<p>My LGBT son is interested in creative writing, but that could change, so a school with an overall strong L/A program would be important. He did not get into his dream school --Columbia--and might still try to transfer there for sophomore year. Columbia was the only school he was excited about attending. He felt it was a perfect match for his interests and personality. He has never felt comfortable being a gay teen in the midwest and has been looking forward to finally fitting in once he is in college. When we were first looking, he felt that being near a big city was important, but those choices are limited, so he has had to be more flexible about location. He also enjoys acapella singing, musical acting, films, and the arts (as an extracur.) He is bright and in case he does not transfer, he should choose a school with an intellectually stimulating environment where the teachers are first rate and his fellow students are engaged, smart, progressive and interesting. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>I don’t have personal experience with any of those, but Bard and Kenyon are both known for their writing programs, and Bard has the incomparable Daniel Mendelsohn. </p>
<p>Wesleyan sounds perfect.
Supportive LGBT community if he chooses to share that side of himself, or nobody paying his orientation much mind if he doesn’t. Although not in a city, he’ll have easy train proximity to some major ones. The environment is stimulating and he’ll get a wide range of interests from the students – not just the classic ‘artistic’ types.</p>
<p>That said, he can’t really go wrong with any of his choices.</p>
<p>All great choices. It looks like your son made a great list to apply to. Is money an issue at all? Bard and Kenyon will definitely be more isolated than NYU. And @Requin - I second that about Daniel Mendelsohn! Wesleyan is more of a traditional college experience than Bard - more sports teams and pre-professional students. Kenyon will have more midwesterners attending. Oberlin and Bard are pretty similar but Bard is connected to NYC in terms of the arts and the professors it attracts and its writing program is second to none. But it is a journey to go into the city. (That said, lately my son has been going in a few times a week for rehearsals!) Not sure what it is in particular about Columbia that attracted your son - it doesn’t have all that much in common with the other schools on this list. And transferring as a sophomore is usually close to impossible. As a junior, maybe. Perhaps, if he could clarify for himself what it is about Columbia that makes it seem so perfect for him, he can use those qualities to evaluate these other schools.</p>
<p>If he’s into musical theater, NYU, of course would have the most for him to experience, but, not having enrolled into their studios, I don’t know if he could participate. Bard is not big on musical theater - their theater program is much more oriented to edgy off-Broadway theatrical experiences.</p>
<p>→ SpiritManager
Thank you for your reply.
Here are some reasons why my son loved Columbia: While it is right in the middle of the city, it is a different world once you are inside the gates–with a more traditional campus experience; My son respected Columbia’s core curriculum and their emphasis on ensuring each student has a well rounded education foundation. Many of his favorite writers attended Columbi–from the Beat Generation. My son pictured himself hanging out in the same coffee houses, having erudite conversations with like-minded students; he liked the energy of Columbia and he felt a kinship with the caliber of the students and faculty. And he was looking forward to participating in the club and extracurricular opportunities it offered (Acapella, acting).
My son is an intellectual. He is a poet…a romanticist…a sensitive/compassionate/empathic kid with an old soul. </p>
<p>Although he was born on the East coast, we moved him to the middle of the midwest when he was in grade school. I hate to sound snobby, but we have all found it to be rather provincial here and my son has been dying to go somewhere more progressive, open minded and cultured ever since. He got into other schools as well: Skidmore, Kings College in London, and some safeties. His favorite school was Yale (what’s not to like??). I think he would have liked Brown, but he did not think he had a chance so did not apply. He might have gotten into Penn, which has a great LGBT climate and fantastic writing program…but there was something about it that bothered him. He did not care much for Tufts either…it was too sterile and the kids seemed focused on pre-professional tracks. He did not want to go south or west…nor did he want the tiny, remote schools of Maine or VT.</p>
<p>Oberlin actually ranks highest of all these schools on its Pride LGBT-friendly scale. Perfect scores all around. The school is really supportive. When we visited Wesleyan something bothered both me and my son, but my son can’t put his finger on what it is. I could feel the separateness of the ‘jock’/popular kids from the nerdy/lgbt kids. The dining area was divided into 2 rooms, which revealed a lot. Also, the campus seemed pretty dead. Not a lot of energy in the air. And the town had zero appeal.</p>
<p>We are going to visit Oberlin (for the first time), and will go check out NYU (again), and will check out Bard for the first time. Not sure about Wesleyan.</p>
<p>If you can stand reading more…I have a gut reaction/impression of Bard that may be completely off base: It seems rather pretentious. A lot of privileged white kids from influential families who fancy themselves hipsters and deep thinkers, but are not. It bothered me that one of the photos on a campus website showed a small cluster of kids from prominent NY families and it pointed out that most graduates end up on one coast or the other. It also mentioned the girl in the photo is a Coppola. Cool, but should not be pointed out. I also thought this concept of the Rugby team guys featured as the Big Men on Campus was strange. Literally-everyone looks up to them? Also, while my son appreciates a beautiful campus, it sounds as tho this campus is HUGE. And what about the town…or lack thereof? And what do the kids do on the weekends? </p>
<p>I think I know what is bothering my son. None of these schools is a great fit. Columbia was perfect in his mind. It had everything. And now he is struggling with the notion of having to “settle”. That happened with my daughter and she ended up transferring after Freshman year, which was a great move all around. maybe he should take a gap year and reapply to Columbia and Brown. Or maybe he would like Univ of Michigan, which is a huge alma mater for many generations of our family. We did not think he would like it, but now I’m wondering if we should have had it on the table.<br>
Poor kid is not excited about his choices. Gap year and reapply? </p>
<p>Opinions? Thank you!</p>
<p>I think you are selling Wesleyan short. Based on your description of your son, Wesleyan is a great fit, probably a better fit than Columbia. Oberlin and Bard are fine, too, and so is Kenyon, but I think he would find the most intellectual tone at Wes. Wes is pretty popular where I live – at one point, there were three kids on my block there, and several children of close friends and close friends of children have graduated recently – and I have been very impressed with their academic/intellectual experience (much more so than with Obie and Bard, but that reflects the particular kids more than the institution itself . . . but the kids who go there are a huge part of the experience). Kenyon is more isolated, more midwestern, lower key. In part because of its film industry profile, Wesleyan actually has lots of kids from California, and I think it is meaningfully more popular with the NYC prep-school crowd than the others, so it actually has a pretty sophisticated student body. (Not that the others are full of rubes, but I think there’s some difference.)</p>
<p>Of course, NYU is a different deal altogether. There’s nowhere with more electricity in the air than standing on Bleeker St. in the middle of the Village. Educationally, however, I would pick any of the LACs.</p>
<p>I agree with @JHS that Wesleyan, Oberlin and Bard would all work well for your son, and possibly better than Columbia, if he’s looking for an intellectual engaged student body with a great writing program. Do be sure to visit Wesleyan - no reason to cross it off your list yet. </p>
<p>Having a son at Bard I have to say I can’t agree though that it’s any less an academic/intellectual experience than he would have had at Wesleyan. I do think Bard is a bit less conventional these days than Wes - which has become a bit more traditional over the last decade. More than it used to be. However, Wesleyan will provide more of that ‘college feel’ that I think the OP’s son is after. Oberlin would too, I think. Bard is more spread out and the experiences there are more individual rather than collective.</p>
<p>As for Bard being an enclave of privileged upper-middle class white kids from New England - gee - I’m sure there are some of those at every elite school in the Northeast - no more there than anywhere else. There are plenty of students from all over the country attracted to its intellectual environment, as well as its extraordinary professors. As for what the students do on weekends - attend plays, poetry readings, concerts, watch or participate in dance, read books, walk in the woods, study, paint, sing, explore, do experiments, hang out with friends… It’s a bit like an artists’ or scientists’ colony. And, yes, one can go into NYC for special events - not on a regular basis, but when appropriate.</p>
<p>As an old timer alumni, I think Oberlin would be a great fit. I was involved with the creative writing dept for a few yrs and it was great. The opportunities for musical theatre, acting, music performances are great. The best part of Oberlin for me was the relationships that I could develop with profs, they didn’t run out of town for research or commute out of town, they lived right down the street and would welcome kids into their homes.</p>
<p>I PM’d you</p>