Hi!
I’m a junior in high school starting to look into my college options, and I’m interested in pursuing a general psychology major and later going into a doctorate in clinical psychology. Two of my major interests are Latin and classics, I’m bisexual (and thus an accepting environment is pretty necessary), about as liberal as you can get, and extremely interested in human rights. Plus, I’ve always wanted to live in or near New York. All of this led me to look at Sarah Lawrence, and it seems like a really great college for me – but the tuition is something I’m really concerned about. Obviously, I have a couple of years to think about this, but it’s an extremely pricey college and major financial aid would be a necessity for me – my family is middle-class and hardly in any state of poverty, but they certainly don’t have the money to send me to SLC full-ride. From people who have applied or are going to Sarah Lawrence, how generous are they with financial aid? Has money been an issue for you if you’re in a similar situation?
My second question is a pretty general one – what’s the social life like on campus? Are people generally friendly, are there extracurricular activities, et cetera. (Basically, all the typical questions.)
Thank you so much 
Hi! I just transferred into Sarah Lawrence. I love it so far!
They are extremely generous with financial aid. My family would have never been able to afford this school but I received a substantial scholarship and grant. Even if you don’t originally get enough you can petition and get more.
The people here are really friendly. Just the other day a group of friends were talking about how we feel like we’re going to know everyone on campus by the end of the school year.
There are a ton of things to do. In the three weeks I have been here there have been multiple concerts, open mic nights, sports games, movie screenings, a school dance, and other social gatherings. There have also been a few parties. I don’t know the exact number of student groups on campus, but there are more than enough.
Can I ask how is the condition of the dorms and how are they set up? Thanks
Hi @MadelineBurke,
I’m a first-year student here, and I’m loving it so far! If you’re interested in Psychology, I’ve heard the Psychology department and professors here are great and pretty well-known. Adam Brown in particular, has really interesting classes. I’d recommend looking up the courses/classes offered on Sarah Lawrence’s website along with other colleges, and see if they appeal to you. If you’re interested in the humanities AND social sciences and not willing to limit/confine yourself to just one discipline, then Sarah Lawrence is perfect for you! Especially if you’re interested in Latin/Classics and Psychology and would like to link the two — you can do that here. We’re all about interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary study, which is one of the many reasons I decided to come here.
If you’re looking for a liberal, accepting environment, Sarah Lawrence is the place for you as well. The Princeton Review ranked SLC #1 for Most LGBT-friendly Colleges 2016 (and #1 for Best Classroom Experience).
I understand that money/finances is a huge issue to think about and one that you have to take into consideration. I’m not sure how financial aid is like for everyone, I think it really varies. I’d say just apply. You never know!
Social life: people are pretty friendly, which was sort of surprising to me. I’d heard/read about “Sarah Lawrencing” (ignoring people when you see them on campus) but that largely hasn’t happened to me. There are parties and events organized by the Student Activities Council and different student organizations/clubs like concerts, plays, open mic night, etc., and student parties are usually in someone’s dorm.
I hope all of this helps! Let me know if you have any more questions
@curiouscollege1 Sorry for the late reply but the dorms overall are nicer than other schools. It depends which building you are in.
Hill house is far away from the rest of campus and there are nine people to an apartment. I’ve only been there once but I know that the people who live there (mostly first years) feel like there is a real community there. Hill house is most similar to traditional dorms so its easy to make friends. The downside is that there is a lot of noise over there making it hard to study. There’s a nice tv lounge on the first floor.
Andrews Court is nice. I’ve been in a couple of the houses over there. AC is where most parties are thrown. I think the AC is mostly upperclassmen. These have full kitchens and a living room.
Mead Way is where I live. All of these dorms are in really cute old homes. Most of these are singles but there are some doubles. The only complaint is that the shared bathrooms and kitchen can be somewhat of a nuisance. Also students like to hang out and smoke in this area and it can be annoying when you’re trying to sleep and people are being loud outside. Oh, and laundry is kind of far away. You have to go across the street and up hills and several flights of stairs. However, the location is convenient because you are close to the post office and to Bates Dining Hall. These houses have full kitchens but no living room/common space.
I really don’t know much about the other dorms. Sorry.
The set up of the dorms really differs for each building. They are all equipped with a bed, a desk, a desk chair, a dresser, and either a wardrobe or a closet. If you are in a double or a triple there is one of each for every person. There is no air conditioning in most buildings, I think AC are the only dorms with air. There are heaters though.
There are a lot of bugs but there is an in-house exterminator that will come if you put in a request.
That was really helpful. I tour in a couple of weeks, so thanks!
SLC sounds like a great school for you. I focused on Cognitive Science & Music and the education I got there for psychology was great. I was able to get a position in a lab right after graduating.
However, I think it is incredibly irresponsible to ruin yourself financially for a degree and four years at college. Sarah Lawrence is pretty good with aid, making the cost after grants similar to out of state tuition for a state school. You should plug in your family’s income into College Navigator to get a good picture of what it would cost. Have a long talk with your family about what they can afford after playing around with the college navigator site. You really don’t want to be dept for decades for four years of school, especially as you may find it’s not a great fit for you for whatever reason (though it sounds like a great school for you). So just make sure it’s feasible 
I was able to go to SLC quite cheaply because I was in the lowest tax bracket and transferred with an Associate’s Degree from my local community college. Community College is a great option to save money. A year at CC costs about $6,000 in tuition. That’s huge if you transfer the credits to SLC and the experience at CC will make you appreciate and utilize everything the school has to offer so much more than if you just go straight out of out HS. I had a professor who changed my life and helped me turn my life around at Community College. It’s easy to do, but don’t turn your nose up at public school, the professors are often great and you will are forced to coexist with a very diverse group of people who are more representative than the folks you will be with at a place like Sarah Lawrence. I took classes with veterans, nurses, parents, professionals, ex-cons, rich people, poor people, etc. Sarah Lawrence is diverse in some ways, be very homogeneous in others. Here’s a very good editorial arguing for public colleges over fancy private ones: https://newrepublic.com/article/118747/ivy-league-schools-are-overrated-send-your-kids-elsewhere
I’m very introverted and was always doing homework so I didn’t socialize much, but many of my peers complained about a lack of social life but I think they just meant a lack of fun parties though because you could always see your friends and it’s easy to get into the city. The school is super queer friendly so you are definitely in great hands in that regard. If you end up there, take classes with Adam Brown in Psychology. He’s an amazing professor and will hook you up with all sorts of great research opportunities if you are a good student/show a genuine interest in your studies.
Good luck with everything! Let us know if you have any other questions. I apologize if I come off harsh, I’ve just noticed that many people go to college without even really knowing why and end up in very bad situations where they can’t afford it anymore or need to transfer and lose a bunch of credits. Remember you don’t need to go to college, so if you do, make sure it’s for a great reason and you get the most out of it :).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiHWbF4WK64
Here’s the link for college navigator
http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/
@WhoopsieGoldberg Can you say more about the music department?
After finishing a full year, what are your thoughts on SLC? What was the work load like? Is it predominantly extended essays (10-20 pages?) Did you have time to get involved in other activities, and was it easy to find people to connect with? My daughter just got off of the waitlist and is trying to decide between Hampshire and Sarah Lawrence. She loves both programs. She was able to do an overnight at Hampshire but not Slc, so she feels like it’s hard to compare student life . She has heard that it can be hard to connect with kids at SLC, and that worries her. Any thoughts to help her decide?
@kellican is there anything specific your daughter did to get off the waitlist?