Hey everyone,
I want to apply to colleges that don’t have a high - school - like cliquishness. Nerdy and alternative places are fine…that’s what I am. I visited Wesleyan University and loved it, to give you some sort of idea of what I’m looking for. I’d prefer to stay in the Northeast. I got a 2040 on the SAT: 610 writing, 640 math, and 790 reading. I just took the ACT. My grades are mostly A’s. Thanks!
You may want to make a first cut by size (i.e., max 2200) and no Greek life simply because at that size, community usually matters and cliques aren’t institutionalized.
A couple you might want to consider are Vassar, Haverford, Bryn Mawr, Bates, Bard and Connecticut College. They represent a range, for sure, but those might help you clarify what you’re looking for socially as you haven’t mentioned an academic focus.
Nerdy schools outside the NE, Carleton (a reach), Lewis and Clark in OR
The Pacific Northwest has some schools that fit, but you say you want to stay Northeast, so consider Hampshire, Bennington, St. Lawrence, Ithaca, Skidmore, RPI.
Thanks, everyone! I’m pretty sure I’m going to stay in the NE, though. @gardenstategal I want to double major in neuroscience and political science. I’m also interested in economics and environmental science. I’d like to explore physics, because my high school doesn’t offer it. All in all, I want a very broad education. One thing that I like about Wesleyan is that they don’t have any core requirements
University of Rochester doesn’t really have a core either. I’m not sure about cliques but it seems like there is a teensie Greek life.
I do think that anytime you get a large group of people together that cliques will form. Some people just hit it off, have more common interests etc.
My D went to Lafayette and found that people mixed well together. Her close friend group included students who played varsity sports, club sports, did theater, community service, Greek Life and just about everything else. And students would try unexpected things so there was a level of fluidity – for example football players helped out backstage with some theater productions etc.
Definitely check out Rochester. No core, lots of people double or even triple major. A smart, but laid-back and collaborative, student body.
Thanks for all the suggestions. I’ll look into Lafayette and Rochester. @happy1 , by cliques I meant the petty, exclusive high school type. Groups of friends are totally fine.
Don’t rule out schools with distribution requirements of some type. With your interests, you’d likely fulfill them with no extra effort. These are often a signal from the school that they want to help you explore before you commit to something (and an assurance to you that if you try something new, you won’t find yourself entirely surrounded by kids who knew at 9 that this is what they wanted their lives to be and are light years ahead of you in the subject!)