<p>Hi, everyone! I'm a senior in the midst of the overwhelming process of applying to a long list of schools, and I thought I had that list narrowed to places I could really picture myself. It includes HYP, Georgetown, Notre Dame, Stanford, and other wonderful universities. In the past few weeks, however, I've really been thinking a lot more about the liberal arts atmosphere -- and feel I may be overlooking the type of school where I could really thrive the most. The only LACs to which I'm currently applying are Pomona, Colorado College, and Swarthmore. I'm interested in studying anthropology, but I love all humanities and long for stimulating small environments and a social scene that's NOT focusing on drinking or parties but rather on random moments of fun -- late-night discussions, sharing music, going on hikes, etc. -- and community service. I know I would be able to find a niche at any of the colleges to which I'm already applying, but I don't know if I should add a few more smaller, liberal-artsy type places to my list and perhaps cut out some larger schools. Have any of you had second thoughts about your "final" list of schools? Can you think of places that fit what I'm looking for and have good anthropology programs? Thanks for any feedback!</p>
<p>Having second thoughts about college choices? Yes (with my daughter; I’m the mom). </p>
<p>The good news is that if you have second thoughts before the deadlines, rather than after, you have the opportunity to investigate further, ask for advice (as you are doing here) and make decisions. Then when additional questions arise after the deadlines pass, you can remind yourself that you worked through this already.</p>
<p>The bad news is that many small LACs that hope to raise their rankings consider demonstrated interest for admissions. It is a bit difficult to demonstrate interest at this late date; yet sometimes it takes going this far in the process to find the best colleges for a particular student.</p>
<p>I don’t know much about anthropology, but I’m also interested in discovering colleges with stimulating small environments and social scenes that don’t focus on drinking or partying (almost synonyms on CC).</p>
<p>Bryn Mawr (women only) and Beloit have good reputations for anthropology. If Bryn Mawr does not work for you, consider neighboring Haverford.</p>
<p>One of my kids is at Colorado College. I think their “block plan” would work especially well for anthropology. Many students who like Colorado College also like Whitman (though I don’t know anything about anthro there.)</p>
<p>From what I’ve heard Swarthmore is a very intense but stimulating environment. You might want to look at Carlton for something potentially similar. And maybe add another top ten LAC—Middlebury, Bowdoin, Amherst… LACs do seem to look at interest to some extent, but Middlebury, for example, eliminated on-campus interviews this year, so I wonder if that is waning anyway. Middlebury felt that it wasn’t fair to people who couldn’t get to the school for a visit to give an edge to those who did. So I wouldn’t worry too much about not having shown demonstrated interest. Some of these schools have ED II but it might be late in the game to switch gears that much.</p>
<p>Apply to a wide range and then you have until May 1 to decide. Swarthmore and Haverford Colleges seem to be colleges that fit your description of what you may want.</p>
<p>If interested in Notre Dame and Georgetown, might want to look at Holy Cross -very good LAC with nice campus 1 hour from Boston. Holy Cross has great community spirt, small class sizes and offers many internships. Bowdoin College is another good LAC.</p>
<p>LACs like Pomona, Swarthmore and Colorado College: People who apply to Pomona often consider Grinnell, which is less selective but shares a similar vibe. Take a look at Oberlin too. Wesleyan might be a good fit if you like Swarthmore. </p>
<p>The LACs are a very different experience from the kind of schools you initially described applying to but they can be ideal for students who thrive in smaller classes, want a lot of faculty mentoring, and like a strong sense of community. What they often give up is the wider selection of classes and majors, access to some cutting edge research, and the endless variety of a large school.</p>