<p>My son would thrive in a Vassar or Brown but his grades have not been great due mostly to boredom. He is passionate about theater, music and politics and loves discussion-based classes. Any suggestions?</p>
<p>Hampshire College.</p>
<p>Yes, I thought of that. But some of the posts said there isn’t much “there” there.</p>
<p>Bard is the obvious answer. Admittedly also in the woods.</p>
<p>We looked for schools like this for my D. I would recommend looking at the following:</p>
<p>Bard (NY)
Skidmore (NY)
Sarah Lawrence (NY)
Hampshire (MA; my D did think it was too “out there,” literally and figuratively, but it’s really according to taste)
Goucher (MD)
Lawrence U (WI)
Knox College (IL)
Muhlenberg ¶
Bennington (VT)
Kalamazoo (MI)
Cornell College (IA)</p>
<p>We are midwest and eastern focused. Some westerners hopefully will chime in, too. My D was accepted to Bard and Goucher and considered them strongly before deciding on an even more arts-focused program with a larger student body.</p>
<p>Many of these schools are test-optional. Many of them also are in Loren Pope’s books (Colleges That Change Lives, and Looking Past the Ivy League).</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Bard is in the woods, but it’s an easy train ride to NYC.</p>
<p>Other possibilities:</p>
<p>Connecticut College
Clark (MA)</p>
<p>My S is looking at some of the same schools EmmyBet listed, but he’s also considering: </p>
<p>Marlboro College (S LOVED this school after our visit)
Kenyon
Beloit
Evergreen State
University of Rochester
Grinnell
Oberlin</p>
<p>Hope this helps!</p>
<p>how good are his test scores, where does his GPA place him in terms of class rank (or generally, even if school doesn’t rank), his rigor, and how good are his teacher recommendations? Is he clearly a brilliant kid who hasn’t quite pulled it together? (this is a fairly common male profile…) If so, I would recommend Grinnell, Macalester and Oberlin. They may take a chance on him, and he would thrive at those schools. Oberlin has the most artsy reputation of the three, so he may find more competition with students who have better academic records but similar EC accomplishment. </p>
<p>These three schools fit the bill perfectly, though with kids who are interested in creative thought, politics, music, class discussion. </p>
<p>Grinnell does not have the artsy reputation, perhaps, but it has a new performing arts facility, a ton of private music lessons, it brings in a wide variety of performing artists (most picked by the kids); they brought in Esperanza Spalding before she won Best Newcomer Grammy, for example. Resources that help the kids do alot of what they want! (not everything, but more than most…)</p>
<p>Macalester is in the Twin Cities: a phenomenal theater town.</p>
<p>For males, Vassar’s acceptance rate is considerably higher than for females, but again, it attracts alot of theater kids, so the competition with that background is fiercer.</p>
<p>Grinnell, Macalester and Oberlin are not solidly B-student schools. They’re quite competitive, and don’t give much of an admissions edge over Vassar, in my opinion.</p>
<p>There are also some state schools that are more artsy/intellectual than others. My D really liked SUNY New Paltz. URI has wonderful arts programs as well. The arts/intellectualism are alive and well at UMinn-Twin Cities.</p>
<p>I second the recommendation of Bennington. My older daughter got in there and it was her second choice (she settled on a school on the West Coast). It’s pretty small (maybe 600 students total, if that) and a bit remote.</p>
<p>Many of the Colleges that Change Lives would probably be good candidates. For kids who are passionate about theater, Knox has something called Rep Term every three years. They bring in a professional theater troupe to help mentor a total immersion program in theater for one ten-week term, culminating in a major production that goes beyond what college theater is usually able to do. They last did it in 2010, so it will happen again in Jan - March 2013.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for all your suggestions. I agree with EmmyBet that Grinnell, Macalaster and Oberlin are not solidly B-student schools. Not even sure if Bard or Skidmore would fall into that category any more. My daughter is at Oberlin but had a 3.9 unweighted average. My son is only a sophomore and is exceptionally bright but right now his GPA has descended to a 3.2. He is taking almost all honors (dropped down in math this year but will go back up next) and will take two AP classes in the fall. He has huge amounts of EC theater as well as a rock band that plays lots of gigs. I’m assuming his teacher recs will be good since he’s a charismatic kind of kid.</p>
<p>I would look seriously at Goucher. My D decided on a BFA in theatre, but was very excited about their arts programs. She had an UW 3.6 but seemed to be on the high side of their spectrum, got in EA and with a merit scholarship.</p>
<p>What about Evergreen State College or Fairhaven College at Western Washington University (Fairhaven is a smaller enclave within WWU. It’s an interdisciplinary, liberal arts college that caters to the more artsy, quirky students who want a smaller, seminar based study experience within the larger university.)?</p>
<p>The new school</p>
<p>I second Sarah Lawrence. Doesn’t get any better than New York for theater types, and they are very heavy on discussion classes.</p>
<p>Emerson? I know a former IB student into theater, film, and music who is a freshman there–he loves it.</p>
<p>So many kids love Emerson. I just wonder if Emerson is an intellectual kind of place? Their liberal arts seem limited.<br>
Does anybody know if American is intellectually stimulating?</p>
<p>I’ve known a couple really bright, intellectually curious students who thrived at AU.</p>