Hi! I was waitlisted to Scripps (my personal top choice) yet accepted to Colby. I was WL at UCSC and Occidental and have Sarah Lawrence as an acceptance as well.
I am an Art History major looking to go to grad school after I get my Bachelors. Where would I find the best opportunities? Is it worth it to continue my crusade to get off the Scripps WL? Or will I thrive at Colby? What about my three other schools?
With respect to visual arts generally, Sarah Lawrence and Scripps tend to be very strong, while UCSC tends to be strong in art history specifically. Nonetheless, Colby’s new art museum seems like a promising development for all of its visual arts programs.
Colby has made art and art history an institutional priority. It’s a terrific school.
What would this crusade entail?
If you’ve accepted a spot on the waitlist and submitted a well-written LOCI that indicates Scripps is your first choice and you would absolutely attend if admitted, then you have done what you can do, as far as I’m aware.
Colby sounds like a great option. I don’t doubt that you could thrive there. I hope Scripps works out for you if that’s what you prefer, but for now, you’ve probably done what you can do about that, and your energy is best spent getting excited about the opportunities at Colby. Good luck and congrats!
Congratulations on some great admittances! Is there a significant financial difference between these schools for you? If so, would your family be willing to use the difference between the lower and higher cost schools to help towards grad school? Unless you’re going for a doctorate in art history, there are few Master’s programs I know of that are funded. As art history is not a particularly lucrative field, having money for grad school could play an important role.
That said, I am not an art history buff and don’t know whether one of the programs would be more likely to land you a prime position in the field. That is something that I would recommend you search out more info on from knowledgeable folks.
My only reservation regarding Colby is that they have yet to graduate as many art history majors as some other LACs of comparable size, with just two “first majors” in a recent year.
https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=Colby&s=all&id=161086#programs
i’ve already submitted a loci, so you’re probably right. my counselor is just planning on calling right after may 1st to put in a good word for me, so that’s the “continuation of the crusade.”
no, as soon as my parents found out they were having me they made sure that i would have uni taken care of (they’re big academics and it is arguably their #1 priority for me). i’ve already looked into master’s programs, and they’ve said they’d at least help with the cost, so we’re good there.
The humanities are really struggling to attract majors these days, with STEM and business majors swelling in ranks. But 2 art history majors is the same as Scripps. Bowdoin has 4. Even UMass, with its 24,000 undergraduates, only has 13 art history majors. It’s a shame. Weirdly, Sarah Lawrence doesn’t break out their humanities degrees, except for creative writing. There are lots of humanities majors though, and I have known a number of people who graduated back in my day who had successful academic careers, but I don’t know much about Sarah Lawrence today.
It’s terrific that your family will be able to pay for any college you’re looking at. My concern is at the Master’s level. When your parents say they will help with the cost, my interpretation as that they will contribute some money toward the cause, but that you will be responsible for a good-sized chunk of it.
It doesn’t appear as though Scripps or Sarah Lawrence have a Master’s in Art History, but it turns out that Columbia does. Tuition is $34k/semester, so $68k/school year, and that doesn’t include housing, books, etc. Let’s say $30k for that (which is less than Columbia indicates on its cost of attendance). So then you’re looking at $98k/year for your Master’s (let’s call it $100k for ease of math). Maybe your parents pay for half of even 60%. That still leaves you with $40-50k/year that you would need to cover. Where are you going to get that money?
That’s where my question was leading. Let’s say that Colby is $90k/year while Sarah Lawrence is $60k/year. That means that your family would be saving about $30k/year for four years if you attend Sarah Lawrence, which means there might be an additional $120k for grad school that wouldn’t be there if you attended the more expensive institution. So, maybe you go to Colby and then they contribute $100k toward grad school, leaving you with $100k to cover yourself (assuming that the MA in art history is a 2-year program). But, if you go to Sarah Lawrence, they have that extra $120k they saved, so now they pay for all of your grad school rather than just some of it.
Obviously, I just made up those numbers between Colby and Sarah Lawrence, but that’s one of the factors I would definitely be considering.
Source for Columbia’s costs: Cost of Attendance | GSAS
i’ve already looked at columbia, and that’s one of my biggest contenders for a phd program (if i so choose to pursue one). they’re paying for my undergrad guaranteed, and they said they would take care of my grad school, as i am supposed to at least be partially funded directly by the college for that.
For a WL school, get on the LOCI as you have - and forget about it. Unfortunately, they have not accepted you and are simply using you as an insurance policy if not enough attend. But just like they aren’t thinking about you day to day, it’s best not to think about them.
So pick one within your remaining apps. If I’m reading correctly, it’s Colby and Sarah Lawrence?
One is close to NYC. One is in Maine - does that matter?
Will you thrive at Colby? That’s up to you (in concert with how you fit, adjust).
Are there financial concerns - like one is cheaper (due to merit at SLU)?
I don’t find any of the schools (Scripps included) on any ranking - not that rankings matter - but I would simply find where you a) can best afford and b) where you feel most comfortable amongst the two remaining.
Best of luck in your studies.
So really, it is between Colby and Sarah Lawrence. The waitlists of Scripps, UCSC, and Occidental have a low chance of producing admission, usually after you have had to commit to one of the colleges that admitted you.
So choose between Colby and Sarah Lawrence (or any other college that admitted you if there are others) and stay on the waitlist for any of those waitlist colleges that you may choose over the college that you deposit at. Then if you get a waitlist admission, consider whether to switch then.
i totally understand that. i thought it would be a good idea to get input early/proactively so i’m able to make a swift decision if/when i am admitted off of a waitlist. i have pretty high chances w/ucsc in general (10k out of 12k admitted from WL last year), and i really pulled out all the stops for scripps (2 extra LORs, LOCI, counselor is calling on my behalf). i just want to be prepared.
If you get into Scripps, game over 
So, UCSC, Colby, and Sarah Lawrence, and since ucsc really isn’t like the others, it’s really a matter of Colby v. Sarah Lawrence.
I think you might like Sarah Lawrence better - location, vibe.
Do you like Oxy better than these 2 colleges?
As clarification, I believe the OP is on the waiting list for UCSC.
Yes, but the better odds are there in terms of getting off the WL, and it is an easy one to cross out due to being the odd one out 
personally, i’ve been leaning a bit away from sarah lawrence and more towards colby. i met a couple people in my class for slc and really didn’t click.
oxy is nice, and i did the two paragraphs that they asked for, but my ranking would probably go:
if i got into scripps, that would shape my path for grad school (i would be applying to programs in california)
if not, i go to colby and take the ivy league route for grad.
Okay then, so far it’s Colby.
IF you get off the WL at Scripps, considering your GC called, you’re going, right?.. or you’ll make her word worthless for lots and lots of future students at your school. Anyway I assume it’s your clear favorite since you went through all that effort.
So… Colby for now.
Scripps otherwise (if you get iff the WL). 
(For thr record, I thought SL would be higher for you because it’s artsy, Arts&Humanities-centered, close enough to a major metropolis with lots of museums, enough full pay or near-full pay students that attending gallery or exhibit openings etc is not an uncommon activity.)
The Colby Art Museum is very nice.