Does this LAC exist?

College Search & Selection
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<ol>
<li>Top academics - top 30 LAC, SAT median~1380, free choice of courses both at the teaching intensive college and the affiliated research intensive university across the street.</li>
<li>Top-notch creative writing program - a program known for producing award winning writers and attracting them as professors</li>
<li>Excellent Spanish language progarm with study-abroad possibilities - check</li>
<li>Good studio art - good, but limited</li>
<li>Opportunity to play in decent orchestra - don't know anything about it, but what with the joint music programs, it must be pretty good.</li>
<li>Diverse student body -- nice open-minded kids that defy categorization and that don't have anything to prove -- definitely not abercrombie - check</li>
<li>Place where it's ok not to drink/do drugs/hook up - check, see 6.</li>
<li>caring, politically aware kids with leanings to the left - double check</li>
<li>Highly-qualified, accessible professors who teach classes & are very involved with kids - check plus plus</li>
<li>Smaller is better - 2,300 students at the college, though socially you have a bigger crowd what with the medium-sized university across the street</li>
<li>Urban would be nice - NYC, upper west side Manhattan</li>
</ol>

<p>Barnard College. :-D</p>

<p>The only thing lacking is the studio art, and because it's in NYC, you've got all sorts of excellent public classes available (see: Art Students League of New York). And it's a women's college, which some people don't even want to consider.</p>

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<p>Ah, this could be a winner for the OP. The only thing you weren't sure of is Studio Art, which is across the street at Columbia (called Visual Arts, but described as studio), where Barnard students are free to cross-register.</p>

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<p>Swarthmore fills a lot of your requirements</p>

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<p>But studio art at Columbia is really not very big, surprisingly. One of my friends wanted to do a minor, but there weren't ever enough classes/space in classes. The classes that are there, however, are excellent. Archie Rand is a legend of an artist and teacher.</p>

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<p>aah -- I love the idea of Barnard -- will run by my daughter -- she's not big on women's colleges, but maybe the Columbia connection will make a difference.</p>

<p>Sounds like Oberlin & Swarthmore are also good choices, along with Kenyon, Middlebury & possibly Brown and Whitman. </p>

<p>And there are many other ideas for us to explore.</p>

<p>Thanks to everyone who is contributing to this initial list!</p>

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<p>Kenyon would certainly fit the bill for creative writing. That has long been one of their recognized specialties, dating back decades and decades. However, perhaps surprisingly, Kenyon caters to a homogeneous white/wealthy customer base (88% white is extremely high, even higher than Davidson, and only 41% of last year's freshmen qualified for need-based finanical aid, which is a very low number). It also has a significant fraternity and drinking scene. They had a fraternity pledge alcohol poisoning death last spring.</p>

<p>That's an example of how it is important for your daughter to prioritize her list based on "big picture" campus culture issues separate from strengths in particular academic departments. Both can be important considerations. But, it doesn't matter how strong a particular department is if you feel like a fish out of water in the campus social scene.</p>

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<p>I went to Kenyon and letr me tell you, the hills of Ohio ain't urban and they will drive you nuts if you need urban nearby (though we used to hitch hike down to Columbus an hour away with great regularity but that was in the kinder, gentler 60's/70's...)</p>

<p>Urban or sub-urban LACS with good writing programs - Barnard, Washington College (Md.), Goucher, Trinity (Ct.)</p>

<p>now good writing and studio art programs at the urban LAC level -- ?</p>

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<p>There aren't a lot of good LAC's in urban areas. In the east coast, only Trinity and Holy Cross come to mind. Most are located in the middle -of a cow pasture.</p>

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<p>
[quote]
There aren't a lot of good LAC's in urban areas.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Not sure I agree with that. Wellesley, Bryn Mawr, Haverford, and Swarthmore are all located in close-in neighborhoods of major urban areas with populations of 5 million. The Philadelphia schools are 20 minutes (by train) to downtown, including a major symphony orchestra, several major art museums, NFL football, NBA basketball, major league baseball, a thriving arts community, and a major music scene. Wellesley offers similar access to downtown Boston with a similar array of cultural amenities.</p>

<p>While none of these schools are located in downtown urban areas, they are not exactly in "cow pastures" as you put it.</p>

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<p>Without direct knowledge I suggest Tufts.</p>

<p>Art Program with the School of the Museum of Fine Arts. Superior academics and is suburban (Boston). It appears to be a very large LAC or a smalllish university.</p>

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<p>And, you know, Barnard... in Manhattan...</p>

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<p>Hey intereseteddad, those are suburbs, not urban. You know the difference. When we visited Swarthmore, I waited well over a half hour for a train. Wellesley doesn't have trains, they have buses. Still takes them 40 minutes to get to Cambridge, plus dealing with the bus schedule. Absent the bus/ train, not a whole lot going on. suburbs. BIG difference.
40 minutes from Swarthmore to Philly (including train waiting time) not that different than 40 minutes from Carleton to Minneapolis.</p>

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<p>Univ of Redlands in So CA has a lot on your list. It is ok not to drink but you will see drunk people-per my son. Diverse-you can even design your own major.</p>

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<p>Ike, As I’m sure you’re aware, your daughter will need to set priorities and make some tradeoffs. I’d suggest that she take a look at Williams. Among the academically rigorous LACs it is one of the best for visual and performing arts with a decent literary corollary.</p>

<p>First the negatives, it is definitely not urban; however, it offers an insular campus with a strong sense of community and a lively arts scene with frequent musical, dance and theater performances, three world class museums and a lot of literary exposure.</p>

<p>Williams is not known for creative writing per se, but there are several accomplished writers and poets on the faculty – Andrea Barrett, Jim Shepard, Karen Shepard, Lawrence Raab—and the English department is profoundly good. There are a couple of campus literary reviews.</p>

<p>I wouldn’t choose Williams especially for its Spanish program but it’s reliable and a high percentage study abroad. They have a tie-in with the Hamilton program in Spain. </p>

<p>Ditto for politically awareness. Political activism does exist and the students definitely lean left, but it is not a hallmark of the college. </p>

<p>For the other points on your list Williams truly excels: top academics, excellent studio art (and unsurpassed art history), many opportunities for musical performance including an excellent orchestra, ok not to drink/do drugs/hook up (in spite of rumors to the contrary), diverse student body, nice open minded kids, (again, the A&F influence is much overstated), caring kids with leanings to the left, highly-qualified, accessible professors who teach classes and are very involved with kids. Smaller for sure. </p>

<p>The tutorial program wherein two students study with one professor and Winter study a month long pursuit of one quirky course are two unique facets of a Williams education.</p>

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<p>Well, I'm not at all an expert on the art courses at Columbia,so can't comment on that. But unless she's looking to major ,she could probably find something there. OTOH, Barnard is probably the least women's college-ish possible, as Barnard and CU students freely cross register, so most of her classes will be co-ed. (S has taken several courses at Barnard, seems fairly routine thing to do.)</p>

<p>And they're definitely located IN a CITY.</p>

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<p>Definitely agreed on all counts. I don't normally sell Barnard to people who haven't asked about it, but it seems a perfect fit in this case.</p>

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<p>occidental which is in LA is soposed to be amazing, along wtih Pomona, an all around great school, I am not sure what exactly each specialties are, but both are really well regarded, as are all the Claremont colleges</p>

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<p>There is suburban and there is suburban. For example, I live in a "suburb" of Boston, but it's 50 miles and a solid hour of drive time.</p>

<p>By contrast, the beltway neighborhoods of major US cities are not really "suburban" in that sense. No, they are not "urban" neighborhoods. But, they offer very convenient access to the amenities of a major city. For example, you could leave Swarthmore or Bryn Mawr or Haverford at 5 pm, eat dinner in Chinatown, go to the symphony or a U2 concert or NBA basketball game and be back in your dorm before normal bedtime -- all without a car. Functionally, these colleges provide the cultural and entertainment value of a major city in a way that a college in Worcester, Mass does not, despite the fact that the college in Worcester may be technically an urban campus.</p>

<p>Swarthmore's location feels more "suburban" than it really is. For example, it is the just about the same distance (.64 miles) to walk to a major mall from my daughter's dorm as it is to walk to the foot of Spring Street from the Mission Park dorm (.54 miles) in Williamstown. Or, about a third the distance as it is from the freshman dorms at Duke to the Duke Chapel or Student Center (1.8 miles).</p>

<p>Starbucks, Barnes & Noble, Target, and Best Buy all about a mile -- two minutes by city bus.</p>

<p>Obviously, if you want an urban campus, then you have to look at places like MIT, Harvard, BU, NYU Columbia, Vanderbilt, Ga Tech, etc. But, there's a lot in between those urban schools and schools that are located in a "cow pasture", including quite a few of the top LACs.</p>

<p>BTW, Wellesley does have train service to downtown Boston, but the station is located near Wellesley Square, not immediately on campus. I think Wellesley runs shuttle buses to the train station.</p>

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<p>Skidmore is not too far off the mark either. Not urban but decent cute town.</p>

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<p>Thanks for all the responses. This gives us a lot to look at. </p>

<p>It's fine to be in a suburban area (with access to a city). Even a cow pasture would be considered if it was strong in everything else on the list.</p>