Finding an intellectual college for a clueless 17-year-old

Student Lounge International Students
1

As the title may suggest, I am indeed a clueless 17-year-old from England who is trying to find an intellectual college. I’m dead set on going to college in the US - as much as I love Philosophy which I’m currently planning on majoring in, I also love English, history, politics, classics, and so many other fields I don’t want to give up the opportunity to study at university level. The problem is that my school often has a dozen or so students go to Oxbridge and is very good at helping students apply there and with navigating UCAS (the British version of the Common App) but has never had a student apply to college in the US. I went to my school’s uni counsellor and asked her what she knew about US colleges. She told me I could go somewhere like UCLA or NYU or an ivy like Harvard or Stanford, which is the moment I realised that she knew virtually nothing. Hence why I am here asking for help.

I took the SAT in October and got a 1580 (800 CR, 780 M). I took two SAT subject tests in November and got an 800 on literature and 750 on US history. I took my GCSEs last summer and got 9s in maths and both English lit and lang. I got an A* in my 7 others. I’m currently in 6th form studying for my A-Levels in English lit, history, and philosophy.

I spent my summer researching what exactly I need for the Common App and the ins and the outs of what different types of colleges there are. I know all about LACs vs research unis, urban vs rural, Greek life, and whatever else. I’m got to the point where it’s time to start actually looking at which colleges I want to apply to. I’m also still confused about the whole reach, match, and safety thing.

The most important thing to me in a school is an intellectual atmosphere. I want to go to a school where students don’t on average spend their Saturday nights drinking at parties and going to American football games but watching The West Wing or a documentary on the battles of Ypres, or debating which of Fitzgerald’s novels are the most underappreciated or the usefulness of Cartesian skepticism.

My other preferences are:

  • Either small or medium sized
  • I don’t want to be in a rural location
  • I don’t want to be somewhere where the social scene is dominated by Greek Life, partying, or Sports
  • I would prefer to be in the northeast but I’m fine with anywhere
  • I don’t mind religious affiliation as long as it isn’t your face and I will be okay being pretty vocal about my atheist views
  • I’m a female and fine with women’s colleges
  • Cost is not an issue; I have discussed it with my parents who make close to 300k so financial aid isn’t an option and paying full price fortunately isn’t too much of a strain on our family
  • I will most likely be majoring in philosophy
  • I am currently planning on going to graduate school and getting a PhD in philosophy
  • If I don't major in philosophy it will be in English or Political Science and become a political correspondent or go on to law school

So I reach out to you, oh, mighty College Confidential, to help my very lost self compile a balanced college list.

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It sounds like one of the many liberal arts colleges in the US would be a very good fit. Fortunately there are a lot of them, and your stats are excellent. Top of the list are the hard-to-get-into Swarthmore, Williams, Amherst. But you would still find a highly intellectual atmosphere at Vassar, Hamilton, Haverford, Lafayette, or the women’s colleges like Wellesley, Smith, Bryn Mawr (all of which are slightly easier to get into). Start looking into these as a starting point. (Williams, and Hamilton may be too remote for what you say you like). But there are lots and lots of these sorts of schools, particularly in the northeast US.

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Princeton
Chicago
Brown
Tufts
Swarthmore
Wellesley
Haverford
Barnard
Bryn Mawr

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My first thought was Wellesley as well.
UChicago is notoriously very difficult to get into but it fits all your wants to a T, save for being in the Upper Midwest.
Among the Ivies, Brown seems to have the right general atmosphere – I went for a band trip the weekend before Halloween and there was only one party. That being said, Providence isn’t exactly a bustling city.

One thing you said that rubbed me the wrong way a little bit is assuming that parties and intellectualism are mutually exclusive. Most of my social life at college can be summed up as “shooting whiskey and applying Camus to Satanic mythos”. If you don’t want to associate with people who drink or watch sports, you may be closing yourself off too much.

5

Congrats on your hard work! You would be competitive at any school, though as I’m sure you’re aware no one can count on admission to the most competitive 4-5 dozen schools. That said, the ones that come to my mind are below. All are terrific schools, urban or in a town, and small to medium size (approximately 1800-8000 undergrads).

–University of Chicago, great choice for you, it has become insanely more competitive in recent years, try to visit and interview if it looks good to you, also it would be very important to apply ED; RD acceptance rates appear to be in very low single digits.

–Georgetown University, in a beautiful, older area of Washington, DC (Georgetown was a river port before DC was DC), top notch all around. It is also insanely competitive these days, so early would be helpful in admissions. It is very social and affluent (see comments about Wash U).

–Columbia University or Barnard (all female), both are just north of Manhattan, and downtown NYC is accessible by subway. Barnard is still a “sister school” for Columbia, and students can take classes at the other university, though I don’t know the details of this. It is definitely a big-time urban option, as is Chicago.

–Washington University in St. Louis, not well known to many, even in the US (maybe because name is confusing) but a top-ranked, mid-size national university with a stunning collegiate Gothic campus. It is a popular choice for full-pay student and has a notably affluent student body. That’s true for some of these other schools, but certainly true at Wash U. It is also puts an emphasis on “interest” (visiting, interviewing, etc.) in admissions. There is also a big emphasis on test scores, so that works in your favor. I think it has more of a professional vibe (business, pre-law, etc.) than the others on this list, so that might be a negative for you (and I was hesitant to put it on this list), but I’d imagine you’d get a fantastic education in the fields you mention and students in your department would be outstanding.

–Wellesley (all female), in a nice suburban town close to Boston, stunning campus. All-female schools tend to be a little less selective in admissions than coed schools with comparable academics, reputations. Academics are absolutely top-notch at Wellesley.

–Smith College (all female), in Northampton, a fun college town in western MA, with more of a hippie, political activist vibe. It is also a member of a five-college consortium with Mount Holyoke, Hampshire, Amherst, and U Mass Amherst, which allows students to take some classes and share resources among the different schools.

https://www.fivecolleges.edu

–Wesleyan University, in Middletown, CT, not the largest town and not very close to NYC or Boston, but weekend trips to those cities are certainly a possibility

–Tufts University, in a very close-in suburb of Boston, always competitive, but much more so in recent years

–Brown University, an Ivy, with an open curriculum, allowing students to take what they want, also urban

–Reed College, not far from downtown Portland, OR, small LAC, very intellectual student body, it used to be very highly ranked, but does not cooperate with ranking services, so does not appear high in rankings

–Rhodes College, a southern choice (which may or may not appeal), small urban LAC, stunning campus, I believe I’ve seen that philosophy is an academic strength, though I know little about this.

Good luck!

6

Thanks for all those suggestions; I’ll check all of them out.

@thebetterhawkeye I apologise for rubbing you the wrong way; that wasn’t my intention. Maybe a better way to phrase it would be a place where I can enjoy intellectualism and a healthy (and more quiet) social life without the need to party, go to sports games, or join a sorority.

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  1. University of Chicago
  2. Princeton University
  3. Columbia University
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Harvard
Yale
Princeton
Brown
Columbia
Pomona
Swarthmore
Wesleyan
Haverford
Reed
William & Mary
Macalester
Sarah Lawrence

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if you are willing to look at other parts of country I’d recommend for a safeties-low reach school-Macalester (urbanish campus in St MN-cold winters but cool campus), also Scripps (or any of the Claremont colleges) in California which are reaches or low reaches, near Los Angeles. I’d second Reed in Portland (cool city campus a few miles away), Smith (cool town), Wellesley (access to Boston).

For high stat applicants like yourself a lot of top schools end up becoming reaches just due to amount of people applying (even if your stats match or exceed the schools average), safety would be where you are well above the average applicant. Match is where you are right in the middle (but again high stats kids match a ton of schools including Ivies). Coming from the UK will likely help.

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@Veryapparent Yeah, although I would prefer to be in the Northeast I am fine being anywhere in the country. Also thanks for those suggestions and detailing reaches, matches, and safeties.

“in St MN-cold winters but cool campus” - I’m from England where harsh winters are bonding experiences and conversation starters.

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Thank you for rephrasing; there’s a big difference between “I would prefer a quieter environment where I don’t feel obligated to party” and “kids who party are less intellectual.”

I’m slightly skewed on Ivy social life/sports culture because most of my interactions have been through playing in marching band, which is inextricably tied to sports, but here’s my rundown:

Harvard: Close to the city (subway stop in the center of campus, takes you to anywhere in Boston). Fairly laid-back; partying exists but is not a universal experience. Strong in the liberal arts.
Yale: New Haven is not the city you’re looking for. More pre-professional (especially pre-law and politics) than academia.
Princeton: Despite having been twice for band events, I can’t tell you anything about the campus or the people who go there, so make of that what you will.
Columbia: Big into philosophy and other lofty, intellectual ideas, located right in NYC. Certain groups can get pretty rowdy, especially now that the football team has gotten better.
Penn: Urban locale, some of the most passionate people you’ll ever meet, but almost impossible to escape social events that don’t involve music and alcohol.
Dartmouth: Hanover is beautiful and VERY rural. Hockey rules king, and most stereotypes involve heavy drinking.
Brown: Review above: thoroughly suburban, but quiet and intellectual. Good for philosophy and English.
Cornell: The biggest Ivy, and Ithaca is fairly out of the way.

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Bryn Mawr, Haverford, Reed, Bard, Vassar, Tufts all came to mind.

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@thebetterhawkeye : OP probably does not understand that your list is comprised solely of the 8 schools which make up the Ivy League.

14

I concur. People in graduate school in the humanities are no strangers to alcohol, as you’ll find out at any major academic conference. (A friend of mine who interviewed for a PhD program in classics at Brown wound up doing jello shots with faculty and grad students there while on a prospective students visit.)

@OutOfKantrol You’ve gotten some terrific suggestions above. Take a look at Rice and Johns Hopkins as well. The latter is most famous for its biology and medical programs, but the humanities are extremely strong. Since you have excellent (and cheap!) options in the UK, I’d aim high in the US. You can always spend a year abroad and/or come to the US for graduate school; PhD programs are fully funded.

You should consider the advice on the Philosophical Gourmet website for prospective undergraduate students.

15

Hi!! I’m a high schooler navigating the college world too. Although, I have it easier as I live in America!

I would say I’m the same type of student as you, in terms of “weekend plans”, and school “type” (AKA Urban, relatively moderate). However, I’m interested in engineering. Do note that you don’t have to go to a liberal arts school to find people like you; they exist everywhere that academics are strong!!

For instance, I know that Northeastern is pretty good in that sense (teaches all disciplines, in Boston MA, known for their strong internship program) as well as NYU, Columbia (both in NYC), George Washington, Georgetown (both in Washington DC), Carnegie Mellon (Pittsburgh PA). If you like US politics like “West Wing” try looking in DC as that is the heart of all things political here. To me, those are the best “mid to large” city schools on the eastern coast with all sorts of intellectual people.

A suggestion to you is don’t go to a “small” school. You want a large variety of people, so that way you can have a greater probability of meeting those that are like you. And more people = more diversity = never stop meeting new friends. (At least in my opinion). I know too many people who have had to transfer out of “small” schools because they just don’t “fit”.

Another suggestion is to do “college match quizzes”, where you input what you are looking for in a school, your academics, etc, and it spits out a long list of ones that it thinks you would be best for. (I think Unigo has one, there’s MANY out there on the web that are good). After that, research them thoroughly, come up with a list of 8-15, and start asking specific questions on CC to get some more answers.

And then, chop that list down to about 10 or so, because it really is not fun doing tons of applications! And since you’re a) international b) have excellent marks, you should have a pretty good probability of getting where you want, assuming that the rest of your profile is as stellar.

P.S Love your profile name – and Kant’s philosophy. By far the funniest, most honest post I’ve read. Message me if you have more questions :slight_smile:

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@warblersrule Thank you so much for that article - that was very interesting and useful. I plan to go check out the Philosophical Gourmet.

@human354 Thanks for those suggestions. And, yes, I do understand that meeting less people is a big drawback of going to a small-medium sized school. My secondary school had just over 100 students (and that’s in total over all 5 years) so I know what I’d be getting myself into with a small school and I’m confident that a close-knit community with much more individualised attention and access to professors is what I want and I believe that is what I’ll find at an LAC or LAC-like university. Also I may definitely take you up on that PM offer if I need it. :slight_smile:

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It would definitely be worth a visit over Easter break if you have the chance (that’s better than the summer because students will be in school). There are quirks that may turn you off (or on to) a school, even if they seem at first sight like a possible match. For example (during our visit) Swarthmore felt like they were trying far too hard to pretend that their students weren’t competitive with each other, when in fact they were. The Harvard admissions officer and student reps were so arrogant my son immediately said he wasn’t applying there.

It’s probably worth browsing the thread in the Parents Forum on most unexpectedly disappointing schools to get some flavor of that.

18

I know you didn’t want rural but I think you should look closely at Williams. It really sounds like you. If the West Coast interests you, consider Reed. It’s in Oregon, near Portland, which makes for easy weekend trips to Seatte or San Francisco.

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Also consider liberal arts living learning programs within the large sports schools. Those will zero you in on exactly the crowd you’re seeking and you can ignore the rest of the scene.

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I know you said you’re against a party culture, but what about a campus that uses a lot of marijuana?