<p>School choices are: Bard, Brandeis, Dickinson, St. Olaf [and waitlisted at Grinnell, Swarthmore]</p>
<p>Thanks for any input you may have! - I am wondering which school might be best for the kid described below... </p>
<p>described as only a mother would do ;) :</p>
<p>tends to be shy, especially at first
sometimes lonely
rich internal life
very self-disciplined (when he chooses to be)
very smart/intellectual
creative
wild & playful
prolific reader with an excellent memory
tends to see in black and white & go to extremes
idealistic, not too pragmatic
was always passionate about something, and was a very engaged student...until...
problem with motivation, possibly stemming from lack of challenge in some high school classes, or depression</p>
<p>has shown long-term interest in:
etmology
a few foreign languages (is bilingual)
political/economic theory
history
life sciences
literature (but definitely doesn't want to major in it)</p>
<p>He wants his school to have some level of prestige, or at least be well-regarded in his major ;)</p>
<p>My hopes:
that he feels a sense of community with like-minded people;
that his more constructive tendencies are reinforced (and not his negative ones);
that he be seriously intellectually challenged (this has kind of been lacking, and I think it's not good for his level of energy and inspiration) -
yet has time to reflect and let the creative urge do what it needs to;
that the students are really supportive of each other.</p>
<p>We have not yet visited, but are now trying to work that out.
Thanks for your thoughts!</p>
<p>My choice would be Dickinson in that bunch. Nice little town with the campus integrated in it. Strong academics, good professor-student rapport and relationships.</p>
<p>We know families who have sent children similar to how you describe your son to Bard, Dickinson, and St. Olaf. All love their respective schools. Bard is more bohemian; St. Olaf, more clean-cut (and many kids are openly religious). But it really depends on where your son feels most comfortable.</p>
<p>St. Olaf’s is decidedly Lutheran, and Brandeis has a relatively strong Jewish slant. Also what sort of town does he want? Have you visited all/any of them?</p>
<p>I have been told that St. Olaf has a very high acceptance rate for grads who apply to medical school. It has an amazing science building; visiting it made me, definitely not a science type, wish that I was young again and could go there.</p>
<p>We will be visiting. So far, he has said he doesn’t care whether it is town, city, etc. And as far as the religion, I think he is <em>interested</em> in religon and happy to study it, and doesn’t care whether his fellow students are religious or not. Although if a majority of students are very religious, that might not feel like “his community.”</p>
<p>I agree with SDonCC, basing my judgment of young people I have known who have gone to the various colleges on the list. But, I would certainly visit all the possibilities, during accepted students days if possible. </p>
<p>OP mentions that son has a possible history of depression. This indicates to me that parents should either choose a school that is convenient to visit on a fairly regular basis, or where they feel they could establish rapport with an adult who sees their son on a regular basis, and whom they could contact or who would contact them if it were obvious that their son had begun to have difficulties. (Yes, I know a waiver of privacy would be involved, that their S might initially have problems with signing.)</p>
<p>frazzled2thecore, you bring up a question I was considering. Might it be better to visit on a regular school day, without the hubbub & “spin” of an Admitted Students Day? My son could still probably tour, visit classrooms, possibly stay overnight, and hopefully talk to a dept. head. And might be able to get a better feel for the school, as it is day to day?</p>
<p>Regarding the depression, he only applied to schools far, far away! Although all the schools (except Dickinson or Grinnell, I think) are near hubs. It’s more situationally-based though - if the situation is well-suited to him, I’m pretty confident he’ll be okay. He is sensitive though. And he was terribly frustrated in high school for a while.</p>
<p>Brandeis or St. Olaf… (I know nothing about Dickinson)… but both of those have, I think, a strong sense of community among very bright, different kids. Bard can be a little more hipster/disparate…and perhaps lonely. What a great choice to have though-- all such strong schools!</p>
<p>We found that accepted student days provided lots of access to professors, classes, current students, activities, and other resources, as well as ample chance for our D to mix with other prospective students, and sometimes stay overnight with a host. When we went along, there were chances for us to ask the questions our D would have been too embarrassed to ask <grin>. It was in fact quite convenient, as most schools had student activity fairs and research symposiums, as well as professors who scheduled time to mix with parents and all types of information sessions. My inner “helicopter parent” was gratified.</grin></p>
<p>But, if your S would feel more comfortable going on a regular day, or if that is what works with his schedule, he could still probably make prior arrangements to meet with representatives from clubs or activities that interest him, and possibly schedule appointments to meet with specific professors. Typically, a student making this type of visit would be paired with a volunteer host and shadow the host through the day, and sometimes the host is not compatible with the prospective student.</p>
<p>My D applied to several schools quite far from us, and chose to attend one. It is indeed reassuring to know that the school she attends is near a hub, and that we could be there in less than half a day if necessary.</p>
<p>St. Olaf is in Minnesota (not a very diverse student demographic and freezing cold) where I lived for 16 years; Dickinson is in PA where I live now; Brandeis is in NY where I went to undergrad, and Bard I know little about other than its Bohemian rep.</p>
<p>Your kid could not list four more different colleges. I’m amazed by the list. </p>
<p>The way you described your child, I think Dickinson is the best fit.</p>
<p>Hm Plainsman,
Interesting. Could you say why you think Dickinson would be the best fit? My fear about Dickinson - and it sounds like a great school academically - is that I have heard about a drinking culture (I know, what college doesn’t have at least some of that?!) and more of a sports-oriented, mainstream-type culture, that might not be as interested in arts? Or as supportive of creative people? Do you think this is true? These are the kinds of things it is impossible to really know about from a distance. </p>
<p>As for the list, I do know that they are all smallish schools, and all far from home ! They are all considered academically strong, and have various strong points such as good abroad programs, good science departments, etc. I saw very few colleges that were actually diverse, except for some large universities and ivies - but he’s attracted to a smaller environment.</p>
<p>not a strange combination at all! My son never considered St. Olaf, but he applied to all the others, except for Dickinson which he liked when he visited, but all the other schools seemed a better fit for someone is extremely intellectual. After the acceptances came, he narrowed it to Brandeis, Bard and Grinnell, as a matter of fact, and he is now a very happy first-year at Grinnell. </p>
<p>With Bard, I would be concerned with the need for some structure and community. </p>
<p>I have to say that with Dickinson, I was very unsure how much their emphasis on “globalism” was just a fancy marketing term when the tour guide told us how easy it was to place out of the foreign language requirement. Dickinson seems like a really nice place, though, but as you are describing your son, I think he’d have more of a home in a more offbeat environment.</p>
<p>I also thought it was a strange list. St. Olaf and Grinnell? It would make an interesting reality TV show to switch a random Grinnellian for a random Ole and then follow them around with cameras for a semester on their new campuses while they struggle to remain sane. :)</p>
<p>My D is a junior at Dickinson, and many of her high school classmates attend St. Olaf (we live in MN). A few observations:
Dickinson really does live up to its global advertising, I think. A very high % of the students study abroad, and they are very supportive of unusual study abroad requests; D just spent a semester in a country where almost no colleges have a study abroad program, and Dickinson worked very well with her on it. D also has quite a few friends from other countries at Dickinson.
A non-drinker can definitely fit in and be happy at Dickinson. D is pretty much a non-drinker, and has tons of friends and a very busy social life.
D is a political science major, and has found excellent opportunities on campus and internships in DC. I know you said your S is science/pre-med, but he also has some interest in this field, so thought I would mention it.
St. Olaf is a nice campus, very pretty science building (was there just a few weeks ago for an event with D2).<br>
St. Olaf is quite Lutheran. Sort of hard to describe unless you spend some time there. They are nice, but can be a tad standoffish (in a nice way) – like a club you are not quite part of is how it feels if you are not also Lutheran. I personally think St. Olaf is more homogeneous than Dickinson in a midwestern sort of way. I do not think of St. Olaf as a particularly intellectual school, but the kids get their work done.
St. Olaf is very strong in music (especially choirs) if your son happens to have any musical talent.
It is darned cold in MN in the winter – we have had a long, really awful winter this year. Snowed almost a foot last week, and we are forecast to possibly have snow again this weekend. Winter comes later and leaves earlier in PA. If he tends toward depression, think about that… MN might not be the best choice.</p>
<p>spdf, can you be more specific about what you are getting at here?! Are you saying everybody at St. Olaf has blonde hair, and everybody at Grinnell has blue hair, or what?! Even if that is the case, I sense and earnestness in both? (from afar)</p>
<p>I never visited St. Olaf, but regarding Grinnell, perhaps the best description I read on this forum is that the students have a “come as you are” attitude. There is no one type predominant on campus, and my perception is that the kids just are comfortable being who they are. The student profile at Grinnell is also among the most diverse among all LACs in percentages of domestic students of color and internationals.</p>
! They are all considered academically strong, and have various strong points such as good abroad programs, good science departments, etc. I saw very few colleges that were actually diverse, except for some large universities and ivies - but he’s attracted to a smaller environment.</p>