College for quirky kids?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hi! I'm a junior searching for colleges to apply to next year. I've found a lot of great college searches online for majors, school size, etc., but I'm having a hard time finding anything on the type of student body that attends each school, which is important to me. </p>

<pre><code>I go to a quirky, artsy high school right now that I absolutly love. We're kind of known for being the "weird" school of the district. I generally don't wear makeup, I'm in a club that wears costumes to school, I go on "meandering" parties with my friends, etc.
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<p>I would like to go to a similarly accepting, friendly, off-beat college.
I'm not a partier at all. I'm not extraordinarly sociable or extroverted (although I certainly like having freinds). I am religous, so I would prefer a campus where I could find other people of faith, but open-mindedness and tolerance are at the top of my list. </p>

<pre><code> I would like to get a start on finding colleges that match up with as much of this as possible. Ideas?

I would perfer to stay in California, but I'm open to anything at this point.

Also...just from tours, my favorites are UCSC and USD. Thoughts on how they would fit for me in this context?
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<p>Thanks so much. :)</p>

2

<p>Evergreen State College, in Olympia, Washington. I have a good friend who sounds like you who goes there and absolutely loves it.</p>

<p>[The</a> Evergreen State College - a public, liberal arts & sciences college in the Pacific Northwest](<a href=“http://www.evergreen.edu/]The”>http://www.evergreen.edu/)</p>

3

<p>Not in California at all, but what about Bard College? It’s in upstate NY and I found it definitely had the kind of vibe you seem to be looking for.</p>

4

<p>When reading your description, Bard College came to my mind too. If you want to stay on the west coast, what about Reed College.</p>

5

<p>Chicago, Reed, Sarah Lawrence, Lewis and Clark.</p>

6

<p>I second Reed, and perhaps Whitman as well</p>

7

<p>Maybe Pitzer (CA) and Carleton if you can stand the cold. I think Evergreen does sound like a good fit though.</p>

8

<p>my D goes to Whitman where costumes are common at parties, very few girls wear makeup, pajamas are often worn to class, and the school has a widespread reputation as one of the friendliest college campuses. She also went to a very quirky, artsy high school that she loved, and she felt right at home from the minute she set foot on Whitman’s campus, which didn’t happen at Pitzer, USD or Lewis and Clark, for what that’s worth.</p>

9

<p>Look at Oberlin.</p>

10

<p>Bard, Hampshire, Bennington, Oberlin, Wesleyan, Reed, Skidmore. Sarah Lawrence, Emerson, SUNY New Paltz (state school in NY). I don’t really know CA schools well but I do know a couple of people into the arts who loved Pitzer --I don’t have a real feel for the overall population at the school but it may be worth looking into.</p>

11

<p>I was feeling maybe Clark and Hampshire, but they’re both in Mass.</p>

12

<p>UC Santa Cruz and Berkeley immediately come to mind. I think a lot of Bay Area schools might fit your definition of ‘quirky,’ since the Bay Area is known to be pretty crazy/active/liberal. The “fruits and nuts” of California are in the Bay Area, and that’s what makes it awesome. ;)</p>

<p>I can’t verify that these are ‘quirky’ but you might check them out: San Francisco State, CSU-East Bay, San Jose State, and Sonoma State.</p>

<p>Since you mention religion, you should also check out Santa Clara University, St. Mary’s College of California, University of San Francisco, Notre Dame de Namur University, Holy Names University, and Pacific Union College.</p>

<p>For other private universities, try out Mills College and Golden Gate University.</p>

13

<p>Pomona had quite a quirky vibe, and students that were very accepting of others.</p>

14

<p>Tufts for sure.</p>