Need help tweaking my list

College Search & Selection
1

Hi all -

I am a rising senior, and would very much appreciate some of your collective wisdom to help finalize my list of schools.

I want a school a with strong humanities program with very bright, highly motivated students in a collaboratively focused (not competitive) environment. I am primarily interested in studying Art History and Comparative Literature with an interdisciplinary focus. I like the idea of schools having a humanities-based core curriculum, or at the very least, that have a critical mass of students interested in the types of things as I (literature, philosophy, art history, etc.)

I want a good balance between a small, intimate environment and a school with large, diverse course offerings.

I’m also disabled with chronic pain and limited mobility, so – with a few exceptions for schools that are great fits – I’m trying to avoid the Midwest and New England (too much snow); flat and compact campuses are also a plus. I am likely full pay, so merit aid would be a huge, huge plus but not necessarily required.

My stats:

ACT: 35 Composite (one sitting – 36 E; 35 R; 35 M; 32 S; 34 W)
GPA: 3.99 UW; 4.7 W (Most rigorous schedule)
Hooks: URM (Latina)

HONORS / AWARDS:
Likely NMF and NHRP (224 on new PSAT), Coolidge Scholarship Semifinalist (top 2%), Cum Laude Society, World Language Departmental Award, National Spanish and French Exam awards, Yale Book Award

ECs (a very, very abridged list):
TASP - attending this summer
Capt. of Mock Trial Team, began and co-taught Mock Trial Elective course for Middle School
Student Diversity Leadership Conference - gave lectures and was on a panel about racial diversity issues, organized day-long conference, work with administration + faculty to make school more inclusive
Founding Member and Program Officer for Jewish Teen Foundation - helped raise $25K for charity

These are the schools I have on my list so far, and, where applicable, I have indicated particular programs and/or merit aid/scholarships that I’m interested in. Obviously, top scholarships are HUGE reaches for anyone, (but a girl can dream!) so, in determining whether schools are reaches, matches or safeties, I am not considering big scholarships.

Obviously, my list is very long, and I’d really appreciate help paring it down. I could really use an objective eye, so I’d appreciate any help.

High Reaches:
Duke (AB Scholars; Robertson)
Yale (Directed Studies)
Stanford (Structured Liberal Education)
Rice (Merit)
Williams (Tutorials)
Princeton (Humanities Sequence)
Swarthmore (Honors program)

Low Reach/High Match:
Davidson (Belk) – too sporty?
Emory (Scholars; Voluntary Core Curriculum) – too hilly?
Grinnell (Merit)
UVA (Jefferson; Echols) – too Greek, too pre-professional?
USC (likely ½ tuition through NMF; full tuition Mork/Trustees) – too sporty?
Wesleyan
UC Berkeley
UCLA
UCSB (College of Creative Studies)

Matches:
Scripps (merit)
U Richmond (Richmond Scholars) – too preprofessional?
Bryn Mawr (merit)

Safeties:
New College of Florida
Bard
Lower-tier UCs

Do you have any suggestions for what to cut/change?

2

I was going to suggest Scripps, and see it is on your list. So keep it. :slight_smile:

Given your health issues, I’d cut some of the Northeast and Midwest (Grinnell) colleges.

3

I would be concerned about several of your schools with campuses that are large and/or hilly: Duke, Stanford, Univ of Richmond. Does humidity play a role in your mobility? If not, you have some nice other choices.

What about Santa Clara (might get merit aid)? It’s a flat campus and fairly compact. Also just built a beautiful new art/art history building.

If you’re looking at Scripps, what about Pomona?

4

When you get down to it, I’d cut down your safety schools to just one or two of your favorites. You can save a lot of money by not applying to the ones you’re less enthusiastic about, and save the headache of having to fill out all those extra applications.

Also, if you were even considering it, count UCSF out. Basically all the streets in San Francisco are at 45 degree angles, and are a mother to walk on for even the fittest of people.

5

Kenyon offers lots courses in comparative literature and their Integrated Program of Humane Studies (IPHS) courses, whether required or not, will help you construct a core curriculum. In terms of snow, your tentative list already includes one or two that receive more. Grinnell, btw, can be extremely cold on Winter mornings.

6

UCSF is graduate school only so it’s not a consideration for the OP right now. UC Santa Cruz however should NOT be on the list (under ‘other UCs’) as it is very very spread out and hilly. Weather at Davis is mild and campus is fairly flat. I don’t remember it being too spread out relative to the other schools on the list.

I know two very very smart, musical/artsy kids who are headed to USC this year. Neither one is at all sporty.

7

I’ve never been there but I thought Kenyon was known for being very hilly. I would think Yale and Williams would be very cold. Possibly Wesleyan, Grinnell and Bard also. I know you’re trying to pare your list down but what about Rhodes in Memphis? I think it is strong in the humanities and Memphis is pretty flat and warm and potential for merit is there.

8

I just visited Kenyon a few months ago. You go up a hill to get into the town, but once there, the town and the campus are flat.

However, I’m not sure it would be so good for someone with limited mobility. The campus is not too large, but it is relatively spread out – long and not too wide. There’s basically one long walking path – Middle Path – that goes the whole way across the campus. The surface of that path didn’t seem like it would be so good for wheelchairs. Also, I had the impression it was relatively distant from the student housing to the main part of campus. But I’m sure they’ve had to accomodate people with disabilities, so if interested, you might want to check with them.

Here’s Middle Path as part of their virtual tour:

http://www.kenyon.edu/virtual-tour/locations/middle-path/

And here’s a page about their Student Accessibility Services:

http://www.kenyon.edu/directories/offices-services/student-accessibility-support-services/

I’d think the weather for Grinnell, Kenyon, Yale, and Wesleyan would be pretty similar. Williams is further north, so would be colder with more snow.

9

I agree with @phoenixmomof2 that if you’re considering Scripps you should consider Pomona. It’s another high reach but comparable to Williams and Swarthmore without the snow. It’s on a relatively small, compact flat campus with easy access to the rest of the consortium. Great weather. Student body is approx 52% domestic students of color if diversity is a concern. No merit aid but meets full need (have you run the NPC?). Do you live in CA? If you are OOS then get rid of the UC’s. Also UCLA is very hilly.

10

Regarding Kenyon – athletic facilities are down a steep hill, otherwise, campus is pretty flat, with campus buildings more or less facing a large quad, though freshman dorms are all the way at far end of campus.

Bryn Mawr sounds like a great fit, though again, there are some buildings down a hill.

11

If I remember correctly Tulane was flat and the campus was not huge. I think it would be easily navigable with a wheelchair. They also would offer merit for your stats.

12

Haverford College might be a good choice for you. This is just my opinion, but based on your stats and hook, I have a feeling you’ll end up in Princeton:)

13

Hi y’all! I really appreciate the responses I’ve gotten.

Firstly, to clarify, I can walk with a cane, but not long distances. Depending on where I end up and how compact/accessible the campus is, I might use a mobility cart or tricycle (can’t balance on a bicycle :)) ) to get around campus.

Thank you to the people who suggested Kenyon! I had never looked into it before, but the IPHS sounds PERFECT for me. It’s definitely on my list now. Is it a match, high match, or reach?

I knocked Bard off my list of safeties – there’s no point being full pay there when NCF would be about $25k.

@Corinthian I visited the Claremont Colleges and really loved Pomona. I think it’d be a very good fit for me, certainly a better fit than Scripps, but I just can’t justify being full pay at Pomona if I could potentially get merit aid at a school next door. If I decide to apply to Pomona, I’d leave their supplement till the end. Same goes for Haverford and Bryn Mawr @citymama9, especially because the art history department is housed at BMC so I’d be taking a lot of my courses there.

@phoenixmomof2 I’ve heard Duke and Stanford are spread out but flat, which I guess I can deal with. I didn’t know that Richmond was spread out or hilly – can you tell me more about the campus?

14

Richmond is a small campus and compact. But, there are some hills. Nothing too terrible or drastic, but it’s not flat.

15

Seconding Tulane. The campus is flat and compact (and stunningly beautiful). Tulane, and New Orleans as a whole, are certainly culture-rich environments. They are generous with merit aid, but demonstrated interest really matters.

16

If you show sincere interest at Kenyon, which you have already begun to do here, then you should be fine: match.

Climate generated some comments. Of the OP’s initial choices, Grinnell experiences the coldest temperatures:

Average January Low

Grinnell: 11.9

Williamstown: 12.7

(Sperling’s.)