Here it is...your help needed! (esp. with safeties!)

College Search & Selection
1

<p>So here's my tentative college list. I'm kind of looking in two separate fields - one being liberal arts colleges and the other larger universities (some ivies). What I'm looking for is an intellectual environment, where, though hackneyed, people learn for learning's sake and engage in intellectual discussion/activities outside of the classroom. I'm also trying to avoid the frat scene dominating social life, although that is hard to get away from sometimes. A quick briefing of my stats: ~3.9 UW GPA, no rank, but definitely top 10% in very competitive high school in Massachusetts, 1440/2240 sats (will retake), and 800/780 sat IIs, 2 5 aps. Accomplished regional-level musician is my main EC, though there are various others. </p>

<p>Amherst
Bowdoin
Brown
Carleton
U Chicago
(Columbia?)
(Cornell?)
Dartmouth
(Haverford?)
(Kenyon?)
McGill
Middlebury
(Northwestern?)
Oberlin
(U Penn?)
Swarthmore
Tufts
Wesleyan</p>

<p>Obviously, there is a significant lack of safeties. If you have any suggestions for the type of school I'm looking for, please feel free to comment.</p>

<p>Why the big schools? Well I want to major in linguistics/cognitive science if I attend a big school, but I will setttle for philosophy/literature/ or perhaps neuroscience if I attend a LAC.</p>

<p>ALSO - should I think of applying anywhere ED? Perhaps a harder school to get into, or just a simple crapshoot (Yale?). </p>

<p>Please add your suggestions that will help in regards to any aspect of the selection process! Thanks everyone.</p>

2

<p>^About EA/ED: Unless you have a clear first choice, don't do ED. I would apply EA somewhere if you can get a good application ready. There's no drawback if you are on top of everything and don't have to rush the app. If your school sends a lot of grads to top schools, then applying early somewhere might be of benefit. Applying to a match/safety gives you security and might reduce stress, but applying to a reasonable stretch would probably reduce more. If you get in, you don't have to worry about applying to safeties if you like the stretch more. My advice would be to apply to a school that is high priority (i.e., one you want to get into) that isn't a mega-stretch. That way, getting in would let you knock schools off the final list. If you are deferred, you can reevaluate your applications and school list.</p>

3

<p>^ Good advice, but it may be difficult to find a non-safety EA school that isn't super-reach. The only one I can think of is Georgetown.</p>

<p>If you want the environment of an LAC, you may want to narrow the list to those that offer linguistics/cogsci. Williams, Swat, and Vassar are three that come to mind.</p>

4

<p>If I were you... here's the list of school I'd be applying to:</p>

<p>Amherst
Bowdoin
Brown
Carleton
U Chicago
Cornell
Haverford
Kenyon
Lawrence
Macalester
Oberlin
Swarthmore</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

5

<p>I'd go with:</p>

<p>Amherst
Brown
U Chicago
Cornell
Dartmouth
Middlebury
Oberlin
Swarthmore
Williams</p>

<p>I'd add in some safetys like Conn College, Union, your local state school</p>

6

<p>Add Rice to your list. Great environment and no frat scene whatsoever.</p>

7

<p>I would definitely recommend you add Vassar to the list. It features an intellectual environment and, although it is a small LAC, it offers a major in Cognitive Science. Vassar is also utterly devoid of a frat scene in that it has no fraternities or sororities on campus. </p>

<p>As for narrowing your list, I would recommend that you use your major to do that. To me, it doesn't make much sense to pick a school that doesn't offer at least one of your top choices of major (cognitive science and linguistics) unless you're in love with every other aspect of the school. Thus I would say you should drop: Amherst, Bowdoin, Carleton, Haverford, Kenyon, Middlebury, Oberlin, and Tufts. Now, looking at the rest of your list...</p>

<p>[ul]
[<em>]Brown University... keep it. The frat scene is small compared to other schools on your list, it offers majors in both linguistics and cognitive science, and it's certainly academic.
[</em>]University of Chicago... hesitantly keep it. It's very academic and has a linguistics major, however, I've heard that it has a pretty active frat scene.
[<em>]Columbia University... keep it. Strong academics, relatively small frat scene, and a major in linguistics.
[</em>]Cornell University... hesitantly keep it. The frat scene is pretty active, but not as big as at some of the other schools you've listed. Academics are definitely there and there's a linguistics major.
[<em>]Dartmouth College... drop it. The frat scene is supposed to be huge there.
[</em>]McGill University... keep it. No frat scene, good academics, and majors in both linguistics and cognitive science.
[<em>]Northwestern University... drop it. Over a third of the school belongs to a fraternity or sorority.
[</em>]University of Pennsylvania... drop it. Like Dartmouth, it has a relatively large frat scene.
[<em>]Swarthmore College... keep it. This seems like a great choice for you (it was my ED school): just about no frat scene, very academic, and a major in linguistics.
[</em>]Wesleyan University... hesitantly keep it. It has just about no frat scene and is very academic. It also offers a major in Science, Technology, & Society which could be a good choice for you. If that major doesn't appeal, however, I would recommend you drop it from your list.
[/ul]</p>

<p>You could also consider adding...</p>

<p>REACH/SEMI-REACH: Georgetown University (DC)
GOOD FIT: Barnard College (NY), Carnegie Mellon University (PA), Macalester College (MN), Vassar College (NY)
LIKELY/SAFETIES: Lawrence University (WI), New York University (NY), SUNY - Binghamton (NY)</p>

<p>Thus, I would say you could have a list that looks something like this...</p>

<p>Barnard College... GOOD FIT.
Brown University... REACH.
Carnegie Mellon University... GOOD FIT.
University of Chicago... GOOD FIT.
Columbia University... REACH.
Cornell University... SEMI-REACH.
Georgetown University... SEMI-REACH.
Lawrence University... LIKELY.
Macalester College... GOOD FIT.
McGill University... GOOD FIT.
New York University... LIKELY.
SUNY - Binghamton... SAFETY.
Swarthmore College... SEMI-REACH.
Vassar College... GOOD FIT.
Wesleyan University... GOOD FIT.</p>

8

<p>
[quote]
Well I want to major in linguistics/cognitive science if I attend a big school, but I will setttle for philosophy/literature/ or perhaps neuroscience if I attend a LAC.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>littleathiest,
OP said that he/she would consider a major in philosophy/lit./neuroscience. The majority of the LACs that you eliminated offer those majors.</p>

9

<p>Dartmouth has an excellent linguistics program, especially considering it's not a university, but there is a lot of Greek life.</p>

<p>Brown has programs in your area of interest. </p>

<p>Now, obviously your list is far too long. Also consider location and curriculum (UChic's core vs. Brown's open). I'd say your list should take 7 or 8 or these schools and find a secure match and safety.</p>

10

<p>If you are female, Smith College is definitely worth considering. Smith has wonderful neuroscience. Smith</a> College Neuroscience Program In addition, you get an excellent liberal arts education.</p>

<p>Smith is part of a 5-college consortium (with Amherst, Hampshire, Mt. Holyoke and Univ Mass). You can take classes at any, and there is a free shuttle bus to get to classes at the other campuses. They offer a Five College Certificate in Cognitive Neuroscience: Five</a> College Certificate in Cognitive Neuroscience : Welcome

[quote]
This certificate is designed to offer a unique opportunity for undergraduate students in the Five Colleges to deepen their understanding of cognitive neuroscience, through both theoretical and empirical training. . . .

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Smith has an open curriculum, and is known for academic excellence, terrific advising and mentoring, and available, committed professors.</p>