@merc81 While those schools have robust music departments, I’ve visited Colgate (which several people have told me is very similar to Hamilton), and they are far from “artsy” or “chill”. At Colgate, I saw a lot of salmon pants and boat shoes sans socks…nothing wrong with being preppy, but it’s not the vibe OP is going for. My saying that artsy, musical kids would be hard to find there is not necessarily negated by the fact that they have nice music departments…we’re talking about different kinds of musicians/students, here, if that makes sense.
@asirusas If you value personal interaction with professors that highly, I would advise you to limit the size of schools you’re looking at (aside from your instate flagship, which you say is your safety) to less than 7K undergraduates. Perhaps you may be better served by exclusively looking at LACs, which have no graduate students, so all the focus is on you.
Hampshire and Sarah Lawrence are two examples of schools that are very self-designed and student oriented. They take creative learning onto a whole new level. Hamilton, Wesleyan, and Brown have open curriculums as opposed to general education requirements if that appeals to you.
NYU/Vassar also seems to fit what you are looking for. Both have large artsy populations and are located in new york. On your question about research opportunities, it varies depending on the field, but generally larger universities have more research going on at a certain time but many of them are reserved for graduate students.
I go to a middle sized university which I think is a great fit because it has the benefits of having small class sizes yet a good deal of research going on at a given time. Also very little grad students, so the professors actively seek out undergraduates to help out with research
I think it’s worth reminding participants on this thread that the OP has already stated financial constraints that would put a number of suggestions out of reach. I would have recommended College of Creative Studies at UCSB if it weren’t for the OP’s financial limits. Bennington and Skidmore are both in communities with local arts and live music scenes, and might offer aid packages that meet the OP’s needs. One of my son’s best friends has been very happy, as a musician, at Bennington. I can’t tell you how good their Physics department is, though. I’m not sure whether UNC-Asheville would offer an out-of-state student sufficient aid. If they do, that’s another option. If the OP has the academic chops for a highly-selective college, then Brown might be a more “chill” option. Providence has a lively music and arts scene, and Brown is not as “intense” as, say, Columbia, Vanderbilt or Harvard.
Another vote for New College of FL. Small state school, small classes, most students do a thesis, you can design your own major, and there are no grades. Definitely a laid back atmosphere, no greek (or sports.) It’s in Sarasota, which is one of the nicer FL beach towns in the Tampa area. Lots of arts and music.I see FSU on your list, my son wanted a larger school and will be starting there in the fall, but we visited New College and liked it. You may be able to get an OOS tuition waiver.
@Qwerty568: Based on your posts elsewhere, you have a very good feel for colleges. But in this case the OP is fine with “not necessarily [being] surrounded by a crowd of theater and dance majors all the time” (#7 ). This being the case, the academic and structural aspects of a college may be as relevant to the OP’s interests as the consideration of whether the school is “artsy” as a whole – at least to the extent that these former aspects reflect the student body’s interests. “Chill” is probably fully in order, but it would be beyond me to identify that quality in a reliable fashion. Nevertheless, your brief review of Colgate’s social factors seemed entirely pertinent and helpful; your assessment of Hamilton would probably have been equally interesting if it had been based on your personal experience.
Just some help from a Colgate student. I think if you are looking for a chill, artsy school that isnt in the middle of nowhere, I would have trouble recommending Colgate. The students at Colgate are intelligent, motivated, often type A personalities. The classes there are fantastic, and are right up there with Swarthmore, and Middlebury. However, they are rigorous and Colgate’s grades are slightly deflated. Expect Physics to be top-notch, but the department will work your butt off.
As a result, most Colgate students arent ‘chill and laid back’ (though we arent competitive with one another either. Its all of us vs. tough classes). We are constantly doing something. We will sit on the out in the summer time and listen to music, but its usually while studying or playing sports. There’s a plethora of musical options, but traditional rock bands tend to be poorly attended. Party music like EDM and hip-hop rules the day at Colgate. Id recommend Colgate to a student who is very serious about getting the best education they can get, who is very passionate and motivated in even the small things they do. This can include students who appreciate the arts, but its usually a different type of arts student.
For what you are looking for, I would echo other posters and recommend Oberlin, Vassar, or Wesleyan. These schools tend to have more of the artsy, laid-back personality from my experience. Most of the schools on your list dont really fit that vibe.
I would like to agree with mec81 though that Colgate is building a new arts center and the campus is trying to build upon its dedication to the arts, but once again, expect a more intense arts environment. These are all my opinions though. Best of luck!
Actually, I would think not see Vassar as a ‘chill’ place: academic focus is very intense- more like @Punumscott’s description of Cornell, collaborative, not competitive, but a rigorous and substantial workload.
There are three members of the Alliance for the Arts in Research Universites located in the Northeast: MIT, Tufts and Dartmouth.
MIT is probably not a good fit for those seeking “chill” and Dartmouth is probably not a good fit for those trying to avoid frats, but Tufts might fit.
There is a large arts community (about 2000 of the 5000 undergrads participate in music related programs and art is the third largest major), Somerville, Cambridge and Boston all have thriving arts communities. There are 7 jazz ensembles on campus and the Boston area is among the top cities in the country for Jazz.
There are majors in physics, engineering physics (I.e. Applied physics) and an interesting minor in music engineering
As well as courses in music cognition.
There are programs with the New England Conservatory and the Museum School at the Museum of Fine Arts.
Hello again everyone, I’m not sure if anyone will still be responding to this but I have a few more colleges I’ve looked into and wanted to know your opinions of them based on the details I mentioned earlier.
Main interests (reaches) as of now:
Lehigh, Haverford, Brown
Questionable ones from earlier:
Hamilton
Middlebury
Oberlin
Lafayette
Reed
New finds:
Miami University (OH)
Franklin and Marshall
Bates, Colby, Bowdoin (would you guys recommend looking into any of these Maine schools over the others?)
Deep Springs College (reeeaally weird but caught my interest, anyone know anything about it from personal experience?)
Rochester looks great except it’s 65k a year and the scholarships aren’t that great.
Colgate seems bland to me. Lots of normal people- I just dont really feel the vibe.
For Rochester, being on a list doesn’t mean all that much. Trust me I looked into it, their website is vague, and according to 90% of reviews on niche they don’t give nearly enough. Startclass states the avg grant aid is 25k, confirming this.
@asirusas Bates and Bowdoin have a good mix of people, neither are rural, both have easy access to Portland, Maine, which is the nicest small city in the east, neither are overtly preppy, both have outstanding food. They are both less preppy than Colgate.
Getting to Bates and Bowdoin from NJ is fairly easy, major highways the entire way.
Middlebury very nice, access to Burlington is good. Burlington is awesome. Little more natty than Bates and Bowdoin and more rural.
@porcupine98 We visited and my cousin’s daughter starts there this fall. It is very generic. Has none of the character of Dickinson, Bucknell or Gettysburg.