<p>So, I'm deep into the college search. Right now, I'm living in Saint Louis, Missouri. In summary, I'd love to go to a liberal arts school to study English and move on to graduate school, earn my MFA in Creative Writing and live happily ever after along the east coast.</p>
<p>Now, onto my qualifications: my overall GPA is a 3.7 and I scored a 27 on the ACT. I'm part of the fall play and spring musical at my school. I was accepted into a creative writing workshop at Washington University this past summer and I've also submitted work to the Young Authors contest at Columbia College Chicago. I'm taking two college-level courses and I can get great letters of recommendations and write great essays. </p>
<p>So in essence, I would love to attend a school whose students are equally as creative and arts-oriented as myself. In addition, I would love a very left-sided, liberal, LGBT-supportive school. Schools in the midwest and along the east coast are particularly ideal. </p>
<p>Well, I'd love any sort of suggestions that you all can give me! Personal opinions, advice and the like are appreciated as well!</p>
<p>If you can bump up your ACT (to 30/31 or so), I suggest thinking about Oberlin, Kenyon, Vassar, Hamilton, Wellesley, Wesleyan, Mounty Holyoke, Bryn Mawr. </p>
<p>If not, I suggest thinking about applying ED to one of the above, and also thinking about Hampshire, Ohio Wesleyan, St. Johns (Md), Wooster.</p>
<p>Parent of similar student here (now a college freshman) – though the GPA is strong, the ACT will hurt at schools like Grinnell, Oberlin, Kenyon and Mac. Similar schools which would be match rather than reach would include Kalamazoo, Beloit, maybe Cornell College (in Iowa, not New York, block plan like Colorado), College of Wooster. Skidmore may be somewhere between a match and a reach. If you are a senior, it is a little late in the game to try to bring up the ACT over a 30; if you are a junior, of course, still possible. </p>
<p>Univ of Iowa has, of course, an extraordinary graduate program in writing, which can filter down to the undergrad program. Iowa is a smaller state school, about 18,000 undergrads, in liberal town, beautiful setting. Admission is determined based on a state-wide formula, the RAI, which takes into account class rank, testing, unweighted gpa and college-prep courseload. You can calculate it online and see if you will be admitted. A strong Honors program which provides a smaller academic community, with Honors only dorms, advising etc. There is automatic merit money for out of state students if your RAI score is high enough, though there may have been a Nov 1 admission deadline to qualify for those funds. </p>
<p>Good luck, this is an exciting, stressful time.</p>
<p>Check out Bard. Lots of emphasis on writing. Our biology major tour guide says he writes papers every week. Very creative and liberal school with strong theater and music.</p>