Perhaps these have been suggested and I’ve missed them, but have either Reed or Macalester come up yet?
Both are very well regarded for undergrad teaching, have a reasonable acceptance rate, and have a vibe that might click for you.
If you’ll be planning spring break visits and either one of those appeals to you, I would recommend visiting, as the vibe on campus is a major part of what people seem to like (or not like) about them.
Strongly agree with the recommendation for Macalester. While visiting, OP should also visit St. Olaf (which has also been recommended up-thread)- it’s about an hour north, has one of the most gorgeous campuses we visited, is great for music, and is much-loved by students who attend. Both schools are are strong LACs, but a bit of an easier admit than Colby, and both also offer merit aid.
Very much agree with taking a look at St. Olaf. We were very impressed by it last year, and it’d be super convenient to see it if visiting Minneapolis. There are a bunch of car services (think Uber, but indie) that operate in the area. We used City Gal (which is really just Ginny, I think) to get down to Northfield and then back up to Minneapolis before and after our visit. Northfield is cute, too.
And in case you’re at all concerned about the religious dynamic at St. Olaf, @lonesomecrowdedwest, know that it’s a LGBTQ+ positive place, and the people are fantastically nice.
I’ll look into all of those! And yeah I don’t mind colleges with religious affiliations so long as the religion doesn’t interfere with the classes (I am perhaps somewhat religious myself though I wouldn’t say I define myself by it), so I’m glad to know that St. Olaf is accepting.
I mean you will be required to take classes based upon religion / doctrine although they are often academic and not proselytizing.
Many religiously affiliated schools will have that in their core.
I wouldn’t mind taking classes on religion including Christianity. Religious Studies is even something I’ve considered studying. But yeah preaching and proselytizing within classes especially non-religious ones is more what I would like to avoid. But I know that plenty of religiously affiliated schools do not do that.
fair enough, I can see where you are coming from - I can see Emerson as having a very “making” and/or pre-professional vs. academic/theory-based class vibe in classes….
Good luck:) You will find your place I am sure:)
I suggested Emerson because you brought up higher paying.
You will likely earn far more or have more “stability” with a pre professional degree from Emerson than an English degree from WWU or others.
It doesn’t mean Emerson should be right for you - you already explained its not.
But in many ways, what you’re seeking contradict one another. Journalism majors are definitely on the “lesser” side of academicky. Or as I like to say - it was a wasted degree (although mine was many years ago).
I might not necessarily want a degree in journalism (I don’t think solely a degree in that would be interesting anyway) but I still would like the chance to be involved in a high quality school newspaper if that makes sense? I’m not entirely sure what my career will be and ultimately I do want to study what I love while having a future as well.
I was going to mention St. John’s, but @aquapt beat me to it. Deep Springs is also an interesting suggestion. I’ll also second (or third) Wheaton (MA), Ithaca, St. Olaf, SUNY Geneseo, Whitman, Willamette, Lewis & Clark, Puget Sound, Southern Oregon, Connecticut College, Bennington, Hampshire, Bard, and Sonoma State. Ditto for Reed & Macalester. So many great suggestions have been given!
Washington College on the Eastern Shore of Maryland was mentioned, but I’ll also add St. Mary’s College of Maryland, the state’s public liberal arts college with about 1600 undergrads. U. of Minnesota - Morris is another small public liberal arts college that you may want to check out. And Goucher would be another option to consider, a CTCL score and part of the Baltimore Collegetown consortium that allows cross-registration with other area colleges like Johns Hopkins and Loyola Maryland.
What about Colorado College in Colorado Springs. Classes are all small. Class size is capped at 25-40 students and almost all classes are 15-16 students.
The unique block style curriculum is great for discussion based courses (literature, religion, writing, etc). Students take 1 class at time, 5 days/week, class lasts 3-4 hours/day. A block is 3.5 weeks long with a 5-6 day break before the beginning of the next block. Afternoons are purposefully left open for labs, clubs, sports, or other activities.
Campus is green, quiet and full of mature trees. And the Rocky Mountains are right there and easy to access. CC is also known for its great food.