<p>For a discussion of Hampshire, and what it can do for students who really fit (including grad school acceptances), take a look at the book “Colleges that Change Lives” by Pope. There’s a whole write up about it.</p>
<p>All of this input is amazing. Thank you all so much. I’m determined to respond to each since my last post, so here goes:</p>
<p>interesteddad- I echo your concerns- my dad is a bit unsure of Hampshire, since he sees just as you do- an experimental college. I, too, was worried about the fact that they really are not a very rich college-meaning less oppurtunity, and perhaps that the alums either 1. hate it 2. have no money to give…yikes</p>
<p>cangel: you’re right, i’m not really sure what to do. I know what i want to study, but i dont know what to do afterward… nor do i really know if i want to go to a college straight off or do something like cityyear (by the way, do you know anyone who has participated in it and their feelings?) but i do know that i am stronglyy bored in my high school- i know i sound spoiled or ungrateful for my oppurtunities, but i really am a bit lost. I dont want to end up hating subjects because of bad classes- i just really want to learn, but i dont know how best i want to approach that. </p>
<p>bluebayou: Berkeley is not really my ends. I just want to go to St. John’s for the learning experience and transfer(because i have to) to a less expensive UC.</p>
<p>mini: i live in california. UMass would cost as much as a private school, wiht out of state fees…plus, i did not apply</p>
<p>carolyn: my major woudl be english/philosophy/polisci or a language so the credits shouldn’t be too much of a problem. I do see UC admissions as very rigorous but i think it won’t be as bad for UCDavis, since I already got in? i plan on calling UCBerkeley and Davis soon to validate this- to see if they woudl take transfers and if my credits would. St. John’s website says all my credits transfer, and if i want to hampshire, i would not need to transfer.</p>
<p>dadofsam: oh it’s not that my parents are apprehensive about my exploring or such. They just want to make sure their money is not wasted. Also, the UCDavis transferring… i suppose that is an option because I do know that UC’s are hard to get into. The transferring idea for St. John’s only came because i wanted to get that unique experience for a while, and not to get somewhere ‘better’</p>
<p>sempitern: thanks for the input. I think UCDavis is 4th in the UC’s and 11th nationwide, but definitely has a solid IR program- the first program in the UC system (They flaunted this when I visited…and justifiably so)</p>
<p>azephyr: YIKES. </p>
<p>mstee: Would it still be as hard if i already got into the UC schools? As in, since i already received admission to UC Davis?</p>
<p>oh, sorry chedva: I have read that book. It really only shows the good to everything, haha, it’s what made me interested in Hampshire and St. John’s to begin with. i might give it another look to help me decide. thanks =)</p>
<p>Wondrlst, just from the thoughtfulness of your posts, I know you will find college to be a great adventure, no matter where you go.
There’s always study abroad, too … I went to Japan for a year and it remains the highlight of my college days.</p>
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<p>It’s not like that. It’s just that the school started from ground zero in 1970 and never had a huge benefactor. The colleges that have sizeable endowments started building them more than 100 years ago and/or were fortunate to be given stock at the right time: Duke with a big gift from a tobacco magnate, Emory which started receiving big gifts of Coca-Cola stock by the Woodruff family very early on only to see it skyrocket in value, Stanford, etc. All colleges founded since World War II are pretty much in the same boat.</p>
<p>interesteddad: I was just speculating, actually. That is a good point, though, about colleges and their funding. My point was more that Hampshire still seems a little shaky, liek it’s still trying to really establish itself and the rest about poor and unhappy alums was just my paranoid speculation. thanks for the info though…interesting</p>
<p>azephyr- thank you =) I actually want to minor in Japanese if i go to davis! Of course, I’m Indian so it would be a bit weird for me but i’m looking forward to it. and i hope you’re right- i’m really worried about not making the right choice for myself. college years, while they dont completely shape you, play a role in making you who you are (or so i’d think…cyberslap some sense into me if i’m wrong) and i dont want to make a bad choice, especially financially. thank you again, though =)</p>
<p>I’m a UC Davis alumnus, and I liked it there. Davis is the perfect little college town - perhaps the only true college town in California. I got a good education that has served me very well.</p>
<p>The Davis area is kind of flat and rural. Sacramento is the nearby city, and Davis is about an hour west of the ski slopes of Tahoe and an hour east of the bright lights of the Bay area.</p>
<p>The kids there are fun-loving but studious. It’s not Caltech, but academics are taken seriously. The obsessed pre-vet students are a sigificant presence of campus. Overall, there are much worse places to spend four years.</p>
<p>As for your other schools, I know nothing about St. Johns and so can’t comment. I’ve driven by Hampshire, and it looked like the remotest and most isolated campus I’ve ever seen. UC Davis gets called Moo U., but Hampshire was literally out in the middle of a cow pasture.</p>
<p>Good luck with your decision.</p>
<p>Yes, i noticed davis was really…flat. weird for me, i’m used to lots of hills</p>
<p>I used to work with a recent Hampshire grad. He said it was a great experience. He was nerdish, but wanted to go to a school where “those who wanted to could be a freak”. He is a very self posessed and mature young man. He also took classes at both Smith and U-Mass and said they were great.</p>
<p>I think going to St John’s and transferring after 2 years is a really bad idea. Go to Davis.</p>
<p>Hampshire College is a great college that offers tons of scholarships and is very diverse with there students</p>
<p>For what it’s worth:</p>
<p>Hampshire is one of the schools we visited with my son last year. My husband and I both came away with the same reaction - that we had just spent the last few hours listening to “Hampshire Speak” - from the student tour guide to the additional 2 students that were in charge of a question and answer session. They all spent more time talking about the education methods than the actual education itself. The bulk of their training seemed to be learning how to talk about the method of their education. My son’s impression was initially positive - that you would be at a school where you would discuss and discover who you are. Our response was “that’s what every college is, anywhere”. </p>
<p>On the other hand we have a neighbor with 2 grown sons who both graduated from Hampshire awhile ago and loved it.</p>
<p>Hi, I know this is a bit late, but I wanted to give a little update, since you all were so great in responding and giving me advice about schools. </p>
<p>So I visited UC Davis and was impressed- really get a lot of bang for your buck. I pretty much figured that I would not be unhappy there, but it really is not the best school for me. It would really just be like HS all over again- not a particularily enjoyable experience for me…for a lot of reasons.</p>
<p>Hampshire I ruled out because I have heard a lot about how it is very self driven- and when I do not need to do something and do not want to do it…I will push it until the last minute. I am pretty laid back, and should I attend the land of the laid back, I will, for sure, not take the education seriously. I just know that I will not take Hampshire seriously-I dont mean that in some elitist way, just an observation of myself.</p>
<p>Finally, St. John’s. I…love that place. I went to visit and I knew that it was the absolute most perfect place for me …just in a few hours. I went to a math class (I was never a fan of HS math) and I loved it so much. At first, I did not know what they were talking about, but I eventually got it and …it was the best math class I ever attended. It was great- the approach to learning is exactly the type I would not only love, but thrive in. </p>
<p>So that was great. I talked to my parents about the financial issues and they said they would be fine with covering 2 years as long as I also work. For the next two years, I probably will not want to transfer, so they said they would cover a certain sum and I would be responsible for the rest, either in loans, or working. I figure I’ll see how it goes when the time comes- for now, I am just so excited to go to this school. I suppose it is a bit impractical and maybe immature for me to forge ahead without this grand 4 year plan, but I will do more research on my options and see where this goes. So again, thank you very much for all the help and input- it really was great. Yay St. John’s College, Annapolis!</p>
<p>Congrats! You will make your way and this is not an immature decision! You seem to be an amazing person. Best of luck or should I say break a leg…I’m not sure. ;)</p>
<p>I’m glad it worked out that you can go to St. John’s!</p>
<p>Congratulations, wondrlst! I’m glad you shared your decision with us. St. John’s sounds like the place for you – best wishes!!!</p>
<p>Well said, cangel. Since you are not a serious student, Chicago and Reed should not be considered. Your primary focus should be academics at those schools. Take the gap year. Find out what the world is like, and then make your choice. You may decide that being a scholar is what you really want. Until then, I see you as looking for a cultural, fun experience, and not so worried about the academics. I don’t mean to be harsh, but you need to find out what you really want befor you commit.</p>
<p>evitajr1- I am definitely a serious student- I am not into partying or drinking or anything- I just like learning. My only problem with HS is the way it is taught- it is suffocating. The reason i was drawn to Chicago and Reed are because they seemed to be places where people loved learning, for the sake of learning and not for the sole goal of graduating. Students at St. John’s similarily exhibited this great love for their school and the work they were doing, which made me want to attend so badly. I found that it was absolutely perfect for me, everything I wanted in a school. So that’s where I’m headed. I’m not doing a gap year, but I don’t think softening words is ever a good idea- big decisions require harshness, no? So thanks for that, I respect it.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the congrats =)</p>
<p>Congrats, Wonder - your decision making process soundsbetter thought out and based on actual experience - good luck!</p>
<p>good! Arguing for yourself or your position makes you see things clearly, instead of merely asking for advice which given by different people could only serve to confuse you more. You’ll now do great at St. John’s By best to you!</p>
<p>hah phew, i passed evitajr1’s test =)</p>