Colleges for a very intelligent student who doesn't want to be swamped with work

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hi all:
We are just starting out the search. My daughter is a high school Junior. She is at the top of her class --no SAT scores yet. She has many interests, but thinks she wants to explore Statistics and/or Animation in college. In high school she can get anxious and overwhelmed with homework assignments. She obsesses and takes way too long. She also tends to feel better when she is one of the smarter kids in a class.
So...although she might be able to get into a highly rated school, like let's say, Tufts, I am concerned that she not be at a school that is overwhelming for her. </p>

<p>She is not a party girl, but she is very creative and needs to have time for clubs/activities and also down time for her mental health (and thus MY mental health)!</p>

<p>She wants to stay within 300 miles of where we are on Long Island. I know that some schools may be very competitive to get into, but may be lighter in workload once you are there, vs some schools that might be considered on a lower tier but kids work harder once they are in. How do I figure out which is which??</p>

<p>I would appreciate any suggestions on how to proceed.
Thanks!</p>

2

<p>You might be better off getting her professionally treated for what sounds like an anxiety disorder rather than looking for a school that doesn’t exist. Then she could really take off and put what sounds like her considerable talent to work.</p>

3

<p>MrMom is exactly right. College will be hard work, and it sounds as if your daughter needs some support.</p>

<p>Math, in particular, can be stressful even at a “no-name” school. it’s a difficult subject, and the kids taking advanced math classes tend to be pretty smart! My son is at the University of Southern Maine as an applied math student and is impressed with the caliber of his classmates.</p>

<p>If your daughter gets diagnosed with anxiety, she could receive additional support services and accommodations. My son gets extra time on tests, and can turn in assignments late if he gets stressed. Universities really are interested in helping all of their students succeed, so take advantage of their resources!</p>

4

<p>I would suggest looking at public university honors colleges. We found it a perfect mix for our daughter (top 10 in her class with a 34 ACT). She really wanted classes that challenged her but didn’t want the uber competitiveness all the time outside of class. She wanted th big school spirit thing. She is very happy and challenged.</p>

5

<p>Get a college guide, eg, Fiske. As you id colleges that look interesting, you can look up current stats on matriculants’ GPA and test scores. Nothing wrong with wanting to be a big fish in a smaller pond. A you go along, you can look at courses that are available and the backgrounds of profs, to assure yourselves her more specific academic interests can be met. </p>

6

<p>Look at state universities with an Honor’s college. I could go to a top tier school or at least be a viable candidate but I prefer to be a big fish. I rather go to college with a big merit award than worrying about financial aid each year.</p>

7

<p>Actually, I am a psychologist myself, and I have worked with her as well as sent her for therapy. That’s why I am tuned in to being careful about where she goes so as not to trigger her too much.
I have thought of a state school or a larger university with an honors program. Thanks for the suggestions and any others you might have. I also suppose that even within a university, certain depts might have greater workloads than others. For her, a writing assignment with open-ended possibilities can often be more stressful than a math problem. She is a talented writer but if she decided to major in English I might go into the Witness Protection Program.</p>

8

<p>It sounds like you’re on top of the situation. Just be sure to stay in close contact with her, wherever she goes. With our son, I have found that things can go downhill very quickly. My son can be fine one week, and the next get stressed and start having severe symptoms.</p>

9

<p>Your daughter sounds like a good candidate for a small liberal arts college where she’d experience small, non-threatening class discussion and lots of nurturing and personalized attention from her professors. </p>

<p>Small LACs vary widely in culture, so you have to do individual research and, ideally, visit. Once she finds one that seems like a good fit, she’ll be able to find others in the same general personality type.</p>

<p>I don’t know that it’s necessary to rachet down academically. My guess is that she’ll enjoy being surrounded by kids who are equally “smart” as long as the environment is collaborative and non-competitive. Anxiety level is also relative to self expectations. Even at the most academically rigorous small LACS, it’s fairly easy to maintain a B or B+ average; however, if she’s aiming to continue her all-A record she should choose a notch down. Once students get more advanced their majors, A/A-minus is more common.</p>

<p>I’d also pay careful attention to what the kids do when they’re not in class – how they blow off steam and relax. You want to find a good balance of academics and other interests, as well as the prevailing social atmosphere.</p>

<p>For my son, who is also sometimes anxious under pressure, being in a rural, wellness focused environment was a wonderful stress reliever. His college, Williams, puts a lot of emphasis on developing extracurricular activities and interests – in the arts as well as outdoorsy and athletic pursuits. The residential entry arrangement was also a great social equalizer. (Also excellent math/statistics department.)</p>

<p>Some LACs that are more or less within her geographic range (in varying levels of selectivity): Williams, Amherst, Wesleyan, Middlebury, Hamilton, Bates, Bowdoin, Colby, Haverford. I would especially note that the women’s colleges like Smith and Holyoke can be very supportive.</p>

<p>One caveat: although many of these schools have good to excellent art department, animation and digital art is not a big part of the LAC art curriculum.</p>

10

<p>If finances aren’t an issue, perhaps she could plan to take a lower course load and take longer to finish her degree.</p>

11

<p>I think the most important thing about looking for colleges is it a fit. Where is your daughter most comfortable? In a small protected environment where she knows everyone. Or is she more happy in a large environment where she can be anonymous at times if she wishes and is comfortable being surrounded by strangers. Is she shy or outgoing? Is she happier in a big urban environment, suburban or rural. And then there is just the gut feeling, does it feel like home. </p>

12

<p>Williams was already a consideration and it is good to hear about the “personality” there. The balance you describe is exactly the kind of info I am looking for. Amherst and Wesleyan were also on our list. Some of the others (esp in Maine) are too far for her comfort level. She’d like to be in a co-ed atmosphere.
Thanks so much for this input.</p>

13

<p>Thanks for the other suggestions as well. Definitely important to look for a good fit. We haven’t visited many places yet, so I think that is crucial in order for her to narrow down what type of environment fits her the best.
After all the info is gathered, “gut feeling” is really the driving force.</p>

14

<p>My D is at Lafayette College in PA which is less selective Amherst/Williams (but still an excellent school) and the coursework has been challenging but not overwhelming. She has time to be involved in multiple other activities (ex.music, theater, community service) and keep her grades at a high level. But I don’t know if they have statistics or animation. Another idea is Barnard, although it is single-sex there is Columbia next door. I do think a LAC environment would be good for your D, but strictly in terms of majors offered NYU may have a lot of what she wants to study and from what I hear (second hand information from friends), I don’t think the workload is overwhelming there.</p>

15

<p>As the parent of a Barnard grad, I don’t think that Barnard would be a good fit for someone with anxiety issues and a need for down time – it’s a pretty intense academic environment, in a place full of Type-A personalities. Sometimes I wonder what people are thinking with the suggestions they post on CC - for the most part, colleges with highly competitive admissions practices end up being filled with highly competitive students. </p>

<p>You might want to look at Gallatin at NYU – my guess would be that the program structure would mean that it would attract more creative, independent-minded types, and obviously there is going to be considerable flexibility built into the program. Gallatin was a top choice for my d., but the financial aid was typical for NYU, so it didn’t work out for us. But I do think it could provide a good environment for your daughter to explore her particular combination of interests - the resources are there, and she would have the freedom to design her own program. </p>

16

<p>@NSG420‌ have you considered Brown? It has very supportive students, faculty and administration. The administration seems to be aware of anxiety issues that sometimes besiege high-achieving kids. Also, heavy extracurricular involvement seems to be the norm there. Cross registration at adjacent RISD is allowed, so that might of interest to your D with her interest in animation. Also, the open curriculum may help her somewhat manage her workload. </p>

17

<p>Tufts may be a good fit.</p>

<p>I live in the western suburbs of Boston and I am a Tufts (Engineering) Alum.</p>

<p>My daughter is currently attending Tufts and is a creative (but social) type. In high school, the hyper competitive environment (academically and socially) made her anxious. We crossed our fingers and sent her off to Tufts.
We heard nothing for the first couple weeks, which made us anxious. </p>

<p>Then we got an email from the parents of a friend of hers who was attending another highly regarded NESCAC school.
They were watching their daughter’s sporting event at Tufts and ran into our daughter. They said she looked like a different person - she looked so relaxed and happy. A few days later, our daughter called home and raved about how different college was from high school and how friendly and non-competitive the people from all the various social groups were. There is a large creative community at Tufts (fine arts is one of the largest majors) and that community (along with the IR community) tends to set the campus culture. As a psychologist, you have probably read about the inverse relationship between creativity and competition and creative types seem to thrive at Tufts.</p>

<p>Having said that, academic standards are high and workloads can get heavy- particularly around exam times. First semester, all but the most organized students will have their study skills tested. But then again, the workload is not like MIT and there is time to participate in clubs and other activities as well as time to venture into Davis Square (next to Tufts), Harvard Square and Boston. For wilderness escapes, The Tufts Mountain Club owns a lodge in the White Mountains of New Hampshire and provides vans that students can reserve to get back and forth. There is also the Middlesex Fells (a large urban forest) a couple of miles away for hiking and mountain biking. </p>

<p>The on campus drawing and painting classes are amazing, because they are taught by professors from the Museum School at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Although they take time, my daughter found the classes both relaxing and refreshing. She also hops on the “T” and visits the Museum of Fine Arts a few times each semester (it is free for Tufts Students). Some of her friends have taken classes at the Museum School.</p>

<p>Davis Square (in Somerville, next to Tufts) is a great hangout - because Somerville has the second highest density of young people and artists in the country (NYC/Hoboken is first). Harvard Square (two “T” stops from Davis Square) is another great hangout, as Cambridge has the third highest density of young people in the country.</p>

<p>There is a Multimedia Arts Minor that is run by a woman in the engineering college who recently won a presidential award for mentoring women in engineering. There are engineering courses in animation/visualization as well as game/web design that are accessible to liberal arts majors. Applied Math majors use the “Viswall”.</p>

<p>There is also a Communications and Media Studies Minor that can include courses from the Experimental College as well as course credit for an internship. This is good prep for careers in digital marketing/advertising as well as the traditional media industries.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.excollege.tufts.edu/mma/MMA_at_Tufts.html”>http://www.excollege.tufts.edu/mma/MMA_at_Tufts.html&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://www.excollege.tufts.edu/mma/About_The_Program.html”>http://www.excollege.tufts.edu/mma/About_The_Program.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/science_nation/viswall.jsp”>http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/science_nation/viswall.jsp&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“Prospective Students | Department of Computer Science”>Prospective Students | Department of Computer Science;

<p><a href=“Homepage | Film and Media Studies”>Homepage | Film and Media Studies;
<a href=“Homepage | Film and Media Studies”>Homepage | Film and Media Studies;

<p>Wheaton College (in Norton Mass) offers merit awards for top students and cross enrollment at Brown. It is known for strong science programs, but I do not have first hand experience with the culture. They have a program that might be interesting.</p>

<p><a href=“http://wheatoncollege.edu/catalog/conx_20042/”>http://wheatoncollege.edu/catalog/conx_20042/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Good Luck</p>

18

<p>Mastadon, thank you for your wonderful description of Tufts. I had a feeling it might be a good fit for my daughter. I am going to check out some of the links you gave me, as well as Wheaton, which I’ve never heard of.<br>
Arwarw, I am definitely considering Brown, as I have been impressed with what I know of it, but don’t know if she’d get in. </p>

19

<p>I would look at colleges where her SAT scores are at the 75%.</p>

20

<p>Clark in Worcester is an excellent school and smaller. Smaller might be better, warmer, less intimidating. </p>