We just completed a 5 college tour (Ithaca, Muhlenberg, Bard, Skidmore and St. Lawrence) with our D and her two favorites were St. Lawrence and Bard. She wants to study Theatre, Communications/Rhetoric and Psychology. She loves musical theatre but she doesn’t necessarily want to go the BFA route because she wants a broader education plan. She’s not really preppy, more artsy, but has a huge array of friends. She’s not into Greek life. Academically, she scored a 31 on her ACT, has a 3.75 unweighted GPA. We’re hitting the east coast in August and planning the college tours. Considering Clark, Holy Cross, Brandeis, Hampshire, Bates, Connecticut. Any thoughts or suggestions?
Wesleyan and Vassar. Not exactly east coast, but Oberlin and Kenyon in Ohio might fit the bill as well
She should do the Immediate Decision Plan at Bard. Higher acceptance rate and they let you know within a week after attending the program. Sign up as soon as slots are available.
I think your suggestions are pretty good.
Applying as a female artsy student to some of the schools known for the arts can be a tougher admit – no reason not to apply to a Wesleyan or Vassar or Bard, but try to find some schools that aren’t quite as known for the arts. Bates would be one, for example.
What was it she liked so much about St. Lawrence and Bard, vs. say Skidmore? That might help to identify other prospects.
St. Lawrence was my son’s second choice but his chose to attend Bates (his first choice.) He felt they were very close in terms of feel, type of student and academically. I’ve no doubt he would have been happy if he chose SLU and defiitely would have attended had he not gotten into Bates.
The only other school on your list he looked at was Clark. Too “save the world” for him so didn’t apply.
In addition to suggestions above, You can read up on Fordham - Lincoln Center. Auditions are part of the admission process but it is not a BFA track. It may not be as good for musical theater as it is for straight acting though. Maybe Boston College and NYU as well. As a bit of a safety perhaps SUNY Purchase.
Fordham-Lincoln Center does not have a Musical Theater program. Their Theater Performance major focuses on dramatic acting, and their Dance BFA is separate. If she were interested in college in NYC, Barnard would be perfect (depending on her academic chops), and Eugene Lang/New School is a possibility (sort of like Bennington or Hampshire deposited on lower Fifth Avenue). If she doesn’t want that urban setting, maybe Goucher, Skidmore, or Connecticut College would be appealing. Skidmore is very arts-friendly, also. Muhlenberg is supposed to be good in those areas, also. I don’t know whether Sarah Lawrence has much in the way of Psychology.
Fordham, NYU and SUNY Purchase are all auditioned programs. Fordham and NYU, though, are good options for someone who does want strong acting training along with broader academics, because Fordham is a BA and NYU has substantial academic requirements, plus students can do up to two semesters of solely academics if they want.
But, not sure the OP is looking for urban and / or university settings.
the two things she really liked about St. Lawrence was their travel abroad program which is highly rated there and they have an opportunity to do a semester in the Adirondacks, which apparently is a “must do” according to many of the students. I think she really likes that outdoor opportunity.
I would suggest you check out Drew university in madison NJ. Great school not hard to get in to, nice suburban NJ campus. Strong theater program my son’ best drama friend is studying voice there. Easy access to NY, in Manhattan in no time. Easy access to the beaches if want. Coastal less harsh winters. Suburban NJ at it’s finest.
Skidmore and Conn for artsy kids; Bates for artsy, not super preppy kids who want active outdoors life.
http://www.bestcollegereviews.org/features/most-amazing-college-campus-theaters/
Bard is #1 on this list. Might also want to check out Bryn Mawr and Emerson (in addition to the schools mentioned above).
Hamilton also has a semester long academic Adirondack program, as well as a new theatre and studio arts building. Connecticut College definitely belongs on her list.
Btw, I don’t consider SLU and Bard to be particularly similar. Their main similarity for your daughter may be that she likes them both. If she can identify which of these two schools she likes more, that may help her better select her next group of colleges.
Drew is not so challenging academically. Be forewarned. Are we saying that St. is an abbreviation for Sarah? not talking about St. Lawrence University, right? I think Sarah Lawrence would be fine for psychology. But it’s an odd place. Many kids go to NYC every weekend and spend lots of their parents’ money.
not Sarah Lawrence, we visited St. Lawrence University, Canton, NY. We loved it
SLU passed an interesting test for your daughter. The school is, relative to other colleges, reputationally preppy. If the degree or form of this element of the social atmosphere was acceptable to her, then she should feel free now to consider other colleges that are, also, reputationally preppy. She may not need a college that is reputationally “artsy” to find her place and thrive. Personally, I like that she has already blurred these distinctions by picking St. Lawrence and Bard as her two current favorites.
I think you have a really good list of schools for the next round of visits, though Holy Cross couldn’t be more different than Clark (just as SLU is from Bard). University of Hartford would be a safety for Psychology. UH has The Hartt School offering a BFA in Music Theater. Its Psychology department has a doctoral terminal degree, just like Clark. She would not be able to double major, but if she chose Psychology over Music Theater, she would at least have exposure to a very good theater department for non-academic activities on campus. Your daughter would qualify for consideration for a National Honors Scholarship based on her statistics, which would equate to 100% of tuition.
@igitur
If you are visiting Bates please interview. I would suggest that for Holy Cross too. Those two are more difficult to get into than others on your list. This year Bates acceptance rate was just 17% in regular decision and 21% overall.
I, too, think that for a girl (not URM?) applying to Northeastern LACs known for the arts, Wesleyan and/or Vassar will be tough admits for her stats. Not saying don’t apply, just pointing out the reality of these super selective northeastern LACs. Everyone (and their sister) interested in studying / participating in theatre will be looking at Wes and Vassar. It will be uber competitive. In 2013, my D with similar stats (32 ACT, 3.8 UW/4.5 W GPA) with a pretty strong theatre resume that also included singing as well as significant participation in 2 other ECs, one community service for 3 years and the other an individual sport at a regionally competitive level for 10+ years, did not get into Wes (or Middlebury or Williams where she was a legacy). She did get admitted to Conn College, Hamilton, Muhlenberg, Denison and Bucknell (where she is now a very happy first year after a gap year). Bucknell will likely not work for your D if she is not into Greek life but the fact that she likes two such different colleges in terms of vibe is great. It means she is adaptable and can see herself happy in a variety of settings/student bodies. I agree that Oberlin and Kenyon in Ohio might work and also Denison and/or Wooster (all of these college have merit aid with Denison and Wooster notoriously generous). I know Ohio’s not east coast but something to consider (and they could all be seen in a few days on one trip).
I am a white female with a 28 ACT and a 3.78. I was accepted to both Vassar and Wesleyan regular decision for the class of 2019. Yes my stats are low but I was able to speak to the admissions officer at Vassar that admitted me when I visited. I was told that my common app personal statement was what pushed me over the edge (I also have a lot of ECs and played a varsity sport for 4 years). Although they are both great schools, I decided to attend Vassar over Wes because I liked the feel of the campus more. I encourage your daughter to apply to both!!
thanks for posting olicm82, that’s very encouraging to hear! It’s great to hear stories like this as we head toward the decision of where to apply 
Good luck to you!