<p>Hellooo,
After posting in the chances thread I thought I might get more out of posting in this thread and asking for some help with list revision. This is my second post ever so bear with me!! also I'm typing this on my phone in a hotel room so I apologize prematurely for any crass mistakes :)
I'm a high school senior with a heavy, heavy passion for art history and education. What I love most in the world is learning abstractly. I mean this in the sense that I drown in the classic "banking" system of education, meaning that teachers assume I start with nothing in my head and it's their job to put something in it. I've been looking at interdisciplinary schools/liberal arts schools with characteristics such as a small student to faculty ratio (ideally ~18:1), strong arts program, and renowned alternative methods of education (evaluations instead of grades, student-led classes, etc.)
So far my list includes:
Goucher college
The evergreen state college
university of Vermont
Bennington college
Bard college
UC Santa Cruz
University of Puget Sound
and College of the Atlantic is a consideration, but I'm still a little wary of it.
What I'm asking is for you guys to help me find some more schools along those lines!
Location isn't really an issue with me anymore, but something with vibes slightly similar to those schools above (although I am a California resident). And don't worry about cost!
Thank you so much!! </p>
<p>It’s great that you know yourself and your learning style in advance. There are a lot of really good schools that fit your learning style. My daughter sounds similar to you so the schools she applied to were: Bard, Pitzer, Hampshire, Knox, Beloit.</p>
<p>Our experience with Bard was not positive so I will advise you to look at what it is versus what it’s reputation is. My daughter (and we agreed) found it very stressful for Freshman and very competitive for the Sophomore year presentation to be admitted to your concentration (or whatever they call your major there). Depending on your choice of major, there may not be a slot for you based on your previous two years and presentation so at that point you either need to switch majors and present again or transfer schools at the end of your Sophomore year. It may be perfect for you, it was just too stressful for my daughter.</p>
<p>I could tell you about the other schools she applied to (and was admitted to) but you should look at them and make your own decisions as to whether to apply or not. If you have any questions, ask. Good luck!</p>
<p>UCSC may be somewhat less “alternative” than it used to be, or what you may be expecting. For example, it now uses more traditional grading instead of narrative evaluations: <a href=“http://admissions.ucsc.edu/apply/parents-and-guardians/prospective-students/grading.html”>http://admissions.ucsc.edu/apply/parents-and-guardians/prospective-students/grading.html</a></p>
<p>UCSC’s organization of residential colleges with different general education requirements is somewhat unusual; UCSD has a similar system.</p>
<p>Student/faculty ratio does not indicate as much about class size as you may think it does. Check the schools’ actual class schedules to see if class sizes for the classes you are interested in are listed.</p>
<p>Another form of “alternative” education is the “great books” model. St. John’s College is the best known example, but is not the only such school. St. John’s College uses the “great books” curriculum as the entire curriculum; some of the others use it for a portion of the curriculum, leaving space for electives.</p>
<p>Also consider Reed college.</p>
<p>
Can you clarify what you mean by education? I ask because one of my relatives graduated from UCSC during the all narrative grading era and had a difficult time convincing Masters of Ed programs that her positive evaluations were the equivalent to an A.</p>
<p>Suggestions:
Hampshire College
Manhattanville College
SUNY Purchase
UC Berkeley (the DeCal courses stick out to me)
Western Washington University’s Fairhaven College
Earlham College (you might find the Quaker philosophy appealing)</p>
<p>New College of Florida. Also, depending on your artistic inclinations, the College of Creative Studies at UCSB might be an in-state option. NCF uses evaluations, but has a terrific record in graduate and professional school admissions. They have one of the top per capita rankings for Fulbright Scholarships, also. Pitzer is certainly a possibility, but it’s price-tag is prohibitive for most people. The same applies to Eugene Lang/New School, in NYC, although they might be a little more generous with merit aid. I’ve heard good things about St. Mary’s, in Maryland, but don’t know much more about it - it might be too traditional and structured for your taste. </p>
<p>@whenhen My ideal career is to be an art history college professor :)</p>
<p>If money is truly no problem and you’re seriously interested in art history, look closely at NYU’s Gallatin College.</p>
<p>@amtc i have heard some bad things about Bard, kind of in that vein, so it’s see-sawing right now. thanks for the insight! </p>
<p>Hampshire, Sarah Lawrence, and Marlboro would all be options for you,</p>
<p>College of the Atlantic is fascinating in many ways, but when I looked at the titles of their senior projects next to those coming out of New College of Florida, Marlboro, Bard, and Reed it struck me as somewhat lacking in the intellectual rigor of those other schools. I still think it’s a great school for many students, but if you are someone who wants your mind sharpened to the utmost it might fall mildly short of your expectations. </p>
<p>It is by no means a weak school, and the very fact that a senior capstone project is required is a mark of their high expectations from students. There’s just a more aggressive push toward producing graduate-school-quality work at some other schools.</p>
<p>Above all, if your ultimate goal is a career in academia, I encourage you to contact every school you are interested in and find out what their art history majors’ outcomes are. How many attain PhDs in the field, and where? How many of those secure positions in academia? </p>
<p>This will likely require talking to art history faculty as most admissions offices won’t have this information. What you get from the faculty will likely be anecdotal, but it’s better than nothing. Ideally you want a department that has a proven record of producing students who go on to tenured positions in academia. It’s a highly competitive market, and if you are serious about succeeding in it you would be wise to start from a winning foundation.</p>
<p>New College has a very strong record for producing PhDs. Art History isn’t a particular strength, but you have extensive foreign-study and independent-research opportunities. The Ringling Museum offers internships, and it is right next door. You might get some hands-on experience there that you couldn’t get in NYC, Boston, Chicago, or Philadelphia - where there is competition from graduate students or recent graduates for any museum work. St. Pete is not too far away. It has two good museums, and traveling there once a week would be manageable. If you aren’t likely to qualify for admission (or are disinclined) to one of the top universities, look at small colleges with access to local museums. </p>
<p>You may want to take a look at Eckerd College. Part of their philosophy is based upon interdisciplinary learning. They also have the Ford Scholars program: Each year up to twenty rising Juniors are given the opportunity to participate in a two year course of study designed to prepare them for graduate school and to pursue a career in college or university teaching. Faculty select and sponsor the participants on the basis of academic achievement, intellectual promise, and a willingness to explore college teaching as career. The program involves special coursework, summer research in collaboration with a faculty sponsor, a major project during the Senior year, and supervised teaching experience.</p>
<p>For serious art history I’d look at Wesleyan, Williams, Vassar, Oberlin, Scripps. Smith and Bryn Mawr if you are female. </p>
<p>The pedagogy at academically rigorous liberal arts colleges is not as authoritarian as you might think. Yes they give grades instead of evaluations but professor- student relationships are close and nurturing. Aside from introductory courses, classes are small and seminar focused where wide ranging discussion is encouraged. You might especially like Williams tutorials: one professor and two students. </p>
<p><a href=“The Colleges Where PhD's Get Their Start”>http://www.thecollegesolution.com/the-colleges-where-phds-get-their-start/</a></p>
<p>As of the date of this table Reed was the #1 producer of History PhDs, per capita.</p>
<p>I suspect Art History PhD production doesn’t track with History in general, since it is often part of the Art department. </p>
<p>I have yet to find good stats specifically for Art History. The Survey of Earned Doctorates, which is often used to produce tables like the above, doesn’t get that granular.</p>
<p>Sorry. Missed the Art on that major.</p>