Which of these small schools?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I'm a bit uncertain of my college plans, but somehow theatre is definitely going to be involved. As for a career, I want to be a high school English teacher, and perhaps someday get my masters. I may even get a doctorate and try to be a professor at some point in my life. I was thinking about double majoring in English and theatre, and maybe staying an extra year if I need to to get certified to teach. I don't really want to major in English education because I think a BA in English would be a little more open to other careers. </p>

<p>Just in case I change my mind, I want to attend a school with a lot of strong programs.</p>

<p>Some basic stats: 3.9/4.0 unweighted GPA, ranked 9/413, 2030 SAT (600 math, 700 writing, 730 verbal. Get my new scores Nov 28th and think math will go up.) I'm taking the ACT w/ writing for the first time December 9th.. I'm going to try to prepare but I don't know how well I will do, especially since I had so much practice for the SAT (2 PSATs). So schools that require the subject tests (which I did not take) with the SAT might not be the easiest for me to get into, especially if my ACT turns out to be less than stellar.</p>

<p>Anyway, I got accepted to both of my safeties already, Indiana University and Valparaiso University. </p>

<p>I plan on applying to Notre Dame as one of my reaches, but I haven't been able to decide on anywhere else.</p>

<p>I don't know what size school will be best for me, so I'm going to apply to 2 small schools, 2 medium schools, and maybe 1 more big school. I'm going to visit all the ones I get accepted to during spring break and see how I feel about them.</p>

<p>Here's my small school list:
Oberlin
Middlebury
Colgate
Wesleyan University
Skidmore
Muhlenberg</p>

<p>I definitely didn't want any with less than 2000 people. That's smaller than my high school! Most of these are still only between 2300-2700 students but I want to check out a couple small schools and see how it feels.</p>

<p>thanks for any info/experiences you can share:)</p>

2

<p>Oberlin
Wesleyan
Middlebury </p>

<p>would be good, as would Skidmore. Colgate is a bit more isolated than the rest.</p>

3

<p>If interested in Notre Dame, might want to look at Holy Cross-2800 students and campus is only 1 hour from Boston. HC has very good English program and the academic profile is similar to Colgate. Colgate is a nice school but its location is very remote.</p>

4

<p>based purely on academics, I would definitely pick Middlebury (their English department is very strong) as a first choice. but visit first, if at all possible - many LACs, especially Middlebury, Oberlin, and Reed, have very strong and unique cultures. I know a lot of people who fit the academic profile perfectly but hated those schools when they visited.</p>

5

<p>Colgate is no more isolated than Middlebury, although would argue that this remoteness adds to the experience at both schools.</p>

6

<p>If the SAT comes up, dartmouth would be a good edition. It's a great size at just over 4k undergrads. Totally feels like a LAC but has some U advantages.</p>

7

<p>It's a really good list. I would pick Oberlin or Wesleyan, but really, you have a lot of good schools there.</p>

8

<p>check out Denison -- it's a little larger than most LACs and has outstanding English and theater programs. Good luck.</p>

9

<p>Your choices are quite varied in terms of campus culture and atmosphere--read a guide like The Insider's Guide that give you a sense of where you might best fit in and feel comfortable . Also find the campus student newspaper via the website of your college choices and try to get a feel for what people care about and like to do in their free time at each school. Vassar might also be worth considering for good English and Theater departments and generally strong academics. </p>

<p>Wesleyan and Colgate would be quite different from each other. As would
Oberlin and Middlebury.</p>

10

<p>You don't mention money, but some of the schools you have on your list don't offer much in the way of merit scholarships. So, if you can pay the full price, good, or if you qualify for lots of financial aid, good. But anything in between, well you might want to reconsider that list.</p>

11

<p>Kenyon and Macalester have strong theatre programs. Mac is urban but Kenyon's literary reputation is legendary. If you're interested in Nortre Dame and want theatre, Boston College would seem to be a good larger option.</p>