Colleges that "fit"

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hey CCers, I'm looking to transfer from my state flagship university, and have struggled to find this elusive "fit" that I hear a lot of college websites/forums/counselors talk about. I've done a bunch of self-research in finding schools that might fit me better, but sort of hit a brick wall. Here's my list so far:</p>

<p>Brown
Wesleyan
Carleton
Pitzer
Oberlin
Whitman
Reed</p>

<p>My Stats:
College:
GPA: 3.85 (4.0 in my Major--English--if it matters.)
ECs: Student government, humor magazine, philosophy association, community service, research assistant position.</p>

<p>High School: (Fairly large public)
GPA UW: 3.7 (No grade inflation at my school--no one made a 4.0)
GPA W: 4.95/6
Rank: Top 4%
Course Load: All APs or Honors courses--13 APs Total; 4s or 5s on all.
SAT: 2150
SAT IIs: 740 US History, 660 Literature
ECs: ~150 hours of Comm Service, Summer Jobs, Co-Captain on Debate Team, Leadership in Political clubs, Jazz Band, Other Music ECs--worked with professional sound engineer, as well as just practices/rock bands</p>

<p>Really I'm looking for schools with a couple key points: (None of these are necessities, but all would be nice--and I'm pulling on the pooled knowledge of CC to hopefully catch some schools that might've fallen through the cracks in my search.)</p>

<p>--Smaller student body: Doesn't have to be LAC tiny, but I sort of feel like a "number" at my current school.</p>

<p>--Majority of students live on campus: I feel like living with other people in the dorms builds a lot of camaraderie with people that isn't there when people move off campus.</p>

<p>--"Artsy" student body: This is why I have schools like Brown and Oberlin on the list. I know Brown has a lot of mixed resources with RISD, and Oberlin probably has the mixed liberal arts focused student body with the "artsiness" that comes with the music conservatory.</p>

<p>--Minimal Greek Presence: Nothing against Greeks. Just feel like it segments the student body.</p>

<p>--Not in Texas: I want to get out of state. </p>

<p>--Focus on Undergraduate Teaching</p>

<p>--Fairly generous to transfer students: To put it bluntly, I can't be a full-pay student. I already know this (unfortunately) puts me at a disadvantage for Brown--partially, why I'm looking to expand this list. I am in the ~$100k income bracket.</p>

2

<p>You might like Yale (lots of artsy stuff on campus), Swarthmore (small, rigorous, more quirky than artsy though), UChicago (mid-size, rigorous, quirky but lots of arts groups + city of Chicago) and especially Vassar (small, similar to Wesleyan but prettier campus and very artsy student body)</p>

3

<p>I think for transfers you want to get to know the schools as well as you can and make your applications very specific. Find out about departments you’re interested in, etc. I bet they would really like to see strong essays explaining why them specifically. All the ones you mentioned would probably provide a lot of what you’re looking for.</p>

4

<p>Have you visited any of the schools on the list?</p>

5

<p>I think that you should add to your list:
-University of Chicago
-Yale
-Swarthmore
-Macalester</p>

<p>All are intellectual, challenging, and don’t have an overwhelming undergrad population.</p>

6

<p>Some good suggestions so far. </p>

<p>@siliconvalleymom – No, haven’t had a chance to visit these schools, and this might be a problem. I’m a college student, and visiting these schools, that are very spread out across the country is very difficult. I’d go during the summer (now), but I’m taking summer classes. </p>

<p>Also–I know this isn’t a chance thread. But do I have a realistic chance at any of these schools? A lot of you have suggested Yale, but I’m worried that Yale (along with many of the other schools I’ve listened) are well out of my range.</p>

7

<p>If you’re worrying about too many reaches, you can look at Kenyon, Vassar, Reed.</p>

8

<p>For your requirements, I really recommend the LAC type (but you’re probably already leaning in this direction, if I get your drift). Oberlin, Wooster, Kenyon, etcetera.</p>

<p>I have a lot of friends at Oberlin and Wooster, and they really enjoy their time there -none of them regret their decisions. Having said that, I feel the same way about Earlham College, and I think you would fit really well here :)</p>

<p>Earlham College fits all of the requirements on your list. You should check us out! </p>

<p>-Smaller student body: Check!</p>

<p>–Majority of students live on campus: 98% last I checked.</p>

<p>–“Artsy” student body: Everyone is doing something. We aren’t as musical as Oberlin, but it’s easy and encouraged to get into every ensemble. I have a friend who was in six musical ensembles last semester - and he’s a math major. He’s a little nuts though.</p>

<p>–Minimal Greek Presence: No greek organizations on campus except Phi Beta Kappa, which is an academic honors society. We don’t allow most greek organizations because they kind of go against the quaker ideals here.</p>

<p>–Not in Texas: Indiana!</p>

<p>–Focus on Undergraduate Teaching: Yep.</p>

<p>–Fairly generous to transfer students: Our financial aid is relatively generous, so you might be able to do four years here. I’d definitely talk to the financial aid office.</p>

<p>I work for Earlham’s Admissions as a student worker - if you have any questions, feel free to ask me!</p>

9

<p>conn college, vassar, kenyon, macalester, skidmore</p>

10

<p>Hamilton, Skidmore, Clark (MA), Conn. College, Dickinson, Oberlin, Kenyon, Carelton, Mcalester, Reed, Vassar, Kenyon
And you may want to look at some of the CTCL schools as well <a href=“http://www.ctcl.org/[/url]”>http://www.ctcl.org/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

11

<p>I agree with CTCL. Great list of colleges :)</p>