<p>I need help narrowing my college list
I’m a junior applying from Ohio and all of these schools are in my general fit range (except for Brown). These are all the schools I am considering but have not visited yet.</p>
<p>I’m mostly looking for a medium to small school that is in a more rural or suburban area. I plan to major in political science or economics. I also want a school that has a good theater or voice program so any feedback would be greatly appreciated. I’m trying to figure out where I will be visiting this summer.</p>
<p>Comments on student body? town/surrounding area? programs? Thank you once again.</p>
<p>Kenyon is in a very small town and the social scene is dominated by the greeks. Remember to show lots of interest if you choose to apply–they consider it when making admissions decisions.</p>
<p>Brown is definitely not in a suburban area, it’s in a lower to low-middle class neighborhood in the center of Providence. Great school, iffy location.</p>
<p>I think I have to disagree slightly with IsleBoy about Brown. He’s correct in saying that it’s in Providence, but you have to walk down a big hill to actually get into town; the campus feels pretty secluded until you do that. The neighborhood also didn’t seem too bad to me.</p>
<p>Wesleyan is supposed to have a good music program, and it’s fairly integrated into its neighboring town, which has a sort of middle-class suburban feel to it.</p>
<p>An interesting list. If you can, you should visit Bowdoin or Middlebury and then Wesleyan or Vassar. Having visited these schools recently, I think the first 2 are more similar to each other than they are to the second 2, and the second two are somewhat similar to each other. Brown, by far the largest school on your list, is also the most diverse. There are plenty of Bowdoin/Middlebury types and plenty of Wesleyan/Vassar types and plenty of other types at Brown. (For what it’s worth coming from a middle aged guy, having visited these schools last year with my niece, I preferred Bowdoin to Middlebury and Vassar to Wesleyan).</p>
<p>I understand that Bowdoin wants to develop its music program and is looking for music types (I think I read this in their strategic plan, which you can search for on their website). Upside: excellent school to which a music type would have a “hook”. Downside: a music program they themselves feel needs improvement. Wesleyan by reputation does have a strong music program and music is a vital part of the social scene.</p>
<p>Brown is the most difficult admit. It’s not in a bad part of downtown (as we RI natives like to call it) and has nowhere the urban feel of a BU or a GW. At the foot of the hill lies the business and entertainment districts, not very large but plenty of diversions for busy students.</p>
<p>I notice your list is full of schools that are highly selective. Yes, you can narrow your list, but wouldn’t it also make sense to add a couple of schools that are somewhat easier to get into? Lawrence U in Wisconson has a music conservatory, for example, and I am sure there is a broad selection of colleges that run the selectivity gamut between Brown and Lawrence and that have good music programs. </p>
<p>If you’re visiting New England, Connecticut College appears to have a solid music dept. and offers free private lessons through an alumni grant. Wheaton College (the one in Massachusetts) offers a minor in music performance. These are both very selective schools that are nonetheless somewhat easier admits than the others on you list. You could visit Brown, Conn, Wesleyan and Wheaton over two days.</p>
<p>Hope my meandering thoughts have been helpful.</p>
<p>nice list. conn college is right on the way between wesleyan and brown and might be worth a look. you have some VERY competitive schools on your list, just be sure to have a safety or two</p>
<p>Brown does not have an iffy area. I live in MA and when I’m not at college we go to Thayer St. almost every weekend. I prefer it to Boston. Plus, you are not too far away from the Providence Place Mall, which has great places to eat, a huge variety of stores, movie theaters, and tons of other attractions.</p>
<p>However, it is on the fringe between urban and suburban. Brown doesn’t seem like it’s in the middle of a city, but you can tell that it is.</p>
<p>I think your list looks okay as stands. Just looking at the kinds of personalities that each school tends to attract, I think I would group your schools the following way, using what I know about each school through the people I know who go there:</p>
<p>Group 1: Wesleyan, Swarthmore, Carleton. Tend to attract “offbeat” kids.</p>
<p>Group 2: Brown, Vassar. Tend to attract both “offbeat” and “preppy” kids.</p>
<p>Group 3: Bowdoin, Middlebury, Kenyon, Hamilton. Tend to attract more “preppy” kids.</p>
<p>If you love one of the schools in the group after a college visit, I would suggest you make sure to apply to the other schools that are most similar to it.</p>
<p>You also want to make sure you have some less selective schools in the bunch. If you’re saying that Brown is a reach and the other schools on this list look more realistic, then I think a good Group 1 safety might be Sarah Lawrence or Lawrence (particularly with performing arts), a good Group 2 safety might be Knox, and a good Group 3 safety might be Muhlenberg or Union.</p>
<p>I wanted a reach school that could fit my criteria, and Brown seemed to match. I’ll be sure to visit before I commit to it as a reach school. As long as the Brown campus isn’t completely focused on the city then I’m sure I’ll be okay with it. </p>
<p>I had no clue about Wesleyan music! Thank you so much. My guidance counselor said I seemed like a ‘Wesleyan kid’, but I feel I could blend with both groups pretty well.</p>
<p>I’ll probably be able to look at Denison and Oberlin due to proximity, but that’s part of it. I kinda wanna get out of ohio =P</p>
<p>I think I’m definitely going to try and do a Brown, maybe Wheaton, Wesleyan, maybe Conn. College, Bowdoin trip. I think that would be a good balance. Thank you so much! Any more comments would be appreciated =D</p>
<p>I don’t know how accurate this is, but I looked at the schools Princeton Review lists as “Great Schools for Political Science/Government Majors” and the ones from your list on there are Bowdoin, Carleton, Kenyon, Swarthmore, and Vassar.</p>
<p>I pretty confident with my list with maybe Conn. College or Wheaton as safeties. I’m in the top decile of my class, plenty of ECs in music/tennis/theatre, SAT >2200, and I’m applying from the Midwest. If I didn’t get into one of the schools on the list I would be surprised. However, you guys are probably right that I would rather be safe than…not in college XD. </p>
<p>I haven’t looked at Gettysburg, I’ll look into it. Thanks!</p>
<p>Does anyone know anything about Franklin and Marshall?</p>
<p>And thank you for the political science list teenage_cliche, I didn’t know that. That will definitely influence my decision. Comments appreciated.</p>
<p>Wesleyan, Conn, Brown form a triangle with Wesleyan to the west, Brown to the east and Conn between them to the south – 1 1/2 hours, give or take, between each of them. Wheaton is about 30-40 minutes northeast of Brown. Bowdoin is about 4 hours from the 1st 3 schools, a little over 3 from Wheaton.</p>
<p>On a three day trip, you could visit Wesleyan/Conn; next day Brown/Wheaton; next day Bowdoin and Bates and/or Colby (they are all within an hour of each other, so you could driveby the 3rd). Or on you way to/from Bowdoin, you could visit Tufts, just outside of Boston. Interesting place that falls within the personality of most of the schools you’re looking at. It’s a little larger than the other LACs.</p>
<p>If you like Wheaton and Conn, you should consider applying to both. That will certainly bolster your strong match/safety list.</p>
<p>I also here a lot of buzz about Dickinson. Too close?</p>
<p>Other random observations. All of these campuses are at least somewhat attractive. Most agree Conn is nicer than Wheaton, Bowdoin & Colby nier than Bates.</p>
<p>Have you tried an online search site? It might help to give you some other ideas. I have used petersons.com, the princeton review’s counselor-o-matic and myUsearch. Hope this helps.</p>