Transferring Schools - A "Creative" School

<p>Transferring Schools - A "Creative" School</p>

<p>Hello all,</p>

<p>I am a long time reader here, but rarely post. Due to some recent circumstances, however, I have found myself needing the advice and wisdom that many of you seem to offer. Here goes nothing....</p>

<p>I am currently a freshman in the honors program at the University of Georgia. To keep this short, I will simply say that I am overall dissapointed and frustrated with this university.</p>

<h2>(You can skip this portion if you want, as is addresses other issues than my question requires)</h2>

<p>I came to the school almost by default. When doing the routine college search during high school, I really did not know what I wanted out of a college. My interests are broard (philosophy, math, perhaps engligh or film studies) and I have a particular interest in music (though this has mainly been a non-academic interests, and I persue it in my free time). Because my tuition would have been free, because I was accepted into the honors program, and because Athens has a pretty incredible creative spirit and a fantastic scene for music, I chose to come to the UGA.</p>

<p>So far, in the two and a half months I have been here, I have found myself wanting to leave. The Honors Program, as reputable as it may be advertised, has so far been a bust. By and large the students are apathetic, unengaged, and simply do not care about where they are or what they are doing. It is frustrating being the only (or one of the only) person in my class, and this goes beyond just my honors class, who seems to care about what they are learning.</p>

<p>The uninspiring, inexperienced, unhelpful, or just bad teachers does not help
The football-alcohol culture does not help either.
Nor does the lack of diverse thought.</p>

<p>I love Athens. But unfortunately the creative and down to earth qualities of the townsfolk only rarely cross-over into the largely pop culture driven student body. </p>

<p>I thought perhaps by becoming more aquatinted with the university's art department, I would be able to meet the more engaging students on this campus. However, the university has a strict policy on non-art majors taking art courses. I do have a genuine interest in taking some art classes, but how can a peruse my interest with these kinds of restrictions. I know the people I want to meet, but finding them is like searching for a needle in a hay stack - or even worse, a hay in a needle stack, for it is both frustrating and painful.</p>

<hr>

<p>So for now, I want to transfer, or at least I want to be able to transfer. I want to apply to other schools so that come May, if I still want to leave, I will have that option. Ideally, I will find the group of people I am looking for by then, but if I don't, I don't want to find myself wishing that I had applied to other schools.</p>

<p>So I am looking for schools so that energetic, creative students. I would love to be around students who not only care about what they are learning, but also love the sharing of ideas. I am not a candidate for art school, but I would love to be around the people who like to express ideas in similar ways. </p>

<p>I visited Wesleyan University this past week, and found that is was quite near to what I would like in a college. I, however, cannot let this school be my only option. </p>

<p>I was wondering what schools you all would recommend for a student like me, looking for the things I have discussed above.</p>

<p>Thanks for you time....</p>

<p>Any university in the top 25 in US News or any LAC in the top 20 or so will have highly driven, academic-minded students, who are all very smart and obviously this leads to increased creativity, and at the least, better conversations.</p>

<p>I would recommend that you consider location, size, financial resources to name a few. There are so many great schools to chose from if you are determined on making a change. (This is an issue in itself: perhaps you need to give UG a bit more time.) Beyond that, you need to consider specifics and then ask again.</p>

<p>Look at some of the serious liberal arts colleges in addition to Wesleyan. Reed, Grinnell, Oberlin, Swarthmore, Vassar, Kalamazoo, Carlton, Bates, Havorford, Bryn Mawr (women only) are all good. Some universities, such as Brown, Rice, and University of Chicago may be good. Avoid the ones that are known as preprofessional. You sound like the type of person who may be turned off by that.</p>

<p>Here is a list of top liberal arts colleges sorted by the proportion of bachelors graduates in visual and performing arts. 2004 IPEDS data.</p>

<p>college, SAT 75th percentile, total number of bachelors graduates, number of bachelors graduates in visual and performing arts, proportion of graduates in visual and performing arts</p>

<p>BENNINGTON COLLEGE 1300 129 74 0.57
BARD COLLEGE 1440 306 106 0.35
OBERLIN COLLEGE 1440 722 192 0.27
PRINCIPIA COLLEGE 1270 113 21 0.19
LAWRENCE UNIVERSITY 1340 314 58 0.18
SCRIPPS COLLEGE 1440 172 29 0.17
SWEET BRIAR COLLEGE 1255 132 21 0.16
BELOIT COLLEGE 1300 261 38 0.15
GOUCHER COLLEGE 1290 272 40 0.15
HOLLINS UNIVERSITY 1280 189 29 0.15
MILLS COLLEGE 1280 194 30 0.15
SAINT OLAF COLLEGE 1340 708 109 0.15
SKIDMORE COLLEGE 1340 597 92 0.15
VASSAR COLLEGE 1460 614 90 0.15
WELLS COLLEGE 1230 91 14 0.15
WHITMAN COLLEGE 1440 337 48 0.14
WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY 1490 722 92 0.13
WHEATON COLLEGE 1300 356 45 0.13
CONNECTICUT COLLEGE 1400 452 54 0.12
PITZER COLLEGE 1330 207 24 0.12
CARLETON COLLEGE 1480 455 48 0.11
ILLINOIS WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY 1380 462 51 0.11
KENYON COLLEGE 1420 399 42 0.11
MUHLENBERG COLLEGE 1320 595 66 0.11
SEWANEE: THE UNIVERSITY OF THE SOUTH 1320 313 34 0.11
SOUTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY 1360 311 34 0.11
WILLIAMS COLLEGE 1520 531 57 0.11
HAMILTON COLLEGE 1420 457 45 0.1
OCCIDENTAL COLLEGE 1360 459 46 0.1
SMITH COLLEGE 1370 688 71 0.1
AGNES SCOTT COLLEGE 1300 204 18 0.09
BARNARD COLLEGE 1430 600 51 0.09
BIRMINGHAM SOUTHERN COLLEGE 1300 236 22 0.09
DENISON UNIVERSITY 1330 514 44 0.09
GRINNELL COLLEGE 1490 367 32 0.09
WHEATON COLLEGE 1420 604 56 0.09
BOWDOIN COLLEGE 1460 414 35 0.08
DEPAUW UNIVERSITY 1320 522 41 0.08
DREW UNIVERSITY 1320 359 30 0.08
KNOX COLLEGE 1340 265 20 0.08
MIDDLEBURY COLLEGE 1500 632 49 0.08
MOUNT HOLYOKE COLLEGE 1380 553 44 0.08
RHODES COLLEGE 1370 334 26 0.08
UNIVERSITY OF PUGET SOUND 1355 579 48 0.08
WILLAMETTE UNIVERSITY 1340 420 34 0.08</p>

<p>Here is a list of top national universities sorted by the proportion of bachelors graduates in the visual and performing arts. 2004 IPEDS data.</p>

<p>university, SAT 75th percentile, total bachelors graduates, number of bachelors graduates in visual and performing arts, proportion of graduates in visual and performing arts</p>

<p>NEW YORK UNIVERSITY 1410 4492 980 0.22
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-SANTA CRUZ 1280 3053 413 0.14
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY 1480 1261 162 0.13
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 1440 4344 550 0.13
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY 1320 2798 347 0.12
UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI 1350 2155 250 0.12
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY 1500 1999 207 0.1
UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER 1410 1174 120 0.1
SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY 1300 1397 119 0.09
TUFTS UNIVERSITY 1470 1336 122 0.09
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-SANTA BARBARA 1300 4564 412 0.09
AMERICAN UNIVERSITY 1350 1291 99 0.08
WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST LOUIS 1520 1634 136 0.08</p>

<p>There are certain schools that have strong reputations for having engaged and motivated students. Here is a partial list, just off the top of my head:</p>

<p>Reed
Swarthmore
Chicago
St. John's Annapolis/New Mexico
Columbia (with a reputation for being a bit nasty)</p>

<p>As for the poster above who says that you will find engaged students at all top US News schools, I can say, having attended one as an undergrad, that this is not so. Of course you can find some engaged students, but there was no such culture of large-scale engagement at my undergrad university.</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

<p>Bard College; Vassar College...</p>

<p>We just returned from a parents' weekend visit to Whitman in eastern Washington. I was dazzled by the extent to which students get a rigourous academic program, great teaching, and find it possible to do double majors in say, arts and science...--or at least stay highly involved in music while also successfully doing pre-med. I also know they are looking for ways to expand their geographical diversity (the school has been a well-kept secret in the Northwest...) so you might find a good fit there. Good luck...</p>

<p>mmah:</p>

<p>It's interesting about Whitman. I've also heard good things about it. Child #7, however, did an extensive visit and complained that students were doing their nails in class and that he had to answer a think question (as a visiting high school student) because no one else would. At lunch, the frat boys he was set up with talked about how they never study and all the girls they've nailed.</p>

<p>So, one visit can be an aberration, but it was enough to turn #7 away.</p>