<p>when you run the net price calculators, indicate that the savings your parents have made are in your parents’ names (and put them in your parents’ names before filling out the FAFSA).</p>
<p>A couple of other observations: right now you don’t really have the grades and scores to get into Richmond or Haverford, but I like the idea of a Society of Friends school like Haverford that you can get into. In this case, that is Guilford. Don’t be concerned about the religious origins of the school. All beliefs and non beliefs will be respected. There will be none of the symbols and religious rituals of other Christian schools. Very plain, very not-in-your-face. Earlham might be another Friends school that you could get into. Oberlin is probably not.</p>
<p>@Ilovecyrano D and I toured Sewanee this year. Beautiful setting. Smaller college than you were hoping. Equestrian team. Isolated campus in the mountain but gorgeous and never-ending activities if you like the outdoors. Awesome coffee shop with a cool vibe.</p>
<p>I think the Richard Dawkins “secular” requirement may not align well with a more structured curriculum. Otherwise I would say take a look at Bennington, Reed, Bard, Sarah Lawrence, Hampshire.</p>
<p>Vassar is probably the closest to what you are looking for all things considered but a 3.3 GPA sub 2k SAT will be a long shot.</p>
<p>Oberlin is a great school and may have a decent Classics department.</p>
<p>Sewanee is very definitely a religious college – Episcopalian. They even have a seminary. </p>
<p>On the other hand, Episcopalians are the most non-pushy religious people you are likely to meet. Even less pushy than Quakers; and I have known a lot of both.</p>
<p>yes, i was actually gonna comment on that too @NROTCgrad thanks for reminding me! I did the sewanee summer music festival this summer, so I learned a lot about the campus. They attend classes in shirt and tie and have an honor society called the order of the gownsmen, who wear their gowns to class. Very, very religious school. There are chapels all over the campus; there is a school of theology. Definitely not a fit for someone who doesn’t want a very religious campus.</p>
<p>@NROTCgrad and @guineagirl96 I didn’t get a religious vibe by any means at the Sewanee tour. There are many colleges with historical ties to the church and church on campus that aren’t “very religious”. Duke? It has a seminary school too. Religious school? Nope. Same with Sewanee.</p>
<p>@dadof1
Seems to me that what you felt was consistent with Episcopalians not being pushy about their religion. However, Sewanee has far more than “historical ties.” It is owned by the Episcopal Church, and indeed is the only American college owned by the Episcopal Church.
<a href=“http://about.sewanee.edu/an-episcopal-university”>About Sewanee | The University of the South;
<p>It is religious. Not fervent, but still…</p>
<p>If OP truly wants a “Richard Dawkins secular” college then Sewanee should not be considered. I love Sewanee personally, but cannot recommend it to somebody who actively wants to avoid religion at college.</p>
<p>Episcopalians are so mellow about their religion that they sometimes refer to themselves as “God’s Frozen People.”</p>
<p>I really appreciate all the feedback everyone is giving me. It is making me look at things in a new way. One thing I didn’t realize about looking for colleges is how important your religious and political views really are. I was classically homeschooled until 8th grade, and as a secular family I had to hide my secular beliefs. We were expelled from several coops when I would accidently let my beliefs slip out. On the political side, my family is Libertarian leaning, and that has been a huge problem in my Prep school, which is very liberal. I have learned that it is absolutely NEVER safe to express a religious or political view that doesn’t jive with the audience without fear of expulsion or bad grades. It would be an amazing experience to find a college that still allows an open dialog between all viewpoints. It would be really cool to be able to develop my thoughts with others. So far, I don’t see any colleges I would feel safe. </p>
<p>I’ll start a list of all the suggestions in the hopes that it will help me and others find a true liberal arts education where students can discuss all kinds of ideas. </p>
<p>Bennington – My cousin goes here. Seems very liberal and I don’t think it’s rigorous liberal arts.
U Richmond –
Skidmore –
Earlman – Religious?
Haverford – Friends?
Yale directed studies – I won’t get in this one.
Guilford – The Quaker scares me.
Bryn Mawr – think it’s quite liberal
Sewanee – religious?
Reed – liberal
Sarah Lawrence –
Hampshire –
Vassar – no core requirements
Williams – I won’t get in here.
Mount Holyoke –
Smith -</p>
<p>I think you still need to consider St. John’s in Annapolis. Definitely not religious, but huge on classics. Academically, it is almost perfect for what you are looking for.</p>
<p>You might also want to look into Marlboro College in Vermont, although it could be too liberal for you. Yet, seems like they have a strong libertarian streak too.</p>
<p>However, both of these schools are very small. St. John’s enrollment is barely 500, and Marlboro is half that. Definitely not medium sized.</p>
<p>Note that Bible reading is not necessarily devotional. Given the influence of the Bible on history and culture, those studying such aspects of history and culture may read it for reasons other than religious devotion. The same goes for other religious books. You can ask the school if the readings are devotional or non-devotional.</p>
<p>I have no issue with reading the Bible. The trouble comes when I have to write an essay and my thesis does not agree with the religious beliefs of the teacher. </p>
<p>Thanks for the lists of great book schools. </p>
<p>@ilovecyrano I went to Earlham where I took a class titled “The Bible as Literature”. There were Quakers, other Christians, Atheists and quite possibly Secularists in the class and quite a few lively conversations, but on the whole stayed largely analytical. How would you feel about a class like this?</p>
<p>@ilovecyrano, you will find that your college experience is worlds away from your homeschool co-op experience.
Self-expression and challenging your own beliefs and the beliefs of others is usually part of the college experience. I hope your lens can shift as you go through this process.</p>
<p>I would echo others’ recommendations of Guilford. I know another young Scholastic winner who is loving it there. The overarching philosophy is one of egalitarianism and inclusion. If you can, go visit so you can see for yourself that Quakers aren’t scary. (Full disclosure, my family is Jewish, my D has attended Quaker camps and they have been a formative experience in her life).</p>
<p>Assuming you are a Junior, focus on math and bring up your SAT over 2000 to give yourself more options. My Ds are also both lopsided and my oldest did fine in the process and my youngest will too. But you will feel better if you get that Math up.</p>
<p>There are some threads here and there focusing on 3.3 students. You may want to take a look at those and see how they fit with your other criteria. Also, look at the Colleges That Change Lives. Several on your list are on that list and it may help you find other similar schools. <a href=“http://www.ctcl.org/”>http://www.ctcl.org/</a></p>
<p>Despite the fact that Sewanee is owned by the Episcopal Church, has lots of chapels and a seminary, it’s not nearly as religious as one might think. There are no requirements regarding religion classes or attendance at Church. The school has, and welcomes, students of all faiths as well as atheists. It is very tolerant of differing views. Sewanee is smaller than what you are looking for but it has an excellent English department and many of the other qualities you are seeking in a college. Having said that, if you want to avoid any religous influences, it’s probably not for you.</p>
<p>Most LACs tend to be small, not mid-sized. I would check out Rhodes and other CTCL schools. </p>
<p>Too late to edit. I wanted to add that I think you would feel very “safe” in expressing your opinions at Sewanee. I don’t think you would feel comfortable at Sarah Lawrence. </p>
<p>I’m not sure whether this would work, but St Olaf has the Great Conversation - if admitted to the program, 1/4th of your classes freshman and sophomore year would be devoted to reading the classics in a small seminar of 16-18 students. It’s a religious-affiliated school but its classes aren’t doctrinal (could be “psychoanalysis and faith” or feminist readings of the Bible or Confucius…) therefore it’s not so much a matter of religious truth but of discussing various aspects of texts representing faiths and their values.
It sounds like you had very bad experiences with (? perhaps fundamentalist) representatives of a faith, but I can assure you that most colleges do NOT function like this. The views of a secularist would not only be acceptable, but encouraged as they’d be stimulating for all involved, faithful or not. That’s how you have lively academic conversations and how everyone learns. “Vibe” is more important - a public school such as Troy is likely to have students who are much more stringent about their beliefs and stricter about the views they accept than at schools such as Chapman, St Olaf, Sewanee, or, in particular, the Quaker schools. In fact it’s almost un-imaginable to me that you’d hesitate about Guilford or Earlham because they’re Quaker…I suppose it’s a testimony to the very bad experience you had during your homeschooling days that you’d find the Quaker tradition “scary”. In addition, there are areas of the country where religious diversity and open-mindedness towards others’ beliefs are a given - it sounds like you didn’t grow up in one of those but it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try for a change in scenery. ;)</p>