Narrowing Down My List of Colleges

College Search & Selection
1

Hi everyone,

I am currently searching for colleges, and so far what I really want out of my college is:

  1. small, liberal-arts college
  2. lots of things to do on campus; I really want something like Claremont’s Athenaeum where they have amazing speakers on a diverse range of topics, but I’ll actually be an art history/other humanities major, so CMC won’t make much sense. I know that I can major at Pomona, but I would like to have my major at my college. I would also like outdoor activities and no large party or drug culture.
  3. good art history program.
  4. somewhere I can really expand what I learn. Right now, I am a super humanities-oriented person and my STEM foundation is very shaky, so I would like to attend a college where I can make my STEM foundation stable and really enjoy and truly learn STEM. I also don’t want too many restrictions on whether or not I can take a class. For example, I really like Oberlin, but I have heard that their upper-level creative writing classes are extremely selective, so I might not be able to get into the class. Is that a big issue there by the way?
  5. a really nice library. Something along the lines of Vassar’s library/gothic, Harry-Potter-esque, but this is definitely negligible.
  6. good food. meaning fresh and delicious food and not warmed up from frozen state.
  7. job prospects. I am planning on taking art history to PhD level, but I am not sure how that will turn out. I would like to eventually become a curator or researcher, but I would also like to keep my doors open in case I decide on a different path, perhaps marketing? I really liked Colgate’s extensive alumni network, but I did not like its frat culture.

unweighted GPA is: 3.75 (huge huge huge upward trend from sophomore year to junior year. My freshman year was good, but my sophomore year I just crashed because I was dealing with lame time management issues and overwhelmed by taking hard classes in STEM subjects and not being used to working that hard. I know, I know.
ACT: 32 (E: 35 M: 26 (30 one time though, so 33 composite superscore) R: 35: 35 S: 30) I am very very humanities-leaning as you can probably see.
I have taken 3 APS (AP U.S. History 5 AP English 5 AP Psychology 4 (self-studied).
school: very competitive and large high school. top 300 in nation.
So far I am looking at Oberlin, Kenyon, Vassar, Williams (reach), Hamilton, Colby, Bowdoin (reach), Swarthmore (reach), Middlebury (reach), Vassar, Wesleyan (reach), Pomona (reach), UCSB, UCLA (reach) , UC Berkeley (reach) , and UCSC (I live in CA). I would like to narrow my list to about eight privates and UCs I have already chosen. Unfortunately, I will only be visiting whichever colleges I’m deciding between for ED, and Colby and Bowdoin, unless I get into the free overnight program. I am definitely on the medium-side of politics, meaning I do not like excessive political correctness (and political correctness in general) and other similar BS (no offense), but I definitely care about current events and issues. I really like Oberlin, but I am scared that the ostensible left-leaning and political correctness will not be a good fit for me. I am planning on applying ED because I have contacted coaches for my sport, and tuition is not a problem.

Thanks a lot! Sorry about the very long post. I think ultimately, I am just looking for more information on these colleges and narrowing down my list to colleges that will “fit” me.

2

Well, I’m not sure any school in America has a better undergrad art history program than Williams. Vassar and Middlebury have extremely strong art history programs, just not as well known as Williams. Oberlin is also remarkably well regarded.

I think Williams and Middlebury are definitely reaches. With your stats, Vassar will also be a reach. (Your sex will be a determining factor here). Oberlin might be a good bet. Not to say it will be easy. Just that you’re demographic might make Oberlin the easiest of the top art history programs.

3

Based on what you have written, you should give particularly strong consideration to Kenyon, Hamilton, Vassar and Williams. If you are female, you should consider Scripps, perhaps more so than Pomona.

4

I concur with your thinking and what you’ve listed for LACs. Bowdoin has good food. Williams is a high reach for anyone. I think you should cast a wide net on LACS and also throw in some universities you hadn’t considered along with those known for STEM. JHU would be one. Cornell another. Even STEM schools need Art History Majors. I like to say even those professors at those schools need to eat. I was impressed at JHU’s Info session where they had a student who was an Art History major speak about the opportunities including her internships where she worked on some Egyptian art, and Cornell has a fabulous Art History museum. Even though I was a Chemistry major there, I took some American Art History and did some up close and personal work on some of their pieces including Currier and Ives and Hudson River School artists.

5

@preppedparent - if the OP specifically states he/she wants a small LAC, why do you suggest Universities? There are plenty of schools that will meet the indicated criteria; I personally see no reason for one to substitute their own criteria for the OPs.

6

Regarding campus aesthetics and your current choices, Swarthmore, Kenyon, Vassar and Hamilton all appear within an online article, “The 30 Best, Most Beautiful Small College Campuses in America” (Best Degree Programs). Thrillist offers a complementary perspective with “The 25 Most Beautiful College Campuses in America.”

7

@CHD, having just gone thru the college admission process twice with two kids, what I learned is that its important to consider other options than what you think you want. There may be great opportunities once you take the blinders off that you hadn’t considered.

8

^You make a reasonable point, but the flip side is that if you don’t establish criteria that seem to make sense the universe of schools is so large it can become difficult winnowing down to a manageable list

9

With respect to your nascent interest in science, I’d suggest you take a course in geosciences when you arrive on campus. Based on your affinity for art, you might do very well with the observational and imaginative aspects the field requires, while at the same time building your analytical skills.

10

I recommend you pay close attention to acceptance rates for all the colleges you are considering. Admission to those with acceptance rates lower than 25% will be less predictable. Should you be female, you might want to consider Smith and Mount Holyoke.

11

Thanks everyone! I’m a female, but I’m not actually looking at all-girls schools. I feel that I have too many reaches; does anyone know which ones I should definitely take off of my list?

12

What is your sport? Are you being actively recruited? This could make a difference with your reaches.

13

Which school(s) do you consider your safeties?

Among California publics besides UCB, UCLA, UCSB, UCSC, there are also UCD, UCI, UCR, and several CSUs with art history. However, they are all fairly large.

14

@apple23 Yes, my sport is cross country/track. However, Swarthmore, Pomona, and Wesleyan told me that they don’t have much impact. Oberlin says that he has a lot of impact in ED.

@ucbalumnus I’m considering UC Santa Cruz, Alabama (full tuition covered), UCD, and one of the cal states as my safeties.

15

You might benefit from considering your choices by the standardized scoring levels of their students:

  1. Pomona
  2. Williams
  3. Swarthmore
  4. Bowdoin
  5. Vassar
  6. Hamilton
  7. UCB
  8. Wesleyan
  9. Middlebury
  10. Oberlin
  11. Colby
  12. Kenyon
  13. UCLA
  14. UCSB
  15. UCSC

Viewed in this way, it would appear that all or nearly all of your choices are highly selective, though your best admissions prospects would tend to be at schools 5-15. However, this may be complicated by the statistical favoring of male applicants at Vassar, Pomona, Swarthmore, Bowdoin, Kenyon, Middlebury, Wesleyan and Williams. Note as well that the GPA-sensitive UCs may present admissions challenges irrespective of their positions above.

16

Thanks @merc81. My freshman year GPA was 3.93, sophomore year GPA was 3.38, and junior year was 3.86 (all unweighted). I’ll be taking 4 aps next year.

17

UCD is not a safety for you; http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/infocenter/freshman-admissions-summary indicates that the admission rate for 2015 frosh applications with (UC weighted and capped) GPA in a range that probably includes yours is 52%. UCSC is probably a low match rather than a safety.

18

Your AP results have been excellent so far.

It may be worth noting that Colby, unusual for an LAC, is a statistically easier admit for female applicants.

However – though I’ve mentioned some statistical factors – your main criteria for selecting a college should relate to the suitability of its programs and environment with respect to your own interests.

19

The following descriptions include several schools from your list. It is copied from another thread. Credit to merc81 for the original post.

Carleton: The students I’ve met have been impressive. Along with Mac, has the coldest winters.

Wesleyan: Progressive. Good vegan food. The recent publicity regarding drug usage is difficult to interpret evenly. Regardless, an excellent school academically.

Vassar: English major/artsy vibe, recently offset by their investment in an impressive new science building. Beautiful chapel and library. The gender imbalance, though real, does not differ significantly from the national average.

Hamilton: Benefits from the curricular, architectural, spatial and, to some extent, cultural legacy of having been two colleges. A balanced curriculum, but also a writers’ college. Former fraternity houses are now beautiful residence halls.

Reed: The most committed to creating an intellectual environment, as manifested by their absence of intercollegiate varsity sports. Online posters who have self-identified as Reedies are either intelligent or humorless. Sometimes both.

Oberlin: Go for the vegan food, stay for the academics.

Colgate: One of the most beautiful campuses in the nation. Authentic countryside location and village. Comes closest, with Bucknell, to a state flagship environment due to athletics and fraternities. Nonetheless, is still much closer to the others in this group.

Macalaster: In contrast to the other schools, provides an urban experience. Presence of international students adds diversity.

Colby: Classic LAC size. If you go smaller than this (consortia excepted), you will sacrifice either athletics or curricular breadth. Of the Northeastern colleges, has the coldest winters.

Kenyon: To select Kenyon is partially to select Middle Path and Gothic architecture. I’ve heard of worse reasons for choosing a college.

Pitzer: Consortium. Lower SAT scores than all but one of the others in your group should not be overlooked entirely.

20

Thanks. Which ones would be marches for me of the ones I posted? It’s hard for me to gauge.