Starting college search over

Parents Forum
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<p>I'm starting my college search over.</p>

<p>I had long had a list of colleges upon which I salivated over every day. However, my interests and desires have changed recently.</p>

<p>For a long time, I was dead set on attending a well-known college which would propel me to the upper echelons of the political world. However, that is no longer my desire.</p>

<p>I'm a 18 year old male who has thought about dropping out of high school numerous times because, simply put, it bores me. I want a college that will challenge the way that I think and force me to evaluate the very basis of everything in which I believe.</p>

<p>Stat wise, I've underachieved all my life. I have a 3.157 gpa because I could care less about school. I fell asleep during two portions of the ACT and received a 28. </p>

<p>At one point, I was a very good athlete with the ability to go play college ball in either baseball or football, or perhaps both. However, sports, at this point in my life, means about as much to me as high school- I see it as a waste of time and believe there are much more important things in life, mainly the pursuit of happiness and helping others.</p>

<p>So, I guess my intention is to ask for help. However hard that may be for me, I am hoping that someone here can help me, whether it be by suggesting a wonderful college that I can attend, or by giving me some advice.</p>

<p>I will also post this in the parent forum, hoping for some wise and noble advice from our more seasoned friends.</p>

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<p>you should study philosophy in college if you want the basis of everything you believe in to be challenged. but before that, maybe you should take some time off between graduation and college to pull yourself together. take a gap year to figure things out, don't waste the tuition money if you're only going to be lazy in college.</p>

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<p>


</p>

<p>I.) Do not send this otherwise fine score. Retake and stay awake. Score choice is your friend. With your GPA and a ACT in the 30's your options will open up a good bit more. </p>

<p>2.) Since you seem to be finding your calling in service to others while concomittantly floundering along in doubt, you may be the poster child for a meaningful gap year experience that speaks to what you profess to find important. Get out there and test what you are telling us. Challenge that. And in the meantime, address your issues with a counselor to see if something else might not be going on in your noggin.</p>

<p>3.) IMO the unstructured high temptation few rules world of UG may not be the best place for you right now. Gee. How would I know that? ;) (I was younger than you and if I could be so bold as to compare us - far, far dumber. It wasn't that pretty. It is still referred to my biographers as "The Lost Years".)</p>

<p>4.) Have faith in yourself. Sometimes it's all you will have. It'll be enough. For true. ;) </p>

<p>5.) Good luck.</p>

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<p>would a school like Northeastern with its work cooperative program be more compelling a structure for you? </p>

<p>
[quote]
I want a college that will challenge the way that I think and force me to evaluate the very basis of everything in which I believe.

[/quote]

Adding on to the idea of a major in philosophy, similar fields that challenge the basis of one's thinking are: Religion or Classics. Take courses far outside your prior experience, for example: East Asian Studies, African-American History, Talmud...anything that presents another way of thinking about the world. Take a course in each to explore if it grabs you. I am imagining that previously you were considering majors like econ, poli sci, or business. Branch out into the Humanities. Also, don't forget to take courses that let you explore the right side (intuitive) of your brain, not just left-side analytical. For example: try theater, music, art, dance. See if you can go on a Jr. Year abroad to someplace crazy, a nonWestern country whre you have to get LOTS of vaccines to go! </p>

<p>Above all: learn to listen. Listen more, speak less. You'll be amazed.</p>

<p>EDIT: Oooh, your post got Curm out of the woodwork. He's our coolest poster. Do whatever he suggests.</p>

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<p>Would you like something like St. John? My nephew a bright but somewhat lazy student is just loving it. I'd hate it myself. I'm more a fan of taking courses that cover things that hardly get covered in high school - East Asian studies, linguistics, philosophy. </p>

<p>I also think gap years are great if you are feeling burnt out - most schools will hold your place some (like Harvard) actually encourage accepted students to take a gap year.</p>

<p>I second the suggestion of retaking that ACT - a good score will make you look like a smart slacker which is still better than an average slacker. :)</p>

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<p>


Well put, LOL. (Although a 28 is hardly average anywhere other than CC.)</p>

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<p>Brandon:</p>

<p>I am a bit concerned about depression. It is not unusual to strike in the late teen years, quite often in freshman year in college. Look into it, and if necessary, take a gap year to deal with it while also pursuing something that has meaning for you.</p>

<p>Was your boredom and underachievement because school was too easy for you? In other words, were you slacking because you were not challenged? Was there something in or out of school that lit a fire in you?<br>
With your score you certainly can get into some good colleges. The question is what would you want to do once in college?</p>

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<p>Your post screams GAP YEAR for a number of reasons, including Marite's concern (which I share). I think a well chosen gap year focused on some type of community service would be something you would really enjoy, and in the mean time you would have the ability to retake the ACT, maybe take an interesting course or two at a nearby college or community college, and re-evaluate your college list.</p>

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<p>I actually was diagnosed bipolar at the age of 14 and dealt with depression all of my life.</p>

<p>Schools such as Hampshire and Marlboro are becoming very appealing. The option to design my own major is becoming a key factor in my new, expanded college search.</p>

<p>I am thinking about making CTCL my key reference in making this decision. Many of the schools in the book are very appealing and seem to perform the duty I believe a college should perform.</p>

<p>As for the gap year, I may not have the financial resources to partake in it, no matter how appealing it may seem. To put into perspective, my EFC will be zero and I have a non custodial parent who is unemployed.</p>

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<p>St John's has been a terrific school for a friend's son who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He refused to take meds during his first year, and the school worked closely with the parents and student and he's now successfully into his second year. It's also a cTCl college. Of course, the curriculum doesn't appeal to everyone, but it sounds like a potential fit for your interests...</p>

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<p>Designing your own major -- For a safety school look at Ithaca College with its new dean for Interdisciplinary Studies. It might be too much a party school to keep you on-track, so that part concerns me, and it's very rural. </p>

<p>Hampshire -- very cool school, and you're in that Five College Consortium with Smith, Mt Holyoke, Amherst College and UMass Amherst so there's tons to do. My D almost put Hampshire on top of her list for this singular reason: they only build single rooms. They're very small rooms (think: Benedictine monastary...), but no roommate pressures. There's a social lounge on each floor, of course, to meet others.</p>

<p>The key at a place like Hampshire with its wonderful "capstone project" is you must be organized and intrinsically motivated. They reinstituted core requirements around 8 years ago because too many students fell through the cracks in freshman year, so they "guide" much more than when they were founded back in the l960's. Right on the Hampshire campus are two very charming institutions: the National Yiddish Book Center (Aaron Lansky's work, the greatest book rescue in the 20th century, very exciting) and the Eric Carle Museum of Children's LIterature (awwww....) so you can see the Hungry Caterpillar anytime you please, plus special exhibits and maybe work opportunities. Nothing rearranges your thinking like little kids.</p>

<p>Another thing I liked at Hampshire was a woodworking shed with a resident advisor, so you can build yourself bookshelves, dorm furniture, helicopters, whatever and learn to use welding tools and so on.</p>

<p>I got the impression the coursework might be more challenging on the other campuses than right at Hampshire, so you have to be willing to schedule with care and take many shuttle buses to other campuses. </p>

<p>Amherst is a very progressive college town, full of independent bookstores and cafes. Northampton, home to Smith College, will certainly rearrange your mind. </p>

<p>I'm less convinced that a Gap Year is best. If you've just been bored and restless because your h.s. is mechanical and dull, you might suddenly become very happy at a college. My older 2 really liked the small LAC's where people knew each other well and they could form relationships with professors right from the start of freshman year, without grad students competing for attention. This means fewer course selections and majors, of course, but they always found plenty enough to keep them challenged and engaged for 4 years at suburban/rural LAC's.</p>

<p>"COlleges That Change Lives" -- Lots of folks here found it helpful.</p>

<p>Bipolar -- give careful thought to what are your triggers. If overstimulation is bad for you, then the smaller, rural LAC can work great as compared to beign in the middle of, say, NYC or LA. My brother works for NAMI (National Assoc. for Mental Illness). Google them up and see if there's a local chapter for meetings near your college; not a necessity but just a source of support during the years you attend. You might like to have others who understand without making them all be your college mates. Separate the two concerns a bit, in other words. NAMI's local support meetings can be quite helpful.</p>

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<p>brandonk, I think you're the male me...It's a little scary how much we have in common. As for the gap year, you might want to consider joining the Peace Corps or something similar which will offer you a meaningful experience for a very cheap price. (That's what I'm planning on doing.)</p>

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<p>And another option is two years of community college. With a high GPA from community college, many schools out of your range right now will be happy to accept you. I would mention the scholarships that exist for community college students, but you seem to have the financial end covered.</p>

<p>One word: if you pursue Hampshire and are interviewed do not mention your difficulties. Their adcom wants to make sure they are not a warehouse for those who would have difficulty with more conventional environments. Keep all your comments positive. Having sat through their admissions meeting I can say that I was impressed with the school and its students.</p>

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<p>Brandon, you p.m.'ed me for specific suggestions. Understanding that I don't know you (even on CC) , and just have a few hints to go on, here goes: Yep. I have some I-Dees . ;) Unlike some others , including yourself, I think you can find yourself at schools that allow academic creativity within some structure. The open curriculum approach of a Hampshire MAY be the ticket but it may not. I think you might just be the kind of kid who just eats up a school like Cornell College in Iowa or - if you get that ACT up a bunch and show them the love and let it all out on your essays and interviews, Colorado College. Both schools have a bit of a counterculture, do your own thing, learning for the sake of learning vibe that may appeal (like Hampshire and Marlboro), while the OCAAT - One Course at a Time- will allow you to focus and direct all your power and energy into one thing. Lasers can be very powerful. I think your's might be. Could be? Never know if you don't fire it up and try to blast something with it. Get it focused on one fast moving class at a time - man, that's frighteningly cool. To me. Maybe to you, too. </p>

<p>Curmudgeon is Superposterman. I can leap to tall conclusions in a single bound. ;) For what's it worth, those are my suggestions so far.</p>

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<p>I am glad our very own superhero stepped in. Schools with little structure are often difficult for slacker types. I see these students when they rebound to community college where they often do brilliantly and go on to wonderful four year schools.</p>

<p>Ursinus is a school known to take kids with your profile. It's an up and comer (Newsweek pick), and it has a freshman experience course, a tiny core curriculum, that requires all freshman to read the same highly intellectual material. This insures that the discourse in the dorms and at the cafeteria is at least partly about sophisticated ideas.</p>

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<p>Also Beloit.</p>

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<p>It sounds like you should see your psychiatrist and get your med levels checked. Your current change of heart re. schools is perhaps related to a need for different meds. My dad is bi-polar and I recognized his voice in your post.</p>

<p>In addition, the gap year sounds like a good choice for you provided it is productive. I have seen Americorp touted on these boards and it may be a good option for you. For most people one of the most effective coping skills for mental illness symptoms is to do things for others and Americorp can put you in a place where that can happen.</p>

<p>Best of Luck</p>

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<p>Hey. How about that cooperative learning environment thing-y at Redlands? That may appeal. I'll find a link.</p>

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<p>Gap year can be used for a variety of reasons, including working full time and/or taking some community college courses.</p>

<p>Hampshire: S has a friend at Hampshire who is trying to transfer out althogh she is doing very well academically. She finds its students and profs a bit too "far out" for her.</p>

<p>I visited Marlboro College several years ago and was very impressed. It's tiny: something like 300 students or so, many of whom are away doing research for their senior thesis. The students are close to the profs and seem to take their studies very seriously. The college is built in a converted farm; some of the classrooms were once used to store far equipments, barns, stables, etc...
I don't know what kind of financial aid it gives, but it may appeal to someone who is a self-starter yet enjoys being part of an intimate community. I don't of similar colleges, but I am sure there are out there.</p>

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<p>Here we go. <a href="http://www.redlands.edu/x121.xml%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.redlands.edu/x121.xml&lt;/a> and more specifically <a href="http://www.redlands.edu/prebuilt/PDF/Johnston/CASJohnston0709.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.redlands.edu/prebuilt/PDF/Johnston/CASJohnston0709.pdf&lt;/a> I don't know what it takes it get in but ......nothing ventured....</p>