Hi… I am a high school senior (f) and have narrowed down my list to 3 schools- Kenyon, Bryn Mawr, Columbia. Since the beginning of my college search, I have only looked at small LAC. I am attracted to the small/discussion based classes, community feel, close relationships with professors, and the nurturing environment. However, I also want academic rigor and an intellectual student body. Ideally, I do not want a homogenous student body and do not want a big drinking/party culture. I plan to major in psychology. Here are my pros and cons for each school and please give me your thoughts and any insight you may have.
Kenyon-
Pros: closest to home (3 hour drive), more mainstream than [Bryn Mawr] political diversity, “safer” choice
Cons: cliquey?, drinking/party culture, intellectual student body?, middle of nowhere
Bryn Mawr-
Pros: Very strong community, students seem happy, consortium, good location
Cons: lack of political diversity, won’t fit in as a straight cis girl, farther from home (5 hours)
Columbia-
Pros: core curriculum, very intellectual student body, I think I would learn and grow a ton there, endless opportunities as it is large, NYC
Cons: Very far from home (7.5 hour drive), may feel lonely and anonymous, lack of community feel, stress culture (Ivy’s tend to have a lot of depressed/suicidal kids)
With respect to Kenyon, you could replicate much of a typical core curriculum through its Integrated Program in Humane Studies courses. Moreover, because of self selection, you would interact with many of Kenyon’s most intellectual students through this program.
Hi, I’m well familiar with both Columbia (did my Ph.D. there and taught in the Core) and Kenyon (my daughter is a sophomore there). Feel free to pm for more details, but from what I see, the level of education my daughter is receiving at Kenyon is on par with Columbia. Very rigorous courses, intellectual and creative students. Drinking culture is not dominant and easy to avoid (she and her friends are not into drinking or partying at all), very active theater and music scene, tight knit collaborative community. Lots to do on campus (but no real town, just a cute village, as you probably know). I’ve heard great things about Bryn Mawr but don’t know it first-hand. Kenyon is very liberal, too, though.
Of course, the Core Curriculum is the main distinctive feature of Columbia (besides the other obvious factors, such as prestige, size, and the NYC location). It gives you structure and great foundations, but you’ll have more flexibility at the two liberal arts colleges. So, you need to decide what’s more important to you.
Grades, test scores, any notable EC’s, financial situation?
Since ED gives a boost at the cost of being committed if accepted, you don’t want to waste an ED where you have no shot or where you are likely to get in without an ED boost unless it is an absolute first choice.
I have very strong grades. I took 2 AP’s my sophomore year, 5 my junior year, and 4 this year (as a senior). I got a 1260 on the SAT and will not submit. My ECs are fine but nothing extraordinary- I do a lot of community service, founded a club at my school, play ultimate frisbee
Are you in the top 10% of your class? Unless you are going to some top public or private feeder high school with a record of sending a high percentage of grads to T20, you might be wasting an ED app shooting for Columbia.
Have you run the net price calculator for all 3 schools to see if they are affordable? You cannot compare and potentially negotiate FA if you ED.
Very surprised no one’s brought up Barnard, which would mesh well with everything you prefer about LACs while at the same time giving you barrierless access to Columbia. It would also be fairly significantly easier to get into vs. Columbia if you applied ED.
I’ve thought about it, but both my parents went to Columbia so I think it makes more sense. Also, Barnard ED is tomorrow. I will look into it for RD, though
Although Legacy is a plus, I am not sure it is worth applying ED to Columbia. You are unlikely to be admitted, and even if you are - there are better fits for you.
Why don’t you do more research on your college options?
I think that your concerns are reasonable except regarding Ivy League students engaging in self-harm.
Even though you do not intend to submit your 1260 SAT score, it does raise concerns about whether or not Columbia University would be a comfortable atmosphere for you.
You have presented three very different schools which suggests that you may not be ready to apply ED. The main aspect in common among your three schools is that they all are liberal leaning schools.
Do you want to attend a small rural LAC, an all women’s college, or a National University in a major city ? These are choices that you need to make. The fact that you see both pros & cons about each of your choices indicates that you are capable of making a mature, well-reasoned decision.
Because you are interested in Columbia University’s core curriculum, and because the other two schools on your list are small LACs, you may want to investigate LACs a bit further. Have you considered Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota ? Gives you an exciting metropolitan area (Minneapolis / St. Paul) while offering a small community (about 2,100 undergrad students) with a curriculum that will allow you to explore the liberal arts.
I‘m not trying to challenge you - just wondering if there are statistics that compare mental health of undergraduates at those 8 universities vs. others?
Thanks for your input. Unfortunately Minnesota is too far, as it is a 15 hour drive. I want to be relatively close to him (no more than a 6 hour drive), so this eliminates my options
That’s true. There are bound to be some depressed kids at all schools. I just think the lower the acceptance rates, the higher the stress culture… but i have no data to support this conclusion other than my own inquiries
Our D21 narrowed her LAC search to Kenyon and Bryn Mawr, so we learned a lot about both! Of course everyone is different, but our D ended up at Kenyon for several reasons. Both groups of students were smart, motivated and serious about their studies, but the BMC crowd seemed a more intense, for lack of a better word. Their getting-to-know-you conversations felt more like debates than chats. The Kenyon students she connected with seemed more laid back and friendly. One isn’t better or worse, but our daughter liked the idea of a place where she could work hard, build relationships with great professors, be active in clubs, and still have time to relax with friends.
These three schools are in such different environments – NYC, suburban Philly (an extremely wealthy area, near but not in a city, surrounded by other schools) and Gambier, Ohio. You should spend some time thinking about which appeals to you most. People are drawn to Kenyon for its close-knit community, and there is plenty to do, but if you really love big city life, it might not be the place for you!
The Kenyon students she connected with seemed more laid back and friendly. One isn’t better or worse, but our daughter liked the idea of a place where she could work hard, build relationships with great professors, be active in clubs, and still have time to relax with friends.