<p>I'm a rising junior from Istanbul, and i'm planning to study in the states. I have very liberal, artsy personality and i will probably double major in English/Sociology. Whenever i take a university match test, the result is always Vassar, Oberlin or Carleton. That is wh i'm turning my attention towards liberal art schools now, even though i have a doubt: is liberal art schools right for international students?</p>
<p>The three schools that i have mentioned is located in an isolated place, thus there aren't much people around. While there are always Turkish student groups around big cities like New York or Boston, that is not the case in towns like Ohio, or Poughkeepsie. I don't prefer to hang out with the Turkish kids all the time, but being culturally alienated in a really very small place scares me.</p>
<p>That being said, I also live in Istanbul, a very large city in fact. I love dinning, shopping, going to concerts or cultural activities etc. Can i do the same activities in these schools? If not, are there any alternatives for social life?</p>
<p>Many Turks have no clue idea what these schools are, but they all know NYU or let's say Tufts. Will it be difficult to find a job in Turkey (or any european country since i'm also Spanish) once i get back?</p>
<p>What are your advices? Should i apply to these schools? If so, why? Or should i make my target, a proper university like Northwestern of Tufts? I would love to hear your comments!</p>
<p>Just because schools are classified as LACs, it does not necessarily mean they are either liberal or artsy. The term LAC should not be taken literally, they are really just smaller colleges that do not have graduate programs. LACs can be techy (eg. Harvey Mudd), they can have more of a conservative vibe than a liberal one, etc.; in other words, they are variable just like larger privates and public colleges are. </p>
<p>You can major in English or Sociology in just about any college, and you can get a ‘liberal arts’ education at just about any college. There are non-LACs that are liberal and/or artsy. </p>
<p>It is true that many LACs are in rural areas, but there are some that are in cities, eg. Macalester, Lewis & Clark, the Claremont Colleges (Pomona, CMC, etc).</p>
<p>Pick a school for the various factors that appeal to you, not by it’s category.</p>
<p>There are certainly international students at those three schools, though how many Turks I have no idea. I would write the admissions office and ask them. I also wouldn’t say that Oberlin, Carleton, or Vassar are “isolated,” especially by LAC standards–they are all near large metro areas which you can get to with minimal effort.</p>
<p>Just for fun, I googled “Cleveland Turkish community” and came up with this web site. [Cleveland</a> Turkish American Association (TASO)](<a href=“http://www.tasocleveland.org/]Cleveland”>http://www.tasocleveland.org/) I would imagine the Twin Cities also has a Turkish Community. You’d be surprised at how diverse midwest America actually is.</p>
<p>That said, a “big city” experience at any of these schools would be limited to weekend trips. Most of the time you’d be on campus. I think you’d find that these schools all have far more stuff going on than you would have time to do. They each also have a small but student-friendly commercial district with restaurants (you’ll likely have a meal plan so mostly you’ll be eating on campus), movie theaters and boutiques catering to student shoppers. Both Carleton and Oberlin are in very hip college towns. Poughkeepsie is less so.</p>
<p>I have no idea about how hard it is to get a job in Turkey with a sociology/english degree, but I would imagine that going to a Turkish University would be the best thing in that area. In the US at least, these three schools are just as well regarded as Tufts.</p>