<p>I am from Long Island and I am looking for a small school with great academics and hopefully a not too crappy campus life. Small class sizes are very important and so is the art department and physical/social sciences. I have been looking at Vassar but many people have so-so reviews. </p>
<p>GPA: 3.6 UW</p>
<p>Class rank: 45/401 (calculated in the middle of my junior year, its better now)</p>
<p>SAT: Pending, from reading the answer threads here I'm pretty sure I got around 2100 or higher, definitely not lower</p>
<p>Recommendations: Already asked my English teacher, definitely asking my French teacher and maybe my AP US teacher in the fall</p>
<p>Essay: Writing is definitely my strong point, possible topics include my trip to China, vegetarianism, the influence some authors have had on me. These are kind of cliche but they actually have impacted my life.</p>
<p>Junior
-English Honors
-French 3
-Math Honors
-Chemistry Honors
-AP US History
-Photography 2
-College Sociology Honors (3 credits offered by LIU)</p>
<p>Senior
-AP Literature
-AP Government
-AP Environmental
-AP Studio Art
-College Economics Honors (3 credits offered by LIU)
-French 4
-Precalculus</p>
<p>Extracurriculars: National Art Honor Society, French Honor Society, Art Club, tutoring and volunteering at 2 animal shelters for over a year each. Planning on a photo internship this fall if it works out. I really really want to try to start a vegetarian club this fall, but I need to find a supervisor.</p>
<p>you have a ton of options. hamilton, bates, colby, connecticut college, skidmore, union, wheaton, colgate, vassar, middlebury just to name a few</p>
<p>What is it you don't like (or, you've heard negative things about), re Vassar? That might help people figure out what other schools to recommend (or not recommended).</p>
<p>Most liberal arts colleges have more female than male students, even if they don't have a history as a women's college. Haverford was a men's college until 1980 and now enrolls more girls than guys.</p>
<p>What I didn't like about Vassar:
A LOT of reviews says Poughkeepsie is a horrible town. Many have also said the students are very cold and "freaky or gay", which doesn't bother me, but they said most of the student body sticks to their cliques, and I really don't need another 4 years of high school. I am very liberal, and it seems like the school is extremely to the left with little diversity, but I love debates and hearing the other side so I don't know. They also said the art department sucks, and I am very serious with art. </p>
<p>These are only what people have said, I haven't actually visited yet but I will this summer. They aren't that major and are probably just generalizations, but having a good art department is important to me. </p>
<p>But thank you to everyone who has responded! I'm definitely checking out every college you guys have mentioned.</p>
<p>^^ Agree. I think many of these schools are reaches for this applicant, based on the number and type of AP courses taken and GPA. SATs are good, but not necessarily at 75th percentile for most of these schools.</p>
<p>Being from Long Island doesn't exactly help either.</p>
<p>I'd look at all of the NESCAC schools; it's basically an athletic conference comprised of the top liberal arts colleges in the northeast (like how the ivy league is an athletic conference of the top universities in the northeast).</p>
<p>Smith College. It may be a reach, but definitely worth considering. The Smith College Museum of Art is phenomenal! Smith</a> College Museum of Art - Home</p>
<p>Smith is also part of the 5-college consortium (with Amherst, Hampshire, Mt. Holyoke and Univ Mass). You can take classes at any.</p>
<p>
[quote]
you really need to be in the top 10% of your high school class.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Not necessarily true. No one needs to have this or to be this, but it certainly helps. It also depends on the applicant's educational background, the size of the applicant's class, and whether the high school ranks at all.</p>