Suggestions, please, for a UK applicant

<p>My daughter is in the equivalent of Junior year in the UK. She is at a small, rural, child-centred private school an easy one-hour train ride from London, which has an national reputation in the creative arts. She is a dual US/UK citizen, with family in New York, Chicago, Colorado, and South Dakota. </p>

<p>She is a delightful (to me) mixture of articulate intellectual sophistication, creativity, great emotional intelligence, and unworldly naivete. She thinks she wants to do theatre (she spent last summer at the NHSI at Northwestern University), acts, sings, and directs at school. However, she also writes beautifully, and has been turning her hand to playwriting. This year she is taking Philosophy, which she adores, and also Classics and English. Loves them all. </p>

<p>We feel it is very important that she get a well-rounded and inspiring liberal arts education: not a hot-house conservatory training. She is in the process of preparing for her ACT's--but of course also takes the very different and demanding UK exams. She is doing excellently in all her classes, though her US test scores may not be stellar, owing to their "alien-ness."</p>

<p>She is considering Vassar (I went there for a time, and her aunt graduated from it), though it may be a stretch. We also have Drew on our radar, and I discovered Lawrence, which looks like a gem, in Loren Pope's book. Also Colorado College, although I don't know how she would like the Block Plan. Any other suggestions? Goucher? College of Wooster? St. Olaf?</p>

<p>She tells me she likes to be in a beautiful place, but not cut off from culture. I understand that some more secluded colleges bring a lot of culture and activity to the campus. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.</p>

<p>Have you looked at Wesleyan University in CT? Lots of Vassar types there. St Olaf is definitely terrific for music but I don’t know much about their theater dept. They also will offer merit merit if that helps tempt you. If Vassar is a reach then Pomona would be too. How about looking at Scripps and Pitzer? With the 5 college consortium there are lots of choices in picking classes. Macalester is in Minneapolis/St Paul which has a very lively theater and music scene.</p>

<p>Good luck starting the search. What did she think of the size of the Northwestern campus. Did you get any feel for “too big” or “just right”? Will you be able to visit any liberal arts colleges or large universities this summer?</p>

<p>She should take both the ACT and SAT. Some kids do substantially better on one than the other. Colleges will accept whichever one is higher. :)</p>

<p>Does she like NYC? Chicago? San Francisco? </p>

<p>Does she like big, small, quiet, all girls, co-ed, rah rah big sports, cold/snowy weather, warm weather?</p>

<p>Is money no object? </p>

<p>Mt Holyoke
Smith
Vassar
Stanford
UCLA
Berkeley
UChicago
NYU
Fordham
USC (calif)
Boston College
Georgetown</p>

<p>Have you looked into Brown?</p>

<p>Thanks for the feedback. Further info: I don’t think she wants to be in the middle of a city. She loved the feel of Northwestern, but that comes with a big qualifier. The teachers there emphasised that the NHSI experience was nothing like Northwestern: for example a small group of kids, intensive personal teaching, in a limited campus area. She did like the campus and its physical relation to Evanston and Chicago.</p>

<p>We will have a look at Wesleyan. FYI: we were told when my son was applying to universities not to bother with UCLA, Berkeley, USC or other U of Cal schools…as the chances of a UK student getting in were poor. Also, in general, the midwest is a better bet, as most EU students want to be East or West…</p>

<p>I expect we will have to visit to a get a feel for her preferences, and will start in February. I think she may prefer suburban, or more rural campuses within reach of culture–small to medium-sized…</p>

<p>Not rah-rah or sports-mad…but not crazy/way-out either! Some place thoughtful, creative, and positive with excellent student/teacher interactions. </p>

<p>My son got into Brown…hadn’t considered it for her, though…</p>