<p>So I have been looking for a college that will would best for me for a while now. I have found a few that I like such as: Bard, Vassar, Oberlin, and a few others but they don't match me as much as I want them to.
I guess I'm looking for a place that has the following qualities:</p>
<ol>
<li>Has to have a good writing program and visual arts program as that is what I want to do with my life</li>
<li>Diverse (racially, religiously, sexually, all those sorts of things)</li>
<li>In or near a city ( I'm thinking a city that is sort of a little laid back....like a place that is full of bookstores, coffeeshops, music stores, organic markets...something like Seattle or Portland but more diverse)</li>
<li>Preferably no greek life but I can live with it if it matches the other qualities</li>
<li>I can deal with sort of expensive but not ridiculously expensive
And lastly</li>
<li>Just a place that honors intellectual curiosity, knowledge, and acceptance</li>
</ol>
<p>LACs in Cities
Trinity (Hartford)
Barnard (women)
Eugene Lang
Macalester
Colorado College
Occidental
Rhodes
Reed</p>
<p>That’s about it. </p>
<p>LACs more or less on the outskirts of cities include:
Sarah Lawrence
Bryn Mawr (women)
Haverford
Swarthmore
Wellesley (women)</p>
<p>Wesleyan University’s location doesn’t quite qualify as “in or near a city”, but in other respects it might be a good match.</p>
<p>All these schools are as “ridiculously expensive” as just about anywhere (if you’re talking sticker prices.) Almost all at least fairly selective. “Perhaps I could get a scholarship” is not a safe assumption, unless your stats are well above average and it’s a school that awards significant numbers and amounts of merit aid … or you are in a low income family and it’s a school with generous need-based aid (as most of these are).</p>
<p>Not an LAC but how about NYUAD?
It’s very small, diverse, in a city (Abu Dhabi), no Greek life and very, very generous with financial aid.
They do have a writing program which I assume is quite strong. (do additional research on that)
The only possible issue would be that it’s not in the USA.</p>
<p>I guess you can add to outskirts the Claremont Colleges, which are suburban Los Angeles: Pomona, Pitzer, Harvey Mudd, Scripps, Claremont McKenna.</p>
<p>Thank you to all who have commented so far. It has been really helpful. I am really liking NYUAD though. SO yea for foreign exchanges. I have a 4.0 GPA and I have tons of testing prep books. I just didn’t mention all of this because I just want to hear all you have to offer because if I find a school I like I will work as hard as I can to get in. Period. Plus I’m only a sophomore so I still have time. </p>
<p>Don’t focus on just one school though. You need to make your list carefully and investigate dozens before you have:
2 that you’re 100% sure you like, can afford, and can get into
3-5 that you like, think you can get into (typically your stats will be well above the median unless you have a “hook”), and can afford based on the Net Price Calculator (do NOT look at “sticker price”, look at net price, ie., how much it’d cost for your family. Some of the most expensive colleges discount a lot based on either stats or need, or both).
Then only you add the (very selective) colleges you really really like and hope to get into which could include the Claremonts, Macalester, NYUAD…</p>
<p>You don’t actually say – would your family qualify for any need based aid? You might want to work with your parents to run the net price calculators at a few of them.</p>
<p>Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL. The college has a well known writer’s program. It is diverse, the city of St. Petersburg is filled with coffee shops, books stores, open markets, etc.</p>
<p>If you’re only a sophomore, don’t even worry about making a complete list yet. Your preferences may very well change over the next two years (mine shifted from large public universities to elite privates to, finally, tiny mid-tier LACs). For now, focus on acing your standardized tests and developing your ECs. Visit a few colleges nearby if you haven’t done so already, to get a feel for what is essential in a college and what is optional.</p>
<p>Then revisit this next year once you have your SATs/ACT in hand.</p>
<p>New College of Florida is highly affordable, with a decidedly quirky, Bohemian attitude. They are in Sarasota - a smallish city, but with a thriving arts and cultural scene. Also, look into Fordham-Lincoln Center. They are best known for their Performing Arts departments, but offer a full liberal arts curriculum. They are small (under 2000 students), and you can’t find a more perfect urban environment. They are expensive, but you might qualify for financial aid. Fordham usually offers free applications, so there’s no harm in applying</p>
<p>American U in DC is highly diverse, sophisticated and in a beautiful section (Embassy) of DC. they do give lots of merit $. DC is really expensive to live there. You should also look at large state schools- always plenty of diversity, socioeconomic diversity, and both intellectuals as well as rah rah which you do not have to participate in, especially considering that you want an reasonably priced education. </p>
<p>Reed in Portland seems really cool. I just am just finishing up with the college admissions process and I just visited Bard today, to which I was accepted. I loved it and the only thing I am worried about is how isolated it is. Reed seems like a very similar school, except it’s in a bustling and hip city!!! If distance was not a factor, I definitely would have applied to Reed.</p>