Hi! I’m starting to apply for colleges. I want to major in something in the Liberal Arts, like English, and learn best in the small class environment. For these reasons, I have been looking at Liberal Art colleges. I need more options and information on my current list, so please help me out! If you could tell me the differences between the schools, advantages/disadvantages, please do so!
Current List:
-Amherst
-Bates
-Bowdoin
-Bryn Mawr
-Hamilton
-Haverford
-Middlebury
-Smith
-Mount Holyoke
-Swarthmore
Particularly, I need more safety-school options. I have my state university as a strong safety as well, but I am looking for more liberal arts colleges.
Just for reference, I am in a magnet IB program that is well-respected, in the top 3% of my class with a 4.5 weighted GPA. I have a lot of activities I love and succeed at to fill my resume, and my SAT scores fall in the range for these colleges.
All of the Sisters are great, but each has its own vibe so learn more (and try to visit!) BM, MoHo and Smith.
I don’t think you need more safeties if these schools on your list are financially viable, but for piece of mind look at the Midwest LACs like Grinnell that may get fewer applications per open seat.
If you can visit, that’s best. Pick up a copy of the Fiske Guide if you don’t have one (or peruse it at your local library). I find their commentary on the LACs fairly accurate.
Womens’ colleges are a great way to get a top notch education with a less competitive admissions process, so good to see several on your list. I agree with the post above suggesting adding a college or two outside the Northeast corridor, which tends to be the most competitive. I’m fond of some of the midwestern schools - Kenyon, Carleton (pretty competitive), St. Olaf and Lawrence (less competitive). I’m also a fan of Whitman in Washington State and Colorado College.
A lot of the differences come down to the location (urban, rural, suburban) and the vibe (more preppy/jocky/artsy, etc.). Do you have any preferences on those fronts?
They’re all variations on the same theme.
The most obvious distinction would be between the 3 women’s colleges and the rest (which are co-ed).
BMC, Haverford, and Swarthmore are located in the suburbs of a major city, with relatively convenient public transportation access to everything Philadelphia has to offer; the others are in more rural (or small town) settings.
Those 3 also are in a consortium (as Amherst-MOHO-Smith are); this expands the number of available courses beyond what you’d usually get from a small LAC. Amherst and Hamilton have Open Curriculum plans, which give students more freedom to choose courses. But they all offer solid academics, good-to-excellent need-based aid, and pretty much the same undergraduate-only, arts & science focused curriculum.
I too agree with the suggestion to also consider LACs outside the Northeast. Admissions tend to be a bit less competitive at peer LACs in other regions. There also is a little more merit money available beyond the top LACs in the NE.
For many families, net cost is a major consideration. The schools on your list are good for low-to-median-income families, due to their generous need-based aid, or for very wealthy families who can afford their high sticker prices. For upper-middle-income families (~$100K - $200K), merit scholarships can make the costs more manageable (especially if you want an alternative to in-state public schools.) New College of Florida is a public LAC with solid academics, relatively low tuition rates (compared to private colleges), a beautiful Gulf coast location, and merit scholarships for out-of-state students. https://www.ncf.edu/admissions/cost-and-aid/scholarships/out-of-state-freshmen/
Each LAC definitely has its own “vibe” or personality. Fit is important. Agree that if you can’t visit the schools read books like Fiske Guide, Princeton Review, Insiders Guide etc. Also see if you can find the school newspapers for each LAC online as reading them can help give you a sense of campus life.
As for safety schools, a couple of schools that seem to fit in with your others with somewhat less competitive admissions could be Skidmore, Dickinson, and Muhlenberg. You might also consider Goucher, Wooster and other CTCL schools as true safetys. You may get merit aid at some of these schools if that is important to your family.
Some safeties / low-matches LAC’s for your stats: Skidmore (NY State), Franklin & Marshall, Dickinson, Lafayette (all in PA), Scripps (So Cal and part of the Claremont consortium), and you already have Mount Holyoke on your list.
Beyond English, what interests you activity-wise, socially, environmentally, etc.? That makes a big difference in which LAC’s to recommend. Some are extremely rural, some are much smaller than others, some are outdoorsy, others are artsy, some are preppy, etc.
Beloit is another good LAC in the Midwest that you could probably consider a low match, bordering on safety. It’s on the southern border of Wisconsin and is roughly between Madison and Chicago, right off the interstate.
I am planning on visiting for the vibe. I personally fall somewhere in between preppy, artsy and athletic, so I am pretty flexible about it.
Most of the colleges I am looking at are in consortium because I want access to urban life without having to live in the city. I am also fine with a smaller town, since I grew up in one.
Kenyon and Hamilton are liberal arts schools well known for strong writing programs. College of the Holy Cross, another liberal arts school, is rated as a top ten English major school by College Factual/USA today and could be a match for you.
If your focus is on English, I agree that Kenyon should be added to the list . . . and, if you’re up for a uniquely Southern twist on the LAC experience, you should also take a look at Sewanee (i.e., the University of the South), which–like Kenyon–has strong links to important movements in 20th-century American literature and criticism.
I actually found that refreshing. I bet she knows what the range is, and at these places that gets your app looked at, then it’s off to non-score things. IMO.
A few distinguishing attributes (all are excellent, recommended schools):
Amherst: Excellent academics. Perhaps can be equaled for humanities studies, but not exceeded. Consortium benefits, but a collegiate gender imbalance in the area has the potential to distort social relationships. Campus itself faces tough competition from peers.
Hamilton: Balanced curriculum and enhanced spatial aspects as a legacy of its once having been two colleges with distinct characteristics and emphases. Adirondack feel, but has suburban access. Real snow in winter suitable for the adventurous.
Mt. Holyoke: Beautiful, darkish campus, appropriate for clandestine meetings between spies. College students also enjoy it on sunny autumn days. Diversified by significant international presence.
Swarthmore: Serious academics further intensified by a deemphasis of sports. As with bi-college pair Haverford and Bryn Mawr, finds its home in surburbia. Classes at Penn could add to tri-college consortium options.
Haverford: This school and Bryn Mawr form the tightest relationship among the tri-colleges. Might border on being too small for some.