<p>anyways, I think you’re taking the stereotypes too seriously. College is not high school, and it is not what’s shown on TV. Stylized renditions of the college social scene do not equate to the actual situation. Don’t want people nosing around your private life? Tell them that. Plus, you’ll have a lot less of the “smart kid” stand out problem because, well, you’re not going to be the smartest kid on campus. You may even be average.</p>
<p>MD Mom, for curosity’s sake, which college did your daughter choose? I’m guessing that she’s exactly my type being a ‘lone ranger’ and all. </p>
<p>Does anyone have more info about this St. John’s College? I have done some googlin’ yesterday and I find that it does have something very wildly different from the system I had back in my home country. Having a whole curricculum based on discussing wisdom behind the Great Books? That’s so unique and wonderful! </p>
<p>I am quite concerned about getting in since I am no valedictorian during my high school years, and the testimonials I had to fetch from my college profs is undoubtedly going to be very negative. They are those kinds of ignorant people who look down on others just for being on a different spectrum. They’ll no doubt be writing about me being a hermit and a daydreamer, calling me a social reject just because I prefer to be alone (mind you, I DO socialize but I need to go somewhere after a while to ‘recharge’). My current employer however knows me very well and would write a very convincing recommendation, but the admission page explicitly requires that at least one of them had to be from my profs’. </p>
<p>I was originally planning to apply later after I have done doing some outstanding extra-curriculars by this December (taking part in a nationwide computer programming competition as a biology major student, to be exact. Am I crazy? Whoot whoot!) But the prospect of rolling admissions and free-of-charge cost is really tempting. Should I apply right now for next year’s fall or wait later until I get some ECs to put in (which frankly at this moment is quite lacking)?</p>
<p>Oh for those that suggest places like U of Chicago, thanks but I’ll pass. Those kinds of well known, highly vocational institutions is no doubt going to be filled with those from my country as well (for engineering and actuarial sciences). Another priority of mine or choosing a college actually is to try to avoid other students from my country whenever possible. Let’s just say that my reason for the time being is that I don’t want them nosing around, questioning my social preferences and dragging me into their fraternity-like student associations. If I were to study overseas I want to experience as much exposure overseas as I can. Having my social interaction restricted within their ‘enclave’ isn’t going to help me achieve that. Plus, I literally had nightmares being stuck with those ultra-extroverts during my previous study as mentioned earlier. </p>
<p>I know that this is very unusual to be heard from someone looking for a college. But I have learned the hard way that it’s not about getting into the best college, its about getting into the best college FOR ME.</p>
<p>The University of Chicago is not a “vocational institution” by any means (unless you are using the word “vocational” in some way I don’t understand). It has no engineering or any other pre-professional majors.</p>
<p>Anyway, it’s interesting that you find SJC appealing; you really are odd! In my opinion St. John’s is a wonderful place. One of the many distinctive features of this school is its relatively high admit rate compared to other private, prestigious liberal arts colleges. They accept far more than half of all applications. Yet, they have one of the best records of any school in graduating students who go on to earn Ph.D.s in the arts and sciences. </p>
<p>I doubt they have many internationals (it’s so small and unusual), but if you find they do, please report back. Another unusual thing about SJC is that it has 2 campuses, one on the east coast (Annapolis MD) and one in the southwest (Santa Fe NM). And, they do not give traditional letter grades. Each professor instead provides an extensive narrative review of your performance or contributions in his/her class. Yet another unusual thing: all the professors need to learn all the material the students do. So the entire community (teachers, students) studies the same Great Books and languages.</p>
<p>I don’t know about your financial situation, but if finances are a concern, it may be difficult for you to find the appropriate school as an international requiring aid. However, I would suggest you try and find schools that do not look at you holistically and just want to know your grades and test scores. Many state universities would meet this criteria and you should just go online and check out the applications to see what they require. Although you didn’t mention Canada, I would take a look at McGill–great school and easy, easy application that doesn’t require an essay or a discussion of extracurriculars. In addition, while located in a fun and interesting city, it’s not a rah rah school with a heavy emphasis on greek life. Another school I might take a look at is University of Colorado-Boulder. Very relaxed school, looks like recommendations are optional, minimal greek life, a little outside the box for a science/math international student and I think that you could be anonymous if you would like. Some others to check out would be University of Rochester (private school but I think you would enjoy the atmosphere), University of Pittsburgh and SUNY-Stony Brook.</p>
<p>I’m an introvert, too. What sucks for me is that I still really, really need people… a lot. (Since we’re speaking typology, I’m an INFP.) But I do get “drained” in the way you’ve described, so I wanted a school where I could lay low and be anonymous for a few days or weeks at a time if I ever really needed to, and I found that city schools fit the bill. </p>
<p>I’ll use NYU as an example. There is no “community feeling” forced upon its students whatsoever. There is hardly even a campus, and there are certainly no campus walls. I think that this is part of why it has drawn in a lot of celebrities as students there… imagine if the Olsen twins went to an LAC. They’d be bombarded, pestered, etc. They were able to find a level of privacy at NYU because they can be residents/members of the city, which is very anonymous and independent, instead of feeling directly attached to the school community. And how difficult must it be for celebrities like them to find privacy?</p>
<p>My main point is that while any huge state school will allow you to have space and do things on your own, going to a school in a city without a gated campus brings that idea of space to an entirely new level. I still wanted a strong campus community, so I opted for Penn, but schools like NYU, McGill, Boston University, etc. would give you the space you need, imo. Going to a school that’s kind of small and campus-y that has a lot of introverts wouldn’t press your situation that much, I don’t think, but a lot of really introverted studious types still value a close relationship with their teachers. A lot of those types of schools are still very personal and have a very strong community, and I’m getting the impression that you’re looking for a place where the classroom experience is a bit more impersonal and less involved in your personal life, like graduate school. Some city schools feel more like graduate schools (not trying to get you involved in their activities, looking after your personal well-being etc., but treating you as an independent adult instead) which I feel like would be a great fit for you.</p>
<p>Btw… “If I were to study overseas I want to experience as much exposure overseas as I can. Having my social interaction restricted within their ‘enclave’ isn’t going to help me achieve that.” This SCREAMS city! That’s just my take though, I guess.</p>
<p>… Isn’t St. John’s really small, likes to see its students growing, etc? I think it’s one of those schools where you get written evaluations instead of grades. Btw I apologize if I’m totally off-base in interpreting your personality.</p>
<p>(Before any NYU/McGill/BU students jump on me, it is very possible to get involved in activities and feel like part of a community at those schools. But it’s also much easier to fly solo if you want to.)</p>
<p>Sounds insightful, SM. Do you know what is the Jungian archetype of an INFP? For an INTP, it’s the Architect. For the ENTJ, it’s the General, I think. All these types were layed out a few years back in a book by … Keresey and Bates, maybe.</p>
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<p>Yes.</p>
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<p>Yes. As I understand it, they start out in conferences known as “Don Rags”. Don, as in Gentleman/Scholar. Rag, as in *ragging on<a href=“criticizing”>/i</a> somebody. Colorful, huh?</p>
<p>It’s usually called “Dreamer” or “Healer.” I think you mean Keirsey?</p>
<p>It strikes me as odd that St. John’s appeals to him, but then again, I guess it’s kind of atypical that I was drawn to a large-ish urban research university and not an LAC.</p>
<p>Sugar Magnolia–great explanation. I had mentioned St. John’s College because it is appealing to intellectuals and that may have been how it got into the whole thread. It seems to be a place where they celebrate individuals.</p>
<p>It appeals to me because I am more interested in developing the person as a whole instead of purely focusing his education on occupational skills. Their motto of turning men into great men before they can be trained into great lawyers/doctors/manufacturers fits into my personal motto of holistic development. </p>
<p>The very small size does disturb me as an introvert, but after checking the comments about St John it seems that the students there are the types who focus their spare time on studying and engaging in discussions. One particular site reported that they don’t usually like to go out partying unless there is a very good reason that compels them to. I don’t mind being in close contact with people as long as its about discussing philosophy or engaging in debates - which I liked a lot (and sadly which I also lacked a lot back in my place). </p>
<p>St. John’s seem like a tolerant kind of place that cares deeply about your personal intellectual gem you are delivering in the classroom to be shared for everyone, rather than spreading the word on whose drunk whorority you knocked up last week. The place may be hard for me to find a private spot to cool off, but as the people in this thread said, if I made my concerns known I would be fine. </p>
<p>Oh and as for finances, I am not too concerned about that. My employer is willing to sponsor me for my studies.</p>
<p>As an introvert at a small college, I think I have some insight. I think you are assuming that at small colleges, people will generally be more extroverted and will be more “in your face” and nosy. I can’t speak for all colleges, but I know that that is not the case at Swarthmore. Many students want to attend small schools because they want schooling that provides more personal attention. People like the fact that in the colleges with just undergraduates, professors care about teaching undergraduates. Students generally can seek help more easily and feel a greater sense of community. About that, I’ve found that in high school, I could more easily learn the material on my own. But in college, the material was more difficult and there was just so much more to learn that I felt overwhelmed, and it was important for me to seek out help, even though I wasn’t really used to this in high school. I don’t know if the method of just learning everything on your own will work for you in college. But none of this means that students are extroverted, and you do not need to be extroverted to take advantage of what small colleges offer.</p>
<p>You seem to think that at small colleges you’ll feel less isolated than at large colleges. I think that at large colleges, it is easier to get privacy if you want it, but this does not mean that you cannot find privacy at small colleges. People are not going to ask you a bunch of personal questions that are really none of their business just because they go to a small school. In fact, in my first year at Swarthmore, I felt lonely sometimes. Now, I am an introvert, but that does not mean that I like to be lonely. I think of an introverted person as someone who needs time to think by themselves before they speak. After spending so many hours without conversation, locked in my room or in the library studying, it is a relief to find someone to talk to. I think that those students who just go to class and go to their room and just study and eat and sleep are generally less happy than other students. I think that what determines what friends you’ll have is how you go about finding friends, not the size of the college you go to. I have not made very many close friends in my first year in college, but that’s fine by me. I like having just a few very close friends and other people whom I recognize and say hi to. Don’t be disturbed by small colleges.</p>
<p>But there is a warning. If you go to a small college, try to visit it before you decide to go there. You do not want to go to a college where so many people, whom you will see all the time no matter how much you try to avoid them, are not your type. That may make you feel very lonely and give you a sense that you just don’t fit in. In a large college, there are at least more students, so you might more easily find friends who are your type. The type of student body is a very important consideration in the small colleges.</p>
<p>In short, going to a small college does not mean that you will have to be “spreading the word on whose drunk whorority you knocked up last week.” Generally in small colleges, students will have a closer circle of friends, just because they all go to the same school and see each other all the time. The environment is conducive to making friends. Even as an introvert I found it important to find some close friends. You can have a great experience in a small college if you find the right student body.</p>
<p>ZGhost, I understand completely. At Los Angeles City College we are taking action against the pernicious practice of “working in groups” and also against the noise in our classrooms, computer labs and library. Best of Luck, and join us if you like at:</p>
<p>[We</a> Don’t Want to Hear You Club](<a href=“http://www.wedontwanttohearyouclub.blogspot.com%5DWe”>http://www.wedontwanttohearyouclub.blogspot.com)</p>