<p>I love how small and personal Barnard is. The opportunities are great. I need a really amazing city. Generally I’m not too keen on all girls schools, but Barnard is different.
I love most of what I know about Barnard, but I need some good backups. I fear that I’m crazy about a one of a kind.
Any suggestions?</p>
<p>What do you like most about Barnard? If “small and personal” is the attraction, then there are easily dozens of LAC’s at all ranges of selectivity that would fit that description.</p>
<p>I don’t just want a small school. I want a small school with the opportunities of a large university in a great city with tons of options for internship opportunities. My sister goes to a great small liberal arts school in a college town. It’s a very good school, and I want the kind of close knit community that she has found there. However, I want more than a college town. Barnard makes the city a part of the education, and because I’m very indecisive and take interest in a wide range of subjects, i need a school that has plenty of majors that I’m interested in. I want to be around intelligent, interesting kids, and I want out of the south. I want the size, the city (realistically, one like it), the opportunities, and the kids–as one package. That’s not all I’m interested in about Barnard, but I’ll save some for the supplement app, considering this is completely public.</p>
<p>Here are some suggestions:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Look into Gallatin School of Individualized Study at NYU. You also get the benefit of a small school within a large one, unlimited range of majors</p></li>
<li><p>Consider Fordham, either the LC or Rose Hill campus – if you can get into Barnard, Fordham is a safety and may offer merit aid.</p></li>
<li><p>Consider Bard – its not in the city – quite far away, actually – but Bard does have some very close ties with NYC and NY-based programs. </p></li>
<li><p>Maybe Sarah Lawrence? Suburban, but only a 30 minute train ride to Grand Central. </p></li>
<li><p>Consider Goucher or American if you would be interested in DC-area internships.</p></li>
<li><p>Smith – nice college town with plenty to do, 5-college consortium</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Oh thank you, yet again, you have really helped! I’m sorry I was a little short with you. My college counselor made a list of schools for me, and a bunch of those were on the list. I love DC. I’m open to other cities, but I’ve noticed there aren’t a ton of small schools in big cities. There is no place quite like Barnard, but I’ll look into all of these. :]</p>
<p>I know – LAC’s in big cities are pretty hard to find – I went through that with my d. I’d note that my d. visited Goucher & American and did not like them, decided that D.C. was not a “happening” town – but she didn’t really want a small school, either. The Barnard attraction wasn’t that it was a small school with the resources of a large university – more that it was a large university with some of the benefits of a small school (like close advising and faculty relationships). So it ended up that my d’s only real safety – other than the publics in our home state – was Fordham… which she never visited. I liked Fordham because they had an online application form that was really easy and fast to fill out. 
(It was a last minute addition to her list, so it was nice that it didn’t take much time.)</p>
<p>Another place you might consider – but not urban – is Skidmore. </p>
<p>Interesting fact about Bard – did you know that [url=<a href=“http://www.bard.edu/about/history/]Bard[/url”>Bard College History]Bard[/url</a>] was once an affiliate of Columbia, the same way Barnard is now? Bard was an independent college at its present site, but its grads would get Columbia U. degrees. However, it was male-only – and Columbia objected to them going co-ed and accepting women in the 1940s – which was dumb, because there was a shortage of college-going males during WWII, when every single able-bodied man in the US was in the military. So Bard broke the relationship and went co-ed in 1944.</p>
<p>Very cool about Bard! Silly Columbia. Plus Bard and Barnard sound nice together. Oh well. Columbia’s loss.
One of my good friends is going to Skidmore, I’ve heard great things, but I’ve also heard it’s pretty tough to get to in terms of travel.
I was not a fan of American, but I’m still applying. Not quite a safety, but I’d probably get in. Though not small at all, GW had most of what I was looking for. They get a lot of really great speakers and internship opportunities, and GW is located in downtown DC (which is infinitely better than a suburb just outside). I suppose I’m more scared of places like NYU than I am in need of a small school. There’s not much of a campus, and you’re just thrown into New York City. It’s a little daunting.
I know this is silly, but I’m generally a little turned off to Fordham. Our school’s biggest pot head is going there. He made terrible grades and didn’t have much of anything going for him. He probably doesn’t represent the student body as a whole, but I am certain that I don’t want to be around kids like him.
Your daughter sounds very gutsy, and I really respect that. Unfortunately my stats aren’t high enough to take that kind of risk. I’m terrified that I’ll end up going to school in my hometown, but it’s really the only school in the state I’d think about.</p>
<p>Actually I forgot – my d. also applied to Northeastern, which I considered a safety for her. She did get in and they offered some kind of merit scholarship, but we didn’t follow up on that because by that point she had heard from Barnard, NYU, Chicago – so didn’t really need a safety any more. But that is another school that has an urban campus and plenty of opportunities for internships.</p>