<p>Hi all,
I've been pondering my college choices for years - since middle school, anyway. Now I'm a junior in high school, figuring I should make a decision soon enough. As the college search engine website commercials state, the Perfect School is out there somewhere. Well, I can't find mine. I've been reading the reviews at Students Review. Now, I'm aware that all colleges will have bad reviews. But the ones in my state look awful! I'm searching for a Liberal Arts college, preferably in Michigan but I'll look at neighboring states. I'm planning on going into Psychology and Writing. Stupid combination? Maybe.</p>
<p>Does anyone have a suggestion for a good liberal arts college in the Midwest? Let's pretend that money isn't an option. I hold a steady stream of B-'s, grade-wise. I'm not dumb...in fact I've tested in the "gifted" area. Concentrating on homework is difficult for me, which could explain my GPA.</p>
<p>You might want to post on the Parents forum for some help. What is your SAT/ACT score? </p>
<p>What about Lawrence in Wisconsin? With a B-, you will need a strong SAT/ACT for many of the LACs. Kalamazoo College? Knox College in Illinois might be worth a look.</p>
<p>Also, there is really no “perfect college”. Many kids discover in freshman year that there are a lot of things they don’t like about their schools. Many transfer. Usually, there is an adjustment process and things settle down. Please don’t go into this thinking there is a “perfect school”. You want the best fit for YOU, but there may need to be some compromises. My son was miserable at his Ivy school freshman year and almost transferred, but decided to remain and changed some things for himself that led to a great next 3 years. There will be disappointments, though.</p>
Let’s not. What difference does it make to apply to a college and be accepted if you can’t afford it. If you tell us your FA needs we have a better chance of finding a school that can meet your requirements.</p>
<p>I haven’t taken the ACT yet - juniors take it next spring. However, I have taken the Plan test, and my predicted composite ACT score is around 26-32. I don’t think that’s too bad.</p>
<p>I’ve been looking into K College…I read that all students are required to learn a second language. I’m already interested in studying abroad in Rome, so if I focus, that shouldn’t be a problem.</p>
<p>The reviews I read scare me…some kids talk about how K College was their “dream school” in senior year, then they got there and were horribly disappointed. But I guess that could happen anywhere!</p>
<p>Thanks so much for the advice everyone…as is typical of a pessimist, I tend to only look at the negative reviews.</p>
<p>I agree with post #2. The idea of the perfect college is a myth. However, there are probably a lot of colleges out there where you will be perfectly happy. If you have a “dream school” you will likely be disappointed because nothing lives up to that idealized dream. If you get turned off by reading one or 2 negative reviews, you will never find a school to attend, as every school has detractors. Decide what YOU want in a school, visit and see what you think. As far at midwest LACs, look at Knox, Beloit and Earlham.</p>
<p>I read a great review of Kalamazoo College, and it looks amazing. Really. But VERY competitive. I welcome the eccentricities with open arms, but competition freaks me out. I keep Grand Valley State University in my mind as my first choice if I can’t find a LAC that “speaks to me”, so to speak…no offense to those reading this that might attend GVSU.</p>
<p>A B- average and we don’t know your SAT/ACT score. Given those limitations, any suggestions will be kind of a shot in the dark. But here it goes.</p>
<p>Goshen College – small liberal arts college in Goshen, Indiana. Close to Michigan. Mennonite school, but very welcoming to other faiths. Very friendly place. Nice campus. My understanding is that they have recently received an infusion of cash (Smucker’s money, I believe). Good academics and strong global outreach programs.</p>
<p>Hiram College – not all that far from Michigan. Known to take chances on kids with talent, but lacked focus in high school. Lots of individualized attention. Strong academics.</p>
<p>Other liberal arts colleges that come to mind – Lake Forest; College of Wooster and Earlham (both may be a reach with your GPA); Manchester College; Alma College.</p>
<p>Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio. University of Evansville in Indiana (really a LAC with a small graduate program and a couple professional tracks).</p>
<p>To be honest Potboiler, if you’re GPA is around a 2.7 or so, GV might not “speak” to you either because there is a good shot they would reject you. You could get in with a really high ACT score (above 30) and if you applied early. Furthermore, if you go to a top school in Michigan, GV might let you in with a 2.7. Also, I hate to tell you the bad news but Kalamazoo College will probably reject you too with a 2.7. The first thing most colleges look at is your classes and then GPA. I would recommend looking at CMU or SVSU or another college like that.</p>
<p>I think the confusion is that in your first post, you stated, “I hold a steady stream of B-'s”</p>
<p>I took that to mean that you were/are a “B minus” student (hence, the 2.7 gpa assumption made by gvnee). </p>
<p>Perhaps if you informed us of your current gpa, your class rank, and your SAT/ACT (or PSAT scores), we could give you better advice as to what liberal arts colleges close to Michigan may be worth checking out.</p>
<p>I assumed a 2.7ish gpa was around a C average. Whatever the case, mine is a B average. Straight B, not minus. Sorry for the confusion. It would be easier if I knew my actual gpa but they come on our reports and the most recent is from last year. I have yet to take the ACT but I’ve taken the PLAN - estimated in the range of 26-32. I’m in the top half of my class. Not too bad, not too good, either.</p>
<p>Well nevermind, 3.4 is decent. To be competitive for Kalamazoo College you would need a really high act. 3.4 is okay, but K College definitely has competitive admissions. In my opinion, the top private liberal arts colleges in Michigan are Hillsdale, Kalamazoo, and then Hope College. GVSU is a good public liberal arts university. The other good universities in Michigan (U of M, MSU) are more research based universities.</p>
<p>Is that 3.4 a weighted GPA? That’s the only way it matches up with consistent B-s. Only 6% of admitted students have below a 3.0. Even a 3.4 is on the low side (64% have higher than a 3.5).</p>
<p>Yes, I think it is weighted. You know guys, K College really does catch my interest, but the competition is not something I’d enjoy. I’m really looking into GVSU, in part because I love Grand Rapids and my aunt went there for journalism (similar if not the same major I’m looking at - undecided). I’m not claiming that Grand Valley is less prestigious than any other college because it really is what a student makes of their experience, but being somewhat familiar with this school makes me feel more comfortable and prepared. My aunt and uncle live in GR, so I know the city pretty well. I’d consider moving there - better than Saginaw, at least!</p>
<p>I will be taking dual enrollment classes this winter at Delta College. My high school pays for it, so that’s really cool. Free credits!</p>
<p>Thanks so much everyone…sorry if I came off as frustrated at times. That’s misdirected anger at myself for letting my gpa get so low during my freshmen and sophomore years. At the lowest, it was around a 2.9. Thank God I should have decent ACT scores.</p>
<p>Thank you for clarifying. I suggest that you use the college search tool on the College Board site. You can put in your restrictions (gpa; test scores; majors; geographical limitations) and get a pretty good list to start.</p>
<p>When I put in some of some of your statistics (only private colleges), a couple of possible matches seemed interesting. One is Hiram College in Ohio (which I already mentioned). Another is Case Western – though it looks like Case may be a slight reach, whereas Hiram appears to be a solid match. Adrian, which was also previously mentioned, popped up. I don’t know anything about Adrian, so I can’t really speak as to its quality.</p>
<p>Another school that came up was Monmouth College in Illinois. Personally, I think Monmouth is really under rated. The campus is very, very nice. The academics are very solid – particularly in certain programs. Monmouth doesn’t get much love around these parts (I think in part because they draw the vast majority of their students from the Midwest), but I think a bright, hard working studenet could have an excellent college experience at Monmouth.</p>
<p>I hope this helps a bit. And I urge you to look at the College Board’s college search engine and play around with it a bit.</p>