<p>I’m a Korean international student applying to U.S. colleges this year, and our college counselor is a dumbass ******* (a dumb*******, if you will). I figure CC’s worst could be better, hence this thread. (Not that I expect CC’s worst… )</p>
<p>A few things about me you might want to know:</p>
<li><p>I’m going to be a math major, so places where conditions are at least decent for studying math would be nice. Whether it’ll be theoretical or applied I’m still ambivalent on, so I’ll consider both sides.</p></li>
<li><p>Without elaborating too much, my scores/stats are high enough for a chance at the so-called “top colleges.” (2350 SAT, high enough GPA, APs, ECs, etc.) I don’t really care where I end up as long as I get a decent education for things I want to study, though.</p></li>
<li><p>I plan to study music (theory) as a side/for fun thing, so I’d prefer colleges where that is easily available or ones that are close to other colleges where that is easily available.</p></li>
<li><p>I’m not exactly the super-social type, so places with a lot of personal attention would be great. Smaller colleges, perhaps?</p></li>
<li><p>I’m honestly not sure about whether I prefer a suburban, urban, or rural environment, so for the time being I’ll consider all of them.</p></li>
<li><p>As I’m Asian and all, I probably wouldn’t have much fun at those super preppy, completely WASP-dominated places.</p></li>
<li><p>I hope to make some good friends at college(but then who doesn’t?), so a good and friendly student body would be a bonus. Like everyone else, I disdain arrogant people, closed-minded people, snooty people, etc.</p></li>
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<p>A few choices I have made already include Stanford, Harvey Mudd, and Carleton. Recommendations ranging from super-high reach to super-safety would all be appreciated. Thanks.</p>
<p>You might want to look into Rice. It's academically challenging, with a diverse, laid-back student body. There are about 3,000 undergrads, and it's very undergrad focused. The residential college system at Rice promotes close interaction with the members of your "college" as you are associated with it for all 4 years. It's one of the best schools I've seen for friendly interaction among diverse types of students -- no cliques at Rice!</p>
<p>I think Mudd is a really good choice for you. It's small, you'll get a lot of attention, you could take music courses at Scripps and Pomona, there are a lot of Asians, and there aren't many preppy people. I could go on and on, but it's a good fit.</p>
<p>It's an academically challenging school that has a laid back vibe. They also have a reputable music conservatory, so you could also study music. </p>
<p>It's a pretty small school, so I'm sure you're going to get individualized atttention.</p>
<p>Thanks. I'll take note of each recommendation... I was actually seriously looking into Oberlin, too. I guess I'm leaning a bit in the liberal arts direction... how does Grinnell sound for me?</p>
<p>tgok, take a look at Williams. Excellent math, excellent music (including opportunities for non-majors). Friendly student body, accessible faculty. Good financial aid for internationals Williams like many rural LACs actively recruits Asians, especially those with multifaceted talents. The WASP-y stereotype is ancient history.</p>
<p>The open curriculum makes the music angle easy. Very friendly students. Medium sized city, but a location in a homey neighborhood within that city. Worth a look!</p>
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