<p>Thanks for all the responses y’all. Now let me respond to all of your thoughtful comments:</p>
<p>bclintonk: That’s a good point about Haverford. Based on my friends who have visited both, it seemed as if people tended to be partial to one or the other with hardly any overlap. I had assumed it would be the case, but I’d be more than willing to check it out when I head down to Philly.</p>
<p>The way I felt about Smith was that it was between Bryn Mawr and Smith, and since I would love to be in the Philly system and BM has a great peace and conflict studies program, Bryn Mawr seemed to be the better choice of the two. </p>
<p>Earlham… it’s funny, Earlham keeps popping up into my college search. Everything about it sounds great… except I think that I feel very strongly about the urban part. The reason, however, transcends merely a bias: music is extremely important to me, and I would really like to be surrounded by it in a city setting, where I would have easy access to voice teachers and live music. I may pursue music later on as a professional career, and while I don’t intend to study it seriously in college, I have the luxury of being a vocalist and being granted time before I have to make a real commitment. At any rate, I feel strongly about being close to the arts and music in a way that surpasses merely the college campus. </p>
<p>Another reason I want a city is because I really value independence and time alone. I like being able to be with people, and then head off to a city to escape the bubble even for a couple of hours and recharge.</p>
<p>ericatbucknell and dancerad64: Hmm. I live about half an hour from the city, so I know Eugene Lang, but I had never considered it. I had been under the impression that it was mostly for continuing ed… But, that’s interesting…</p>
<p>juillet: Maybe it’s a Northeast bias, but Atlanta fails to appeal. I’ve heard that it’s a hard city to navigate by foot, and I think I’m looking for a place more embracing of the arts. If these are unfair assumptions, please feel free to correct and set me straight.</p>
<p>Isn’t Dickinson located in a suburb? I’d really like access to a city with ample arts venues and opportunities. I’ll look more into the programs at Hunter and CUNY-- I know that for certain tracks, they have great offerings. I know Saratoga (and thus, Skidmore) quite well, and though I love it in the summer, I think I might go crazy if I had to deal with that tiny town for an entire year.</p>
<p>bluejay: I am aiming to get my math SAT score up to a 700. And yes, I feel a little insecure about my lack of math next year. It’s just that the teachers teaching the senior math classes are quite awful, and I know I would do horribly since I wouldn’t really understand what they were teaching. Is this a serious mistake? </p>
<p>DagnyT: I’m planning to take the APs this upcoming May, but obviously, it’s too late to take them so that colleges will see them. Oh well. I know it’s not an objective standard, but I got a 98 in my APUSH class at home and a 91 at boarding school, as well as a 91/91 in APES and a 92/88 in AP French. Just for the record, the 88 in AP French at boarding school is the one grade in the 80s I have on my entire record, and that’s an unweighted grade.</p>
<p>unalove: Sarah Lawrence is too small, I think. It’s also about 15 minutes from me, and just feels too safe-- not in terms of admission, but in terms of living arrangements and all. And while their excellent english program strongly allures me, I haven’t heard anything about their international programs/focuses.</p>
<p>New College’s location in Sarasota, FL also isn’t very exciting to me. Florida isn’t exactly the cultural haven that I’m craving.</p>
<p>Katliamom: I am not opposed to the West, but I am opposed to snow! I just feel so trapped when I’m surrounded by miles and miles of snow…</p>
<p>classof09: As much as I wanted to love it, I kind of hated Vassar. It just felt so, well, rich. And I hated it’s location. I know Poughkipsee well, and it seemed so obnoxious and unnecessary to place such a gorgeous and ridiculously expensive college in the midst of such a slum.</p>
<p>momrath: Read my response to bclinton. But why do say that it sounds ideal? Please elaborate. ;)</p>
<p>paperplatethesis: My dad is about to start a job at NYU, and he was told that I would get free tuition. However, the terms are still not finalized and the whole thing seems too good to be true. But, oh dear, I hope that it’s not just a fantasy! – Cause that would be incredible. :)</p>
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<p>Rereading all of these, I know it seems as though I’m rejecting everything. Really, I so much appreciate all of your input and thoughts. Maybe I’m sticking too closely to my ideal vision-- that’s quite possible. But if any of you have any objections/corrections as to the above/anything else, I would LOVE to hear it.</p>
<p>Thanks so much guys!!</p>