Gosh I'm so confused...help find me some colleges!

College Search & Selection
1

<p>So, I'm currently in my junior year, and I'm just starting out with the whole college search process. I'm definitely not some sort of tool who blindly rushes after prestige (god, the US News Rankings are such bull in my opinion. Seriously), and Google the demi-god presented me with this amazingly helpful (and scary, yikes) site. I've spent the past hour or so skimming through some of the 'Help me find a college' threads and wow, you guys are awesome. I just hope you can help me out as well.</p>

<p>OBJECTIVE DATA - going through the chances threads on this site, I feel that my profile matches the profiles of some highly lauded posters here. I don't feel too comfortable posting out my grades/resume over here, so I guess you guys are just going to have to trust me on this one.</p>

<p>ABOUT ME</p>

<p>I'm a go-getter, a maverick of sorts; a person who always likes to think independently and out-of-the-box (to quote my math teacher); a person who prefers to lead than be lead, but who never, ever dictates; a person who loves running around on the playing field as much as a lecture by an eminent expert in a field; a person who would enjoy a bacchanalian night out as much as trying to figure out three individual methods of solving a math problem. I am a person who loves living life to the fullest.</p>

<p>WHAT I WOULD LIKE IN A COLLEGE</p>

<p>Mostly, it's the 'fit' (yay for my new, beefed up College Confidential vocabulary! :D) that I'm after - the fit between me as a person (based on the one paragraph I've given you...tall task, I know, but all efforts will be much appreciated) and the college - both as an institution and as a sea of students.</p>

<p>I do have some criteria to guide you a guys a bit, though. I don't want to be a tiny speck of sand on the seashore; I want to get to know my professors well, it would be nice if I could even be their friends. Small classes would be good; I don't come from a very big high school. Speaking of classes, I'd like to avoid those teaching assistants as far as possible...unless they're of high caliber as well :p. I don't really care whether I'm in the middle of a metropolis (no NYC though, for personal reasons. All other big cities are cool) or imprisoned in a hamlet as long as I have cool, chic peers around me (OK, cool and chic peers = people with whom I can connect easily) and a whole lot of stuff to do.</p>

<p>I have absolutely zilch on my list at the moment, so you guys are gonna help me get off the mark :).</p>

<p>And yeah, finances are no problem (if that makes a difference).</p>

<p>Thank you in advance!</p>

2

<p>Do you have any info to share your about GPA? SAT? Home state? Career interests? Careers you've ruled out? What about your extra-ciriculars?</p>

<p>ETA: Nevermind. I see you don't want to share that.</p>

3

<p>Would giving my GPA, SAT and extracurriculars really make that huge a difference?</p>

<p>I'm interested in receiving suggestions located at every band of the spectrum...</p>

4

<p>I'll shoot - UChicago?</p>

5

<p>Wash U in St. Louis; Claremont Colleges in CA</p>

<p>Note - all three suggestions so far are typically reaches for many students. This is where some stats would come in handy.</p>

6

<p>
[quote]
I'm a go-getter, a maverick of sorts; a person who always likes to think independently and out-of-the-box (to quote my math teacher); a person who prefers to lead than be lead, but who never, ever dictates; a person who loves running around on the playing field as much as a lecture by an eminent expert in a field; a person who would enjoy a bacchanalian night out as much as trying to figure out three individual methods of solving a math problem. I am a person who loves living life to the fullest.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Sounds like McCain - US Navy Academy - :D</p>

7

<p>bollygal,
Here is what I see you looking for. Correct me if I am wrong:</p>

<p>1) a preference for small classes and a good opportunity for close relationships with professors
2) a campus environment that makes having a social life part of the undergraduate experience
3) the opportunity to participate in sports (does this extend to attending college sporting events?)
4) not in NYC</p>

<p>Here are a few things that might help:</p>

<p>Sparknotes did a survey of college students asking questions like the degree of faculty involvement/access at their college and how balanced the lives were of the students, particularly with regard to their study habits. Here are the results:</p>

<p>Faculty Involvement </p>

<p>Faculty is more involved than at most schools , College ( # of responses )</p>

<p>79% , Wake Forest ( 40 )
73% , Notre Dame ( 217 )
68% , Princeton ( 82 )
68% , Vanderbilt ( 50 )
64% , Dartmouth ( 54 )
64% , Emory ( 13 )
58% , U Chicago ( 39 )
58% , Georgetown ( 51 )
54% , Stanford ( 69 )
53% , Tufts ( 48 )
50% , U Penn ( 47 )
48% , Yale ( 34 )
44% , Wash U ( 52 )
43% , Carnegie Mellon ( 47 )
41% , Duke ( 45 )
40% , Brown ( 39 )
38% , Caltech ( 18 )
38% , U Virginia ( 36 )
36% , MIT ( 47 )
33% , Rice ( 105 )
32% , U North Carolina ( 58 )
31% , Cornell ( 23 )
28% , Johns Hopkins ( 52 )
27% , Northwestern ( 66 )
27% , USC ( 79 )
25% , Columbia ( 95 )
22% , Harvard ( 64 )
21% , U Michigan ( 68 )
na , UC Berkeley ( 30 )
na , UCLA ( 56 )</p>

<p>and</p>

<p>Students are Balanced in their Study Habilts </p>

<p>Students are seen as more balanced in their life/study habits , College ( # of responses )</p>

<p>72% , Rice ( 18 )
72% , Vanderbilt ( 47 )
70% , Notre Dame ( 105 )
69% , Duke ( 51 )
68% , U North Carolina ( 68 )
65% , Columbia ( 69 )
60% , Princeton ( 40 )
60% , U Virginia ( 52 )
59% , UC Berkeley ( 58 )
57% , U Penn ( 54 )
57% , Dartmouth ( 47 )
57% , U Michigan ( 95 )
56% , Emory ( 36 )
55% , USC ( 64 )
53% , Wash U ( 34 )
53% , Brown ( 47 )
53% , UCLA ( 79 )
53% , Tufts ( 30 )
52% , Georgetown ( 66 )
51% , Northwestern ( 45 )
46% , Yale ( 82 )
46% , Wake Forest ( 56 )
44% , Stanford ( 50 )
38% , Caltech ( 13 )
31% , Cornell ( 52 )
31% , Johns Hopkins ( 39 )
28% , MIT ( 39 )
23% , U Chicago ( 48 )
na , Carnegie Mellon ( 23 )
na , Harvard ( 217 )</p>

<p>On social life, you might find something of interest in the following thread. There are differences in this universe of schools and not everywhere is for everyone. </p>

<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/348753-ranking-social-life-usnwr-top-20-a.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/348753-ranking-social-life-usnwr-top-20-a.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>If you are interested in the athletic life at a school, I think you will find that the great majority can provide plenty of opportunities for you to participate in sports, whether via varsity teams, club teams or intramural teams. Obviously your skill level and the school that you choose would have a large effect on this.</p>

<p>If you are interested in the athletic life in addition to the personal participation, ie, the social aspect of the athletic life, there are definite differences among top schools. I think it is very clear that, among the USNWR Top 30 national universities, the following universities do it best:</p>

<p>Privates: Stanford, Duke, Northwestern, Rice, Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, Georgetown, USC, Wake Forest</p>

<p>Publics: UC Berkeley, U Virginia, UCLA, U Michigan, U North Carolina</p>

<p>I hope that some of this helps. Good luck.</p>

8

<p>First of all, let me just say that I absolutely LOVE the way you describe yourself, having watched the Vice Presidential debate last night :). </p>

<p>From your self-description, you seem like the type of person who could really enjoy going to a liberal arts college or a small university. LACs (and small unis) are very personal in nature; both in class and outside of it you feel like an individual rather than "a tiny speak of sand on the seashore" because there usually aren't more than 8,000 students at the school (for LACs, this number is usually under 3,000). In addition, LACs (and smal unis) encourage you to get involved in a variety of things and to try a little of this and a little of that. </p>

<p>Because you don't want to post your stats (understandably), I won't be able to tell you how the following schools fit in terms of whether their a reach, semi-reach, good fit, likely, or safety for you. That being said, here are a bunch of ideas of places to start looking at...</p>

<p>Liberal Arts Colleges
Pomona College (CA), Amherst College (MA), Claremont McKenna College (CA), Swarthmore College (PA), Williams College (MA), Bowdoin College (ME), Middlebury College (VT), Haverford College (PA), Colgate University (NY), Pitzer College (CA), Bard College (NY), Wesleyan University (CT), Davidson College (NC), Hamilton College (NY), Kenyon College (OH), Vassar College (NY), Bates College (ME), Carleton College (MN), Oberlin College (OH), Colby College (ME), Colorado College (CO), Reed College (OR), Trinity College (CT), Connecticut College (CT), Lafayette College (PA), Gettysburg College (PA), Wellesley College (MA), Franklin & Marshall College (PA), Skidmore College (NY), Wheaton College (MA), Denison University (OH), Macalester College (MN), Dickinson College (PA), Scripps College (CA), Occidental College (CA), Bryn Mawr College (PA), Whitman College (WA), Grinnell College (IA), Rhodes College (TN), Mount Holyoke College (MA), Smith College (MA), Ursinus College (PA), St. Olaf College (MN)</p>

<p>Universities with under 8,000 students (and a few "LAC"-like exceptions)
Johns Hopkins University (MD), Rice University (TX), Tufts University (MA), Bucknell University (PA), Lehigh University (PA), Brandeis University (MA), College of William & Mary (VA), Pepperdine University (CA), University of Chicago (IL), University of Richmond (VA), Elon University (NC), Wake Forest University (NC), Princeton University (NJ), Brown University (RI), Dartmouth College (NH)</p>

9

<p>Oh wow, a whole host of replies! Thanks, all you guys!</p>

<p>tetrisfan - isn't Chicago the place where fun goes to die or something? Gee, I don't know...</p>

<p>palmalk - OK, I'll scour the web for some info on those places. I know that there are a whole bunch of colleges at Claremont - do you mean to say that all of them would fit me?</p>

<p>Columbia_Student - two things: a) I'm a democrat :D and b) I'm not interested in the military academies</p>

<p>hawkette - this would be a brief summary of what I seek:</p>

<p>1) a preference for small classes and a good opportunity for close relationships with professors
2) a campus environment that makes having a social life part of the undergraduate experience
3) the opportunity to participate in sports (a big college sports scene would be nice, but it isn't necessary)
4) not in NYC
5) vibrant intellectual life as well
6) active artsy scene as well - alternative/indie music is my life, and I'm into movies and read a lot as well
7) strong across the board, academically - I'm undecided on the major scene.
8) not a women-only college
(I don't think I mentioned these last three points in my original post, my
regrets)</p>

<p>Either way, thanks for the whole host of data and the link :).</p>

<p>littleatheist - that's quite a bunch! Haha, it's a good thing I have a year before I apply :D. Liberal arts colleges and small universities sound like perfect fits for me...I'm definitely going to take a very good, hard look at them, a look spanning a year or so ;). Thanks for the list!</p>

<p>I'd love some more replies, so post away folks! :)</p>

10

<p>Any takers?</p>

11

<p>Depends on what's most important on your list. Any ranking of colleges for level of involved faculty that doesn't mention Sarah Lawrence isn't worth the paper it's printed on. SLC has small, conference-style classes and does not have majors, per se. To your points, it isn't in NYC, but it's close. It isn't all-female but it is overwhelmingly female, and it has no major sports program. A favorite T-shirt touts their "undefeated" non-existent football team. They are vibrant in the arts, have a fantastic new arts center, are acknowledged for an excellent theater program, highly intellectual, and have a nice sense of community. You'd better be an excellent writer though. It's far from a "fit" for the average person, but if it fits you there won't be many others that do it as well.</p>

12

<p>Brown, Yale, Wesleyan sound closest to what you're seeking (except for limited sports scenes) </p>

<p>What follows is a potpourri, I admit, but small classes, intellectual, artsy, sporty, social is a hard mix to put together in one vessel. No one school with get all this just right. Consider: </p>

<p>Reed, Pomona, Berkeley, Carleton, Macalester, Chicago, Dartmouth, Williams, Amherst, Vassar, Middlebury, Penn</p>

13

<p>a) I'm a democrat and b) I'm not interested in the military academies</p>

<p>a > b, as we say in symbolic logic....</p>

14

<p>Brown and Yale I know of (Ivy, so duh :D), they both sound pretty cool except for the acceptance rates, haha. Also from just searching on the Brown forum here, it seems that Brown isn't quite as hipster-loaded as it's reputed to be, so I guess that's a good thing.</p>

<p>But...Reed and Wesleyan? Aren't they the TOTALLY hipster places? Or are those just unfounded rumors?</p>

<p>I think Williams and Middlebury are a tad <em>too</em> isolated for me.</p>

<p>I shall definitely look up those others liberal arts colleges though (like Macalester; never heard of it!). I already checked out Pomona (official website, this site, etc.) and it sounds AWESOME. Mama mia, as the Italians would say. ;)</p>

<p>Keep the ball rolling, guys!</p>

15

<p>Here are the best liberal arts colleges in New England per US News & World Report Rankings:</p>

<p>Williams College (MA) 3 hours from Boston and NYC.
Amherst College (MA) 2 hours to Boston and in a small town.
Bowdoin College(ME) 2 hours to Boston and up in Maine.
Wesleyan University(CT) 2 hours to NYC and 3 plus hours to Boston. In small town.
Smith College(MA) In small town 7 miles from Amherst
Colby College(ME) Same area as Bowdoin.
Bates College(ME) Same area as Bowdoin except Lewiston is very depressed.
College of the Holy Cross(MA) 40 minutes to Boston or Providence. Division 1 sports. On MBTA line to Boston, 10 trains/day</p>

16

<p>bollygal - you have to take some bad with the good. of course, Wesleyan has more than its share hipsters. It kind of goes with the territory, if you're looking for #s 2,5, and 6 on your list. Wesleyan is probably the smallest college in the country with its own home-grown music scene and nothing draws hipsters (even though they seldom admit it) quite like indie music. MGMT, Santogold, Boy Crisis, Amazing Baby and Violens all came out of Wesleyan.</p>

<p>Truth is, the average Wesleyan student, regardless of type, will give you the shirt off their back if you need it. It's better than Brown.</p>

17

<p>bolly, </p>

<p>Beware of any list reputing to rank schools by "Faculty is more involved than at most schools" and putting any school at #5 with only 13 of it's students responding and calling that a valid sample. It isn't worth the pixels you're viewing it on. </p>

<p>If "hipster" to you is a dirty word or carries negative connotations then maybe you shouldn't consider any liberal arts college or, for that matter, any Ivy League university. Stick to State U's and schools with abnormally high levels of Greek activity. You might also think about striking that "independent thinker" claim from your resume, too. Of course "hipster" means different things to different people, but making that a criterion for choosing a college tells me you may not be as open-minded as you think you are. I hope not. Whether you think a hipster is:


or
[QUOTE=Elise Thompson, an editor for the LA blog LAist]
people wearing "expensive 'alternative' fashion[s]", going to the "latest, coolest, hippest bar...[who] listen to the latest, coolest, hippest band . . . don’t seem to subscribe to any particular philosophy... [or] ...particular genre of music."

[/quote]
they're all stereotypes. You might as well say you don't want a school with too many rednecks or Jews. Some feel "hipsters" are sheep following a style with no substance. Others emphasize the "free-thinking" and "alternative" nature of those so-described. Alternative thinking is what's going to get America out of this financial crisis, solve energy and global warming issues, and work for world peace. Independent thinkers will make these things possible. More of the same is what you get anywhere there aren't independent thinkers. Lucky for everyone, nearly any school has at least a cluster of "hipsters" or alternative thinkers. College faculties all have their share, too. Some say more than their share. </p>

<p>I hope kids go to college to introduce themselves to other ways of thinking about traditional topics as well as to learn about subjects on which to build a career. How you challenge your mind as an undergrad is far more important to how you develop as a person. Maybe your disdain for schools with a "hipster" population is simply a difference in semantics and you're just not wanting to waste your time with those who ape behavior just to fit "in". That personality cuts across all social strata, lifestyles, economic groups, and all ethnicities. Some would look at top-ranked universities with large Greek-life populations as being the worst example of conformity, sheepishly following trends and fads in clothing and music, while binge drinking and playing those "maverick" drinking games. Yet few would call a frat boy a "hipster". I hope what you're saying is you don't want a school where people are lazy, closed-minded, or don't enjoy thinking and talking about real issues and important topics. </p>

<p>Stereotypes drive college searches. That tiny snapshot from USNews is what most work from. After many visits to many different schools my kids determined the easiest way for them to separate which schools fit their independent thinking best was to look for those ranked lowest in Greek Life, and highest in "acceptance of gay and lesbian lifestyles". My kids are neither preppy or gay-and-lesbian, but the tolerance for diversity and respect for independent thinking that went along with those rankings was important to my (smart) kids and seemed to bear out in campus visits. </p>

<p>I can't put words into your mouth anymore than I can judge you as a person. I can assure you most good schools have their share of hipsters, whatever your definition. And any bad connotations that go along with your definition can easily be attributed to many other social groups and types, too. Fit is fit. Whatever you're comfortable with is how you'll decide. But don't go to college just to be around those who think like you do. You might grow out of it as you grow, and they might not.</p>

18

<p>


</p>

<p>I hate rankings but at least get them right. According to the USNews 2009 rankings:</p>

<p>The Best Liberal Arts Colleges (restricted to NEW ENGLAND, only):</p>

<ol>
<li>Amherst College (MA) </li>
<li>Williams College (MA) </li>
<li>Wellesley College (MA)</li>
<li>Middlebury College (VT)</li>
<li>Bowdoin College(ME)</li>
<li>Wesleyan University(CT)</li>
<li>Smith College(MA)</li>
<li>Colby College(ME) </li>
<li>Bates College(ME)
10.Mount Holyoke College (MA)
11.Trinity College(CT)
12.College of the Holy Cross(MA)</li>
</ol>

<p>and, if you stretch that geographic constraint only slightly to include Eastern NY state and Eastern PA the rankings would look like this:</p>

<ol>
<li>Amherst College (MA) </li>
<li>Williams College (MA) </li>
<li>Swarthmore(PA)</li>
<li>Wellesley College (MA)</li>
<li>Middlebury College (VT)</li>
<li>Bowdoin College(ME)</li>
<li>Haverford College(PA)</li>
<li>Vassar College(NY)</li>
<li>Wesleyan University(CT)
10.United States Military Academy(NY)
11.Colgate University(NY)
12.Smith College(MA)
13.Hamilton College(NY)
14.Bryn Mawr College(PA)
15.Colby College(ME)
16.Bates College(ME)
17.Barnard College(NY)
18.Mount Holyoke College (MA)
19.Trinity College(CT)
20.College of the Holy Cross(MA)
21.Lafeyette College(PA)
22.Bard College(NY)
23.Connecticut College(NY)
24.Skidmore College(NY)</li>
</ol>

<p>For whatever that's worth! If nothing else it should tell you rankings don't mean much.</p>

19

<p>
[quote]
But...Reed and Wesleyan? Aren't they the TOTALLY hipster places? Or are those just unfounded rumors?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>At least Wes isn't, really. We probably have more hipsters than your average school, but if you steer away from living in WestCo it's pretty easy to avoid that scene if that's not what you're all about...and you can still take great advantage of the indie bands that Eclectic (basically the hipster co-ed frat, though that is painting it with a broad brush) brings, because their concerts are open to the whole campus.</p>

20

<p>Oh stereotypes...thou art the demise of man.</p>

<p>Sorry, felt poetic :D.</p>

<p>If you think Wes and Reed are 'hipster', then why don't you consider Brown 'hipster'?</p>