college suggestions for quirky D

Parents Forum
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<p>I’ve been lurking for a while, but now that my child is “officially” a rising junior, I thought it was time to come forward. We’re starting to build a list of safeties/reaches/matches for my opinionated quirky D. Current stats include a 3.75 UW GPA in the most rigorous schedule available. No ACT/SAT scores yet, but her PLAN score “predicts” (…and I use that term loosely…) a 26-30. Academically she does well in most classes, but she’s not sure yet on a college major (Business? Psychology?). Her major ECs are Girl Scouts (will be a Gold Award winner) and her high school radio station (publicity and some on-air work.)</p>

<p>Here comes the quirky opinionated part. She is really involved with alternative music (indie, pop-punk) – no, she has neither piercings nor dyed hair but she does have the attitude. She plays guitar herself but not in a band. She knows all the local bands and closely follows up-and-coming national bands (hence her interest in the school radio station – hopefully she will host her own show next year.) To give you an idea - her wardrobe consists of high-top Converses and 50 different band shirts (the more obscure the band, the better.) </p>

<p>She has strong opinions on what she wants from college: an urban campus (or, at the very least, a large university with a vibrant atmosphere) - no rural campuses and probably not a LAC. She will not even consider unis in our state (Michigan), but Wisconsin or Ohio would be okay. Right now she’s looking at schools in Chicago (not Northwestern) or Boston, and we’re visiting Wisconsin-Madison later this summer. She loved NYU (visited on vacation last spring), but, man, that tuition is less than thrilling.</p>

<p>Financial aid is not a factor. Fit is. What would you suggest for a non-preppy nonconformist like my D?</p>

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<p>Reed.
Great city, quirky people with a sense of humor.</p>

<p>But it is a small LAC.</p>

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<p>Urban campus in Seattle would fit her desires. Great music scene. From your description of her she is a perfect fit.</p>

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<p>The three east coast LACs that fit are Sarah Lawrence (on the outskirts of NYC, and folks spend a lot of time in NYC), Bard and Bennington (the later two being rural, so cross them off.) Her wardrobe would fit right in, but she needs a couple of piercings (tongue, preferably.)</p>

<p>Wisconsin would be a terrific choice. She'd probably love University of Oregon (great scene, very liberal campus, and academics are surprisingly good.) Surprised to see nothing California?</p>

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<p>First, I would suggest that, if the ACT does not yield great scores, to take the SAT. </p>

<p>Second, for Boston area colleges, various "fits" from the snapshot of her: Tufts, Emerson, Smith, Holyoke, Hampshire, maybe Wellesley, Wesleyan... don't worry too much about satisfying all of her criteria. I would go for a larger school, as she'll have an easier time finding people like herself. Schools in the 2,000 student range are probably just too small.</p>

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<p>Working near a library, I think I have seen every type of college guide on the market-
Anyway- Rolling Stone Magazine puts out a College Guide-
"Schools that Rock" The Rolling Stone College Guide. by Jenny Eliscu. It's supposed to give info on the music scene including the 75 Best Music Programs and 50 Coolest College Towns.
I can't tell you how wonderful a google search is. I knew this book existed and I found the specific info in about 2 minutes. I really hate computers, but sometimes I just marvel at all the info that is available.</p>

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<p>Wow, she should meet my son, he's a little younger.
NYU is notorious for giving very poor aid - if she gets enamoured of it, and you need FA, you may have to tell her how much you can afford, up front to prevent disappointment later.</p>

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<p>Yeah, Reed is a small LAC, but it's right in Portland, and that's about as great an indie rock city as there is. My D with similar interests almost went there for that reason alone. Plus, it's quirky heaven.</p>

<p>She has an indie rock friend whose parents said "No" to NYU on cost grounds after she had been accepted (business program, wants to do artist management). The friend is now in the business program at BU and loving it. She also applied to Drexel in Philadelphia, which has a relatively new but high-quality music business program.</p>

<p>Two other friends from the HS indie rock scene go to Oberlin (where they have a radio show together). It's not exactly urban -- they describe it as "the coolest cow pasture in Ohio" -- but they are pretty happy there. And it produced Liz Phair, Jason Molina, Josh Ritter, two-thirds of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and key members of Tortoise and Deerhoof -- those are seriously good indie rock bloodlines.</p>

<p>My nephew who is very serious about music as a performer (Met children's chorus for 5 years, excellent classical pianist, high school rock group, budding singer-songwriter with an agent) is in a music program at Hunter College in NYC and liking it a lot. Not a lot of campus life, though.</p>

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<p>I loved the wardrobe description, sounds just like my D. Except that in the winter, add college hoodies, the more obscure the better! </p>

<p>I know that she doesn't want to stay in Michigan but it seems that she could find like minded souls at both UMich and Kalamazoo. Oberlin came to mind as did Bard and Grinnell. I know that they are in the middle of nowhere but seem to fit quirky. Also Colorado College.</p>

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<p>Oberlin is hardly isolated, being about 30 miles from Cleveland.</p>

<p>One advantage of Boston schools is that Berkeley college of music is there. It does impact the Boston music scene.</p>

<p>U. Chicago is certainly a good fit for a nonpreppy nonconformist if they want to do the work.</p>

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<p>Second the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Its chock of full of extremely talented freaks (and I mean that in a good way).</p>

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<p>Oberlin may be 30 minutes from Cleveland, but unless you have a car (which most do not), getting off of campus is very difficult. My daughter graduated from Oberlin, and while she enjoyed her time there, she and most people she knew rarely ever got much further than the local 24 hour K Mart 10 minutes down the road. Oberlin definitely has a quirky population though.</p>

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<p>its tough to find a large yet quirky school in an urban environment.
-nyu would be the obvious choice.
-emerson (in boston) would be perfect if shes interested in college radio-they have one of the top college stations in the country
-wesleyan (ct) definitely isnt urban, but there is a very nice town with tons of things to do, and it sounds like she may fit in perfectly with the student body
-hampshire college is definitely quirky, and because its in amherst mass, there are 30,000 college students around.
-wellseley and smith are in great college towns, but are quite small.
-macalester is in minneapolis, but again, under 2000 students. but when you're in a city, size often doesnt matter.
-sarah lawrence- verrrry quirky, and is small, but is 15 miles from midtown manhattan.
-evergreen state in olympia, wa
-eugene lang/new school in new york city
-for a large school, UC-santa cruz is supposed to be a mecca for vegetarian free spirited students</p>

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<p><plug school="uchicago"></plug></p>

<p>If your daughter doesn't mind the rigor, the University</a> of Chicago likes quirky, intelligent people. It's in Hyde Park, which is right in Chicago proper and bordered by Cottage Grove, 5100 S, 6100 S, and Lake Michigan. Have a look and see if you like it. The music scene on campus is very alive with organizations like WHPK[/url</a>] and [url=<a href="http://hive.uchicago.edu/%5DThe">http://hive.uchicago.edu/]The</a> Hive. They get some great artists on campus, often for free!</p>

<p>She'll get a great education there, to boot.</p>

<p></p>

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<p>Athens, Ga is supposed to have a great music scene.</p>

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<p>I second the vote for the University of Washington in Seattle. It's a big school, so there are all kinds of students there (including her kind). Moreover, the city itself is very much appreciated by (and full of) people who fit her description.</p>

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<p>I PM'd you this but thought I'd share here as well. Get hold of a copy of Schools that Rock (amazon has it, also in many bookstores). It describes many school with active music scenes and will point you in the right direction. :)</p>

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<p>how about depaul? maybe even as a safty?</p>

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<p>A gig here looks like good alt fun...</p>

<p><a href="http://kamp.arizona.edu/dj.php?djoid=261%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://kamp.arizona.edu/dj.php?djoid=261&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Brown is supposed to have a good station too.</p>

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<p>Thanks for all the suggestions and comments – I’m glad I decided to un-lurk! I especially like the endorsements for “Schools that Rock” (I’m off to get a copy this week.)</p>

<p>So many intriguing suggestions. I confess that I didn’t think of University of Washington (or Oregon either), but my D’s eyes lit up when I mentioned Seattle. It’s definitely on her radar screen now. She’s off on a whirlwind college tour of Boston this fall, and we’ll check out Berklee (and some of the other suggestions) then. She’s already half-in-love with the Boston area anyway. And although she loved NYU, she’s very pragmatic (she was as appalled by the tuition as her parents were.) </p>

<p>The idea of a small school/LAC in or near a major city (i.e., Sarah Lawrence, Macalester, Reed) is also a possibility that she’ll entertain (I know, I asked), especially if the student body is compatible. In fact, I’d love to have her visit such a place so she’d get an idea of what a small college could offer – I’m afraid she’s dismissing such schools out-of-hand. (Her explanation: “I don’t want to go to any school smaller than my high school” – which is 6000 students.) That’s why I might sneak in a stealth visit to Oberlin, just so she could scope out the atmosphere. I want her to consider all her options, since I realize that her requirements/preferences could easily change over the next 18 months.</p>

<p>Personally, I love the idea of University of Chicago, but I’m afraid it may be a little too “academically intense” for her. But funny you should mention DePaul, theatreworm – she discovered DePaul on her own and is already enamored. It would be a good safety for her, I think: great location, good business and psychology programs, good size (and she’s already determined that Victory Records runs a large summer intern program in Chicago. It’s her dream job!) We are making a “formal” visit there in August, right after out trip to Madison. </p>

<p>SBmom: we’ve visited UGA in the past (extended family). It’s still on her list (even if she thinks REM is for “old fogies.”)</p>

<p>Deb922: She DOES sound like your daughter, clothes-wise! In the winter it’s band hoodies or (my favorite) the “dork” hoodie. Nothing like self-deprecation. I do wish I could get her to consider Michigan schools, but this is the one point about which she is most adamant. Who knows, though - that could change as the time to leave for school draws nearer.</p>

<p>Cangel: let the matchmaking begin! Most her friends are male music freaks (and I mean that in a good way, too, eng_dude.)</p>