<p>All I know for certain right now is that I'd like to continue improving my creative writing, specifically spoken word poetry, and perhaps my visual arts as well. I'm well-aware that I shouldn't rely on either of those areas to make a living, but at the same time, I'm unsure what I would like to do. Since much of my writing and art draws on social issues, past and present, I'd like to be in an area where I can more easily be connected to the world. Thus (in order of importance):</p>
<p>a. strong literary/arts community (extracurricular)
b. strong social sciences and literary programs (academic)
c. journalism major or well-grounded program
d. interdisciplinary approach/liberal arts education (note: "education," not "college")
e. well-connected to the world
f. small-medium school, < 10,000</p>
<p>Brief stats:
SAT: 1600/2330
Rank: 1/410
IB Diploma Candidate (most rigorous)
ECs: unique and decent, but not exceptional (see chance thread for more details)</p>
<p>Match-low reach schools much appreciated. Thanks in advance for taking the time to read this and give me any suggestions :D</p>
<p>Edit: actually, some safety schools would be cool, too!</p>
<p>The first thought that came to mind was Kenyon College. Meets almost all your criteria. It is very selective so your SAT score might be an issue so you should retake that and try the ACT. Good luck</p>
<p>Erin’sDad - My parents seldom discuss financial issues with me. They have mentioned, however, that they cannot afford all four years at a $50,000 institution, but we might not qualify for financial aid (at least, not much financial aid). I’m from NJ.</p>
<p>My college list at the moment (that I’m trying to rework):
Amherst
Brown
UChicago
Dartmouth
Johns Hopkins
Northwestern
Princeton
Rice
Williams
Yale</p>
<p>I might be dropping Yale and Dartmouth. As you can see, I’m already applying to a couple LACs. (I’m also Asian, so I’m considered URM there!) Are there any others you could suggest?</p>
<p>I think Vassar and Wesleyan are especially known for arts scene, but Amherst is a great choice for an LAC because the arts scene might enhanced a bit by the consortium. Williams is very strong in art history. Northwestern is the only school on your list that has journalism, I think, but I don’t think that should be too much of a factor at this point. Hopkins has a great creative writing center but you will be surrounded by a lot of international affairs and pre-med students. Wash U. is supposed to be a good place to combine visual arts and arts/sciences (I think you can double major or take courses at the art school more easily than some places). Take a look at Chicago’s core and see how you feel about it----if you like it, Chicago could be a good early action choice. I wonder if LAC’s in the 10 - 25 range US News might be possible for merit aid: Hamilton and Kenyon, for example. Good luck!</p>
<p>I encourage you to continue to expand your search to include schools that don’t offer journalism at the undergraduate level; not only is it possible to become a great journalist without majoring in journalism in college, but it could even be deemed an advantage. Majoring in English or history, for example–or indeed any other writing-intensive subject–at a great liberal arts school, and then getting a graduate degree in journalism from a well-respected program may prove a much more eye-opening experience than learning journalism as a craft without first receiving a sufficient grounding in the wide array of academic disciplines that should ideally inform a journalist’s writing.</p>
<p>As an aside, Columbia, which boasts one of the best journalism programs in the US, doesn’t have a journalism major at the undergraduate level (but it does offer creative writing).</p>
<p>If you insist on a strictly pre-professional approach to journalism, there are some state schools with very strong journalism programs, like Indiana, Berkeley, Missouri, UNC-CH and Ohio (I would rank the first three above UNC and Ohio), but they may be far too big for you. Northwestern (which you have on your list) is another option, and it seems to satisfy some of your other requirements as well, but if you’re looking for an interdisciplinary approach to learning, it may not be the best choice for you as it is divided into very self-contained schools–and double-majoring in unrelated disciplines can be very tricky, from what I’ve heard. UChicago would be much better for that sort of thing, I feel.</p>
<p>Grinnell is among the top five LAC endowments and you can see the evidence in the facilities, in the programming and in the wide variety of opportunities for personal attention, mentoring and subsidized internships. </p>
<p>It is different than most of the schools on your list in terms of size and location, except for Williams.</p>
<p>I suppose it isn’t necessary to have an undergraduate journalism major, but I feel that having such a program says a lot about the importance of good writing and communication to an institution. I’m open to other opinions on this, though. And of course, I will consider schools without a journalism major.</p>
<p>What do you guys think about going to schools in rural settings? I want to be closer to an urban area (but not necessarily in one), with resources such as poetry clubs, cultural centers, and stores, to stay more connected to the world. Is there really a disadvantage to rural schools in this aspect?</p>
<p>A couple more questions:
Are there any LACs that have early action?
One more criteria: CommonApp schools only. I already have enough schools and don’t want to fill out a separate application for anymore :P</p>
<p>Thank you for all these suggestions. They’re very helpful and specific :)</p>
<p>LACs care ALOT about writing and communication! Yet, you’d be hard pressed to find one that offers journalism as a major. I imagine that’s because they consider it a pre-professional program. The critical thinking, writing and analytical skills you would get in all your other coursework will serve you well as a journalist. </p>
<p>IMO, if you like to write and want to be a good storyteller and news-finder, then where you are shouldn’t matter, and in fact, being more isolated could be seen as an asset because you need to figure out how to make something of interest, rather than just finding news easily everywhere you turn. </p>
<p>These rural campuses bring alot of speakers, musicians, artists, etc. on campus, so don’t worry about missing access to culture, social issues and entertainment if you attend an LAC. Many schools also have artists and visiting scholars-in-residence as well. </p>
<p>I"m not saying that an LAC is better for you, I just want to be sure that you don’t dismiss these schools out of hand because they don’t have journalism majors.</p>
<p>You really should take a serious look at Penn–it embodies much of what you’re seeking: </p>
<ol>
<li><p>just under 10,000 undergrads;</p></li>
<li><p>top-10 English department;</p></li>
<li><p>strong in social sciences and interdisciplinary programs, including Penn’s vaunted “One University” policy, which allows and encourages undergrads in the College of Arts and Sciences to take courses in most of Penn’s other undergrad, graduate, and professional schools (e.g., Wharton, the Law School, the School of Design, the Annenberg School for Communication, the School of Social Policy and Practice, the Graduate School of Education, etc.);</p></li>
<li><p>heavy emphasis on civic engagement with its urbran, national, and international communities, including such robust programs as the Netter Center for Community Partnerships and Civic House:</p></li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li>no journalism major, per se, but a journalism concentration within the English major, and a strong tradition of distinguished alumni journalists who have cut their teeth on The Daily Pennsylvanian and other campus publications:</li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li>the presence on campus of the Annenberg School for Communication and the Annenberg Public Policy Center, both of which offer courses and research opportunities to undergrads in the College of Arts and Sciences:</li>
</ol>
<p>I’m sure that there’s a lot more you’d like about Penn (fine arts courses in the School of Design; large, diverse, and active performing arts community; etc.), but this should get you started. :)</p>
<p>I’d take a closer look at Wesleyan. It’s located in a fairly large town within walking distance of an active commercial district. It shuts down a bit after normal business hours, but, it’s definitely an asset, particularly if you’re looking for a blue collar area with lots of inexpensive places to eat and to occasionally drink. </p>
<p>An incredible number of journalists have gone to Wesleyan including, Sebastian Unger (author), Alex Kotlowitz (author), Steven Greenhouse (New York Times), James Bennet (Atlantic Monthly), Marysl Castro (ABC News), Ethan Bronner (New York Times), and, Randall Pinkston (CBS News), to name just a few – and all from a school without a journalism major. <a href=“List of Wesleyan University people - Wikipedia”>List of Wesleyan University people - Wikipedia;
<p>I’m open to colleges without a journalism major. It was nice to see suggestions concerning that criteria, though!</p>
<p>UPenn was originally on my list, but it has almost 14000 students. That’s way too big for me. I might make an exception because it does seem to have a lot of everything else I’m looking for :)</p>
<p>I’m a little behind on this process because I’m reconsidering all of my schools. I’d prefer not to have to fill out a separate application for any schools; Common App only. (At the same time, I’ve been thinking about UC-Berkeley a lot.)</p>
<p>Does anyone know if Wesleyan offers merit aid?
What about Tufts? My GC suggested it to me. Though I haven’t looked at it much, their essay questions seem to appeal to the creative critical thinker.</p>
<p>Of course, it also has another 10,000 or so graduate and professional students, but several of the schools on your list have substantial graduate/professional student populations.</p>
They exist if you know where to look. Arguably the most notable is Susquehanna, which has an excellent program in communication, including specializations in journalism, mass communication, broadcasting, and similar things. Washington & Lee also has a decent journalism program. There are others, of course.</p>
<p>The previous posters are correct that many LACs provide a strong foundation in writing. I agree with the suggestion of Kenyon and would add Denison, Oberlin, Beloit, and Knox among midwestern LACs. Franklin & Marshall, Bard, Hamilton, Wheaton (MA), Sarah Lawrence, and Middlebury are quite good for creative writing and should provide decent preparation for journalism as well.</p>
<p>Among slightly larger schools, Elon and U Redlands are excellent for writing, communication, and journalism.</p>
<p>Emerson is undoubtedly the best option among small colleges for someone interested in writing and journalism. Its location in Boston would probably appeal to you as well. The drawback to Emerson is that it focuses entirely on communication, albeit including fields as disparate as theatre, film, dance, and writing.</p>
<p>All of the universities on your list are good options; I particularly like Brown and Northwestern. I would also include Carnegie Mellon, which has about 6000 undergraduates and excellent programs in professional and technical writing. Ithaca College is definitely also worth a look and has a superb communications school. If you’re willing to consider larger schools, UVA, Pitt (probable merit aid), and Michigan are all possibilities, and I strongly second the suggestion of UNC Chapel Hill.</p>
<p>Most of these would be safeties or safe matches for you, but it wouldn’t hurt to look into them for possible merit aid. Many of them are admittedly not in bustling areas, however.</p>
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