<p>Parts of Amherst are really quirky - Zu, anyone?</p>
<p>When I read “The Gatekeepers,” my impression was that the risky essay girl had other factors under consideration-- it sounded like academically, she was on the bubble to begin with, and the essay just made matters muddier.</p>
<p>I like honest essays, even if they do mention illegal/immoral acts. You want a college to admit you for who you are, not who you pretend to be. Or am I too much of an optimist?</p>
<p>I am not an admission counselor, but it seems to me that honesty and writing about illegal/immoral acts can be mutually exclusive; I’d advise the former and discourage the latter.</p>
<p>Just got back from Family Days at Williams. Although it is not its reputation at all, all the kids we met were a bit quirky. Our son certainly is. They’re quiet, introverted quirky kids by and large. In his entry (20 kids on a floor who socialize together – it’s a complicated Williams’ system) there are hippies, hipsters, musicians, classics majors, film geeks. </p>
<p>The guys have longish hair (I was surprised, not preppy looking at all) and my S has facial hair.</p>
<p>The most unique thing about Williams students is that the kids have very diverse interests – not as a group, but as individuals. The same kid taking oddles of classes of evolution and genetics is also fascinated by the Trojan War. </p>
<p>Here’s a group of people who are in love with a purple cow!</p>
<p>A few more quirky LACS: Earlham, Beloit, Lewis & Clark, Pitzer, Smith, Sarah Lawrence, Bennington, and, perhaps quirkiest of all, Hampshire.</p>
<p>How do you guys define this ‘quirky-ness?’</p>
<p>For my son, who prefers the term “weird”, it’s all about how people think, not about their appearance. Thinking in an unconventional way and being open about it–not worrying about what other people might think about you as a result–that’s the kind of weird he was looking for. Maybe being happy about being different–celebrating weirdness.</p>
<p>Or how about this: unhampered by a crippling need to appear cool–joyfully dorky.</p>
<p>I like that – joyfully dorky. My daughter’s admissions essay started, “I am a dork.”</p>
<p>Mythmom, this is a non sequitur–or maybe not!–but has your quirky Star Wars-loving son seen the new Yoda-only stamps? (You’ve probably seen the sheet of all Star Wars, but this is ALL Yoda! My S used them on his teacher recommendation envelopes.)</p>
<p>1190-I don’t mean to butt in on someone else’s thread, but why do you say that Chicago is the poster child of quirky Us?</p>
<p>I like quirky 
but not in the sense that “I’m-weird-because-I-don’t-share-answers-with-others-and-I’m-a-genius,” but rather the kind where ppl aren’t afraid of stating random comments or laughing at…a tree? :p</p>