So, here’s my conundrum - Reed is my number one college choice, by far. However, it is 40 hours away from my home in VA. Additionally, without LOTS of financial aid (which I may not be eligible for), there is absolutely no way I could pay. So, my alternative was some type of college in NYC. NYC has some of the same pros as Portland has and is much closer (about nine hours away).
Does anyone know of a college similar to Reed in New York City or even along the east coast, entirely? By similar to Reed I am speaking of the overall philosophy, vibe, campus life, etc. (very philosophical, more liberal, hippie, high academic standard, etc.) THANK YOU.
Amherst College
Bard College
Bowdoin College
Middlebury College
New College of Florida
Oberlin College
Swarthmore College
Vassar College
Wesleyan University
In general, liberal arts colleges tend to be located outside of major urban areas. So if you want an urban LAC, your options will be limited. If you want an urban LAC that also has a funky and alternative vibe, your options will be even more limited.
The East Coast school that is most often compared to Reed is probably Wesleyan. Wesleyan has a somewhat similar hippie alternative liberal vibe. However, it is located in a small town in central Connecticut, not in NYC.
The closest thing to a Reed or Wesleyan in the NYC area is probably Sarah Lawrence, which is located in Westchester, just north of NYC. I think you can take the train to NYC.
The Princeton Review has a list of schools for “Birkenstock-Wearing, Tree-Hugging, Clove-Smoking Vegetarians” (Reed is #1 on this list). Some northeastern schools that are ranked highly on this list include Bennington, Marlboro, Ithaca, Skidmore, and Bard, as well as Wesleyan and Sarah Lawrence. However, none of these schools are particularly urban or close to NYC.
If you are attracted to Portland, you should look at Lewis & Clark as well as Reed. You might also look at Occidental (an urban LAC in Los Angeles) or Pitzer (in the eastern LA suburbs).
You might research Bard, Hampshire, Bennington, and Bates. Smith if you are female. You might also like U Mass-Amherst. Smith, Hampshire, and U Mass are members of the five-school Western Mass consortium (with Amherst and Mount Holyoke), and students can take classes at the other member schools. UNC-Asheville is a public LAC with an outdoorsy vibe. Good luck!
It’s hard to find colleges (as opposed to universities) in many big cities, and none of those in either category in NYC (Barnard, Columbia, NYU) seem to fit your bill.
The first name to came to my mind was Vassar (a hour 45 minutes by train into NYC), if you replace “hippie” with “quirky/artsy.” Others can tell you more than I can how great the difference might be between it and Reed.
Not sure how many hippies we have left on this coast. There are some schools that seem like they are doing more of their own thing, like Bennington or Bard, but I don’t know if some of those schools would be academically rigorous enough for you, and I suspect most of them would not be affordable.
Basically, the distinguishing qualities of Reed are as follows:
(1) Liberal arts college
(2) Urban location
(3) Highly intellectual
(4) Hippie alternative vibe
No other school has all four qualities to the same degree. So to find other schools of possible interest, you will need to compromise on one (or more) of these qualities. For example:
UC Berkeley might have 2, 3, and 4 (but not 1).
Wesleyan might have 1, 3, and 4 (but not 2).
Lewis & Clark might have 1, 2, and 4 (but not 3).
Swarthmore might have 1, 2, and 3 (but not 4).
So you might want to consider which of these qualities you are most and least willing to compromise on.
Using the qualities listed by Corbett, Sarah Lawrence would have 1 and 4, and to a certain extent 3 – (i’d say more artsy/intellectual). It is a suburban location and very easy commute into NYC.
You could also consider Eugene Lang – see http://www.newschool.edu/lang/ – In theory that gives you all 4, but Lang is less selective and I don’t know how much you could expect in financial aid – but they do offer merit aid so you could explore that.
The problem is this: “without LOTS of financial aid (which I may not be eligible for),”
This statement suggests that your parents earn too much to qualify you for substantial need-based aid … which would mean that you need to focus on colleges that offer substantial merit aid. And if that’s the case, you probably are going to have to substantially rethink your list — because if you can’t afford Reed due to ineligibility for need-based aid, most of the other colleges that have been suggested will be unaffordable as well. (Distance and travel costs are trivial compared to the cost of tuition & room and board – something to factor in, but if you were eligible for need based aid, the college would also provide a travel allowance).
You mention that without significant financial aid you would not be able to afford Reed. Most of the other schools shared are also expensive, and most (if not all) do not 100% meet demonstrated need. Some may give merit. Do you know how much your family can afford and your EFC? I only ask because it may bring about additional school names which may be more affordable.
Here’s an out-of-the-box idea: Dutch university colleges. Schools in the Netherlands (and In Europe generally) tend to be more focused and professional than in the U.S. Several years ago a Dutch educator started a movement to create University Colleges at Dutch universities. I believe University College Utrecht was the first. They are modeled after U.S. LACs. They are small and have liberal arts curriculums. They are self-consciously international in focus, and all classes are taught in English (I believe at all of them). They are very good schools, and students often go on to top grad schools. They only cost about $12,000 or a little more a year for U.S. students and students receive a bachelors degree in three years, not four. Here are links to a couple, but I think there are something like a dozen.
Thank you all so much for the intelligent and helpful replies. I will most likely apply for a scholarship through the Army Reserves. I have a contact that could help me get this scholarship (it isn’t that selective anyhow) and this would pay for all of my tuition. If I didn’t receive this scholarship, however, the financial side would be quite an issue. I am very interested about the Dutch Universities and will check that out. SLC and Reed are my top choices as of now, but I definitely need some backups. Thank you all again!