good LAC with good lit programs but not elite or too snobby?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I want to study literature and was thinking of going to a Liberal Arts College.<br>
My grades a decent but not worthy of a super elite liberal arts school (A's and some B's in AP classes). I have a 4.2 GPA and my SAT is a 2110 all together: 620 on math, 730 on reading, and 760 on writing. I have a couple extra curriculars but nothing fantastic there either. 4 years varsity swimming, NHS, lots of church activities....</p>

<p>any suggestions of places I might be able to get into that would be a good fit? not too snobby, friendly student body, good accademics, good literature program?</p>

<p>Also, if you cant get into an elite LAC then is it worth paying to go to one that's not as good or is it better to just go to a state school (UF or UCF)?</p>

<p>any insights would be hugely appreciated! Thanks!</p>

2

<p>Are you a current junior or senior? If you’re a senior, you should be looking for places that still are taking applications past January 1st, as that’s the deadline for quite a few schools.</p>

<p>English literature programs are pretty universal. Do you have any idea of location or size? You’ll probably get smaller classes and more professor interaction out of a LAC versus a state school, but whether it’s worth the money is really up to you.</p>

3

<p>Check out Kenyon.
(I’m assuming you are a junior.)</p>

4

<p>Add Denison assuming the same thing. What can your family afford?</p>

5

<p>I’m a senior. Yea I know a lot of schools have applications due jan 1, but I already have a couple pretty good app essays and common app is completely filled out so getting an application done in time isn’t a too huge an issue. I’ve already applied to a few schools and have some more on my list to apply to, but I was just wondering if there were any good ones I should look at.</p>

6

<p>Not sure if, based on your information, you would be a good fit, but consider Grinnell:</p>

<p>1) top ranked swim team and palatial athletic facilities including an amazing swimming complex</p>

<p>2) excellent financial and merit aid</p>

<p>3) a culture that is quirky, unpretentious, understated and intellectual </p>

<p>4) the smallest sized classes of any top LAC, which for an English major translates into a lot of personal attention (I also really like that their writing lab is staffed by writing professionals, not just students who are good writers.)</p>

<p>5) a huge endowment that supports innumerable student initiatives</p>

<p>If that sounds like you, then it’s worth looking into.</p>

7

<p>That actually sounds like a really good fit. My only disappointment would be that it is in Iowa after living in florida, but everything else sounds amazing! Thank you :)</p>

8

<p>Are you female? Mount Holyoke or Smith might be possibilities with good English programs.</p>

9

<p>Yes, Iowa is the downside of Grinnell! Furthermore, small LAC’s of good quality are ubiquitous. No one ever heard of Grinnell until US News rankings “elevated” its stature. Grinnell has since become a quite proud place, but “just remember that its a grand illusion, deep inside LAC’s are all the same.”</p>

10

<p>Not sure that I’d consider Iowa “the downside” of Grinnell. As someone who is guilty of considering most of the midwest ‘fly-over land’ until S ended up there, I have to confess that I’m a convert. The sheer self-deprecating, unpretentiousness and lack of ‘sharp elbows’ has won me over.</p>

<p>Nor are LACs all the same: In fact they have strong distinctive cultural identities and that is why it’s especially important to make sure it’s a good fit. One person’s hated ‘bubble’ is another person’s ‘strong sense of community.’</p>

11

<p>Try the University of Richmond–larger, yes, but is there a more beautiful campus in America? In don’t think so. Most rankings have it on the rise but not elite or snobby. Plus, possessing a southern feel you are looking for rather than cornfields punctuated by small towns.</p>

12

<p>Might look at Holy Cross-good LAC with strong English department. Holy Cross has January 15th application date. HC has very nice campus 1 hour from Boston and is need blind for admissions.</p>

13

<p>My sister was very interested in lit and creative writing when she applied to schools a couple of years back. From her list, Grinnel College-in Iowa-seems to fit your criteria!</p>

14

<p><a href=“Academic Programs - Stetson University”>http://www.stetson.edu/academics/programs.php&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Check out Stetson (FL). Application deadline is March 15th.</p>

15

<p>Both University of Florida and Florida State have excellent English departments.</p>

<p>University of Richmond is an attractive option–a beautiful school, selective but not as hard to get into as Williams or Amherst.</p>

<p>New College of Florida sounds interesting but I don’t know anything about the English Dept. there.</p>

16

<p>Coming from the East Coast, my son really loves the friendliness of Iowa, and the beauty of the surroundings – rolling farmlands, wide open sky. He likes that when he walks in town, strangers will look him in the eye and say hello. He hates the travel to and from Grinnell, but once there, he loves it. Ditto, too, the comments on personality of the school and the students. Grinnell, in particular, has a clearly articulated mission and follows through on it with institutional initiatives.</p>

17

<p>

</p>

<p>Uh, maybe you had never heard of it, but Grinnell has been very well known for ages in Chicago and St. Louis as being an excellent LAC. You must be making the mistake of “people in my region never heard of it = no one ever heard of it.”</p>

18

<p>“people in my region never heard of it = no one ever heard of it.” </p>

<p>LOL, PizzaGirl, there are too many of those people on CC! There is one “informed” person I can think of!</p>

19

<p>As a FL resident, New College would be a bargain and meets your criteria. Oberlin would be a good choice.</p>