<p>Thanks tk,
yeah Colorado College may be to far away. I really want to stay on the East Coast. I visited Loyola and really liked it. Dartmouth is definitely one of my reaches, and I’m interested in Colgate. Middleberry may be too language/international based which may be difficult for me to be seen as a good applicant, especially since I may not take a language my senior year. My second cousin went to Williams, and really liked it. It is definitely a school that I need to visit and consider.
Thanks!</p>
<p>Another one you might like is Connecticut College. Seems to share many applicants with Colgate and Middlebury but is a little less selective than either one.</p>
<p>Your attitude, OP, is that you only want to associate with people exactly like yourself. (The French family that can afford to live in your town may be adding a very slightly different perspective, but not enough to really challenge you in relating to people who have a different socioeconomic or political background.) The fact that you use the words “less diverse” speaks for itself. I am telling you that if I can pick up on this, admissions officers will too. The admissions officers at the schools listed by posters are trying to increase diversity, even if those schools are currently less diverse. But they are also trying to increase the numbers of students willing to consider various points of view and willing to meet and befriend various kinds of people, and students who are willing to go outside their comfort zone. As an English major, you should examine how you are communicating.
“Even from NJ”: this (posted by someone else) may be an unfair stereotype to dump on a whole state, but probably refers to some people who move to the suburbs to escape the diversity that you are also trying to avoid.</p>
<p>levirm,
You’re putting the words “less diverse” in my mouth… I didn’t say “less diverse” in my OP, nor did I say I wanted a “less diverse” school. In my post that said
“Do you know how many people want to go to a highly academic, conservative, less diverse, somewhat elitist school? ALL THE PEOPLE THAT GO TO THEM.”
I only said “less diverse” since that description is usually paired with those schools. Are you assuming that just because I am politically conservative I don’t like diversity? That is a tad stereotypical. Also, I cannot possibly understand how a college will assume that I don’t want to meet new people and explore new points of view from my application? I DO want to explore and meet new people and new view points. YOU DON’T KNOW ME, so please stop assuming that I’m just another white, republican, spoiled brat. It is frustrating, obnoxious, and completely unnecessary. Also, “as an English major,” I’m not exactly using my communication skills wisely on an ONLINE FORUM. This isn’t my app! This is me putting my thoughts, ideas, and wants out on the internet for others to see and make suggestions for. Also, how dare you assume that I live in the suburbs to “avoid diversity.” As you try to preach about diversity, new view points, and meeting new people you are being completely and utterly hypocritical. Why can’t you try to see from my view point? Or understand my opinions? I have nothing against diversity. I never said that I did… I merely referred to the term “less diverse” as a stereotype usually labeling the schools I’m generally interested in. I think it’s great that these schools are trying to increase diversity, and I am a strong believer that the best students should get in and it should not be based on economic, racial, or political situation.</p>
<p>You are not being helpful by trying to ostracize me and judge me as a typical “spoiled brat” In doing so, YOU sound like the ignorant one.</p>
<p>Now, do any others have suggestions?</p>
<p>How about Hamilton College?</p>
<p>OP, I am just trying to tell you how you are coming across, and not just to me. An admissions officer is going to pick up on this just as I am. If you change the way you are communicating, you have a better chance at admission. Just saying. Keep on the way you are going if that is what you want to do. But I am telling you that if I am picking up attitude here, rightly or wrongly, someone else is going to also. Of course, I don’t know you, and neither does the admissions officer, so you need to use your words carefully. Instead of blasting me for my perception, why don’t you look at what you have said to cause me to have that perception and learn from the experience, before you write your apps?</p>
<p>Whatever I write on a simple online forum is in no way related to how or what I write on my app.</p>
<p>We’ve been suggesting LACs but if you want something a bit larger, consider Johns Hopkins. It’s not just for pre-meds you know. Top notch English and Art History (music too). Big lacrosse powerhouse. The campus is beautiful (in my opinion, more so than Georgetown’s as long as you like red brick) though Baltimore, for the most part, is a negative. For pre-meds and engineering types, it has the reputation of being a “hard” school (a la University of Chicago) but I bet it would be more balanced for Humanities people. </p>
<p>It’s close to Loyola MD, so maybe you already visited? What did you think?</p>
<p>Regardless, if you like Dartmouth, Colgate, and Loyola, that’s good. You’ve established a range (which may need some adjustment after your SATs come back). Seems you need a few more “likelies” more than anything. This is often the hardest category to choose. All the excitement is focused on reach schools. For safeties, many just go with the state flagship. In the middle is where you sometimes do need to compromise. In my opinion, location often is a good place to compromise because it is mostly a matter of convenience that hits you 3x a year, not every single day, unless you just can’t do without access to East Coast cities (or home) on a weekly or monthly basis.</p>
<p>OP, why the objection to southern schools? If there are schools south of Maryland that meet all of your criteria except that they’re south of Maryland, why not go take a look at Emory and Duke (reach, I know) and Washington and Lee?</p>
<p>If you’ve already visited them and didn’t like them, fair enough. But if you haven’t, you owe it to yourself to give one or two a fair shake.</p>
<p>Guys, don’t keep bashing on the OP. She was very honest in describing the type of school she is looking for. It doesn’t matter whether you like her preferences or not.</p>
<p>The “even from NJ” comment referred to folks from NJ being notoriously spoiled/irritating/arrogant. At virtually any decent college across the country, Garden Staters, their accents, and their endless desire to tell locals how much they suck seem to be almost painfully prevalent. When people refer to Duke as the University of New Jersey at Durham, they’re not doing in a complimentary manner. Most people I’ve known from New Jersey are aware of their reputation, and are rather proud of it (which only serves to reinforce the reputation).</p>
<p>tk- Yeah, I visited Johns Hopkins. I LOVED the campus, but yeah the Baltimore urban-feel was kind of a turnoff- I think I want a little more isolation. </p>
<p>Slitheytove- I might make an exception for Duke, but to be honest I’m a really bad flier, and sort of want something a little closer to home! </p>
<p>Schritzo- Thank you for understanding. I was really just being honest.</p>
<p>Schmaltz- I have to introduce myself with a disclaimer. Hi, I’m from New Jersey. I live CLOSE to NYC. I DON’T have an accent. The show Jersey shore is a DISGRACE to my state (but I still watch it for ****s and gigs) I don’t wear my hair in a poof. I’m not Italian (not that there is anything wrong with that) I prefer my guys with flat hair, as opposed to spiked up, and I don’t go fistpumping at the clubs down the shore. It’s an entire state with different parts. I’m not spoiled, irritating, or arrogant… I don’t think so. </p>
<p>So far the schools I really have an interest in are:
Dartmouth, Lehigh, Colgate, Duke, Williams, Hopkins, my mom wants me to look at University of Richmond, and then syracuse and hobart for safeties so far.</p>
<p><em>Also I don’t fake tan</em>***</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Oh.
Well then, I’m no longer interested in helping you :)</p>
<p>What happened to Loyola though? Thought you said you liked it? Or is the Baltimore location too big a negative?</p>
<p>That list makes pretty good sense to me. Maybe a teeny bit weak in the middle.</p>
<p>“Whatever I write on a simple online forum is in no way related to how or what I write on my app.”</p>
<p>Good to hear it. Have you thought at all why people are having these impressions based on what you are saying? Have you thought at all about whether you are willing to engage with people who are different from you?</p>
<p>“Guys, don’t keep bashing on the OP. She was very honest in describing the type of school she is looking for. It doesn’t matter whether you like her preferences or not.”</p>
<p>My intention was not to bash, but to make the OP aware that if she comes across this way to an admissions officer (or if she is truly a person who wants to avoid people of certain backgrounds and the admissions officer can tell), this is going to mean a no-brain rejection. There is honesty…and there is honesty about what we need to work on.</p>
<p>MK, nobody thinks he himself has an accent. It’s always everybody else who has an accent. And my experience with NJ folks goes way back to the mid-1970’s, so it pre-dates “Jersey Shore” by an eon. (By the way, I think the people on Jersey Shore were imported from New York…as if there was a shortage of such folks in New Jersey…talk about your coals to Newcastle).</p>
<p>Let’s just say that probably the only phrase on college campuses that’s uttered more often than “what’s your major?” is “if New Jersey is so great, why didn’t you stay there?” Also, I’d like to hear from anybody who ever worked at an admissions office at a New England college who actually heard the words “Oh goodie! Another applicant from North Caldwell/Short Hills/Wyckoff!!!”</p>
<p>But there’s no reason to allow such sentiments to mute your Jerseyness…they’ve never affected anybody before.</p>
<p>By the way, my first experience with a Jersey guy was when a cocky Irish kid from East Orange moved to my small Massachusetts town; he was a ball-hog on the basketball court and a shoplifter off of it. The next time I was aware of NJ was when I was exploring transfer options with my junior college counselor. I mentioned Rutgers, and he got a pained look on his face. He said, “Well, Rutgers is in [begin sneer] New Jersey [end sneer], and people there are sort of [begin sneer] different [end sneer].” I ended up at a college in Boston, where NJ folk are…everywhere, usually majoring in telling everybody how inferior Boston is to NYC.</p>
<p>cornell, as someone mentioned, seems to fit you pretty much.</p>
<p>I’m not implying you’re a snob, but a friend that went there (who is not affluent) told me that he hated it because everyone was rich and white. again, not my words, but the experience of someone who is not rich/affluent.</p>
<p>I think they are indeed very ‘preppy’ which is probably what the aforementioned friend meant.</p>
<p>We’re being a little unfair to the OP now. On CC, I’ve actually seen a lot of threads with people looking for schools with students like themselves, but often these people self-describe as “quirky”, “nerdy”, and “liberal” and that they want to avoid the “preppy, wealthy, conservative” types. And keep in mind that these threads actually stated they want to avoid certain kinds of people, while the OP of this thread has not. How is this thread any different other then that the OPs are looking for different kinds of schools? </p>
<p>And when did this thread turn into a place to pour all your collective grievances against New Jersey?</p>
<p>“How is this thread any different other then that the OPs are looking for different kinds of schools?” </p>
<p>[waves hand frantically] Ooh!! Ooh!! Can I answer that?!! The OP wants a school with lot of “preppy, wealthy, conservative types,” tours BC (which is about as close to p.w.c. as she’s going to find in the geographic area she wants to stay in), and says she “HATED” it because the students looked too HAPPY. Also, Fordham and Villanova aren’t good enough for her, yet she apparently doesn’t know which way the “less than” symbol is supposed to point.</p>
<p>Hahahah I know I tried to edit the less than symbol awhile ago, but the “edit” button wasn’t working out for me. My bad. I reread my OP, and I was mortified. </p>
<p>Schmaltz, you seem to hate New Jerseyians… that’s cool. Jersey is full up stuck up, arrogant, and irritating brats or guidos. Massachusetts is full of M*******s, the South is full of hicks, and Vermont is full of earthy, crunchy, hippies. Yay for state stereotypes! Just stop posting about states! This isn’t about states! This is about where I should be looking at colleges!</p>
<p>BC- yeah sorry saying they were too happy was stupid, to be honest I just didn’t get good vibes from the students. It was an intuitive thing that is hard to put into words. </p>
<p>Villanova- If you look at my previous post, I said I didn’t think of Villanova as a safety. I don’t like Villanova because it’s a touch to big (as is BC), my brother said his friends that went there called it Villa-no-fun, and also a lot of people from my town go there so that is a turn off. </p>
<p>Fordham- I didn’t say I was too good for it. Also, if you read my OP, I said I wanted rural/suburban. Fordham is in the Bronx. Not exactly rural/suburban.</p>