Colleges that "fit"

College Search & Lists
1

<p>Hey CCers, I’m looking to transfer from my state flagship university, and have struggled to find this elusive “fit” that I hear a lot of college websites/forums/counselors talk about. I’ve done a bunch of self-research in finding schools that might fit me better, but sort of hit a brick wall. Here’s my list so far:</p>

<p>Brown
Wesleyan
Carleton
Pitzer
Oberlin
Whitman
Reed</p>

<p>My Stats:
College:
GPA: 3.85 (4.0 in my Major–English–if it matters.)
ECs: Student government, humor magazine, philosophy association, community service, research assistant position.</p>

<p>High School: (Fairly large public)
GPA UW: 3.7 (No grade inflation at my school–no one made a 4.0)
GPA W: 4.95/6
Rank: Top 4%
Course Load: All APs or Honors courses–13 APs Total; 4s or 5s on all.
SAT: 2150
SAT IIs: 740 US History, 660 Literature
ECs: ~150 hours of Comm Service, Summer Jobs, Co-Captain on Debate Team, Leadership in Political clubs, Jazz Band, Other Music ECs–worked with professional sound engineer, as well as just practices/rock bands</p>

<p>Really I’m looking for schools with a couple key points: (None of these are necessities, but all would be nice–and I’m pulling on the pooled knowledge of CC to hopefully catch some schools that might’ve fallen through the cracks in my search.)</p>

<p>–Smaller student body: Doesn’t have to be LAC tiny, but I sort of feel like a “number” at my current school.</p>

<p>–Majority of students live on campus: I feel like living with other people in the dorms builds a lot of camaraderie with people that isn’t there when people move off campus.</p>

<p>–“Artsy” student body: This is why I have schools like Brown and Oberlin on the list. I know Brown has a lot of mixed resources with RISD, and Oberlin probably has the mixed liberal arts focused student body with the “artsiness” that comes with the music conservatory.</p>

<p>–Minimal Greek Presence: Nothing against Greeks. Just feel like it segments the student body.</p>

<p>–Not in Texas: I want to get out of state. </p>

<p>–Focus on Undergraduate Teaching</p>

<p>–Fairly generous to transfer students: To put it bluntly, I can’t be a full-pay student. I already know this (unfortunately) puts me at a disadvantage for Brown–partially, why I’m looking to expand this list. I am in the ~$100k income bracket.</p>

2

<p>You might like Yale (lots of artsy stuff on campus), Swarthmore (small, rigorous, more quirky than artsy though), UChicago (mid-size, rigorous, quirky but lots of arts groups + city of Chicago) and especially Vassar (small, similar to Wesleyan but prettier campus and very artsy student body)</p>

3

<p>I think for transfers you want to get to know the schools as well as you can and make your applications very specific. Find out about departments you’re interested in, etc. I bet they would really like to see strong essays explaining why them specifically. All the ones you mentioned would probably provide a lot of what you’re looking for.</p>

4

<p>Have you visited any of the schools on the list?</p>

5

<p>I think that you should add to your list:
-University of Chicago
-Yale
-Swarthmore
-Macalester</p>

<p>All are intellectual, challenging, and don’t have an overwhelming undergrad population.</p>

6

<p>Some good suggestions so far. </p>

<p>@siliconvalleymom – No, haven’t had a chance to visit these schools, and this might be a problem. I’m a college student, and visiting these schools, that are very spread out across the country is very difficult. I’d go during the summer (now), but I’m taking summer classes. </p>

<p>Also–I know this isn’t a chance thread. But do I have a realistic chance at any of these schools? A lot of you have suggested Yale, but I’m worried that Yale (along with many of the other schools I’ve listened) are well out of my range.</p>

7

<p>If you’re worrying about too many reaches, you can look at Kenyon, Vassar, Reed.</p>

8

<p>For your requirements, I really recommend the LAC type (but you’re probably already leaning in this direction, if I get your drift). Oberlin, Wooster, Kenyon, etcetera.</p>

<p>I have a lot of friends at Oberlin and Wooster, and they really enjoy their time there -none of them regret their decisions. Having said that, I feel the same way about Earlham College, and I think you would fit really well here :)</p>

<p>Earlham College fits all of the requirements on your list. You should check us out! </p>

<p>-Smaller student body: Check!</p>

<p>–Majority of students live on campus: 98% last I checked.</p>

<p>–“Artsy” student body: Everyone is doing something. We aren’t as musical as Oberlin, but it’s easy and encouraged to get into every ensemble. I have a friend who was in six musical ensembles last semester - and he’s a math major. He’s a little nuts though.</p>

<p>–Minimal Greek Presence: No greek organizations on campus except Phi Beta Kappa, which is an academic honors society. We don’t allow most greek organizations because they kind of go against the quaker ideals here.</p>

<p>–Not in Texas: Indiana!</p>

<p>–Focus on Undergraduate Teaching: Yep.</p>

<p>–Fairly generous to transfer students: Our financial aid is relatively generous, so you might be able to do four years here. I’d definitely talk to the financial aid office.</p>

<p>I work for Earlham’s Admissions as a student worker - if you have any questions, feel free to ask me!</p>

9

<p>conn college, vassar, kenyon, macalester, skidmore</p>

10

<p>Hamilton, Skidmore, Clark (MA), Conn. College, Dickinson, Oberlin, Kenyon, Carelton, Mcalester, Reed, Vassar, Kenyon
And you may want to look at some of the CTCL schools as well <a href=“http://www.ctcl.org/[/url]”>http://www.ctcl.org/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

11

<p>I agree with CTCL. Great list of colleges :)</p>