<p>Let me start by saying that I do not apply myself much in school. I manage to get by with decent GPAs usually in the 3.5 area, but this is not what I could get. I know that if I really applied myself and tried just a bit more that I could get a 4.0 without too much problem. I just don't feel too challenged in my school, and the teachers don't really challenge us too much, doing things like giving us 25 point crossword puzzles and that sort of crap. I consider myself to be a fairly smart person, I think very differently from the others that go to our school, and I know this. I don't just accept things for how they are, I always want to know why that is, and if I don't like it, how it can be changed. Also, I have only taken the ACT once, only getting a 22, but then again I had to crap through half of it because it was my first time taking it and I'm one of these people who look over the same question several times before answering. When I think of an intellectual college, I think of places along the lines of Reed College. I have a few worries. One worry being my GPA. Though it isn't bad at all, it's not the 4.0 that some schools look for. Another problem is that I'm pretty much just one of those kids that go to school and don't do too many clubs or extracurricular activities, simply because none interest me. Lastly is cost. I live in the south (Louisiana), so I am afraid tuition and that sort of thing will be too high. I would absolutely love to go to a school of like minded people. I truly believe I would thrive in an atmosphere like that. I am asking two things. Firstly, what are some colleges that fit my mindset and sound like they would fit me? Secondly, what are my chances of actually being accepted? I hear that many schools like this have different admission systems that look at things other than grades, knowing that grades do not always reflect one's intellect. Thank you in advance.</p>
<p>hendrix college is a must for you to check out!</p>
<p>The typical list of small, quirky schools for smart kids includes Reed, Oberlin and Kenyon which are in Ohio, Grinnell in Iowa, Macalester in Minnesota, Pitzer on West Coast, Bard, Sarah Lawrence, maybe Skidmore (all in NY). Tough, competitive admissions. </p>
<p>Similar types of places though not quite as competitive to get into would include Kalamazoo College in Michigan, Earlham College in Indiana, Hendrix, Beloit just north of Illinois border in Wisconsin, Cornell College (Iowa, not NY), Knox in Illinois. Maybe College of Wooster in Ohio. Most of these are on the “Colleges that Change Lives” list of small schools that don’t get noticed as much by people focusing on top 20 lists. </p>
<p>While you are correct that schools look at the complete picture for admissions, they are looking for how the testing and gpa fit together, what kind of story it tells, plus what has a student done outside of the classroom. They are not only looking for lots of clubs etc – if students have had significant responsibilities at home caring for younger family members or work part-time to contribute to the family, that all counts as “ECs”. </p>
<p>If you are a junior, there is time to prep for the ACT and get that score up. Get a review book and work meticulously through the examples and tests. If you are a senior, then the 22 is not going to budge much and your best bet is probably 1-2 years of strong coursework at a local public commuter school and then transfer elsewhere. </p>
<p>Good luck as you work through your options, this is a challenging time for high school students.</p>
<p>How much can your family afford to pay each year for your college education? This is VERY important.</p>
<p>I agree with Midwestmomofboys’ comments, especially about how colleges are looking at your grades, test scores, and activities outside of schoolwork. There’s an old bit of advice for writers to show, not tell. You show a college that you’re an intelligent, interested, interesting student with your grades, test scores, and activities. Telling the college that you’re intelligent isn’t as effective as the showing. From your other posts, it looks like you’re a sophomore, so you have time to work on how to show schools you are a good candidate for admission.</p>
<p>The list of colleges above is a good one for you. But grades often top the list of what colleges want to see… it is easier to find “test optional” than “grade optional” schools! That said, if you can take one more crack at the ACT and study for it this time it would help. If you don’t have great grades but you do have good test scores, than will help your admissions process. And it is probably too late to do much about your grades (although a good first semester senior year can help). You have to do something to prove the “smart” part to get into a college with those types of kids.</p>
<p>“I’m one of these people who look over the same question several times before answering.”</p>
<p>Do you do this on all of your exams? I ask because sometimes this type of perseveration is related to exam-based anxieties and certain types of learning differences/disabilities. All of which are things that you may want to have addressed before leaving for college.</p>
<p>Some good suggestions above. I agree with what others have said–you do have to somehow demonstrate to each college that you can handle the work and contribute at the same level as the rest of the students. Hendrix, for example, has an ACT range of 27-32 for admitted students (compared with 28-32 for Macalester and Grinnell, 26-30 for Skidmore and 24-30 for Wooster). It is an oddly self-selecting school–its admission rates are high, which suggests that most of the students applying are well-qualified. It definitely has a “quirky” vibe but the academics are pretty rigorous. It is not a place one could expect to slack off and still do well.</p>
<p>What about a school like Warren Wilson? It’s a magnet for unconventional kids and is definitely the kind of place that could change one’s life.</p>
<p>I would look at Hampshire in Amherst, MA and Bennington in VT, though money could be an issue</p>
<p>“The typical list of small, quirky schools for smart kids includes Reed, Oberlin and Kenyon which are in Ohio” except for Reed which is in Oregon. :)</p>
<p>I’d look at Evergreen State College in Olympia WA. My S goes there and he sounds a lot like you. He’s found the courses extremely interesting and loves the teachers.</p>
<p>If you’re a sophomore, or even a junior, you still have enough time to lose a little of your Holden Caulfield complex and show a bump in your GPA and scores.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, look at the Colleges That Change Lives list.
[CTCL</a> Members | Colleges That Change Lives](<a href=“http://www.ctcl.org/colleges/list]CTCL”>http://www.ctcl.org/colleges/list)
Reed and Whitman are the most selective of this bunch.
You should have a shot at many of the others.</p>
<p>For any schools that seriously interest you, run the Net Price Calculator (Google for [college name] + “Net Price Calculator”). Once you’ve figured out your Estimated Family Contribution (EFC), sit down with your parents to discuss whether they are able and willing to cover all of it. If they aren’t, you’ll need a strategy to cover the gap, or else you’ll need to choose less expensive alternatives.</p>
<p>You’ll need some more hard work, as everyone else said. A perfect college for unique students of extremely cerebral character would be Harvey Mudd but you’ve probably blown your chances there. </p>
<p>Oberlin, Reed, Swarthmore would be possibilities, but you need to start getting serious about the SATs and grades.</p>
<p>vonlost – I get a bit sensitive because I teach writing. To my mind, "Reed, Oberlin and Kenyon which are in Ohio, Grinnell in Iowa . . . " was a list, set off by commas – with the set within each separate clause sharing the designation. So Reed was on its own, followed by Oberlin and Kenyon together, with the shared designation, followed by other individual schools. </p>
<p>If I am using a structure that confuses my audience, I need to reevaluate how I articulate it! Thanks, and happy holidays.</p>
<p>Well, I considered “Reed, Oberlin and Kenyon” to be a properly constructed list of three items, and then noted that “The typical list of small, quirky schools for smart kids includes Reed, Oberlin and Kenyon which are in Ohio, Grinnell in Iowa, Macalester in Minnesota, Pitzer on West Coast, Bard, Sarah Lawrence, maybe Skidmore (all in NY)” gave every school a location. I then incorrectly concluded there was a mistake. Sorry!</p>
<p>No apology – I just don’t want to get lazy and confusing – (and I was certainly a little lazy with the original post). Happy Tgiving to you and your family!</p>