Help? Advice? Looking for schools that suit creative/quirky/independent learners

Parent Cafe
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<p>Hi! First of all, thanks for your time/attention. (I posted this in College Selection, but I'm afraid that I won't get any responses there. Parents, I would really, really appreciate any names of schools or words of advice that you can think of!) </p>

<p>My problem - the reason for this post - is that I have no idea what to do about school next year and I'm hoping that some of you can give me some ideas.</p>

<p>My story:
I've taken this year off from school after a couple of difficult years at a school I wasn't in love with. [Difficult in terms of personal issues, not classes, although my classes suffered as a result.]</p>

<p>Honestly...I'm LOVING the time off. It's not wonderful all the time, but I feel like myself again - and that makes up for a lot. I'm working on projects that interest me - writing a book (with the support of my boss, an author), learning to program, and experimenting with artistic projects for fun; I'm excited about what I'm learning (on my own and at my job); I'm full of ideas and interests and things I want to do, see, learn, experience - NOT how I felt when I was at school.</p>

<p>I'm incredibly relieved to feel curious and interested in learning again, but I'm afraid that I won't feel this way if I return to school. Going back to my previous school would definitely be a bad idea, but I'm worried that any school I go to will make me feel the same.</p>

<p>Given the option of going to a school I'm not happy with or learning on my own, I'd much rather learn on my own. Dropping out (for now) is an appealing option in certain ways - there's plenty of stuff I'm interested in learning or doing on my own. On the other hand, I'm not giving up on college just yet (so please don't lecture me about it). My problem right now is that I have no idea where to apply other than my state school!</p>

<p>Does anyone know of schools that take slightly different approaches to education than your typical school? I'm also interested in schools with good entrepreneurial programs.</p>

<p>I don't care about how well-known the school is. My priority is to be around creative, interesting people who like to think and want to learn (not just get good grades).</p>

<p>Unfortunately, the only schools I know of that seem like they would suit me are very competitive, and I think my college transcript will get in my way at those schools. Brown appeals to me, for example, and it 'feels' like a good fit when I spend time with people there, but I can't realistically consider it an option. Colorado College (which has block scheduling!) sounds like it would be great for me, but it's the only other 'unusual' school I know of (and I have no idea how competitive it is).</p>

<p>Sorry for the long-winded post. Can anyone help me? Please?? I really appreciate it!</p>

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<p>Reed, Beloit, Mills, Lewis and Clark, Redlands, Smith, Evergreen.</p>

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<p>Thank you! I’ll look into those schools. (I really like Smith already - I forgot to mention that one. It ‘felt’ like a good fit when I was there last year. )</p>

<p>Never heard of some of the others - can’t wait to find out more!</p>

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<p>Maybe you should look at the “40 Colleges that Change Lives” </p>

<p>[Colleges</a> That Change Lives](<a href=“http://www.ctcl.org/]Colleges”>http://www.ctcl.org/)</p>

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<p>I agree you should read about the Colleges That Change Lives. And I think you will really enjoy this book. Lots of neat ideas.</p>

<p>[Amazon.com:</a> Cool Colleges: For the Hyper-Intelligent, Self-Directed, Late Blooming, and Just Plain Different: Donald Asher: Books](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Cool-Colleges-Hyper-Intelligent-Self-Directed-Different/dp/1580088392/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1231384295&sr=1-1]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/Cool-Colleges-Hyper-Intelligent-Self-Directed-Different/dp/1580088392/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1231384295&sr=1-1)</p>

<p>I also wanted to put in a plug for Cornell College in Iowa, which has “one class at at time.” Very cool.</p>

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<p>Hampshire College (along with Smith, one of the Five Colleges)</p>

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<p>Hampshire College. And it’s about ten minutes from Smith if you like that part of the country. It’s outside of the downtown Northampton area in a more rural setting. </p>

<p>Congratulations on figuring out what you want in a learning enviroment. That’s half the battle in trying to select a college. Best of luck to you.</p>

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<p>Awesome ideas! Thanks so much for the suggestions!</p>

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<p>Add Sarah Lawrence to the list.</p>

<p>What are your finances like? What state are you currently a resident of? (You can expect grant or scholarship aid to be a problem at most colleges if you are entering as a transfer student, especially in the current economy – and if you are still under age 23 but have income from work while you have been out of school, that can really increase your FAFSA EFC … they really don’t account well for young people who have been living on their own and supporting themselves).</p>

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<p>If you are really creative… and like Brown… you MIGHT consider Rhode Island School of Design. The upside is you can take foundation classes at Brown. They apparently intermingle quite well.</p>

<p>I don’t know if I agree with Reed. My Niece went there and she (and every friend I met of hers) is very type A. Alternative LOOKING perhaps… lots of piercings. Alternative thinking about grades and the bottom line of scores? Not as far as I can tell. My other niece is just finishing up her first semester at Bard. Truthfully, I hadn’t thought she had a strong transcript, but she is wonderfully creative and a real talent artistically. she is very happy there.</p>

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<p>Good questions. (I’d rather not share my state of residency online, but I’m in the Northeast.)</p>

<p>Finances are…eh. My parents won’t be able to help me, but I’m extremely lucky to have very little student loan debt left because my grandparents helped me pay most of it off at the end of last year. I’m not counting on that kind of help again, especially with the current market situation. Then again, I’m counting my blessings…my situation could be a lot worse. </p>

<p>I realize that financial aid will be a limiting factor and I’m trying not to set my heart on anything in case I just plain can’t afford the financial aid package. (Sarah Lawrence, currently the most expensive school in the US, probably won’t be an option! But we’ll see.) </p>

<p>I DIDN’T realize that my (somewhat meager) earnings this year would affect my FAFSA EFC significantly, though. That’s good to know!</p>

<p>ETA: About RISD - I’ve considered it, but I’m not sure I want to major in art. RISD is also extremely expensive - especially when you factor in $1000/month for materials! But thanks for the suggestion. I also really appreciate hearing about your nieces’ experiences.</p>

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<p>Cornell College (the one in Iowa) also has block programming. It’s one of the colleges that change lives.</p>

<p>New College of Florida also comes to mind. Students there design individualized programs of study and areas of concentration.</p>

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<p>How about SUNY New Paltz…it is a kind of quirky off beat school with a reasonable price tag.</p>

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<p>You want something really quirky? How about St. Johns (New Mexico/Anapolis, MD). It’s not at all competitive, and it’s extremely… unlike any other school. Basically, you learn by reading, classics, great novels, all sorts of great, world-changing books (Darwin, Plato, Nietzche, Ptolemy, Grof, etc).</p>

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<p>Columbia College Chicago seems right up your alley.</p>

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<p>You might find it useful to separate out your two different goals:. </p>

<p>One goal I hear is to be in the right social environment, in terms of being around other quirky, independent thinkers where you note “My priority is to be around creative, interesting people who like to think and want to learn (not just get good grade)” and another is to be at a school that offers a different approach to education, where you note, “schools that take slightly different approaches to education than your typical school?” </p>

<p>Make sure you find a school that offers both. Some colleges have reps for attracting quirky/artsy students, but the vast majority have a pretty typical education approaches (despite what the brochures might suggest). There are tons of buzzwords and language used in the education industry that sound great on paper, lots about what kind of culture a school thinks it offers, and so on. so try to get factual details from those actually attending (e.g. how are the courses, grading system, learning environment actually different from where you’ve already been?).</p>

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<p>look at Marlboro too.</p>

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<p>“New College of Florida also comes to mind. Students there design individualized programs of study and areas of concentration.”
I strongly second this recommendation for you.</p>

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<p>How about Wells or Pitzer or UC Santa Cruz. As one of the least selective UC campuses it would be worth a shot if you are interested and have the stats</p>

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<p>Modadunn: Reed is quite conservative when it comes to curriculum (classics heavy, many requirements), but the majority of classes are conference style discussions (that would appeal to creative learners/consensus builders etc.). Reed also doesn’t give out grade reports, but narrative evaluations on all work, like many other of the listed schools (although Reed DOES record grades for transcripts, and as there is no grade inflation to speak of, the grades aren’t too good looking, generally). Maybe you could call it rigidly creative?</p>