Searching for Good Colleges for New Media

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I’ve done one of these before, but my goals have changed slightly. I’ve just started my senior year and am trying to figure out where I should be applying to and whether or not I should even bother with the subject tests and the higher-level institutions. I’m looking to go into a media development type degree, like web design but a little broader. A combination of art and programming is basically what I’m looking for, with the goal of working in a design firm.</p>

<p>So far I’m thinking:
**RIT<a href="+One%20of%20the%20best%20programs%20in%20the%20country%20for%20my%20degree,%20undergraduate%20focus,%20Co-ops,%20location:%20close%20to%20one%20of%20my%20favorite%20ski%20resorts%20;">/b</a> and I like the cold. –not so excited about the campus culture and the lack of women)</p>

<p>**Drexel<a href="+Good%20program%20for%20my%20degree,%20Co-ops,%20seems%20to%20have%20small%20class%20sizes%20-not%20sure%20how%20I%20feel%20about%20Philly,%20and%20the%20school%20is%20a%20little%20bigger%20and%20more%20graduate%20focused%20than%20I%C2%92d%20like">/b</a></p>

<p>**RPI<a href="+Pretty%20unique%20program%20not%20exactly%20what%20I%C2%92m%20looking%20for,%20but%20interesting,%20undergraduate%20focus,%20-Troy/Albany%20is%20a%20mess,%20and%20a%20pretty%20depressed%20area,%20the%20extreme%20lack%20of%20women%20;">/b</a> )</p>

<p>**Pratt<a href="+At%20the%20epicenter%20of%20the%20creative%20world,%20pretty%20cool%20urban%20campus,%20most%20interesting%20of%20the%20art%20schools,%20-lacking%20in%20the%20programming%20area">/b</a></p>

<p>**New Paltz<a href="+Nice%20location,%20and%20can%20afford%20without%20any%20debt%20:">/b</a> –doesn’t have exactly the major I’m looking for, and state schools just seem more impersonal)</p>

<p>Obviously would like to go to Brown, CMU, Cornell, etc… But don’t think I would get in.</p>

<p>As far as campuses go, would like to stay northeast but if some gem lays out west I’d certainly consider. Prefer smaller class sizes with a focus on undergrad. Urban/Suburban/Rural doesn’t really matter, as long as there is stuff to do. Not into real wild party culture, but do enjoy having a conversation with someone that moves beyond Star-Trek. </p>

<p>As far as stats go:</p>

<p>SATs
1950 (700R, 700M, 550W), should be able to raise this at least a 150 or so, I panicked on the essay and I usually do a lot better on the reading. </p>

<p>GPA
3.9
I’m homeschooled so I don’t know how to weight my GPA, but I’ll graduate with 24 credits of college course work and have taken a pretty challenging workload.</p>

<p>Senior Year
British Literature
Calculus
Advanced Physics
Japanese III
Art History
Economics*
English Comp I & II*
Psychology*
*College Courses</p>

<p>ECs
9th-12th Varsity Basketball- Captain Senior Year
9th-12th Basketball Camp
12 Years of Studio Art weekly w/local artist
9th-12th Layout/Designer of School Paper
11th-12th Editor of School Paper
11th Cover Design of Yearbook
11th Varsity Soccer</p>

<p>Volunteer Work
Mobile Food Pantry 100+ Hours
Clothes Closet 100+ Hours</p>

<p>Experiences, for lack of a better word…not really sure how to (or if) fit these in with a college application, but…</p>

<p>I made a computer simulation of volleyball to test how the change in the way the game is scored effects competition. I ran it a million times with various levels of opponents and applied a statistical test to see if the rule change made a significant difference.</p>

<p>I did a survey testing the general publics understanding of the basic principles of design, by showing them one picture of colored shapes that showed a certain principle and one that broke this principle, and asked them to select the one they though looked better. I ran a bunch of statistical tests against a number of different factors (age, gender, career) to see which group had the best design sense.</p>

<p>I made a JavaScript based tic-tac-toe game in such a way that the AI never loses. Learned that there are a lot more ways to win than I originally thought, lol.</p>

<p>Also this year my basketball coach had to retire pretty suddenly, and because our selection process is like earth-shatteringly slow, I'm going to be simultaneously coaching and playing for at least the first half of the season. Possibly a good essay topic? Albeit somewhat late…</p>

<p>Any help would be greatly appreciated. :)</p>

2

<p>Here at the University of Oregon we have a Journalism: Electronic Media major that just might suit your fancy. I’m a computer science major; my peers and I often collaborate with journalism majors on projects like iPad magazines, managing newspaper websites, etc. There’s tons of interdisciplinary opportunities so you can explore interests outside of what you might usually enjoy.</p>

<p>I see you enjoy painting and basketball too. Obviously, we’re known for our athletics–intramural sports is a big deal on campus and we just opened the state-of-the-art Matt Knight Arena for our varsity basketball team.</p>

<p>Eugene, OR offers quite a vibrant art scene. It’s known as one of the top college towns for touring bands to stop by and there’s numerous art studios around town.</p>

<p>PM me if you have any questions! I absolutely love it here and wouldn’t choose to go anywhere else.</p>

3

<p>Looks like you’ve done your research. I don’t have much to suggest except maybe NYU? I’m not positive, but I’m pretty sure they’re into new media. And they have that create your own major program too.</p>

<p>If I were going back to school for any art out east I’d probably choose Pratt or New Paltz. New Paltz has the benefit of being very affordable, plus I love the area and it does have a great reputation. One of my best professors in school (and a pretty well recognized sculptor) went there in the 1970s. If you’re looking at working more in the technological side though RIT and RPI seem better choices. Most technical schools have fewer women…but don’t forget there’s a women’s college in Troy…maybe there’s some mingling?</p>

4

<p>Oh, also, The New School</p>

5

<p>Syracuse and Alfred University might have it. Best of luck!</p>