<p>I'm currently a high school junior from IL, and most of the colleges I think I want to apply to are small liberal arts colleges. Though my list is still tentative, I was wondering if I could get some insight as to which schools don't really seem to fit me or aren't worth applying to. For reference, I have a 3.7 UW (many APs/Honors), am ranked 26/655, have a 32 ACT, multiple (I think) strong extracurriculars, and hold a part-time job.</p>
<p>Anyways, I'm looking for a school that will be challenging and offer a good variety of courses, as I'm not really sure what it is I want to study but have plenty of interests. I love the idea of interacting with teachers and having small class sizes, as well as a smaller community, so I think LACs fit me. However, I'm not really looking for a big Greek or partying scene or a campus life that isn't very cohesive. I guess just give me your opinions on any of these schools.</p>
<p>Occidental
Grinnell
Carleton
Rhodes
Lewis & Clark
Beloit
Whitman
Oberlin
Kenyon
Macalester
Pomona
Colorado College</p>
<p>In terms of campus life, check out the residental policies. Rhodes and Mac only guarantee two years on campus and have a high percentage of upperclassmen living off campus. At places like Carleton, Oberlin, Kenyon and Grinnell, a much higher percentage of kids live on campus all four years.</p>
<p>I think it’s a great list. If you have the stamina and can pay the app fees, I say go for it. You have a good blend of selectivity here and all of the schools here seem to be reasonably consistent in terms of type. I disagree that you have to decide whether you want rural, urban, etc. Keep your options open. </p>
<p>We had a hard time knocking out schools from our list, too. I don’t think 12 is an unreasonable number to apply to these days, but it is pretty agonizing to choose in April if you get alot of acceptances (deciding which schools to say “no” to is just as stressful as which to accept!). </p>
<p>Perhaps you could group them in selectivity, and then knock out one or two from each category.</p>
<p>In terms of selectivity, I"d group them like this:
Pomona
Carleton</p>
<p>Oberlin
Grinnell
Macalester
Colorado College
Kenyon</p>
<p>(I’m not as familiar with the rest; I think most belong in the lower rung of selectivity; but I’m not sure.)</p>
<p>Great list with a lot more in common than sets them apart. Apart from the rural (really small college town) vs urban and suburban differences, there are also the following differences which may or may not matter to you:</p>
<p>1) do they have core or distribution requirements? (Grinnell doesn’t, some of the others do)
2) are they on the semester or trimester system (each has pros and cons)
3) some offer merit aid in addition to financial aid and some don’t - and some can be more generous with their financial aid than others</p>
<p>I would also note the Pomona is somewhat different from the others in that they are part of a 5 school consortium with contiguous campuses, so it’s a LAC that shares resources with several other LACs. For some, this is the best of both worlds in terms of small classes with a greater breadth of resources - but it also has a somewhat ‘bigger school’ feel as a result.</p>
<p>And of course, Colorado College is the only one with a block schedule, which makes them quite different as well.</p>
<p>No reason not to apply to all or most of them, assuming you can afford them. And check out the college catalogues to learn more about the breadth and depth of coursework in the areas in which you think you have an interest.</p>
<p>Look carefully at each school’s course catalogs, particularly in the subjects that you might major in. Many of the smaller schools have specific areas of strength and weakness, based on the depth and breadth of courses in each subject.</p>
<p>Yeah, oddly enough I feel like I would enjoy a rural OR an urban environment. I’m glad to hear that my list has at least some rhyme or reason to it and isn’t just the random jumble it might first appear to be. I really like that about Grinnell, not having distribution requirements.</p>
<p>Availability of merit aid is definitely something I’d like to take into account, clearly some of these schools won’t/don’t offer it. And as for the different course system (block, trimester, semester), I think I could go with any of them!</p>
<p>Kenyon is an amazing school. It is in the middle of cornfields but I think that contributes to its charms. My daughter visited last spring and loved it. Most of the schools on your list are awesome. I have a friend with a daughter at Lewis and Clark and she loves it. It is very progressive and the students are smart kids.</p>
<p>You are not likely to get any kind of aid from Carleton (Pomona too, but I don’t want to remove all your reaches). Occidental’s student body isn’t quite like the others on your list. Similar, but a more urban LA feel. It sounds to me like you are hoping to find a real close knit community, so I really see you more at Lewis & Clark, Grinnell, Kenyon…real close community feeling schools (my sister went to Kenyon, it’s one of my favorites on your list as is Whitman). It’s YOUR list! Ignore me, lol!</p>
<p>I don’t understand the statement about not getting aid from Carleton, unless you meant merit-based aid. Need-based age should be available at any selective LAC.</p>
<p>To OP: I suggest: Visit, Visit, Visit. While the students are on campus. LAC’s like these can each have such a distinct “feel” to them that is difficult to judge them without firsthand experience. Eat in the cafeterias. Sit in on classes. Observe the students carefully to gauge if you can see yourself fitting in. IMHO, visit first, to the extent you can afford the time and cost, then cut.</p>