Finding the best school culture fit for me

Student Lounge College Life
1

I am just curious about which of these schools would be the best fit for me based on who I am as a person. I am planning on getting a bachelor’s in psychology and then a master’s as a counseling or clinical psychologist.

College List (Tentative and still eliminating colleges)
-Amherst College
-Brown University
-Colgate University
-Connecticut College
-Dartmouth College
-Middlebury College
-Occidental College
-Pomona College
-Reed College
-University of New Hampshire
-University of Vermont
-University of Redlands
-Wesleyan University
-Williams College

I am very intellectual and passionate about my future in psychology, I am very creative and artistic (I enjoy poetry, acting, and drawing/painting). I also really enjoy the outdoors, calisthenics, and weight training.

I have a meditation practice and I consider myself to be spiritual but this is more of a personal thing and if there is a meditation club at the college that would be a plus. It’s definitely not a deal-breaker.

I don’t really identify as a liberal or as a conservative, and I don’t identify as an athlete or a hipster/artist. I get along really well with most people and make friends easily. However, with that being said, a turn off for me is people who don’t take their health seriously and are too focused on their intellectual pursuits. This doesn’t prevent me from having healthy relationships with these people, I just tend to develop deeper friendships with those who maintain a balance between the mind and body.

What is very important is finding a school that has high-quality food and access to organic produce. I have several health conditions and changing my diet has helped me tremendously to overcome them. I’ve heard that Middlebury and Occidental have really great food options on campus, but then again, a lot of these schools are in rural areas so the possibility for farmers markets and co ops is high.

I’d love to have a discussion with you guys about this!

2

Academic fit will depend on the college to a great extent.

But most of what you are asking about is about the people at the college. So, your fit will depend on the friends you make at the college. And you, not the college so much, will have the biggest influence over that.

3

Wesleyan has a fairly significant foodie contingent. Plenty of kitchens around campus and there’s a natural food store within walking distance. The main dining hall gets good grades for vegetarian and vegan dishes.

4

I know you aren’t doing a “chance me” thread or asking for matches or safeties but these are all pretty selective schools so I am wondering about GPA/test scores and affordability. My daughter is an entering first year at one of the schools on your list, applied to a couple of others, and visited a few more. There are a few others not on your list that might be of interest: Skidmore, Vassar, and Clark U in Massachusetts (the founder of Panera got his start making and selling sandwiches out of his dorm room there). Also, you have Midd and Colgate but not Hamilton, which might also be of interest.