"Go Where Your Heart Leads You"...yeah, right

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I'm having some serious issues deciding what kind of "fit" I want in a school. There are just way too many options. I'll start with some background.</p>

<p>I attend a tiny rural public high school in Ohio. The school is 98% white, extremely conservative in just about everything, and offers very few academic options. Obviously, this isn't the feel I want in a college. Most of the students here go to small private universities with the same demographics and feel. My relatives, to make matters worse, have all gone to community colleges. They see that as an achievement.</p>

<p>I just feel that I might be totally overwhelmed if I go to a large university. I really like the big city atmosphere, and I enjoy being around people. However, due to my humble upbringing, I'm really opposed to partying and drinking and the like. This is pretty much part of the required curriculum at large universities, and I don't know that I could handle it. I'm also used to being all personal with everybody, and though I'm sick of that conservatism, I don't want to be just another person. I have relatively close relationships with my teachers at school.</p>

<p>On the other hand, I think a LAC might be too limiting for me. In high school it has been hard for me to have close friends since my interests aren't like anyone else's here and there isn't a big pool of friends to pick from. I'm pretty much an outcast since I don't like sports. I enjoy talking with people casually, and casual friends are just hard to find. At such a small school (175 in high school), I'm also limited on clubs/activities. LACs are often the same way. I just don't want college to be High School Part 2.</p>

<p>Though I doubt anyone else is in a similar situation, there's probably something in that mess you can relate to. Does anyone have any ideas on how to pick a college based on feel?</p>

2

<p>the princeton review is a good place to search colleges by "type", such as "Class Discussions Encouraged" "Election? What Election?", and "Stone-Cold Sober Schools" (which you probably want).</p>

<p>if you're sick of liberals, i guess you'd also want "students most nostalgic for Bill Clinton"</p>

3

<p>GO BIG! you sound like someone who has been in a shell all his/her life and needs to break out. get out of that small town and explore the world, there's much to see and do. you'd be much happier, and free at a large university. even with your unique personality, there would be many more like you. so, again i say: "GO BIG"!...</p>

4

<p>I did have a really long post that somehow got chewed up. Stupid macs.</p>

<p>Anyway, an LAC will NOT be High School Part 2. I can only think of 2 LAC's (Deep Springs College and St. Thomas More College for the Liberal Arts) that are smaller than your high school class. Also, should you choose a small LAC, instead of 174 students you don't feel connected to, you'll be with at least 999 students whom you do feel connected to.</p>

<p>This is not really the time to debate the merits of a school like Bowdoin with the merits of a school like UMich or Berkeley. Both are attractive in their own rights, both are attractive for different reasons. You will probably be able to find yourself at either-- even for those of us at bigger schools, we still have ways of meeting people in small, manageable portions-- your dorm hall, for example, will be a great and close-knit way to meet new people, as are fraternities and sororities. There's a reason they tend to be big on big college campuses.</p>

<p>As for fit, a few things. If you're able to visit a school, just ask yourself: "How easily could I make friends here? Does this place seem exciting to me?" EVERYBODY has different criteria for what's exciting-- some people want to see students protesting, others want to see kids playing frisbee and relaxing, others might want to go to a school where the campus itself is quiet and the personality of the school is experienced in classrooms, dorms, and libraries.</p>

<p>If you can't visit, do the next best thing... make a list of what you want in a school and go PrincetonReview/Collegeboard.com to start searching around. Take your list to these message boards and we'll critique it and help you out a bit. Consult college guides (my favorite is the Insider's Guide to Colleges, because my friends and I agree that it treats each of our schools fairly and insightfully) and cross your fingers.</p>

<p>Keep in mind, too, that there will always be kids who have no idea what they want in a school and apply and attend schools somewhat randomly (I have a friend who applied ED to a school he knew almost nothing about-- and he got in!) and that there will always be people whose first visit to the school is on move-in day.</p>

5

<p>Since you did feel that "I'm pretty much an outcast" in your present environment, it sounds like breaking away would be the best thing. Try looking at medium sized schools in other states.</p>

<p>I agree that Princetonreview and collegeboard are good places to start. Studentsreview.com is also a good place.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

6

<p>It's not mandatory that I have a school that's stone-cold sober. I just would rather not attend a party school. I think I want a liberal arts college, but one with a lot of options and resources. And I have to be able to afford it wherever I go. I wish Ohio had a better state university system, but it pretty much sucks canal water. Any ideas?</p>

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<p>I'm going to say what I always say, which is University of Chicago, but I will also add Tufts, Dartmouth, and Emory to the list of schools that feel like LAC's but have expanded resources.</p>

8

<p>Macalester College in St. Paul, MN might be of interest to you. Urban LAC with great academics and from what I have seen a very diverse (many international students) and also down to earth group of students. Financial aid is good. My daughter loves it.</p>

9

<p>Money is also a huge issue. I've looked into UChicago and Emory, and I think financial aid at both is limited. I know they both offer full ride merit scholarships, but the chances of me getting one at either school are about as good as winning the lottery. Need based aid is usually in the form of loans, which I don't want. I'll have enough debt without senseless student loans. It also doesn't bother me that I could be in a class with students dumber than me, since I'm used to that anyway. I know Ohio State gives a few free rides for various things, and their honors college looks like a good deal to me. I've also checked out Miami University, but it seems like it would be a big party school because of the heavy fraternity/sorority presence. I don't have any ACT/SAT scores to report yet, though on a practice test I scored 620 M, 630 CR, and 800 W, and 27 comp on ACT. Those aren't good enough for a full ride merit scholarship anywhere except a community college.</p>

<p>I've used the CollegeBoard search with results like Denison University, University of Miami - Coral Gables, Muhlenberg College (really appeals to me, except merit money is limited to 1/3 COA), and Emory. I also like U Chicago because it's close, and I like the name recognition and its great Economics program.</p>

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<p>^^Macalester looks like a great option for me. Thanks for the suggestion. Their financial aid is fantastic from what I can tell, though they have a limited selection of majors.</p>

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<p>Muhlenberg is a great school. Diverse programs, strong academics, extremely congenial student body. It's a place where a wide diversity of "types" can fit in. Don't discount it because of cost. In addition to merit money, they have very good need based grants. It's well worth taking a closer look at. Talk to an admissions officer there.</p>

12

<p>Una gave you some great choices. I'd add to her UChi, Emory, Dartmouth & Tufts list the following: Wesleyan, Pomona, Northwestern, Brown.</p>

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<p>Northwestern seems like a big party school to me. Not to shoot it down, but I really don't give a care about sports, at all.</p>

<p>I haven't really considered Pomona because it's in CA, and that's a long way from Ohio. It would be very different, but I have a bad feeling about California.</p>

<p>I know, you all think I'm crazy by now but your suggestions have really helped.</p>

14

<p>Pomona would also be a great one because of the other 4 colleges nearby to create a "bigger" social scene, as well as the benefits of being at a top LAC</p>

15

<p>First of all, cheer up because you will find others like you in college.</p>

<p>More names to toss out there, where people get off on meeting other people but seriously pursue their studies: Oberlin, Brandeis, Grinnell, Earlham, Carleton, Haverford.</p>

<p>Why are you so sure you'll only get "need-based aid in the form of loans..." Have you done the FAFSA calculations yet with your family? Maybe you'll qualify for some combination of grant, loan, and work-study (campus job) expectation. Plus, there are summers to help chip away at the student loan. I think you need to find out more about what kind of aid you might get. It sounded as though you eliminated "loans" just on the sound of them..without even knowing if you might also get some part in grants. Usually it's a combination package. And some places, such as Oberlin, give no merit aid so that they have more to give in need-based aid.</p>

<p>Your practice SAT scores are a good start, but if you can study and prepare with books so that you push it over the 650 mark, that will help you a lot. If you can get a n 800 in Writing, I think with some study preparation on the test you might also be able to elevate your CR score closer to 700... since the skills are so related. Maybe you need to devote some time to those SAT practice books. Focus espec. on CR, given your ability in writing already!</p>

<p>Sometime between tonight and the time you actually write your applications, you need to find reasons for much more joy and hope. I know you feel unsure right now, and that's okay. You're just starting to search. But really work hard to find the good in your current situation so you can express some optimism for your future education.
My kids also grew up in a small town, and it was very discouraging, so I really really understand. We kept telling them, "wait until college, it'll be so much better." That's a lot of the reason it's hard to relate to your classmates right now. But try to think about the positives that you bring to a campus from your home community. I'm not kidding. You probably know lots of families in town, know everyone on a first-name basis, know some of the leaders of the community (mayor, for example, or sheriff....) so you understand how a community is run. Campuses are also communities. It's really a good thing if you can give positive voice to what it means to grow up in a small, close town...since that's what college life is like, in a different way.</p>

16

<p>^^timed out</p>

<p>It's fine to make the point that you want to go above and beyond what's around you, but I'd encourage you to speak of your relatives (who went to community colleges) with pride not disdain. After all, for them it IS an acccomplishment. It would be better to say that's what they do, and it represents their best dreams, and you're proud of them....but you want to be the FIRST in your family to take it up to a new level and attend a private college or university. </p>

<p>Colleges sometimes want rural candidates, because they seek diversity from the suburban/metropolitan kids. But you have to bring a positive voice to your experience, so it would add to the conversation. </p>

<p>I'm thinking about a speech I heard an AdCom give some students a few years ago. He said, "Ive just finished reading my l000th sad essay about grandma dying, and I'm so depressed. I'd like to admit some happy people who can add to the life of the campus, and not be so worried when they get here that they'll depress everyone around them...</p>

<p>Adcoms also say, repeatedly, we're looking for people who make the most out of the resources offered to them. They know that some schools are better than others, but they're looking for who makes the MOST of their opportunities, even if opportunities are limited. They won't hold it against you if you come from a small, conservative white town with limited vision, as long as you did your best within it to learn and find some interesting ways to occupy yourself, and used the resources. If you know someone in town who taught you a skill, if you understand what happened to a family whose fortunes fell but others came to their aid...these are all important insights to show you took part as much as you could in the life your town had to offer, however limited. If you can do that there, you'll take advantage of the college's offerings, too. That's the way it works. Figure out what you learned from your town, and try to express that, with some good as well as sorrow. you'll sound like a much better applicant.
As I say, right now you're just spun down because you are figuring out where to apply to...but keep my words in mind as you start to think about applying. Be very proud of your upbringing, however imperfect. Others will be interested in how you survived it.</p>

17

<p>Thanks for everyone's suggestions. It looks like I just need a little experience in the real world and I'll adjust to any situation. Now if I can just get my parents to buy into all this...</p>

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<p>I'm actually friends with a kid at my school who is from rural Ohio(i think the salem area or something?), and is very conservative. I am a pretty liberal person, and i go to a mid-sized major research university.</p>

<p>To be honest, he stands out pretty clearly at my school, but he still gets along with everyone. We all have fun taking cracks at him as the token farmboy, and we're all, of course, uptight city slickers. We have fun though, and i don't think you'll have any trouble finding people that you get along with.</p>

19

<p>"And some places, such as Oberlin, give no merit aid so that they have more to give in need-based aid."</p>

<p>I don't think this statement is correct. A few cc posters have suggested that their kids/themselves got pretty nice sized merit aid from Oberlin. I think.</p>

20

<p>Monydad, you are absolutely correct. I apologize to all readers. My info was out-of-date.</p>

<p>Here's from Oberlin's current website on financial aid and scholarship policy:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.oberlin.edu/financialaid/prospective/policies/scholarships.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.oberlin.edu/financialaid/prospective/policies/scholarships.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>