<p>Hello All,
I have recently set my mind on going to a school with a non-traditional curriculum (such as ones with no majors such as Hampshire or Marlboro or schools using the block schedule such as Colorado College) or a very academically intense school (e.g. Reed or St. Johns College). I was wondering which schools that fit this sort of criteria have the best programs in political science and philosophy, as I plan to double major (or concentrate on for those schools that don’t do majors) in these subjects. Any sort of advice would help! :)</p>
<p>What Reed says about itself on this subject:
Reed produces a high percentage of future PhD earners, #2 in Humanities (includes Philosophy) and #3 in Political Science (<a href=“http://web.reed.edu/ir/phd.html[/url]”>http://web.reed.edu/ir/phd.html</a>); St. John’s does just as well or better in this regard (as do Swarthmore, Amherst, Oberlin and Haverford). Don’t let the P.E. requirement scare you; here is a list of classes: <a href=“Reed College - Acalog ACMS™”>Reed College - Acalog ACMS™;
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<p>Would Brown’s open curriculum fit the bill?</p>
<p>holy crap, R_Lest = me.</p>
<p>You might add New College of Florida to your list.</p>
<p>Also, Bard and Sarah Lawrence.</p>
<p>Forgot to also mention the Johnston Center at the University of Redlands in California.</p>
<p>Vassar has a virtually open curriculum (like Brown)… all that’s required (outside of the major you choose) is 1 quantitative course, 1 freshman seminar, and 1 language credit. Depending on what exactly you mean by “non-traditional,” it might fit.</p>
<p>While Brown and Vassar have very open curriculum’s, the truth of the matter is i’m not Ivy League material (I know Vassar isn’t Ivy, but it’s almost as hard to get into). Amongst other CCer’s I’d be considered weak. </p>
<p>I’m an A/B student (3.4/4.0GPA) and ranked 260/615 at a very competitive high school, with a 1920 (gasp!) on the SAT and a 28 on the ACT (ACT actually isn’t bad, in my opinion). If I applied to Brown or Vassar, I’d more than likely be laughed at by the admissions office. I know this is a pessimistic point of view, but when you have kids applying to these schools with 4.0/2200 or above, a guy like me feels belittled and it’s hard to be optimistic.</p>
<p>However, regarding New College of Florida, I’ve been reading up recently and like what I see. It’s a public school that has what I’m looking for. Evergreen State is another public college like it. Bard and Sarah Lawrence are looking good too. But I still think if i have a chance at Reed, and if i can get good financial aid, I may go for it come application time. Hopefully, I stand a good chance getting in there.</p>
<p>Marlboro & New College are Gay Magnet Schools. If this is your fit, then by all means apply. St. Johns in Annapolis and Santa Fe do not do majors. It is a non-traditional school but emphasises the classics.</p>
<p>Why non-traditional? Or should I ask, non-conventional?
Deep Springs College is about the most non-traditional school out there.</p>
<p>Understand what your needs are by understanding your strengths and weaknesses. What your assets are. What kind of environment suits your temperament and what kind of student body will you do well in?<br>
Then size yourself against the institutions that would allow you to be a success and your experiences a positive one.</p>
<p>I never heard the phrase “gay magnet schools” and find it quite odd. There are gay students at every university and college. Since people do not report sexual orientation and, if they did, many would not reveal it if they were in an unsupportive environment, how would you possibly know the % of students who are gay?</p>
<p>Dearest momfromme:</p>
<p>Yes, there are homosexuals. That being said, some schools have higher percentages than others. Where very small school populations are concerned, a 36% figure would decidedly affect a school’s social life, particularly if the prospective applicant is not gay.</p>
<p>With regards to where I found these stats, when we commenced the selection process for reviewing schools, I googled gay friendly schools and looked at gay sites that listed schools that are gay friendly environments. Several of these sites list these school and write reviews about them for their discerning readers.</p>
<p>There is nothing odd about gay magnet schools, for if a gay person were interested in filing applications to schools where the individual schools are gay friendly, then it makes great sense for gay people to seek out environments where gay lifestyles are not acceptable, but numerous. People like to be with those share similar interests.</p>
<p>I have many gay friends and they do not consider being gay as an “interest,” but a part of who they are. That said, of course gay people would want to be in a gay friendly environment (as would plenty of straight folks). </p>
<p>Where do you get the 36% figure from and why do you think that that or higher or lower numbers are valid? As someone with expertise in survey research, I’d say that you can’t put much credence in surveys on sexual orientation.</p>
<p>Actually, from what I have heard, Yale has the highest percentage of gays, not kidding, and they even have classes regarding gay issues. </p>
<p>Anyway, to the original poster, I would definitely check out Hampshire. Open curriculum, great philosophy classes/professors, and the 5 colleges (including Amherst!) to supplement anything else you need.</p>
<p>allthosethings</p>
<p>Most colleges have classes regarding gay issues, except for maybe BYU or Bob Jones University.</p>
<p>I’m not just talking about classes, but a built in major. Found on Yale’s website:</p>
<p>“Majors choose one of two tracks: Women’s and Gender Studies (W&GS) or Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Studies (LGBTQ). The major includes required courses and an individual area of concentration.”</p>
<p>I know most schools have classes regarding gender/sexuality and there are certainly schools with more (at least more out) gays than others, but they are not always the ones you think :-)</p>
<p>Also, no Yale, but you might find this somewhat interesting:</p>
<p>Best Schools for LGBT Students</p>
<p>The Advocate magazine has published a new book highlighting the top 100 colleges in the United States for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students.</p>
<p>So who made the list? Here is the list of the top 20 schools from The Advocate’s top 100 best schools for LGBT students in alphabetical order.</p>
<p>American University
Duke University
Indiana University
New York University
Oberlin College
Ohio State University
Pennsylvania State University
Princeton University
Stanford University
Tufts University
University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Santa Cruz
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
University of Michigan
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
University of Oregon
University of Pennsylvania
University of Puget Sound
University of Southern California</p>