<p>I was accepted to these 5 schools and I was wondering if any one has anything to tell me comparing and contrasting any or all of them.</p>
<p>About Me:
Female
3.85 Unweighted GPA
29 ACT
Newspaper co-Editor in Chief
Yearbook Senior Editor in Chief
Chair of the Social Action Board</p>
<p>I'm a Senior at a boarding college-prep high school with 160 students.
Interested in humanities such as ethics, philosophy, and English, as well as fashion/costume design (which I have a lot of experience in and would like to integrate into my college experience somehow even if I don't actually major in it).
I want a liberal, small school which will have a good balance of academics and arts.
I want a school with geographical, racial, religious, and socio-economical diversity.
Non-academic interest include theater, listening to music, farming and sustainable practices, and swing dancing.</p>
<p>Please give me some input into which school you think may suit me best or any comments you have the schools that are not specific to me.</p>
<p>Thank you!</p>
<p>My D goes to Hampshire (part of the 5 college consortium with Holyoke). While lovely, I would not exactly call Mt. Holyoke liberal- probably the most conservative of the “Seven Sisters” colleges. Although as part of the same 5 college consortium I mentioned, it has access to the Sustainable Ag classes and activties at UMass and Hampshire. But generally, I think you should probably drop that off your list based on what you wrote.
SUNY Geneseo is a good school academically- challenging but also kind of low key when it comes to competition. However, I would not say that diversity is a primary characteristic of the school. If money is an issue (and you live in NY) then this should stay on the list. Otherwise I might drop it off too. Good luck on choosing.</p>
<p>Yes, I was wondering if that was the case at Holyoke. I also know that it is known for it’s science and it’s international relations- neither of which I am interested in. It just seemed like such a nice school… just maybe not for me.
And no, I don’t live in New York, Geneseo was kind of an impulse application because I felt like I might as well apply to at least one public school. I don’t think it is really for me.
Thank you very much for your input! I really appreciate it!</p>
<p>I would like to also mention that I am wait-listed at McGill (I know, very different from my other schools), Hamilton, and William and Mary. So if you have any comments about these schools feel free to write them down as well!</p>
<p>Thank you!</p>
<p>Holyoke IS a nice school- don’t get me wrong. And the Pioneer Valley (where all the 5 colleges are) is extremely liberal, diverse, lots of arts/theater etc. activities in which to engage. So if you are willing to go outside the bubble of your campus (really easy with the 5 colleges) then you can keep it on the list.<br>
Can you visit some of these- or have you already?
Not sure that McGill or William and Mary quite fit with the others on your list- although very good schools. I didn’t really like the McGill campus in downtown Montreal.</p>
<p>I think that if I did go to to Holyoke I would definitely get off campus quite a bit, otherwise I might go crazy from being surrounded by too much estrogen. Do you know about cross-registration between the fivce school and how much people actually do it/ how practical it is?</p>
<p>and I’ve visited Bennington both Mount Holyoke and I’m going to try to get to visit the others (I’m already booked on a flight to go to an admitted students day at Antioch).</p>
<p>and yes, I know that about McGill and William and Mary- McGill was just an easy application and Montreal intrigued me. and William and Mary was a school that my Dad pretty much made me apply to (it’s a great school and it’s in-state for me).</p>
<p>Thanks so much!</p>
<p>A number of Holyoke students take classes on Hampshire campus and it is pretty easy via the bus. And Hampshire sure has the diversity/arty/liberal vibe you may like. I think the schools other than Hampshire have a limit of one cross registration class per semester but I am not positive. </p>
<p>I read your similar posts on the Bennington, Holyoke and Antioch threads. I might drop Antioch off of the list due to uncertainty. My recs for you are are Bennington, Goucher and Holyoke. (I like Goucher best as it is one of the Colleges that Change Lives- but don’t know how intellectual it actually is.)</p>
<p>Yes, I visited Hampshire earlier in my college search and I ruled it out because it seemed kind of like Bennington but not as well kept (some of the buildings seemed outdated etc).
I really liked the vibe and the academic philosophy though so it may be nice to take some classes there.</p>
<p>And thanks for reading those! I haven’t written one for Goucher yet, but my biggest concern for it is that it was my biggest safety (as in it is the least competitive, least selective, and therefore I get the impression that it is the least academically rigorous, challenging, and focused.) Also, since I live in northern VA it is VERY close to home (40 minutes). And after being at a boarding school 5 hours away from my home for the past 4 years (in North Carolina) I don’t know how I would do being that close to home when I’m so used to, and enjoy, being further away.</p>
<p>Money not an issue? Then my choices would be Goucher, Holyoke and Bennington in that order. Personal preferences. Goucher has a great location with easy access to Balitmore and cross reg with Hopkins, but a great school itself. Holyoke’s consortium, plus it is a wonderful LAC. Bennington a few steps further back on the list. I don’t think it is as diverse and it is in a remote locale.</p>
<p>So two votes for Goucher in first place. 
I will say that 40 minutes from home is really not so close as to be smothering. My D is about 90 minutes away and it is just about perfect.
And I agree with Capt ^^^ on the order, Holyoke over Bennington if you are concerned about the hipster vibe but still want access to a vibrant, liberal community.</p>
<p>ETA: Yeah- while perfect for my D, I don’t think Hamsphire is right for most students and its physical plant is not particularly attractive.</p>
<p>Money is something to take into consideration but it is not a completely deciding factor for me.
I got:
-Scholarship for full-tuition all four years at Antioch
-Large amounts of need and merit aid from Bennington and Goucher (bigger from Goucher)
-Smaller, but still substantial scholarship from Mount Holyoke
-Have not heard from Geneseo about aid yet</p>
<p>I didn’t know that Goucher could cross-register with Hopkins. But since I’m not interested in sciences practically at all that is not that much of a push for me.
And I’m ok with bennington being remote because of the artsy culture I would get on campus and because of the 7-week field work term, during which I could live in a city if I so chose.</p>
<p>Thanks for the feedback!</p>
<p>Seeing as Goucher is so close to home for me (after being far away from home, 40 minutes is VERY close to me) I will definitely visit it when I’m home for spring break! It’s interesting to hear all of you feedback about it and I am more interested in it after hearing that you both would put it above both holyoke and bennington!</p>
<p>My d is a freshman at Bennington and loves it! She is a city girl at heart and was concerned about the location – but you are right, the field work term allowed her to work in a city and get the best of both worlds. The location tends to make the campus a stronger, more cohesive community. Although a small school, Bennington offers everything that a larger school does, except big sports! Students are diverse, and there are as many hipster-types (my d is not) as any other liberal school. The size of the school allows for a lot of personalized attention and is great for a student who is motivated. Based on your many interests, the plan process at Bennington seems quite suited to your academic focus. There is a great costuming department and wide selection of courses in the arts (art, theatre, music). Your curriculum can be as diverse and varied and you choose. If you have more questions about Bennington, ask away.
Antioch, although a great school with a strong liberal history, is definitely on shakey ground, so you may want to factor that in to your choice. Goucher is a great school too, in a convenient location to Baltimore (and Towson University), and it offers a very wide range of courses. It is more traditional in terms of curriculum and requirements, so if that is a factor – but I think it’s a very good choice. Hope this helps and doesn’t confuse things more.</p>
<p>Thank you very much! I’m very happy to get differing opinions! Bennington was one of the first schools that I truly fell in love with and I think it may be a good place to start my college career, even if I end up transferring to a more prestigious school after the first year if I don’t love it.
Could you tell me anything more about the social life on campus at bennington?</p>
<p>Information about social life is probably better from a student, but I am happy to share my impressions. As you know from your visit, dorms are houses with only about 30 students, so there tends to be a cohesive family atmosphere in many of the houses. Close to 100% of students live on campus for all four years, so the overall community is centrally located on campus, rather than spread out into the town. Check out the campus events pages on their website – for campus run clubs, activities, movies, lectures, etc. Every weekend one of the houses hosts a party – and there are many smaller ones in every house. The nice part about a small campus is that you are bound to know someone in every class, largest classes being only about 25 students! It is a very accepting social community and more diverse than you would think considering the size. Students travel to Boston, Albany, NYC, and more on weekends – someone seems to always have a car! But the school does not clear out at all (these are usually day trips) Not sure if this is what you are asking – it is very difficult to imagine what it will be like until you live it. My d was sure she would transfer to a city school after the first term – now she never wants to leave!</p>