<p>I feel like the more I look at schools the less I'm sure about what I want from a college. has this happened to anyone else? </p>
<p>here's my list so far:
brown
wesleyan
vassar
reed
brandeis
sarah lawrence
oberlin
possibly swarthmore, williams</p>
<p>stats:
SAT: 2330 (730 CR, 800 math/writing) SAT II: 770 US history 760 french
gpa: 3.89 (unweighted, I've taken just about as many honors and ap classes as possible)
no class rank but in the top 5%
possible majors: political science, music, film
ECs: president of gay straight alliance, co-chair of municipal youth commission, jazz band, theater</p>
<p>I really liked brown and wesleyan but I'm far from dead-set on them, and I don't really feel anything in particular for any of the other schools. they all just seemed "pretty good." </p>
<p>I consider the academic and social atmosphere the most important things. I don't consider the schools "prestige" or competitiveness very highly, only if its a good match or not. I guess I'm looking for a school where the students are intellectual but also artsy, driven but independent. also on the smaller side but not too small (maybe 1500-6000 undergrads?). flexible curriculum (little to no course requirements) but appropriately academically challenging.</p>
<p>any input on any of the schools I've listed or suggestions for others? I'm not really sure what I should do between now and applying to schools (I'm a rising senior).</p>
<p>Your list looks pretty good as far as the qualities you're looking for. </p>
<p>One question is finances...since they're all privates, can you afford to pay full fare, are you counting on need based FA or merit aid?</p>
<p>University of Colorado Boulder is pretty much what you explained, I don't know major wise but try looking it up</p>
<p>cost definitely is a concern but many of those schools as far as I know claim to meet 100% of need, so I don't see why going to a cheaper school that offers less FA is really a benefit. I'm definitely open to cheaper alternatives though, I was considering MCLA (I'm a Mass resident) and SUNY Purchase.</p>
<p>For academic atmosphere ("appropriately academically challenging"), do you want hard, medium or easy (as if schools could be pigeon-holed accurately), given your GPA and SAT? What kind of social atmosphere; what do you like and not like? For flexibility, do you need a school where political science, music and film are all possibilities? You've named some of the top schools in the country, better than "pretty good." :)</p>
<p>Take a look at Pomona. Part of a 5 college (contiguous campuses) consortium in Claremont, Ca. Pretty campus, great weather, access to a big city (LA), the beach, mountains...</p>
<p>Hamilton has a good liberal arts education and no distributional requirements. Really more of a safety for you</p>
<p>DEFINITELY check out Amherst. No core curriculum. I absolutely loved it, more so than williams. Amazing place</p>
<p>sorry to bump but I'm looking especially for matches/safeties now...</p>
<p>I want a school where I can be challenged but it's not like everyone there does nothing but study and it's impossible to get a good grade. I'd rather have a student body that's more intellectual than have to slave away all my time for four years.</p>
<p>for a social atmosphere I want it to be an active campus but not centered on sports/greek life. more like centered on political/artistic events.</p>
<p>I'm thinking about hamilton and amherst now, I'm gonna visit them soon. ponoma sounds like a great school but I'm not sure if I wanna live so far away (yeah, I know reed's on my list).</p>
<p>as far as flexibility, none of those majors are must-haves since I'm not 100% sure about them, but I definitely want a school where I can take both classes that are academic and those that are more involved in the arts.</p>
<p>what I meant by "pretty good" was that I wasn't like instantly smitten with most of them.</p>
<p>The description of what you want fits Oberlin quite well. You should keep it on your list. Visit if you can.</p>
<p>If you are female, Smith College is definitely worth considering. Smith is known for academic excellence, small classes, terrific advising and mentoring, and available, committed professors. It has an open curriculum, and students have many opportunities to get to know faculty well, and to do research projects with faculty or independently if they wish.</p>
<p>The campus life also includes lots of political and artistic events and focus. In addition, Smith is part of a 5-college consortium (with Amherst, Hampshire, Mt. Holyoke and Univ Mass). You can take classes at any, and there is a free shuttle bus to get to classes at the other campuses. </p>
<p>Smith is very close to Amherst, so you could visit when you visit Amherst. Smith is a wonderful place!</p>
<p>I'm a guy, so I doubt I have a great chance of getting in...</p>
<p>I actually live in Northampton, where Smith is, so I might be taking classes there this fall.</p>
<p>Well, you're lucky you live in Northampton and can take classes!</p>