So far I’ve applied to 9 schools. I’m looking to apply to more colleges last minute. A factor that is very important to me is ideological diversity and a student body that is open to a multitude of opinions, controversial and mundane. I’m not particularly fond of schools that are known for halting free inquiry because a select number of students take offense, such as Evergreen State or UC Berkeley. I’m looking for an enriching intellectual experience that will expose me to several different views and help me develop a comprehensive worldview.
I know some people right off the bat are going to mention extraordinarily selective schools like U Chicago. U Chicago is fantastic but I have little chance of being admitted. Schools with acceptance rates 35% or higher would be appreciated.
Thanks so much, and I look forward to reading your suggestions.
There are relatively few universities where you won’t find a diversity of opinion, and even fewer where “free inquiry” is halted “because a select number of students take offense”. Headlines and stereotypes rarely tell the whole story.
Most of the colleges and universities that I can think of with an “intellectual” reputation (Swarthmore, Vassar, Reed, Brown, Carleton, Pomona, Wesleyan, Haverford) you would probably think are not diverse enough ideologically.
St Johns Great Books program might suit you- their high acceptance rate is misleading, as there is a lot of self-selection in who is interested in that kind of intellectual environment (interestingly enough, UChicago had that ‘problem’ until about 15 years ago, when they decided they bought into the importance of USNWR rankings and started heavily marketing the school to the mass market- until then it had a high acceptance rate).
Macalester is right at 35% and might also suit. Otherwise, your best bet may be a large state university with a good honors college. Lots of views and administrations tend to only worry about squishing ‘free inquiry’ when it gets too disruptive to the overall university. Not unlike UC-B come to think of it…
William & Mary has a very intellectual vibe. Welcoming students who are very tolerant of ideas and opinions. Hard to gain admission as an OOS but worth the try. Tremendous traditions, focus on undergrad teaching (from prof, not TAs) small classes, etc. Although it’s 6800 kids, feels more like a New England LAC than a state U. Very laid back.
@Alexandre, you find Sewanee to be strongly intellectual? that doesn’t fit with my experience of it, but it has been 5+ years since I had any contact with them & would be interested to hear that it had changed. Case Western is a good suggestion.
Agree w/ W&M, @rickle1 (should have thought of it!)a but agree that for somebody looking at 35%+ places it’s probably a real reach, even instate.
Wow. Thanks for the suggestions everyone, I’ll definitely look into those schools.
Collegemon, I always thought U Chicago was one of those big name schools, if you know what I mean. I didn’t realize that they went under a big transformation with USNWR several years ago, I always assumed they played that game from the start like the IVs.
USNWR, in my opinion is taken way to seriously. One’s college search should be about figuring out their preferences and going from there.
Here is a list of particularly intellectually oriented colleges, arranged in rows from more to less hard admissions odds. But all are competitive.
The ones with stars tend to lean a little more to the left politically, with more than an average number of protests. Some of the nation’s colleges that are most famous for their intellectual spirit/ love of ideas also are famous for a high number of students with liberal attitudes on everything from drug use to political protests, so I included them.
I don’t think you should rule out any college without first speaking to the student president of whatever student group matches your political leanings, however. You may find that students are more comfortable on campus and more diverse in thought than you may predict, even if the college is famous for protests in favor of liberal causes. While colleges often may have vocal groups of students protesting one event or another, almost all prestigious secular colleges will have some diversity of opinion, and it may be only a small number of students making most of the noise at protests. Diversity of ideas is the heart of a liberal arts experience!
However, seeing an increasing number of posters on this site voicing a fear of liberal-leaning colleges makes me worry that that may change, and polarization of our society may increase. Many top colleges tend to lean liberal, and they need to CONTINUE to have conservative voices on campus, as well as liberal voices, in order that all students may be exposed to a range of points of view and learn to weigh the pros and cons of issues and to debate civilly. A college where everyone has the same point of view would not provide the intellectual experience that college should. So it is my hope that conservative students will not all end up at Liberty and religious schools while liberals flock to Wesleyan, etc. Then who is going to learn respect for different views and life experiences, and how to bond with other human beings based on what connects you rather than what divides you?
Here are some of the country’s most famous “intellectual environment” schools:
University of Chicago, most of the Ivy League colleges
Williams, Swarthmore, Wesleyan*
Hamilton, Bates, Vassar*
Brandeis, Reed, Bard
Thanks so much. Yeah, I agree polarization is an issue. Honestly I’m really not conservative, I’m more center slightly left leaning. I’m just a kid who loves ideas, you know? I’m not afraid to converse with people all over the political spectrum. I think it is silly to have a fully established worldview when you’re only in high school. What do we know anyway? I want my college experience to help me shape a worldview that I can articulate as well as defend.
There just aren’t all that many small but resource-rich, not too left but not too right nerd schools that refuse to chase prestige and also are willing to take a chance on a “late bloomer” (such as a well-read kid with high scores who blows off too many idiotic make-work assignments to maintain a high GPA). UChicago used to have a reputation for doing that, I think. Maybe Reed still does. My impression is that Earlham, Hampshire, and New College of Florida might fall into that category, more or less. Maybe some of the other “Colleges That Change Lives” do, too. College of Wooster? Lawrence University? https://ctcl.org/category/college-profiles/
Re: UChicago
The first USNWR college ranking was in 1983. In that year, UChicago ranked 6th.
It once ranked as low as 15th (in 2006), but never lower, and since 2007 has ranked in the top 10 every year.
My understanding is that some of the changes it began in the mid 1990s (increasing undergraduate enrollments, relaxing Common Core requirements, marketing more heavily to prospective applicants) have been largely for financial reasons.
I second Earlham, the first school I thought of. There’s lots of other great LACs in the Midwest that might work - Beloit, Lawrence, Kalamazoo, Knox, Denison, Ohio Wesleyan, etc.
Wooster is worth a look in particular. Great school, engaged students, senior thesis required of all students.
Denison is worth a look, as it emphasizes living with diversity, and doesn’t seem to flinch at the messiness that goes with it. About 35% acceptance rate, 28-32 middle 50% ACT range, good merit for high achieving kids. Pretty much all kinds of kids, from social justice activists, environmental activists living on the organic farm, bluegrass performers (the music dept has a concentration in bluegrass performance), to lax bros etc. Gorgeous arts (including new performing arts building being completed for fall '18), and athletic facilities, in a charming village 25 minutes from Columbus.
Second the suggestions about Earlham, Knox, Lawrence as well.
