<p>This is follow-up to my quirky-kid-straight-schools thread last year.</p>
<p>D is entering her senior year: SAT 1000/1200 (1590/2400); gpa 3.0 (barely, but with a definite upward trend and she is taking a college course this semester); varsity sports and urm. Her dream school would be: </p>
<ul>
<li>an east-coast LAC or small uni no farther south than then Carolinas;</li>
<li>strong in the humanities and social sciences (soc, psy, educat, etc.);</li>
<li>open curriculum (as few geneds and distrib reqs as possible);</li>
<li>quirky kids beyond art/music/theatre majors;</li>
<li>reasonable racial diversity;</li>
<li>a decent college town (walkable or with public transit)</li>
</ul>
<p>Her favorites so far: UVM, UNC-Asheville
Schools that she liked: UNC-Greensboro, Clark, Wheaton (MA), Hartwick, Hobart/WmSmith, Guilford</p>
<p>Schools she visited and didn't like: Bennington (too small, remote and snobby), Hampshire (too quirky); UNC-Charolte (too big); UMass (too big)</p>
<p>I have been focusing on SAT optional schools, but any suggestions for MATCH or SATETY schools to round-out the list would be appreciated.</p>
<p>I’m wondering what you mean about quirky? We visited a couple of the schools you mention and did not encounter “quirky” or great racial diversity or a lack of gen ed requirement. It might help to give suggestions of what you mean: Quirky could mean, body piercings and colored hair, or it could mean “going to the library to study on Friday is fun”, or “I’m a band kid and I love it” or “I like to sit in coffee shops wearing all black and listening to jazz” or “I absolutely hate anything related to sports” or “I only eat and wear organic.”</p>
<p>Ursinus may not meet all of your parameters…but has always looked interesting to me with very diverse activities and classes (not as diverse student body, although they claim it is diverse…only about 6-7% African American, 3% Hispanic). Looks like they have a 50%+ acceptance rate.</p>
<p>Here’s some info. on one of their Freshman programs from their website:</p>
<p>"Common Intellectual Experience
Known as the “CIE” on campus, …CIE provides a broad-based common experience to give all students the communications skills, and the scientific, cultural, and historical literacy that are fundamental to a liberally educated person.</p>
<p>In CIE class, first-year students gather in small groups to read, discuss, write and reflect on the great questions of human existence, like love, friendship, happiness, life, death, God and nature. "</p>
<p>Have you looked at the other Colleges that Change Lives…many are SAT optional (some already appear to be on your list.)</p>
<p>Goucher sounds like a great fit except for the “open curriculum (as few geneds and distrib reqs as possible)” part. They have a pretty extensive and complex gen ed requirement.</p>
<p>Have you considered Sarah Lawrence? </p>
<p>(It’s funny, my son found Hampshire “too quirky” too, though my wife and I liked it and thought it would suit him very well.)</p>
<p>I too thought about Bard if quirky means more of a “hipster.” It’s tough because the “go to” Hipster schools like Weslyan, Oberlin, Vasser etc. might be out of reach for the OPs stats. I would have also included Bennington and Hampshire which the OP said were “no go” so I’m at abit of a loss…maybe Dickenson, Earlham, Sarah Lawrence and Goucher or New Paltz (last 2 have been mentioned)?</p>
<p>Quirky = opposite of preppy; piercings and colored hair, wearing black (but more upbeat than emo), into organic and veg food (but not necessarily vegan).</p>
<p>None of the schools offers everything on D’s wish list (Guilford probably comes the closest), but I am encouraging D to be flexible and most of the schools satisfy at least a couple of her criteria.</p>
<p>D hasn’t ruled out Goucher or SLC, but she hasn’t visited either b/c, as noted above, Goucher has crazy distrib reqs and SLC is a definite reach for a 3.0 student. D plans to take the Oct SAT; if her scores go up we might consider Earlham or Skidmore - - but Bard is even more competitive and will likely remain out of reach.</p>
<p>She will also apply to New Paltz and Purchase (maybe Oneonta, Fredonia, Cortland).</p>
<p>I too find Ursinus intriguing; if we visit D may find more of her-kind-of-kid than she expects (that was certainly the case at Wheaton and Clark), but for now it is a reach.</p>
<p>Dickinson? One of D’s friends described it as very preppy/jock/frat, which D found unappealing.</p>
<p>Warren Wilson is also too quirky for D, and it’s southern quirky - - though Asheville is a great town.</p>
<p>foolishpleasure–sounds like your daughter and my son have some similarities when it comes to social/cultural comfort zone. He felt strongly at home with the students (and visiting prospects) at Clark. He also loved Skidmore, although the vibe there didn’t seem “quirky” so much as creative, accepting, and unpretentiously smart. Very similar to our experience of Brandeis.</p>
<p>I would think of Skidmore as more of a reach for a 3.0 than Sarah Lawrence, though. In fact according to our HS’s Naviance charts it’s a bit reachier than Bard.</p>
<p>Look into Salem College, in Winston-Salem North Carolina. It is a small all-women’s college of “quirky” people. (Trust me, I go here.) It is not hard to get into, and the classes are very small, most of the professors are supportive, and we are the definition of a liberal arts college, most people are humanities majors.</p>
<p>Skidmore at our school waitlists most of the B students and didn’t accept anyone with less than a 1900/2400 SAT score at our school. It’s definitely more selective than Bard or Sarah Lawrence. (And a lot more popular to apply to at our school as well.)</p>
<p>My quirky kid is now a happy student at Saint Michael’s College in Burlington, VT. Goucher (already mentioned) and Drew (in NJ) were also good personality fits for her. She briefly considered Warren Wilson but, in the end, it was a bit too quirky for her. :)</p>
<p>Depending upon how interested she is in studying the social sciences, she might want to check out American U. However, they do have some gen. ed. requirements. Another possibility might be Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA.</p>
<p>ETA: Having taken another look at the stats in the OP, these two might possibly be reaches for the OP’s daughter, but still worth looking into.</p>
<p>Another shout out for SUNY New Paltz. My son, who is a down to earth type guy, laid back and into music and art transferred here. The student body is very diverse in terms of types of people and interests. If you are a bit offbeat it is easy to be accepted for who you are and can easily express yourself as the individual you are. This was not the case at the previous school he went to. If you have any questions about NP, I’d be happy to answer them.</p>
<p>I agree that Skidmore more of a reach than SLC; while the former accepts few students with SAT scores less than 1250/1600, the latter is SAT optional. Thus, if D’s score imporves she MIGHT CONSIDER Skidmore - - it would still be a reach. (At D’s school, Bard is the more popular choice and it admits fewer students than Skidmore, hence my reference to Bard as more selective, even though it too is SAT optional.) SUNY NP and Purchase are already on the list (neighbors on both sides have Ds who recently graduated from NP - - both girls were very happy with their experience, academically and socially) .</p>
<p>Any other suggestions beyond the usual suspects? Any first-hand info re: Ursinus?</p>
<p>(t’brat, I will check out Salem College. ReadyToRoll, I’ve seen several posts/reviews saying that RWU stands for rich, white, underachievers - - if true, not a good social/cultural fit for D. PMcM, Drew looks like it offers a lot of what D is looking for, thanks. )</p>