Other cool alternatives to Swarthmore besides Deep Springs and Merchant Marine?

<p>I ordered Don Asher's Cool Colleges book from Amazon a few weeks ago, and fell in love with Deep Springs. I also thought the profile on the Merchant Marine Academy was interesting where kids spend their summers on sea. So, I'll be applying to go to school on a ranch and on the ocean this fall. Do any other out-of-the-box programs come to mind that are life-changing? Do you guys have any suggestions for back-up schools, because I understand admissions to both schools are extremely competitive. So far I have Swarthmore because I like the intellectual atmosphere, University of Chicago, because I like the Great Books program, and RPI, because I received a medal for math and science achievement for $15,000 per year. My parents want me to apply to all of the Ivys, and MIT as well, so that makes a total of 14 schools. Thanks for any help. If you need information about my academics/activities, let me know.</p>

<p>OK, (sorry Mom and Dad!) but most CCers will tell you to NOT focus on the prestige/name factor. Deep Springs is so NOT Ivy League, but has MORE depth than most experience in the Ivy league. Looking for an <em>experience</em> and quality education? Consider Sarah Lawrence, Williams, Haverford, Bowdoin, Bates, Colby… Colorado College, Kenyon… so many to recommend… You need to find your personal fit. It’s really cool that you like Deep Springs! What are your SATs like? That will help ppl answer…</p>

<p>While I agree that applying to Ivies+MIT for their prestige is the WRONG reason to choose a school, I also want to add caveats to the flip side… Sarah Lawrence, for example, can be a terrible match for many people. (And is around 70% female, I believe, which skews the social atmosphere.)</p>

<p>You don’t need to attend a small LAC to get an “experience” and a quality education.</p>

<p>You might want to look at the “Colleges That Change Lives” list for some interesting options. My D is attending Hampshire come the fall and yet is not an artsy stoner (which is quite often its reputation). It has a farm on campus and she can take a history of bluegrass music class to meet a humanities/communication distribution requirement. So there are a lot of “cool” options out there, you have to figure out what is a fit for you.</p>

<p>worldspirit: My SAT scores are 2150- around 700 for each section. I saw that you recommended Haverford which is less than half an hour away from Swarthmore. Is it worth applying to both schools? What’s special about each one? Thanks.
Keilexandra: I believe a smaller atmosphere helps provide a better experience because you know the students and professors better, but do any large schools come to mind that fit this criteria?</p>

<p>kinderny: You said your d is taking a history of bluegrass music class. I know Oberlin similarly allows academic freedom and exploration—students are allowed to teach classes for credit. Do any other intellectual schools come to mind?</p>

<p>Carleton College in Minnesota has the highest concentration of math majors I’ve ever seen outside of a tech school. It’s a little bigger than Swarthmore, but, also has an arboretum. :)</p>

<p>I have heard good things about Macalester (St Paul area I think) but have no direct personal experience.</p>

<p>johnwesley and kinderny: Macalester and Carleton are both in Minnesota. Is one better than the other, or should I apply to both? Thanks.</p>

<p>^^It depends on what you are looking for at this point. Macalester would probably be more of a safety for you; it’s similar in size to Carleton but in a more densely populated suburb than Northfield. Both offer the potential for the kind of student-faculty interaction you are looking for. FWIW, Mac was my second choice after Wesleyan, many moons ago.</p>

<p>You’re getting lots of good suggestions. Carleton is a good alternative to Swarthmore. If you are from the Midwest, Carleton is typically harder to get into than Swarthmore (and vice versa). My daughter got into Swat as a Midwesterner and was waitlisted at Carleton. Macalester is a great school and quirky like Swat but is “highly selective” rather than “most selective” on the ratings - therefore more accessible. Daughter visited Swat and Haverford - fell in love with Swat and did not like Haverford at all. They have very different profiles. Haverford has an honor code and that kind of thing just makes my daughter roll her eyes. But our tour guide at Haverford was completely enamorerd with it. We viisited in November and the Swat students had an unhealthy pallor (there’s a saying something like "academics, social life, sleep - you can pick any two of the three at Swat) and the Haverford students still looked tan and healthy. My daughter connected with the pallor.</p>

<p>johnwesley: So Macalester has a different setting basically. I’ll look into it…</p>

<p>libartsmom: I’ve heard too that Haverford likes to brag about their honor code. But I do value health. I’ll have to consider the pallor your daughter witnessed when applying. Thanks for the heads up!</p>

<p>libartsmom: I had a very similar feeling as your daughter when I visited Haverford. My tour guide/info session did a horrendous job explaining the honor code. I asked what the point of taking exams in your dorm room was (I like the structure of traditional testing) and they just fumbled around about how everyone trusts each other. I went to Bryn Mawr which has a similar honor code and my tour guide and the admissions officer both did lovely jobs explaining it so it was far less off putting. The fact that the Haverford student seemed to blindly worship said honor code turned me off right away and I did not apply.</p>

<p>Haverford. Overrated?</p>

<p>st. johns college in annapolis, maryland definitely deserves a mention here. their “great books program” is ridiculous and awesome. definitely check it out.</p>

<p>applying to all of the ivies is a waste of time and money. be logical and reasonable in sending out applications.</p>

<p>Thanks liminal. You’re absolutely right. I like St. John’s College, but I feel like it’s too small…</p>

<p>it may be the case. size becomes negligible unless you want the atmosphere that is actually associated by having more people around you; that is to say, the size of a typical friend group usually stays the same no matter what the size of your school is; there are only so many people you can meet. you’re posting in the swarthmore forum and have only mentioned small schools except for the big names that you say your parents are making you apply to, so i’m assuming you’re okay with small.</p>

<p>if you think that st. johns is too small you’d better reconsider deep springs, with an enrollment under 30 compared to st. john’s 450-500ish.</p>

<p>

LOL! I was uncomfortable with Williams for the same reason (Haverford got crossed off early on for the super-intense Honor Code). Everyone looked too fit and tan and pretty.</p>

<p>liminal: I’ll reword what I said. St. John’s isn’t too small for me, I’m just worried about the amount of resources they have.
Keilexandra: I was thinking about applying to Williams, but if it’s anything like Haverford, that’s a giant red x on my list</p>