I know four for sure...what else can fatten my list?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I thought I had everything worked out, until this summer, when I began overhauling my college list on a weekly basis. Right now there are only four schools that I'm applying to for sure:</p>

<p>Swarthmore (reach, possibly apply ED)
Wellesley (floating somewhere in limbo between target and reach)
Kenyon (target)
SUNY Geneseo (safety and on this list for financial reasons, also legacy, for what it's worth)</p>

<p>Other schools I've considered are:
Colorado College (problem: very far away, as I live in NY)
Carleton (also far away)
Bryn Mawr
Skidmore
I'd like to apply to six to eight schools. I think I'll explode if I apply to more.</p>

<p>Some basic stats:
GPA: 3.98 unweighted; school doesn't weight or rank
SAT: 780 verbal, 630 math, 730 writing. Will retake in October.
SAT II's: 760 Lit, 760 World, 740 US
APs: 5's on Lang & Comp and World, 4's on USH and Physics B; senior year will take Gov/Pol, Physics C, Literature, Calc BC</p>

<p>I'm probably going to major in English (with double major/minor/concentration in creative writing or education) but I plan to enter undecided. I'm also sending an art portfolio with my work in photography and design.</p>

<p>I'm editor-in-chief of the school literary magazine, and I have a lot of other writing-related ECs. I've also been on the varsity bowling team for five years. Don't laugh.
I have a job as a waitress in the dining room at an old folks' home.</p>

<p>So what should I be looking for?
I'm open to women's colleges but so far Wellesley and Bryn Mawr are the only two that have remotely interested me. I love the atmosphere and the beautiful campus at Swarthmore, and the focus on writing (plus association with the Kenyon Review) at Kenyon. I think it's a good sign, too, that I fell in love with Swat on sight despite the terrible weather when I visited in February.
The apparent "laid-back" attitude at Carleton appeals to me...I have a friend who goes there and he swears it's true, haha. The unique academic calendar at Colorado is also really cool, but at this point it looks like flying to Colorado/Minnesota a few times a year is really not an option.
Skidmore just seems like a solid safety to accompany Geneseo. I hope to visit some weekend in September...Saratoga Springs is only a few hours away.
I need a place with good financial aid, because I really don't want to go to Geneseo. I've heard Swarthmore has a great financial aid office; my parents have heard similar things, which is why they might let me apply ED if I really want to.</p>

2

<p>Skidmore doesn’t guarantee to meet full need and has a reputation of FA stinginess; so if you need good FA, it’s not really a solid safety.</p>

3

<p>You might want to look at Smith College. It’s a wonderful place and has great FA. Smith is known for academic excellence, small classes, terrific advising and mentoring, and available, committed professors. It has an open curriculum, and students have many opportunities to get to know faculty well. Smith has great English and literature, arts, creative writing (and many other areas), and a number of great writers and poets are Smith alums.</p>

<p>Also, 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.</p>

4

<p>Barnard might also make a good reach/match. I want to recommend Chicago very badly <em>says the horribly biased source</em> but I’ll respect your wishes to stay somewhere on the East Coast and at a relatively small school.</p>

<p>I would also check out Bard, Vassar, Mt. Holyoke and Wesleyan for being on the arty and academic end. You might also want to look into Bennington College in Vermont. When you’re factoring in FA, though, I don’t think Bard or Bennington will give you the best offers, but I also don’t know if they have merit aid programs, which you <em>might</em> be eligible for.</p>

<p>Any reason in particular you don’t want to go do Geneseo? It’s a fine school.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the advice! I didn’t know that about Skidmore…any places that would be more, er, generous safeties?</p>

<p>Unalove - I used to have Bard and Bennington on the list…both were nixed already. And you’re right about U Chicago, it’s too big for my tastes…though I’d love to write one of their essays. I’ve flirted with it.
I actually know zero about Barnard, except that my friend who goes to Wellesley was waitlisted there. That’s about it.</p>

<p>Why don’t I like Geneseo? I know that it’s a great school, but I don’t think I’d be as happy there. I’ve visited and I got a much more unpleasant feel from it. It’s also only 40 minutes from home, and I’d like to be a little farther (the basic idea is to draw a circle with a 1-hour radius from where I’m currently sitting). And it’s full of people from my high school, which is a no-no.</p>

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<p>Would SUNY New Paltz be far enough? It’s a really happy place for humanities people, and in a beautiful area.</p>

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<p>Colly-- I’m assuming that since you have Swarthmore and Bryn Mawr on your list, but you don’t have Haverford means that you visited it, and it just didn’t speak to you.</p>

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<p>Pretty much. No “spark” between us, haha.</p>

9

<p>Did you consider Hamilton? I’ve heard that their writing program is strong. I don’t know how generous they are with fa. If you are willing to travel, take a look at Grinnell. They are generous with fa.</p>

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<p>“I need a place with good financial aid, because I really don’t want to go to Geneseo. I’ve heard Swarthmore has a great financial aid office; my parents have heard similar things, which is why they might let me apply ED if I really want to.”</p>

<p>Do not, I repeat, DO NOT apply anywhere at all early decision if you need financial aid. If you are accepted there, you will be committed to that school unless they cannot meet your need as they calculate your need. This means that if you and your family believe you need a better financial aid package, and the college believes it has met your needs, you will be stuck.</p>

<p>Apply to Swarthmore regular decision so that you can put all of the financial aid offers in a row and decide which school really is best for you.</p>

<p>What do you like about Colorado College? The calendar? If so, look at Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, Iowa.</p>

<p>Wishing you all the best.</p>

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<p>^ However, Swarthmore DOES have a reputation for excellent financial aid, and if you’re accepted ED, they will want you to attend. Have your parents calculate their EFC by institutional methodology; if your circumstances are normal (no major assets, small business, etc.) and you can afford the EFC, I wouldn’t advise against ED to Swat for FA reasons.</p>

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<p>Did you consider Colgate? It is a beautiful school with great academics and was generous with financial aid for our son. And our family income is 6 figures.</p>

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<p>Re: Swarthmore FA. My parents will certainly look more into it, but they have researched what Swarthmore expects a family in our income range to contribute, and they agreed that it’s quite manageable. At this point I doubt I will apply ED, but it’s still a possibility.</p>

<p>burbparent - I have heard of Hamilton before, but never really been interested in it. What else can you tell me about it?</p>

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<p>You might like Oberlin. I believe they have a pretty good English Dept., and I think a good writing program. Very artsy- some people consider them “weird wacko liberal vegans” and the like (I suppose it depends on the environment you come from… :-/) though.</p>

<p>Oh, and I second Wesleyan.</p>

15

<p>Whitman College is great, if you would want to be that far away.</p>

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<p>English and Creative Writing are stronger at Oberlin than at Kenyon, according to a close friend who has taught at both places.</p>

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<p>Colorado College has a lovely campus and is in a cool area of town. I applied but didn’t end up going. (Feel free to ask if you have any questions about campus/Colorado that you can’t find out from the website.) Flying to and from school is a huge pain, yeah, but on the bright side, you don’t have to see your family as often. On the not-bright side, you don’t get to see your family as often. (I go to school about 2000 miles away from home, and the first year I went back for Thanksgiving and Christmas. This year, I’m going back only for Christmas, and I might even be staying here during the summer. :!)</p>

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<p>If you are interested in photography check out the University of Rochester.</p>

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<p>dave - My general impression of Oberlin is “a bunch of lazy potheads”, as a friend put it. Or maybe that was Vassar. XD I was interested in Oberlin at one point, but nothing really struck me as…special…about it. I have always heard that Kenyon has fantastic English programs, and it is associated with the Kenyon Review (I’d love to work there).</p>

<p>nmparents - I live outside of Rochester, and I know at least a dozen people who go there. I’m definitely not looking at anything around here.</p>

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<p>Oberlin students may smoke a fair amount of pot… but they’re far from lazy. I think Oberlin is the number one LAC for producing PhDs.</p>