College Suggestions???

Parents Forum
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<p>I am the parent of the archetypal underachiever, and I need your help! Currently she has a 3.4 unweighted GPA from a highly regarded, yet small (600 students) public high school. Most of her coursework has been in honors classes and next year she'll be taking a UConn sponsored course in English and AP U.S. and Comparative Government. Her first SAT scores were around 2050, but I expect both Reading and Writing to go up quite a bit and wouldn't be surprised if she falls in the 2200 range.</p>

<p>Now about this kiddo. She wants to study Literature, with an emphasis on British Literature, and theater. Her goal is to teach either at the secondary or university level. She's done some cool things outside of school, including three years on a competitive swim team, selection to a month long Leadership Training Program at a camp (she obtained her junior lifesaving certificate as part of this program) and is eligible to work as an assistant camp counselor, she's studying abroad this summer at Oxford (taking a course in performance theater and another in Elizabethan England), plays guitar, and most importantly, has been very involved in a local children's theater group. The theater group is the largest in our state, and she's been in a number of performances and has even be the assistant director for a performance. It's not unusual for her to be there virtually every day for months at a time, 6:30 - 9:30, in addition to all the other stuff she has going on with school and extracurricular interests.</p>

<p>So for the college search: right now her first choice is Reed College. She's also planning on applying to NYU, UC-Berkeley (she'll never get in), Brown, UVM. My husband, her stepdad, thinks she should look seriously at Bard College.</p>

<p>She's a little out of the box. Not at all into the drug/alcohol scene, but is very tolerant. Definitely a theater geek. Memorized the alphabet backwards one day because she was "bored". Does amazing vocal imitations. Wrote a term paper on "As I Lay Dying" that inserted "Dr. Who" as a character. Has memorized countless Broadway musicals and can sing them all. Tends to fly under the radar unless she has a very comfortable relationship with her teachers...she tends to gravitate towards eccentric personalities/teachers that other kids might otherwise dislike. Very artistic, writes, draws, etc., amazingly well.</p>

<p>She's been a frustration as she doesn't apply herself to her studies. She has a natural intellectual curiousity and has begun to blossom now that she's in higher level courses that really challenge her. She procrastinates, but finds the pressure exhilerating, not overwhelming (I can't relate to that at all). </p>

<p>I personally think she'd be awesome at Reed, but I am not at all sure she'll get in. I'm intimidated by some of the scores that I see here on cc. I also think she'll probably do better at a school that is smaller, progressive and really intellectually challenging. She will need to have a connection to the professor.</p>

<p>Sorry to go on and on, but wanted to give a context to my request. Any suggestions on colleges???? Thank you!</p>

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<p>She sounds delightful, but she is up against many other creative, delightful young people, so the ad coms may not see her quite the way you do, even if they should.</p>

<p>I think you’re on the right track, except for Brown. NYU’s Tisch will certainly be a reach unless her acting is truly exceptional and so will Arts and Sciences. If she likes one of the majors at Steinhardt that would help.</p>

<p>I would add the Lincoln Center area campus of Fordham to the list. Others I would add might be Hampshire and definitely Emerson in Boston. Bard is a good idea, too.</p>

<p>Oberlin might be worth a look (excellent theater). </p>

<p>Many top schools expect really top grades. </p>

<p>However, I wouldn’t despair at all. A creative, successive young person doesn’t have to be cookie cutter or attend the tippy top schools.</p>

<p>You don’t say your state, but SUNY Purchase and North Carolina School of the Arts are other choices that might work. Both are arts orientated publics and both have turned out folks successful in theater.</p>

<p>Sarah Lawrence is worth a look as well I would think as Skidmore would be.</p>

<p>I think there are a host of schools that would be delighted to have her that she would really enjoy.</p>

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<p>Mary Baldwin College, in Staunton, VA, has one of the most interesting undergraduate Renaissance literature/theater programs in the country. Staunton is the home of the American Shakespeare Theater, a reproduction of Shakespeare’s indoor Blackfriars theater, with a wonderful professional repertory company attached and some excellent faculty who teach at MBC and supervise the theater as well. The program integrates literary and historical study with more hands-on, performance-oriented stuff so is great for some kids. Undergraduate students get very fully involved in productions; the whole place is pretty small so there doesn’t seem to be a lot of separation of faculty, actors, grad students, and undergraduates. MBC isn’t as hard to get into as Reed.</p>

<p>James Madison University has a more conventional musical-theater program that also might be worth a look; your daughter’s grades/scores seem in the right range.</p>

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<p>Reed might well be the place for her, they love kids who are not ordinary, but you need to visit. Some kids that I thought would be a perfect fit have come away not feeling the vibe. And if you’re headed to Portland, I would recommend you take a scenic drive to Walla Walla to visit Whitman. The theater department is top notch, and they give theater scholarships. My son goes there and has found it to be friendly, nurturing and very inclusive. Close teacher/student relationships are the norm. Walla Walla is a charming town with many amenities within walking distance because the campus is a block from downtown.</p>

<p>There has been discussion on CC because the students don’t outwardly wear their hipness the same way students at Reed do, therefore assuming that Whitman students are more conservative. And perhaps it’s true, there is less talk of drug use and the kids tend to love outdoor adventures and intramural sports. However, when I asked my son who had recently visited Reed whether the fashion statements there were really as unconventional as I’d heard, he replied: “Well, you know that’s just another kind of uniform.” Astute observation I thought.</p>

<p>Whitman seems to be more concerned with what kids have accomplished and talents they will bring to campus than strictly adhering to rigid GPAS. There are many "quirky"kids with amazing talents there. </p>

<p>Your story about your daughter memorizing the alphabet backwards made me laugh. One night my son drove out of a brightly lit parking lot and didn’t think to turn on his headlights. The county sheriff’s department was out in force cracking down on drunk drivers that night, so an officer pulled my kid over for driving without his lights on. My son explained the circumstances, the officer did a “follow-my-finger-with-your-eyes” test and then directed my son to say the alphabet backwards. At this point in the story I gasped and said, “What did you do?!” He replied that he had said the alphabet backwards." I just couldn’t believe anyone could do that, so he said it backwards for me. Apparently, half way through the traffic stop recital, the officer laughed and said he was free to go. I had no idea my son had such hidden talents.</p>

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<p>^Next they’ll be asking for 200 digits of pi. (Which for a while my son could do.)</p>

<p>I agree Bard sounds like a good choice - and Sarah Lawrence, Skidmore and Hampshire.</p>

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<p>Do you think she’d have the stats for Wesleyan? Because that sounds like a perfect fit for a kid interested in literature and theater</p>

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<p>Your daughter may want to take a look at the Theater Major, and Musical Theater Major sub-forums in the College Majors Forum for more ideas. Theater kids are made of very different stuff.</p>

<p>As for the not-doing-as-well-as-capable-of in class, and procrastinating business, I’ve got to ask: Has she been screened for inattentive-type ADD? Not a life-threatening disorder by any means, but something that may call for formal assistance in developing the compensation strategies that will help her deal with the rest of the not-inattentive world that she has to live in.</p>

<p>Lastly, have you sat down with her to talk about just exactly how your family plans to help her pay for her education? Does she know the financial limits? Will she need to take out any college loans? If she will, she needs to be thinking now about being prepared for a career that will help her pay down those loans after she graduates.</p>

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<p>Will she consider a women’s college? Mount Holyoke has always had a strong English Dept - particularly British Lit. Also…a very strong non-audition Theater Dept. Two female Pulitzer prize winning playwrights - Wendy Wasserstein and Suzan Lori-Parks - went to Mount Holyoke.</p>

<p>And, a great place for an “outside of the box” student.</p>

<p>Might want to also look at Vassar, Kenyon and Macalester.</p>

<p>Does she want to swim in college? </p>

<p>Agree on most other schools that have been listed here. Clark and Muhlenberg might be matches that would be attractive to her.</p>

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<p>I don’t know how you feel about The Princeton Review guidebook, but we found it to be a helpful starting place. They have a list for the 20 best theater schools which I’m copying here: </p>

<p>Drew University, Madison, NJ
Emerson College, Boston, MA
Yale University, New Haven, CT
Bennington College, Bennington, VT
Wagner College, Staten Island, NY
Muhlenberg College, Allentown, PA
Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY
Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY
Nazareth College, Rochester, NY
Lawrence University, Appleton, WI
Kenyon College. Gambier, OH
College of the Ozarks, Point Lookout, MO
Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA
Cornell College, Mount Vernon, IA
Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY
Brown University, Providence, RI
Oglethorpe University, Atlanta, GA
Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT
Bard College, Great Barrington, MA</p>

<p>Good luck, your daughter sounds like lots of fun!</p>

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<p>While you’re in Portland and before you head out to Walla Walla, go across the river and check out Lewis and Clark college. Reed was DD1’s favorite school choice while her sister didn’t care for it but fell in love with L&C. They have a very active theatre troupe (DD2 grooves on the 1 act plays they put on). It’s a different vibe from Reed and a little less selective so might be a good match.</p>

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<p>Great suggestions, thanks!</p>

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<p>The two that I was going to recommend are on the list above. Lawrence University and Emerson College.</p>

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<p>Bennington College (Vermont) </p>

<p>Remember, now a CSS PROFILE school (For Financial Aid) is going to consider your income, your ex-husband’s income and the stepfather’s income, plus their assets. </p>

<p>You did not mention cost or requiring financial aid or being full pay.</p>

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<p>Okay, now everyone has covered all the schools I was going to mention! That’s a great list and all the posters have had great suggestions.</p>

<p>Would just add that I heard something about Wagner on Staten Island recently, might be also worth a check. Maybe check Pitzer? Lawrence? </p>

<p>There is a good book entitled “Creative Colleges” that might be helpful. I bought it online. It has schools that are good for theater, dance, music, visual arts and writing, as I remember.</p>

<p>With her multiple interests and talents, she may want a school that allows a lot of freedom of choice in terms of courses and majors, some interdisciplinary work, some independent work, that kind of thing. Maybe more discussion than lecture classes. One of my kids is going to Bennington for those aspects of its programs, but there are many others that have been suggested that would fit that bill. (Our daughter wants to be able to take, say, sculpture, dance, physics and literature in a given semester, and not worry about distribution requirements with “101” attached.)</p>

<p>It sounds like she will land somewhere that will be good fit. Does she know whether she wants city or country? Big or small? East or West Coast, South, Midwest? These questions can narrow things a little, but it does seem to come down to vibe for some of these creative students. Good luck!</p>

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<p>Is she planning to major in theater? Some of the listed programs would require an audition.</p>

<p>I agree that Wesleyan should be looked at. Another place to look at would be SUNY Purchase.</p>

<p>If you don’t have to be concerned about money, your search will be different than if you do.</p>

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<p>She wants to major in English/Literature (interest in British lit 1500-1850), minor in theater. Open to consider anything, but looking for a more diverse community as our town is small (8000). Preferably west coast. Money’s a consideration, but we will make it work for goodness of fit.</p>

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<p>Reed doesn’t offer minors. It does, however, have a literature-theatre major:</p>

<p>[Reed</a> College | Admission | Reed College Admission Office](<a href=“http://www.reed.edu/apply/academics/is_dd_div.html#lit_theatre]Reed”>http://www.reed.edu/apply/academics/is_dd_div.html#lit_theatre)</p>

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<p>Is this something your daughter might be interested in?</p>

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<p>Yes, thanks. That’s why it’s top on her list.</p>