<p>I know that not all students at a specific school are the same, but there are definitely some trends between schools. I would like to attend one of the NESCAC schools (Amherst, Bates, Colby, Hamilton, Middlebury, Wesleyan, etc), and while it is very easy to find statistical information about them all, getting a feel for the community is not as easy, especially when there is no time to visit before applying.
So about me--I'm very interested in both anthropology and theater, and although I do not really see theater (technical, btw) as a career, I'd like to be somewhere with access to it. I'm rather liberal, un-preppy, but not a "granola" type, and am thinking about joining the peace corps after college. I'm very into music and while I do not intend to major in it, I need to be at a school where there are always people there to play many styles (I play classical and klezmer violin, fiddle, as well as the oboe). I love languages and would like to be at a school with a student body involved in language and foreign culture (one reason I really like Middlebury)--although really, I'm sure I could find that at any of these schools. I'm also a nature person, I wouldn't like to live on an urban campus (although being a bit of a shopper I'd like some civilization nearby).
So, this is a tall order, but if anyone can think of a school that would work well for me, "little ivy" or not, I'm very open to suggestions. Also, I'm interested to hear some descriptions of the students at these schools, regardless of whether or not they sound like me. Thanks!</p>
<p>Amherst - Arguably the most intellectually oriented school.
Middlebury - Very environmentally friendly and athletic.
Wesleyan - Very “offbeat”, similar to Brown students. Large LGBT population and big political and social issues campus.</p>
<p>THose are the only ones I know =]</p>
<p>It IS a tall order. Nature, rural farm villages and preppiness tend to go together, IMHO, although obviously, there’s a lot of overlap with urban preppies, too.</p>
<p>Let’s begin with the urban vs. nature disconnect. I think you’ll find that the further north you go in New England, the less urban it becomes. Middlebury, Williams, Bowdoin, Colby and Bates tend to be at the extremes of the natural wonder and winter sports scene.</p>
<p>Every NESCAC college has theater, and music departments. Wesleyan has a pretty well-respected Anthro Dept and, you would certainly not be the first Klezmer player there. But, you would have to compromise a bit on the natural beauty and rural charm. Nature at Wesleyan tends to come in the form of black squirrels and the occasional red-tail hawk sighting. And, of course, no NESCAC college has a better river view from the top of a hill. </p>
<p>In terms of the preppy/granola construct, Williams, Colby and probably Trinity are the preppiest. Bates has a somewhat granola-ish rep. Amherst has been trying to dial back the preppiness of late (their prez actually boasted of their Peace Corps and Teach for America numbers at the last Commencement.)</p>
<p>Have you checked out Hamilton? Also, Conn. They’re more quirky than preppy, I’d say. And, they have their nature bits.</p>
<p>I was going to recommend Rhodes right up to the point where you said you don’t want to be in an urban environment…I don’t suppose that being across the street from the best zoo in the country is close enough, huh? ;-)</p>
<p>I think Bowdoin has a lot of what you’re looking for- the preppiness has been dialed way down in past years, and the reason a lot of North Face is worn is due to the weather. There’s the famous outing club (you can’t go to Bowdoin and not love the outdoors), and it is in a relatively suburban environment, but I’d say it’s closer to rural (not “big city” suburban). Many, many students join the Peace Corps and alt. spring break, etc. During the summers, Bowdoin holds the annual Bowdoin Int’l Music Festival, and during the year there are several different musical groups.
There’s also Bard, which is supposedly more of a granola-y type environment, but has the natural beauty and lack of preppiness.</p>
<p>a little larger but with much better weather, look at William & Mary. One of the top Peace Corp schools in the country.</p>
<p>You should definitely consider Williams, I think you’d fit in really well. HUGE music scene (and arts scene in general), just a ton of student-driven music, dance, and theater groups. In particular, check out the Berkshire Symphony, which is a joint professional/student symphony (very competitive). There are also plenty of less competitive student-only groups. Best theater facility in the NESCAC (it houses a world-class theater festival in the summers) – brand new and utterly spectacular. Most gorgeous natural setting in the NESCAC (or really, just about anywhere). Definitely on the rural side, although there is a nice smattering of places to eat and things to do (primarly arts-related, museums, an independant movie theater, things of that ilk) in and around town. I would not say there is an extraordinary emphasis on languages, study abroad, and so on (not to the same extent as Middlebury, which you should also definitely look closely at – also gorgeous setting, and I think the most beautiful campus in NESCAC, and the international emphasis sounds like a big plus for you), but the school does have a brand new language lab, a wide range of language offerings, and a big chunk of the junior class does study abroad. There is an anthropology department but I don’t know much about it, I think it is a joint dept. with sociology.</p>
<p>Also, have you considered Oberlin? Great rep, rural setting, VERY liberal student body – maybe more granola / liberal than you, I’m not sure, amazing music program. Anyway, I think Williams, Middlebury, Oberlin would be a great starting list … Amherst, Bowdoin, Swarthmore, and Haverford should also probably make the cut</p>
<p>This might interest you:
<a href=“http://www.peacecorps.gov/multimedia/pdf/stats/schools2009.pdf[/url]”>http://www.peacecorps.gov/multimedia/pdf/stats/schools2009.pdf</a></p>
<p>OP, Ephman makes a great point- the theater community at Williams may suit you very well. There are many way to get information on each individual school; I’d recommend you check out college search websites like U nigo and College Click TV.</p>
<p>^^ Agreed except I will add that Williams is arguably the most preppy of AWS (Amherst/Williams/Swarthmore). There is an artsy contingent, but athletic types (not necessarily varsity athletes, but athletic people) dominate. Language offerings are good except in Romance languages–the French department looks mediocre and I’ve heard that Italian is lacking as well. Definitely a plus for natural beauty, though.</p>
<p>Your perfect school is impossible among the NESCAC colleges, possibly among colleges period; you can’t find the specific resources you’re looking for AND the specific student body. Figure out what you’re willing to compromise on and go from there.</p>
<p>If you’re willing to look outside of New England, I’d suggest looking at Oberlin definitely and maybe Carleton and Beloit.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone!
Ephman pretty much nailed/solidified it–Amherst, Middlebury, Oberlin and Williams are the names I’ve been tossing around the most.</p>
<p>I visited Middlebury this winter and really loved it, but after reading more reviews on it I worried because the school was frequently described as preppy. So the one question I had is how exactly do you define “preppy”? Is it a socioeconomic status thing, or just a label for athletic kids? I’m from Charlottesville VA so I live very close to UVA–that’s what I associate with “preppy”–frats, drinking, football. So what does the word mean for a small liberal arts school? I’m not very athletically involved (I jog cross country…) but would really like to take a dance class and get some rock climbing and other outdoorsy stuff in while at college–that sort of athletic people, I have no problem with. I guess my main question in all that jumble is, do you think I would be comfortable at one of the preppier NESCAC schools?</p>
<p>Oh I forgot to mention that I usually associate UVA preppy with politically conservative. Is new england preppy the same? (I’m quite a liberal btw)</p>
<p>‘New England preppy’ is very different than what you associate with preppy at UVA. All it really means for places like Midd is that there are a large percentage of wealthy, full-pay New Englanders and New York/Jersey residents(about 50% of the school is full-pay). Most of these such students are athletic, dress in a traditionally preppy way, and are actually very friendly. They are also very liberal, for the most part. Don’t worry about not fitting in at Midd, I’m sure you’ll be just fine.</p>
<p>Wesleyan and Oberlin are very similar, and if you are considering schools like those, Amherst, and Middlebury, then Hamilton and Bates are great (and slightly less selective) additions as well.</p>
<p>Is there ever much rub between full-pay and scholarship students? I wouldn’t expect it but just curious…</p>
<p>What the hell is a “little ivy?”</p>
<p>What a condescending/desperate label!</p>
<p>[Little</a> Ivies - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Ivies]Little”>Little Ivies - Wikipedia)</p>
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<p>Not at all. To be honest, I often have literally no idea who is full-pay and who is on scholarship. You can sometimes tell by the type of car they drive or where they are from but you usually don’t know, and even if you do, you don’t care.</p>
<p>If you’re looking for less selective option on the west coast, I would highly encourage you to take a look at Whitman College. From what I’ve, the anthropology department is pretty solid and theater is big. We put on 8-12 productions a year and there is lots of non-theater major involvement in acting and technical stuff. Students here are mostly of a liberal bent, though perhaps more mainstream liberal than, say, Reed–that is to say slightly crunchy, but only superficially. Whitman is also sends a good numbers of graduates to the Peace Corps (#20 on posted list). Music is also big. Lost of non-major participation in the Symphony Orchestra and lessons available to all students. Not a ton of language offerings, but fairly strong in the usual suspects (French, Spanish) and some others (Greek, Latin) and just okay in some smaller departments (Chinese, Japanese, German). Walla Walla is definitely a good place if you enjoy the outdoors. Mountains an hour away and lots of beautiful greenery and wheatfields. The town has been an agricultural center and is expanding into wine tourism. Overall, I think it could be a good fit.</p>
<p>Other LACs outside the NE with significant overlap: Grinell, Colorado College, St. Olaf, Carleton, Beloit, and many others. Oftentimes, these schools are significantly less selective and more generous with merit aid than their Northeastern counterparts, so I would definitely look into them if you are interested.</p>