<p>Hi everyone--I just joined, but I've been reading some threads for the past few days and found them extremely helpful. I'm a rising senior, so obviously I'm trying to get a list of about 10-15 schools to apply to before the school year starts. Just from going by what I've read in the Fiske Guide to Colleges and from what friends have told me, I have a list of about thirty schools that I could potentially apply to, so I was hoping if I could get some advice and suggestions from here as to which might be better fits for me and my personality.</p>
<p>First, a little about myself...I go to a small, somewhat-prestigious all-boys private school at the edge of Philadelphia. My GPA is 3.85, and I'm in all honors/AP classes (next year I'm in all AP's...so in a nutshell I'm taking the most rigorous courses my school has to offer). I've taken the SAT and the ACT each once so far; on the SAT's, I got 630 for CR and 690 for both math and writing. I got a 31 composite on the ACT without any preparation, and I'm getting tutoring to hopefully raise this score (I'm probably going to submit my ACT scores rather than my SAT's).</p>
<p>Freshman year was my best year grade-wise with A's across the board, but I became really involved with my school's theatre group at the beginning of sophomore year and my priorities changed a bit, so I started getting some B's. Also, my dad was diagnosed with a brain tumor at the end of freshman year (but I personally don't feel that this was a factor in my academics). I generally enjoy learning and take my academics seriously, but I can be a bit of a slacker (if that makes sense); I'm not exactly a hardcore intellectual workaholic type.</p>
<p>If I were to describe myself in high-school stereotypes, I'd say I'm known as one of the "smart kids" in my class. Apart from theatre I also enjoy singing (I'm part of the honors choir/a cappella group at school), photography...basically anything arts-related. While some might call me one of the "weird kids," I consider myself a bit dorky but I don't think I'm a complete nerd :p I can be really shy/awkward in social situations, but I've managed to form a group of close friends. I'm sort of a "goody two-shoes:" don't drink, don't smoke, never been to a party. However, I'm hoping to have a bit more fun in college and am looking for an atmosphere where it'll be easier for me to come out of my shell. I'd like a small-medium sized school...big enough that I can meet a lot of new people and still retain some anonymity, but small enough that I won't get lost among the crowd (also, I'd like having individual attention from professors). I definitely want a more liberal environment.</p>
<p>Though I'm really passionate about theatre, I'm not totally sure I'd want to pursue it as a major. I definitely want a strong theatre program (either academically or as an EC), but I'm also interested in writing, languages (French), history, biology...basically, I'm looking for a place with a lot of options academically. I'm not huge fan of requirements, so a lack of core curriculum is a plus. I'm definitely NOT an athlete. My school is a jock school, so I'm trying to avoid a jock college.</p>
<p>The jury's still out on what kind of location I'd like to have. I kinda want to get out of the Philadelphia area, though I'd prefer to stay in the northeast/upper-midwest. I really like the advantages of a city, as well as Philly's proximity to NYC and DC. However, I also like the idea of a campus to provide a little isolation from the real world. If I had to give an answer I'd say I want a suburban campus, but again, this is pretty flexible for me.</p>
<p>With all that being said (phew!), here are the schools I have. I'll list my higher-interest schools first, and then schools of lower-interest/that I don't know enough about. I'd greatly appreciate if any of you might be able to give suggestions on any of these...which ones I should more-closely pursue, which ones I shouldn't even bother with, and if you have any additions, I'll take those as well.</p>
<p>(these are in alphabetical order)</p>
<p>Higher-interest:
Brown University
Columbia University
Emerson College
Kenyon College
Macalester College
Middlebury College
New York University
Northwestern University
Tufts University
University of Pennsylvania
Vassar College
Yale University</p>
<p>Others:
Amherst College
Bard College
Bates College
Bennington College
Boston College
Boston University
Bowdoin College
Brandeis University
Carnegie Mellon University
University of Chicago
Colby College
Connecticut College
Drew University
Eugene Lang College
Ithaca College
Lawrence University
University of Michigan
Muhlenberg College
Oberlin College
Skidmore College
Wagner College
Wesleyan University</p>
<p>Thanks in advance to anyone who can help!! And if you need more information beyond the novel I just wrote (:p), I'll be glad to give it.</p>
<p>--Alex</p>