Does this LAC exist?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Trying to get some thoughts together for my daughter:</p>

<li>Top academics</li>
<li>Top-notch creative writing program</li>
<li>Excellent Spanish language progarm with study-abroad possibilities</li>
<li>Good studio art</li>
<li>Opportunity to play in decent orchestra</li>
<li>Diverse student body – nice open-minded kids that defy categorization and that don’t have anything to prove – definitely not abercrombie</li>
<li>Place where it’s ok not to drink/do drugs/hook up</li>
<li>caring, politically aware kids with leanings to the left</li>
<li>Highly-qualified, accessible professors who teach classes & are very involved with kids</li>
<li>Smaller is better</li>
<li> Urban would be nice</li>
</ol>

2

<p>lewis and clark?-
Mills?
Whitman?</p>

3

<p>Thanks. I'll look at these. Do any of the most-selective LACs come to mind?</p>

4

<p>Here's a list of allegedly good creative writing programs, that I've harvested from other people's past CC posts.</p>

<p>Sarah Lawrence, Middlebury, Hamilton, Kenyon, Pomona, Bard, U Iowa, Grinnell, Oberlin, Northwestern, Trinity (CT), Bennington, Amherst, Williams, Vassar, Reed, Princeton, Stanford, NYU, Tufts, Cornell
U Redlands, U Denver, Johns Hopkins, Denison, Emerson, U Oregon, UC Riverside, UC Irvine, SF State
Beloit, U Pittsburgh, SUNY New Paltz, Knox (Il)</p>

<p>You can research these 34 schools to see which ones best meet your other criteria. YOu may have to compromise.</p>

5

<p>Sounds like Oberlin in EVERY respect (including one of the best undergraduate creative writing programs in the country) except urban.</p>

6

<p>Correct answer is Davidson, fits most of the criteria you listed.</p>

7

<p>Davidson looks good from a number of standpoints -- but I'm wondering -- is it very conservative? Can someone with liberal views find like-souls?</p>

<p>Oberlin also looks great -- what a boon to have the conservatory available -- but is it a big party school - drugs, alcohol -- (have read some things about that)?</p>

8

<p>Kenyon has one of the best creative writing programs. It is rural. It is tiny and publishes the Kenyon Review. Counts several famous writers among its alumni and faculty. Also Middlebury with its famous Breadloaf School of English. Be sure to check these out. I think they are the best two LACs for creative writing. Among universities, there is U of Iowa.</p>

9

<p>I was just at Oberlin last week and I wouldn't label it as a party school. Yes, I was offered shots. Yes, I was offered pot. I simply said, "No, thank you," and that was that. I also went to a dance that wasn't full of drugs and drunk people. It definitely is not urban, but there were things to do at all hours. I was there for three nights and I went to an Organ Pump, Hip Hop Dance at the 'Sco, Bowling, Open Mic Coffee House, Latino/a Heritage Banquet, Queer Shabbat, and Pizza at two in the morning! Plus, I most definitely did not have time to do everything! Definitely great Creative Writing Program! only second to Emerson. Oberlin fits most of your criteria.</p>

10

<p>I would add Goucher for creative writing and study abroad opportunities plus access to Baltimore-DC area. At the top in terms of selectivity, I would also consider Brown-- not an LAC but has a small community feeling in terms of special interest groups like creative writing--excellent reputation in this area. RISD nearby enhances the studio art scene. Profs are available although TAs are used in lower level courses. Big enough school to have a frat party scene, drug scene and also plenty of kids not in those categories. Providence is OK and Boston nearby--can't beat the music scene in Boston!</p>

11

<p>Oh, I forgot to mention Midnight Capture-the-Flag!!!</p>

12

<p>Kenyon calls out for creative writing. Middlebury calls out for the foreign language possibilities. For some reason Smith calls out, too, but I'm not sure it does actually have all the features you mention. </p>

<p>I think the Abercrombie stereotype exists at almost all schools, as do exceptions to it, just as drinking may be widespread but not a social requirement at many places. None of the schools I mentioned are in the least urban, though; LACs often are not; part of their charm seems to be the tucked-away charm of their settings.</p>

<p>(And in response to your follow-up query, Davidson is not a hotbed of conservatism, just less uniformly liberal than some other schools and people of a range of political outlooks would probably be comfortable there.)</p>

13

<p>The kids from my daughter's high school who went to Davidson were fairly conservative, pre-business types.</p>

<p>Oberlin Spanish Lit classes reported to me to be very good; however no direct info here on Spanish language classes, which is why I didn't comment. They do have some programs abroad I believe. Not sure how good performance opportunities are for non-conservatory students; you'll have to check this out. Music instruction is available though, for free, which is a nice benefit.</p>

14

<p>Ikemarrus:</p>

<p>You aren't going to find one college that meets all of your requirements 100%. For example, you might find a college that is reknowned for its creative writing program, but fails to meet other critieria. Or, you might find schools that meet all of your other criteria but where the creative writing or Spanish or orchestra is small. That can be OK, too. My experience with creative writing programs in college is that it really all comes down to the willingness and ability of an individual professor to work with and/or inspire you in new ways.</p>

<p>Also, keep in mind that being reknowned for something may not translate to your D's actual experience. For example, Oberlin has a superb music conservatory so you might say, "aha....perfect for her orchestra interests". But, it could be that, because of the conservatory students, she can't even get into the orchestra and that a school with less music focus is better for a non-music major looking to play in a college orchestra. You have to check it out.</p>

<p>Swarthmore meets all all of your big-picture items (1, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and inside-the-beltway suburban for 11).</p>

<p>As for 2, 3, 4, and 5, you D would really have to look at what they offer, probably including a visit to campus to meet with professors to find out. None of those areas are noted as being big specialities of the school, but they area all areas with an intense degree of individualized faculty-student interaction. Your daughter really has to judge for herself.</p>

<p>Creative writing (most famous writing alum - James Mitchner):
<a href="http://www.swarthmore.edu/Humanities/english/major.htm#creativewriting%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.swarthmore.edu/Humanities/english/major.htm#creativewriting&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Spanish:
<a href="http://www.swarthmore.edu/Humanities/mll/spanish/index.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.swarthmore.edu/Humanities/mll/spanish/index.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Studio Art:
<a href="http://www.swarthmore.edu/Humanities/mll/spanish/index.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.swarthmore.edu/Humanities/mll/spanish/index.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Orchestra:
<a href="http://www.swarthmore.edu/Humanities/music/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.swarthmore.edu/Humanities/music/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Williams is very strong in art and has a larger orchestra, but is weaker in languages and doesn't match some of the big picture qualities you outlined.</p>

<p>Some of the women's colleges (especially Smith, but perhaps Barnard and Wellesley) would be very likely candidates. They have historically emphasized arts and languages and tend to match some of the campus culture items you listed. </p>

<p>Other "artsy" oriented schools include Vassar, Wesleyan, and Oberlin. But, again, just because a school is considered "artsy", doesn't mean that it will offer what your D is looking for.</p>

<p>My advice would be to start with a list of schools that match the "big picture" campus culture stuff and then start prioritizing that list based on communication with faculty members and/or students in the particular areas of interest.</p>

15

<p>Most of the Davidson students I'm familiar are people who initially hoped to go to Williams, Middlebury, Princeton, or Dartmouth but didn't get in. They took the leap and went south rather than going to a lesser school (or one that was not as good a fit for them) for the sake of staying north.</p>

16

<p>Sometimes I wonder if people even read the list before answering. With the poster looking for a "diverse student body" and "definitely not Abercrombie", I am just scratching my head at the recommendation of Davidson.</p>

<p>It's a great school, but of the top liberal arts colleges, it is one of the least diverse, most "Abercrombie" options you could possibly come up with. Plus, I don't think it is notably strong in the areas of interest, although I doubt there is a weak department at Davidson.</p>

17

<p>Davidson sounds like it might be similar to my alma mater - Bucknell -- great academics & professors, but a fairly conservative (although smart), homogenous student body, where athletics & the greek system is a big part of the school life. Is this true? If so, this isn't really what my daughter is looking for at all. I think the term "artsy" (with strong academics and political awareness) really does sum up the culture that she's looking for.</p>

18

<p>I think "urban" is going to be the sticking point. As I think about small "good" schools, particularly those that are somewhat arty, none are really in or even very near big cities. (Macalester is in St. Paul, alas not on the East Coast; I have the impression that it is very international; not super-top of LAC list, but very good and possibly worth thinking about?). Wesleyan might also work for many of the criteria named.</p>

<p>Interesteddad makes good points, so by all means let us not turn this into a Bash Davidson Cheer Swarthmore Bash Swarthmore Cheer Davidson forum since both schools are wonderful and offer more variety than their popular stereotypes might suggest; I agree that Davidson doesn't sound right for the OP's dauighter (in fact I did not initially suggest it, simply responded to another post for either general edification or my own desire to make a point or make a speech:)).</p>

19

<p>Being near an urban center would be nice (lots of cultural possibilities) but not necessary.</p>

20

<p>emerson maybe?</p>