<p>fallenchemist has described my situation perfectly. I would love to just focus on film making and screenwriting, but my parents have told me there is no way they would pay for college if I did that. I do love history (and I am very good at it), so I don’t mind double majoring. </p>
<p>fallenchemist, you have sold me on Tulane. I’m extremely excited to visit it in the fall. Right now Kenyon, Tulane, and Colorado College are in my top three. I’m going on a tour of the west in a few weeks. I’ll be visiting Colorado, Occidental, Whitman, and Claremont McKenna.</p>
I would be extremely curious as to how many days you have spent at either of these schools. Tulane is extremely selective, and based on average SAT scores is 30th among national universities. About 65% of the entering class are in the top 10% of their high school class. So unless your definition of intellectual community is limited to the Ivy type schools, I think your statement is way off base. I will add that my D, whose stats were superior to yours, has found the intellectual atmosphere to be most satisfying. I know less about Trinity, but I know 2 profs there and they are both extremely capable. That’s all I can say about that school.</p>
<p>Country day - sounds like a plan. Have a great trip. Let us know what you thought about them when you get back. Some great schools in that group. On the other topic, frankly I think it is great that you love history and many students double major these days anyway. I can only imagine that having a strong grounding in history would be fantastic for screenplays, whether because you get involved in historical films or by having the background to draw on historical events to inform your writing for fictional films. As they say, truth is stranger than fiction, or in this case, truth can make better fiction.</p>
<p>That was my thinking fallenchemist. After having had the opportunity to talk to some screenwriters (Matthew Weiner, the creator of Mad Men, being one of them) I have come to the conclusion that studying multiple things in college can really enhance one’s writing. </p>
<p>I’m a little surprised at all the hate Trinity and Claremont McKenna are receiving. I understand the McKenna is a huge reach, but I kind of wanted to have one super reach. If I was to break down my current list, I see it as</p>
<p>Claremont McKenna - Super reach
Occidental - Match
Whitman - Reach
Colorado - High Match
Truman State - Safety
Illinois Wesleyan - Match
Earlham - Safety
Wooster - Safety
Kenyon - Reach (I’m hoping that rec will be a nice hook)
American - Match
Wesleyan - Super reach
Rhodes - Match
Tulane - High Match
Trinity - Match</p>
<p>Yeah, I was initially surprised also how negative people can be towards certain schools, and 99 times out of 100 it turns out they have never even been there. It just has to be ignored, and clearly it doesn’t phase you so that is great. Personally I like your list. After all, as long as you don’t mind spending the $50 or so, and writing whatever extra essay they might require, what is the problem with applying to a few schools that are a big reach? As long as you know it is a long shot, and you obviously have a good handle on the odds, who does it hurt? Besides, you might see CMC and decide it isn’t for you at all. Not likely, but who knows. </p>
<p>Anyway, I think you have a really good list. A nice mix of types of schools and their academic competitiveness. You will no doubt get into 4-6 of those schools, probably more. Hard to imagine you won’t get into one where you will be very happy.</p>
<p>I won’t mention all the schools that accepted my daughter, but here are some: Brandeis, Wellesley, CMC, Oxy, Carleton, Haverford, UNC-CH (Honors).</p>
<p>She thoroughly enjoys the intellectual vibe at Trinity, and the many opportunites it has afforded her.</p>
<p>gloworm - Impressive list. It might be helpful to the OP if you could descibe why she picked Trinity over those others.</p>
<p>Of course then I should do the same. My D picked Tulane over WUSTL, Northwestern, Chicago, Barrett Honors College at ASU, and Middlebury, as well as a couple of safeties. Three major reasons: 1) She really loved the city and the campus, including the size of the school (medium); 2) She liked the attention the profs payed to the undergrads and the whole feel of the student-prof relationship; 3) A full tuition scholarship. The others had 1 or 2 of those factors, but not all 3. The fact that I am an alum was actually a negative, lol. She is the type that likes to blaze her own trail, so her picking Tulane over the others really told me she thought that was the place for her. I have been extemely pleasantly surprised how how much she, like your D apparently, has taken advantage of the various opportunities available. Tulane has taken a leading role in the rebuilding of New Orleans on many fronts, serving the community post-Katrina, and she has jumped right in enthusiastically. That was not even a #4 reason initially, yet it has become an equal factor to her since arriving. Just goes to show you can’t always know.</p>
<p>Anyway, I am sure it would benefit the OP to hear from anyone why they or their child picked one of the schools on his list over others.</p>
<p>A big factor for me is the attention professors pay to their students. While Tulane is a medium sized school, I have only heard good things about class sizes and professors. Thanks fallenchemist for the insight.</p>
<p>ricegal, I used to like Gettysburg. However I learned that the Greek life there dominates the social scene. This kind of worries me about some schools I’m looking at currently (Tulane and Rhodes). I’ve been told that the greek life isn’t as imposing at these places, but it’s still there in the back of my mind.</p>
<p>fallenchemist-- I didn’t mean to insinuate that 1. I am superior to your daughter, 2. Tulane is not a selective school. “Intellectual community,” to me, is not about selectivity at all-- in fact, my opinion of the quintessential intellectual community is Reed College, whose admissions is around 40% (significantly higher than Tulane’s).</p>
<p>I only meant that when I looked into Tulane, which is a great school, it was not first and foremost an intellectual community of the type I think of with schools like Wesleyan, Grinnell, Reed, etc. I’m sure like all colleges it has intellectual aspects, but ultimately it is known more for nightlife, greek scene, etc. College-prow-ler gave the academics a B+.</p>
<p>Finally, intellectualism isn’t about stats. I’m sure your daughter’s GPA is a marvel compared to my own. But the very idea that you measure intellectualism by stats and acceptance rates demonstrates your confusion at the idea of intellectualism.</p>
<p>You attribute arguments to me I never made. I never said intellectualism could be measured by stats. I was making fun of the fact that you think intellectualism can be measured at all, which you implied by saying that it doesn’t exist at Tulane or Trinity. Pretty amazing observation for a high school senior, I must say. However, I would certainly contend that one of the factors in having an intellectual environment is having academically talented people, and therefore the stats are pertinent.</p>
<p>You only name LAC’s as being “intellectual” places, so you are apparently confusing small discussion types of classes (which exist in abundance at many large schools) with being “intellectual”, whatever that even means. You should also know better than to rely on vague “reputations” as a substitute for actual knowledge of what goes on at a school. Certainly Grinnell, Reed, etc. have a nightlife, drinking, and if you want to go by reputation, the drug problem at some of these schools is far worse than at Tulane. But I don’t pay much attention to that, they are fine schools with really smart kids. So are Tulane and Trinity. The fact that you use College-prow-ler to support your arguments pretty much ends the discussion as far as I am concerned. High powered source there.</p>
<p>True, you have a better knowledge of Tulane than I do. I was only reacting to your combative tone, but clearly you were offended by what I said, and I apologize.</p>
<p>Just to clarify, I retracted my initial statement to say Tulane wasn’t “first and foremost” an intellectual school. As you say, all large schools are certain to have some degree of an intellectual community. </p>
<p>Btw, I used college-prow-ler simply because the Fiske, etc guidebooks I have weren’t on-hand, and I wanted to clarify that I have read about the school (and visited). To me, personally, it was more preppy than nerdy. But we can agree to disagree.</p>
<p>We can indeed. I did react very negatively to your initial statement. I think if you look at it again you can see why.</p>
<p>However, you bring up an interesting point, if unintentionally. There is no doubt that a larger university at any level will present itself to visitors differently than an LAC, and often is different than an LAC, by varying degrees. There is a lot more going on, almost by definition. I don’t mean that negatively, most LAC’s have plenty going on, but just the sheer size and scope of a school like Tulane means there is more going on. Similarly there is more going on at Michigan than at Tulane.</p>
<p>This may come across to some as less emphasis on academics. I don’t think that is true. It is just that there are other aspects to the mission and the day-to-day life of the larger school, while LAC’s tend to be more tightly focused. Neither is good or bad and it is why people , especially on CC, are always talking about the different fit that an LAC provides compared to a larger research university. The larger the school and the more it emphasizes its graduate programs, the further it is from being like an LAC. Tulane, being more undergrad focused, is shaded more to the “LAC-like” side. Some other schools are shaded more to the “we are here to win Nobel Prizes” side. But there is also no question that LAC’s, when it comes to the type of person they want (and not meaning just academic ability), are more “self-selective” on the part of those that apply and selective on the part of the admissions committee. I think a lot of students that choose a “National University” (to use the nomenclature of USNWR) over a LAC are looking for a different kind of balance, including in some instances greek life, partying (although of course LAC students party), and in many cases the research opportunities that exist at places doing more cutting edge work. Sometimes they want the larger community, sometimes they want the sports scene.</p>
<p>So I certainly agree the atmosphere at most LAC’s is qualitatively different than most National Universities, although again that varies in degree. I just hope that is more what you meant than trying to pin an intellectual vs. non-intellectual label on the situation.</p>
<p>I would keep all Claremont schools off of your list with the possible exception of Pitzer, but unless you are really attracted to it I would axe that one too. It’s good that you decided to skip Rice - Whitman is getting more and more selective (and there’s not much to do in Walla Walla so I question the party atmosphere) but Whitman is a great school, just think about how you would spend your free time.</p>
<p>A big problem with Whitman is the location. And I don’t mean Walla Walla (well in a way, yes). Getting to Walla Walla is extremely difficult, and I have a funny feeling that my western United States trip is going to axe it off. It sounds like a perfect fit, but my parents aren’t pleased with how I would either have to take two planes and a long taxi ride or go on a 5 day road trip to get there.</p>
<p>Hi country day. I’m glad to see your college search process seems to be moving along. I just wanted to make a quick note about transportation to/from Whitman, since I’m a current student there.</p>
<p>Whitman is quite isolated and not the easiest to get to, but I don’t think the trip is unmanageable with some prior planning. While your parents have the right to have concerns about Whitman’s location, I think their fears may be somewhat overblown. </p>
<p>In terms of flying, you would first fly in SeaTac, which will take a few hours. But the flight from there to Walla Walla is hardly anything; all the times I’ve flown in to Walla Walla, the second leg has never taken more than an hour. Also, “long” isn’t perhaps the right word to describe the tax ride to campus. I would say it takes about 10 minutes, which is reasonable in my book. Additionally, if you decide to attend, many Whitman students live in the Portland and Seattle areas, so it is relatively easy to fly into those areas and hitch a ride from a friend, which usually takes about 4-5 hours. This way you can forgo the second flight altogether and save some money as well.</p>
<p>As a side note, once I got over the time it took to get to Walla Walla, I started to realize how beautiful it is. The Whitman campus itself is a quintessential college campus with its brick buildings and ivy and is well-maintained. The surrounding area is also something to behold. Walla Walla is in the wine-producing and agricultural part of Washington, so there is a lot of green around, wheat fields to the north of campus, and sunny, temperate weather year-round. When I’m not too busy with work, I sometimes take time with friends to explore the campus, downtown Walla Walla, and the surrounding neighborhoods, because they are so nice to be in.</p>
<p>Anyway, I wish you luck on your upcoming visits and with the rest of your college search process!</p>
<p>Earlham is a Quaker school, which has underlying values of peace, tolerance, equality and respect, although Quakers don’t dominate the student body. Quakers do have a strong tradition in education, and Earlham graduates tend to do well in acceptance in graduate school. Another Quaker school is Guilford, in Greensboro NC.</p>
<p>My son is at American. Being in DC has been a real plus for him - the internships are really strong.</p>