<p>Alright so I'm looking for a few LACs to apply to before the 15th.</p>
<p>Most of the schools I've applied to so far have been bigger universities, none of which being liberal arts.</p>
<p>I'm starting to think that coming from a smaller HS (top 10 ranked, super hard course load, it's in FL) I would be more comfortable at this sort of college, and I know for a fact I would respond much better to a more alternative teaching style.</p>
<p>I've applied to
University of Colorado-Boulder
USC
UMiami
UF
College of Charleston
Tulane
NYU</p>
<p>I was thinking as far as LACs
Colorado College
Maybe Furman?</p>
<p>I'm confused. I really love learning, and the like. I enjoy Psychology and Philosophy the most out of the courses I've taken. I like to think I'm a thinker, and am looking for answers. I would like to be in a town/city with alot going on/alot to do, at a college with a beautiful campus and a good social life.</p>
<p>-Both a learning environment, but a social one, with athletics as well.
-In a cool town/city, or in a place with alot going on…
-A beautiful campus in a place that is not EXTREMELY EXTREMELY cold such as MN.
-A school that has a fairly good reputation, I know with my STATs I don’t have a shot at any of the TOP schools, but I’m hoping I can find somewhere that people respect.</p>
<p>I don’t know if southeast Oregon would be too far north for you, but Reed College has both a very alternative, flexible approach to learning and a strong, highly academic atmosphere. It’s very competitive, but also very strong on psychology and philosophy from what I hear. </p>
<p>If you’re looking for a strong, alternative, flexible college and you consider yourself a deep thinker, Reed is perfect.</p>
<p>I talked to my uncle who lives in Seattle about Reed, and he said that it has the reputation for being a school for “kids who are very out there, almost wackos”</p>
<p>Is there any sort of athletic jocky vibe there at all or is it mainly extremely artsy students?</p>
<p>Not that I care, I just am a little bit preppy, a little bit of a surfer, a little bit of a hippie, a little bit artsy, and I play lacrosse… So I want a school that fits all those things, well maybe not the surfer.</p>
<p>I’m just curious of some LACs that are closer to home than Reed or Oxy… Part of me is ready to get away and start a new life in a completely new place, but part of me wants to know that if anything happens or whatever I have the ability to get home fairly easily.</p>
<p>Reed doesn’t have as much of an “out there, wacko” vibe as it did in the 20th Century. However, having said that, if you had to choose one distinctive characteristic of a Reedie, I would say the love for learning- there’s an inherent nerdiness in every Reedie, jock, wacko or otherwise. If that works for you, then you could apply to Reed.</p>
<p>Also, I’d say you have a good shot at Colorado College. Try looking at Davidson, if you want to stay kind of closer to home. That’s more middle of the road than liberal though.</p>
<p>I think you have a good shot at Colorado College. It seems to be just what you’re looking for, as long as you are o.k. with (or actually, ENTHUSIASTIC about) the distinctive, one-course-at-a-time block plan. Admissions has been getting more and more selective but is holistic. </p>
<p>It offers a beautiful campus, in a medium-sized city, in an absolutely gorgeous location at the foot of the Rockies. The Outdoor Club is the most popular student organization; skiing, hiking, and other outdoor activities are extremely popular. So are intramural and intercollegiate sports. It’s not really a big “jock” school but it does have 2 Division 1 teams (men’s hockey and women’s soccer). Ice hockey in particular gives you a very exiting arena spectator sport. The town offers its own attractions within walking distance from school.</p>
<p>The campus is generally liberal (and used to have a reputation as sort of a hippie college) but this is also one of only 3 top-30 LACs (along with Davidson and Claremont McKenna) to get a “green light” rating from the conservative collegeguide.org site. Not because it is right-wing but because the atmosphere is civil and the instructional programs don’t seem to have a strong political bias.</p>
<p>My S is a freshman there and absolutely loves it. The block plan opens up many possibilities. For instance, he’s taking architectural history and environmental design courses that routinely hold classes off campus to study regional building practices. You can do that in geology, archeology, field botany, etc., without worrying about getting back to your next class. There is money available (“Venture Grants”) to encourage independent study including off-campus field work (which, again, you can commit to for as little as 3.5 weeks without worrying about schedule conflicts). Academics tend to be intense. Not cut-throat competitive, but with lots of material packed into a few short weeks, and discussion-based classes that may linger on past the scheduled hours. He raves about his professors (after attending an old, east coast boarding school where many teachers had advanced degrees).</p>
<p>I could go on. This is an interesting school.</p>