my grades aren’t too high and i currently go to an alternative high school. i’m thinking of applying to bard, the new school, and oberlin. i’m looking for other colleges that are a bit more artsy and focus on other things to get in. i want to be a director/writer.
Bennington in VT; Sarah Lawrence in NY; Evergreen State in Washington State.
Look at The Colleges that Change Lives: CTCL You’ll likely find some gems there.
About 98-99% of American colleges do not require nearly-perfect grades just for a serious look at your application. Several of them may be within an hour’s drive from your home. If you’re looking for relatively selective colleges that may be willing to overlook less-than-perfect grades, then the Colleges That Change Lives may be a good place to start. It depends on how low your grades are. Many of the CTCLs seem to need about 3.0UW, or better.
According to Oberlin’s 2017 Common Data Set (section C12), their average entering GPA (with 89%+ reporting) was 3.57. Other colleges where you might have a decent shot with a 3.5 UW(or better) GPA include:
Hampshire College (where filmmaker Ken Burns went)
Occidental
Sarah Lawrence
Warren Wilson
Earlham College
University of Denver
Boston University
SUNY Geneseo
There are many more. Google for “colleges that accept 3.5 gpa” or some such.
Without more details on GPA, test scores, courses, finances, it is unwise to start throw out names of colleges. While many CTCL schools will accept B students and offer merit, it is not a given. Hampshire accepted only gap year and early admission students, they are struggling to restructure and not close, they are also in danger of loosing their accreditation.
All holistic colleges “look for things other than grades.” But you still need to “match” what that college values, expects, and looks for in applicants. Get a Fiske Guide to Colleges and read up. See what your possible targets show as the mid-50% on scores and gpa, plus what they expect in course rigor.
If you say you want to be a director/writer, you ought to have relevant experiences. And even though you say artsy, you need a rounded courseload, including stem classes.
Talk to your guidance counselor.
All selective colleges look at grades, and they all look st things other than grades as well. You need to look at colleges that are are not as selective if your grades are an issue. You should look at Naviance charts of your high school, if available and see where kids with your grades, class rank are getting accepted and where they are not
Optimal timing for your matriculation at Oberlin. Circumstances could well dictate a much more lenient admission criteria going forward.