look at some course listings and see if they appeal to you. If art history is new to you, as it is to most high school students, exposure to its various aspects is an important part of the undergraduate experience.</p>
<p>At LACs with strong departments you’ll have no problem filling up four years of undergrad. At the most you’ll take 20 or so art history courses and often the major requires these to be spread across different historical periods and styles. Graduate school tends to be where you specialize. </p>
<p>Masters and PhD programs often require language reading proficiency – usually French or German, or possibly a language relative to your area of specialty, like Chinese for Asian art. The department will offer courses that focus on reading technical papers (as opposed to general language fluency) to get you up to speed.</p>
<p>Curators do usually have PhD’s but the key to getting into the field is internships and summer jobs along the way. Because of their alumni/ae networks, some colleges are better at helping with this than others. Having access to a museum where students can gain hands-on exposure to the different careers offered is a plus.</p>
<p>Lately many of the country’s top museums have hired Directors who have other graduate school backgrounds than Art History PhDs, such as business, architecture, studio art. Running a museum is like running a business or a non-profit organization thus business and organizational skills can be valuable. Fund raising – a “people” skill if ever there was one – is a big part of the job description. </p>
<p>Again, the stepping stones to any path under the art history umbrella are internships, summer jobs and networking with professional in your chosen field. Your college can help you make the connections, but it’s up to you to take the initiative to build your resume while you’re an undergraduate.</p>
<p>You may find Egyptian art under an archaeology department course listing or a listing in a department that concerns itself with the ancient “Middle East.” I took such courses in Egyptian, Mesopotamian, and pre-columbian art these ways. IM volleyball can be found just about anywhere; if you go somewhere it is not available, put together an IM league.</p>
<p>My advice for you is (if you can afford it) is to do an intensive summer program in French or German the summer before Senior year. French should be easier, especially if you know Spanish, so it may be more efficient. Plus, for application purpose, it’d show dedication and there are few students who have a good level in TWO foreign languages (you could potentially take SAT Subjects in both languages; scoring high on both would help you stand out.) There’s Middlebury’s, of course, the most intense and prestigious; there’s one at Penn State, you cover roughly 3-4 years of high school French in 8 weeks, less intense than Middlebury but pretty intensive nevertheless; there are the Concordia Language camps, which are fun and cover about 1 year in 3 weeks. </p>
<p>When choosing a college for art history, prestige in the liberal arts and connections to museums/alumni in museums will be very helpful. It’s one of these fields where your local directional college is not going to help much.</p>
<p>An opportunity to learn ancient Mediterranean languages might help but are likely to be very rarely offered at the undergrad level. Archeology and Middle Eastern Studies as well as study abroad programs in Mediterranean countries would have to be looked into, too.</p>
<p>In addition, Egypt right now is not very safe for women, aspiring art historian or not. Not to discourage you but to keep you aware of potential requirements and limits to your aspirations.</p>
<p>I would absolutely recommend checking out Bryn Mawr because its art history program is not only quite good, but also can be complemented by Penn’s offerings, especially some specialists in pretty arcane languages or specialties. Plus: Philadelphia + easy to get to DC. For the same reason: Barnard (plus: NYC.)</p>