<p>Hi there! I am a person who loves to be inspired and definitely is more creative than logical, are there any colleges with that kind of philosophy? I have heard Skidmore is like that but I don't know much about it. Also, I have heard the term "Colleges that change lives", and I haven't been able to truly understand what it means. I want my college to change my life though, and I want to be inspired and be able to be an individual without getting lost in the crowd. Thank you for answering!</p>
<p>Many colleges claim, in their marketing, to “change lives.” What inspires you? Art, performance, rigor, a beautiful location, lots of counter-culture types, activism, the ability to take leadership early in campus activities, etc? What does it mean to you to “be an individual without getting lost in the crowd?” Even a non-conformist can get lost in a crowd of non-conformists. Are you prepared for a selective college or hoping for something less challenging?</p>
<p>Yes! There are definitely colleges for the creative, individualistic, non-cookie-cutter student. Here’s where the phrase came from – take a look at these wonderful schools:</p>
<p>[Colleges</a> That Change Lives](<a href=“http://www.ctcl.org/]Colleges”>http://www.ctcl.org/)</p>
<p>My concern has always been that CTCL focuses on a very short list and, I believe, the book was last updated in 2006. It draws much attention to those schools, many of which needed the attention- and skips other great places. And, aren’t those schools “members?”</p>
<p>It is a short list, and I haven’t any idea how those particular schools end up on the list. From what I know of them, though, they deserve to be there (my D is at one of them). I would say it is not an exhaustive list, but rather a starting point. A student who spends some time looking at those schools will have a much better idea of what they’re looking for and will recognize those characteristics in other schools, like, perhaps, Skidmore.</p>
<p>ETA-- One good thing to do with the CTCL list is to use it in tandem with Fiske Guide to Colleges. When you look up one of the CTCL schools in the Guide, you can follow the “similar schools” feature to other colleges which may not be on the list.</p>
<p>@lookingforward - I believe the schools in the book have formed a consortium through which they recruit students together across the country. Loren Pope decides who is in the book, though.</p>
<p>Lynx- I thought the original book was a great way to “market” those schools, make them sound so unique, maybe even put a little extra spin on them. I wondered just how much the colleges, themselves, supported his work- versus just how independently Pope determined who “changed lives.”</p>
<p>Many people, I think, still think take this list as gospel. As if it’s fixed, an award of some sort, and nothing as changed since the last edition. Really you have to look at the quality of your (or your kid’s) major, the range of activities that meet your interests, the level of fellow students, the setting or location, sometimes the politics.</p>