<p>Sac, on another thread mentioned dividing schools into schools for introverts and schools for extroverts. So now I am curious. For parents who have kids who are introverts, or introverted students, where can introverts thrive?</p>
<p>Judging from people I have known, Bard, Swarthmore, Oberlin, Mount Holyoke, Amherst, St.John's College. But this is going back over time so it might not fit exactly with 2005 realities.</p>
<p>It depends. If the student/parents hope that he will "come out of his shell" during college, I'd recommend a school that has lots of formal interaction - i.e., schools with required freshman seminars that are discussion based and where everyone attends. I'd say a small school where professors interact on a very personal level and encourage kids on a very personal level would also be a good choice. Examples: Whitman, Reed, Beloit. If he just wants to stay introverted, schools where he can remain anonymous are probably the way to go. Examples: Large state schools, MIT, Cornell.</p>
<p>As quite the introvert, I can say that I really thrived at Tufts. Good mix of introverted students (so the quiet types don't stick out) and extroverts (to draw us out a bit). Shy, not anti-social, types.</p>
<p>Ariesathena, You? Introverted? No way. Good point though - schools with a mix of student types might be good.</p>
<p>Carolyn...<cough>....AriesAthena is that rare thing, a talkative introvert. I've met her, I'll vouch. For that matter, I think that's one reason she and my D click so much...my D is very talkative but also very private.</cough></p>
<p>On topic, the people I've met from/at Tufts have impressed me as a group and some are definitely introverts.</p>
<p>I'll have to ask D how Smith is for introverts....</p>
<p>I would imagine an introvert might like a school where they can "get away from it all" in nature. Often introverts get "overloaded" from lots of stimulation and college is 24/7 stimulation, people, interaction.... Yet also, introverts might get lonely at a school offering total anyonimity. So a small LAC with lots of serenity around it; Colby, Bowdoin, Hamilton etc?</p>
<p>There are many kinds of introverts, and they do not all necessarily want places where they can "get away from it all". My freshman son is an introvert in that he is not social and likes to have his private time, but that does not mean he does not like to go to a basketball game or have the amenties of an active college life available. In fact it can be more important for some introverts to have these things readily available because they don't tend to nose them out. My senior son finds a party anywhere. In Chicago, I swear he sniffed the air as we looked for a restaraunt for dinner, it was late, we were tire. And he found the most rocking, rolling place on Rush Street--found Rush Street which was not on my itinerary and was singing with the piano player before the evening was out. Two more sniffs, and he was at Billy Goat's Tavern for lunch the next day. With the other one we would have had both meals at the hotel. I would think a school that does not have much in activities and located away from everything would not be the best thing for my introverted son whereas the other one makes things happen wherever he goes.</p>
<p>When I think of introverted, I think of shy, quiet types. My naive question is how easy is it for an introvert to get into selective LACs, with extroverted EC's being a big part of the acceptance criteria. (For example, 40+% of students at Williams need to play sports.) I remember several college tours where the guide had more college EC's than I could even fathom, and even more than the braggarts on cc. (It seemed that, at one visit, the tour was nearly over before the guide finished with her after school description! LOL) </p>
<p>I'd be willing to guess that introverted homebodies don't have much of a chance at the smaller, highly-selective schools, unless they won the Intel or Westinghouse prize, play regularly at Carnegie Hall, or or do cancer research at the National Institutes of Health...but, you folks have much more experience than I.</p>
<p>Jammmimon: Anyone who can find Billy Goat's Tavern on Lower Wacker has definite Type A traits!</p>
<p>My second oldest S is an introvert and seems happy at UChicago. We tried to steer him toward more nurturing types of schools, e.g., St. Olaf and Grinnell, but he chose Chicago. I still think Grinnell or St. Olaf would have been great choices for him. My theory is that he wanted to have somewhere to hide. So, no, he has not forged any bonds with his professors at UChicago so far, though if he made an effort, I'm sure he could. I have a feeling that at Grinnell or a school like that, he would know his professors better. But, he does seem to be having a social life with his peers in his dorm, and to his sisters amazement, interaction with girls.</p>
<p>St. Olaf and Grinnell, along with Whitman will be on the list for my D to consider in a couple of years (actually less than two years now--time is flying by!) I looked up the Whitman website and it definitely looks like the type of place where kids do not slip through the cracks.</p>
<p>Bluebayou .... I think you are probably mistaken, and are overvalueing the way colleges look at EC's. The colleges are looking for something that distinguishes the student - that demonstrates strong interests or passions. EC's like sports or music are great -- but introverts also have passions or interests. </p>
<p>My son was very introverted and had no problem getting accepted to various LAC's -- I admit that he wasn't aiming for the most competitive ones, but honestly the way the schools viewed class rank was as good a predictor as anything. A lot of introverts really excel academically - the key is simply to also show through essays & recs that the kid has a little bit of a "life". My son had no real school-based EC's (the clubs he listed were one step removed from fiction -- they existed at his school for no other purpose than to give college-bound students something to list). He did have employment and volunteer work to list - the job was something he did for money, and his school required 100 hours of community service to graduate.</p>
<p>My son's EC's were (and still are, I believe) piano and computer programming, writing science fiction, chess and bridge. Introverted EC's, I guess you could call them!</p>
<p>Oops, forgot "mathletes."</p>
<p>Smith has worked out well, I think, for my introvert D -- particularly, I think, the small classes and the house system. You can't get "lost" there. </p>
<p>Perhaps at a huge school she would have found her niche as well, but the intimacy/support of a liberal arts school has been very helpful to her. And she says she has become more extroverted through the experience -- even became a tour guide.</p>
<p>Regarding bluebayou's question, I don't think introverts are less likely to get into selective LACs. The impression that "extroverted EC's" are valued more might stem from the fact that extroverts participate in EC's which place them under public eyes. In contrast, introverts are usually involved in activities that garnered less public exposure. A scientist's brainstorming in the lab, a painter's flow of inspiration in the studio or a writer's 3 AM writing ritual might not receive too much notice from most of us, but they could be just as highly regarded as a sparkling public speech when it comes to college admission.</p>
<p>Also, I feel that many shy, quiet types are pretty introspective and tend to be good writers. Perhaps the introverts don't fare so well in public speaking and learn to express themselves through writing. Although they might not have showy EC's like extroverts do, their contemplative essays might provide an edge that others lack when applying for most selective small colleges. This is just my personal opinion though.</p>
<p>I also am an introvert, (heh- hard to believe that one, I know) but we don't all love nature and the such, I'd rather spend my time inside, and don't confuse introverted with antisocial behavior</p>
<p>There are actually several athletes I know that I would classify as introverts... Athletics is a good EC....</p>
<p>My nephew is so shy we thought he was mute growing up.....he chose a small, non-Greek LAC (Williams) and came out of his shell for the first time in his life...perfect size...for him.......</p>
<p>I'm going to disagree with most of the posts here and say that for some introverts, LACs can be a DISASTER!!! </p>
<p>At many LACs, students are expected to join in class discussion. Now, not all introverts are painfully shy, but some are and for those who are, being FORCED to talk in class-even if that class has only 10-15 people-- is PAINFUL. And, at least at some LACs, there's a "goldfish bowl" feeling to the school that can drive those who prefer anonymity to the BRINK. </p>
<p>The kind of kid who prefers playing video games or playing poker with a few friends to going to a frat party Friday night may well be happier at a large U where he can usually find a few students like him than at a small LAC where there are fewer such students and everyone else in the class KNOWS you never come to any parties.</p>
<p>Obviously, for other introverts, LACs are just perfect. I'm just trying to say that don't ASSUME that every introverted kid will be happy at a LAC.</p>
<p>jonri--your post fits with my feeling that my son preferred a school big enough to have somewhere to hide, but not so big that he would be completely anonymous.</p>