I recently went to this summer camp that is often described as a “hippy farm camp,” and that definition is not entirely wrong. Considering I am going into 12th grade, I couldn’t help but think about it as if it was a college campus, and if there was more “serious” learning there. If that were the case, I would love to go to a college like that.
Let me describe the camp a bit more:
We spent an hour talking to trees.
We did some work on the camp’s farm
The whole camp promotes peace and environmentalism
I spent much time learning medicinal qualities of herbs such as rosemary and chamomile.
A line from the mission song (a mission statement put to music) is “that environmentalism, social justice, and spirituality want to grow…”
I did meditation almost every day.
The food was made by a real chef, and was always organic and relatively healthy. There were always vegan options, gluten free options, vegan gluten free options, etc.
Everyone was a bit “off” socially (including myself), letting everyone shine their true selves.
The camp is called Eden Village Camp, if you want to know more.
Anyway, what colleges would be like the “Eden Village of colleges?” My other requirement is that it is within 450km (about 275mi) from New York City (Washington Heights). I am already looking into Goucher College and Hampshire College, though I haven’t visited either one yet. What else should I look at?
Any of the schools mentioned in the list in post #3 could be good choices. I was going to recommend Marlboro and Warren Wilson, although Warren Wilson is outside your distance parameter a bit.
Goucher could be a good fit, but it is smack dab in the middle of suburbia, vs. some of the more rural schools on the above list.
If you can raise your ACT score when you retake it, you could be in the running for merit scholarships.
Good luck!
lalalemma, thanks for that article! Do you (or does anyone here) know anything about the following colleges, and what they do that makes them qualify for my description?
List:
Sarah Lawrence College
Skidmore Collere
Vassar College
Emerson College
University of Vermont
Take a look at College of the Atlantic, Colorado College and St. John’s College (Annapolis/Santa Fe). All different, all potentially interesting for someone who prefers to go their own way.
The College of the Atlantic sounds perfect for you, although their course offerings are a bit slim outside their main strengths. It’s very small even for a LAC but the greenest college in the country and in a gorgeous location. Only a small handful of LACs have a greater percentage of international students.
I strongly second the recommendation of Warren Wilson, and nearby Asheville is quite quirky. Since it’s a Work College, students are expected to work either for the school or on its farm (i.e. working in gardening, blacksmithing, archaeology, stables, recycling, etc.).
Expanding your geographic range would add some other good schools (Whitman, Lewis & Clark, Prescott, Earlham, Kalamazoo, etc.).
If you’re interested in environmental issues, check out SUNY ESF.
I’m not the poster you were asking, but I don’t think Emerson would fit – it’s more hipster than hippy, if that makes sense. You might still like it, but it doesn’t come to mind with the vibe you describe.
Sarah Lawrence might fit the bill; I would definitely recommend a visit to see if you liked it. Their lack of majors is very appealing to free-thinkers, so I think it tends to draw the people you’re interested in. Hampshire is similar, although there is a location difference: SLC is an easy commute into New York; Hampshire is surrounded by mountains, with Amherst or Northampton being the closest thing to an urban location. I personally liked Hampshire’s location better when I visited, but that’s definitely subjective.
I don’t know that I would call UVM “off-beat” (definitely not in the way that I would Sarah Lawrence or Hampshire). However, I think you might still like it. It’s a much larger school, but you should be able to find your niche, and I think you’d find a home in Burlington. Honestly, Vermont is probably the hippiest of states in New England (and I’m saying that very, very fondly; it’s a great place). Maybe look into Johnson State College in VT? I’m not sure of the vibe there, or how far it is from NYC, but they offer a program in Wellness & Alternative Medicine that your description of herbs reminded me of.
I have a friend whose kid went to warren wilson…and he could have written the note you posted above…even with the distance , I recommend checking it out.