Intellectual yet Laid-Back

Weskid
Sat, 07 Jul 2007 15:30:57 +0000

fhqwgads2005: I wouldn’t call Wesleyan much if any more “hippyish” than Vassar (and a lot less so than Bard).

Some thoughts on the schools you listed:

Bard: From what my friends and Bard say, it’s a lot MORE “artsy”/counter-cultural than the other schools on your list. As one Bard friend who visited me at Wes put it, you can find Bard-types at Wes, but you can’t find all Wes types at Bard (and you could substitute Brown and Vassar for Wes there). Some people love it, but I’d really suggest visiting.

Amherst: Probably more “preppy” than Vassar or Brown, but it’s definitely no Williams in terms of “preppiness.” I don’t know much about it, but I do know that my roommate, who loves Wes, had Amherst and Brown basically tied as her second choice, so I’d imagine it’s worth looking into for you.

NYU Gallatin: I don’t know much about it, but it’s definitely very free in its curriculum. I’d imagine that that atmosphere would be rather different from that at the other schools you’ve listed, though, just because NYU is a rather large school (I mean, the Gallatin program is not, but the feel of overall school is important too), and doesn’t have a campus. Some people love it, but it’s very different than a LAC or small university feel.

As for other schools to look into, I agree with all of the other suggestions. I’ll especially pimp Wesleyan, since I go there and know about it I think you should definitely check it out, since Brown and Vassar are two of the schools I think are most like Wes, so if you like them, I’d think you might like Wes too. It’s very much got that laid back intellectual feel you’re looking for, and it’s distribution" requirements" are very minimal (3 math/science credits, 3 social science credits and 3 humanities/arts credits), and actually, aren’t requirements for graduation, (though some majors require them and they are normally needed for honors).

Some other ideas (note, I’m not entirely sure about the curriculums at these schools, but most LACs tend to have distribution requirements that aren’t that hard to fufill): Skidmore, Barnard (if you’re a girl), Connecticut College. Also, if you’re willing to stretch the northeast requirement, you might like Haverford.