Potential schools for bright, quirky, curious, artistic kid

College Search & Lists
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I posted this in another forum and was encouraged to post here for more/better info:

Hi! I’m hoping for some guidance. My daughter is a junior. She is a talented visual artist, but is leaning towards a liberal arts college rather than art school. Her grades are middling (maybe 3.6?), but with dramatic improvement from sophomore to junior year, so her GPA might be higher when the time rolls around to apply next year. (Currently has all A’s.) Her ACT score was 33. She will have taken some APs, but not a ton.

She is brilliant and curious and loves to learn, but is not a hyper-motivated or competitive student. If a class is graded on engagement with and understanding of the material, she shines. But she is unlikely to be someone who grinds just for the heck of it. She is able to grapple with complex subject matter and embrace nuance, and loves being involved with many kinds of activities outside of school.

Here are some descriptors of what she is looking for:

In terms of student body, she is drown to folks who are artsy, quirky, down to earth, unpretentious, liberal (but not constantly crusading), and who love learning for learning’s sake - she’s not looking for tons of peer pressure around superhuman achievement.

In terms of the school/program, she wants small classes, a strong studio art component, good professors that she gets to know personally, and the ability to be involved in many activities outside one’s field of study.

Places on our radar include:

Bard
Carleton
Smith
Vassar
Oberlin

Any imput on how good of a fit these schools are likely to be? I think most of them might be “reach” schools, anyway. What are some others that she should look into?

Thanks so much for any insight/help!

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A few of the schools on your list will be reaches as you’ve noted (which is fine). Bard (on your list) was my first thought – maybe look at Skidmore and Goucher as a couple of other options. If finances are a consideration and a mid-size school is OK think about SUNY New Paltz.

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@BorodinskyBread a kindred spirit here! Sounds like our girls are really really similar. Mine is considering both liberal arts with strong studio art and art schools. We haven’t fully narrowed our list yet but some others we are considering/planning to visit:

Wesleyan
Skidmore
Macalester

And we are looking at some art schools in bigger universities, which I’ve also heard still have small classes.

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Bard was my first thought too!

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A Hudson Valley theme can work for a student such as yours . . . Sarah Lawrence, Vassar, Bard, Skidmore . . . so it appears you are on the right track.

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St. Olaf seems like the perfect match for her:

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Since smith is on the list I’d say look at the other women’s colleges such as Bryn Mawr (my C21 is there), Mount Holyoke and scripps. Also have heard great things about Sarah Lawrence for quirky artsy intellectual kids. Many also love Reed for its intellectual bent.

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Fine list but potentially reachy.

Ithaca, Muhlenberg, and Wooster might be three safeties/targets to look at.

Good luck.

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What about Beloit?

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Clark University, Worcester MA

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A friend of mine is an Oglethorpe alumna; she describes the school as “quirky”.

Oglethorpe also has a studio are major: Studio Art - Oglethorpe University

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These are wonderful suggestions; thank you all!

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Maybe Bennington? I do not have personal experience with it but from what I do know, it may fit. Good luck!

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Would she be interested in the One Course at a Time model? It can be very suited to kids that like to deeply engage in class topics. If she can get her GPA up slightly, Colorado College may be a good fit.

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Lawrence. My sons gf is graduating with poli sci and art (painter) a year early and using that year to apply to law school.

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Bard is a great idea. It really stands out in terms of the people participating in studio arts. The others are fine too, just not necessarily the easiest of admits.

For more options, I was also going to mention Lawrence, St Olaf, Mount Holyoke, and Bryn Mawr.

Then Kalamazoo College is another I think would be very suitable. She might want to check out the K Plan, their curriculum structure which seems like her sort of thing:

Some info about their Studio Art program (available as a major or minor):

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As the parent, have you done the financial planning on college money, and checked the net price calculator on each college’s web site if you need financial aid to afford the college?

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I would look at the Colleges that Change Lives website: ctcl.org Many of the schools mentioned here are on that list, and there are others.

I was going to add Bennington. The campus is small but beautiful, on a hill, white clapboard dorms. Definitely artsy and quirky, but intellectual too. A good place for an artist who wants to take other classes with lots of discussion. Interdisciplinary and each student has their own “plan.” Winter session off campus with internships.

We also really liked Clark in Worcester, totally different location and vibe. Interesting curriculum I thought. Vassar, Skidmore, Bard and Sarah Lawrence also came to mind. But check the CTCL website!

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In addition to the schools already mentioned, I would recommend Connecticut College.

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A visual artist who has included Midwestern schools in her search could benefit from including Kenyon for its strengths across the visual and performing arts, as well as for a campus atmosphere influenced by students interested in such pursuits.

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