<p>I posted on the parents' forum a while back regarding my son, a very hard-working, but not really ambitious junior in HS. For a long time, he said he wasn't sure he wanted to go to college, but has recently agreed to at least look at a few schools. His criteria, which can be flexible, are: small school, not a big party or sports culture, strong theatre program, active Christian fellowship, warm climate (this is one thing he is flexible about, provided most of the other criteria are met.)</p>
<p>I don't know how he will do on the SAT, but he got a 217 on the PSAT, which won't be NM in our state, but will probably be commended. He plays the trombone and is learning the trumpet, but the only area where he feels really competent is in drama. He has mostly As and a couple of Bs in honors and AP classes. Oh, and he's also really into online gaming (League of Legends). He is not looking for, nor is he a strong candidate for, elite schools, He just wants a good fit.</p>
<p>We'd like to book a local trip (New England) for his March break, just to let him get a sense of several different colleges, then we'll go to warmer schools in the summer or early next fall.</p>
<p>Can you suggest some schools he should look at?</p>
<p>No, but we’d like to show him a few NE colleges in March (he will only have about 5 days to travel due to play rehearsals) and then look outside our area later on.</p>
<p>Connecticut College, hampshire college, emerson, mass college of liberal arts, Trinity C, Tufts, Wheaton C. you probably have these on your list already, but I thought I’d suggest them anyway. They have good theater reputations, but you’ll know better about their fit.</p>
<p>How about Mulhenberg College in Allentown, PA? I do believe they have a strong theatre program and they have a Christian Fellowship. Small school, some sports. Not sure about the party aspect.</p>
<p>Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh could be a possibility. Top 5 theatre program, 5900 undergrads, has a Christian church, likely has an online-gaming following due to the strong compsci program. Not big on sports or parties. “Mostly As in APs” and ~2200 (projected) makes him a good candidate there.</p>
<p>For small schools in the Northeast I’d suggest researching Skidmore, Bard, Muhlenberg and perhaps Franklin and Marshall as having strong drama programs without a big time sports atmosphere. F&M does have frats on campus I believe. Check to see which schools have Christian organizations that would met his needs. </p>
<p>You might want also to research some of the mid-sized Jesuit universities in the Northeast as well – for example my S went to Fordham (Rose Hill Campus) which doesn’t have the biggest theater department but he had friends who were in shows there (Fordham’s Lincoln Center campus in Manhattan has an acting track for people who aspire to do that as a career but I think you can be a theater minor there). There is a wonderful campus ministry group at Fordham.</p>
<p>Warmer-climate small colleges include Rhodes College (TN), Emory & Henry College (VA), Eckerd College (FL), New College of Florida (FL), Austin College (TX). There’s also Oxford College at Emory, but it’s just as selective as Emory’s main college - just gives you a smaller rural-ish location to start out.</p>
<p>A suggestion is **Berry College<a href=“%5Burl=404 Error”>/b</a>, a small LAC in north Georgia that is based on Christian principles; the college has four chapels and a pretty strong religious life program. The campus is humongous and gorgeous; it’s got neoclassical architecture and boasts 29,000 acres, including campgrounds and a nature preserve. They seem to have a nice theater program; they’re somewhat selective with a 66% acceptance rate and SAT scores mid 50% range is around 1500-1800.</p>
<p>Oglethorpe University is a small private LAC in Atlanta. Their theater hosts the annual Georgia Shakespeare, and I’m pretty sure their theater program is pretty good. It’s a moderately selective college (56% acceptance rate, SAT scores in the low 500-low 600 range for each section), and your son may eligible for the JEO scholarship program which is a pretty large merit scholarship program.</p>
<p>Elon University, a small LAC in North Carolina, has two theater majors: Theatre Studies and Theatrical Design and Production. They seem to have a pretty strong program with the Elon U Center for the Arts, including a 100-seat black box theatre and a 575-seat performance theatre, plus scenery shop, costume shop, and a bunch of practice rooms and studios. If your son’s interested in Broadway/musical theater they also seem to have a pretty strong dance program. Apparently 72% of Elon’s students study abroad, too. ([Theatre</a> Studies](<a href=“Elon University - America’s Top-Ranked Teaching University”>Elon University - America’s Top-Ranked Teaching University)). Elon’s moderately selective - 54% acceptance rate, mid-50% SAT scores range from 540-640 in all three sections.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the suggestions! Some were on our list, but many were not. To answer your question, we live in MA. He hasn’t ruled out New England (and I personally think it would be better for him to be near home), but hates our weather.</p>
<p>Hendrix!!! Research it a bit and PM me if you have questions. DS is a Sophomore and he is quirky for sure. Loves it! Very at home. Kids call it “Homedrix”. Conway AK, north of Little Rock</p>
<p>I will say, it has a pretty big party culture, that my child is enjoying to the fullest… But there is a big population that doesn’t. He would want to be in Hardin Hall. No Greeks and Athletes are kinda to themselves and certainly don’t rule campus. </p>