Hi! I’m trying to find a good college and so far I haven’t found any that feel right. I live in NJ so a college in the north east or around the east coast would be best. I plan on majoring in Art Education so the school has to offer at least a bachelors degree in that. I would really like to go to a small school that has an artistic atmosphere to it. I would prefer if the student body is pretty nice and more on the liberal side. Although dorms are not the most important thing to me I would prefer it if they have a bathroom within the dorm (one that you share with your room mates). A college within the 30,000price range would be perfect!
I don’t know anything about Art Education, so my ability to provide good advice is limited. However, we looked at UNC-Asheville, and I immediately thought of it when I saw your question. I looked, and it has programs that match your interest (see link). The total direct full cost, without any aid, for OOS students is $33,000 for the coming academic year. You can run the cost calculators for you at the school to see if you could expect any aid.
Asheville is a funky, artsy, outdoorsy small city/town in the Western Carolina mountains. It is a beautiful area with lots of hiking and other outdoor activities. It’s a real center for folk art. The school is basically set up as a public LAC. It’s not a large public university like Chapel Hill or UNC-W. Not sure if any of that appeals to you, or how it fits with your academic record, but I think it’s a very cool place. Good luck!
SUNY Plattsburgh is a nice, smallish school of about 7,000 or so students. It offers a 5 year combined undergrad and masters in education program. You can’t become an art teacher (maybe you could if you take a few more courses) but you can do an art concentration or minor and it has a good art program. My D did the 5 year program but with a concentration in music. Her undergrad degree is essentially birth through sixth grade and her masters is in special ed. OOS costs for this year is about $30K but the school offers money or at least it used to. My D’s best friend there was from NJ and she had a full tuition scholarship for the OOS differential. In state is about $10K cheaper.
http://web.plattsburgh.edu/academics/education/adolescence/fiveyearmaster.php
The area is nice, less than one hour from Canada, across the lake from Burlington, about an hour from Lake Placid and is in the Adirondacks. There is an Amtrak station 5 minutes from campus and the town is filled with thrift shops, coffee houses and the like. At the school, student art is prominently displayed. My D loved it so much she convinced her younger brother to go there as well.
New Paltz, NY is an artistic town, and SUNY New Paltz has excellent Visual Arts programs, including art education.
I second New Paltz. Check out Ithaca College as well.
Take a look at Alfred University in upstate New York. It has a terrific Arts College.
Hampshire College in Amherst, MA?
My D didn’t like the town of New Paltz when we visited but loved Plattsburgh. I also found Plattsburgh to be a nicer town as well. In addition, my D hated the tour and information session we went to at NP - she felt the school was trying to be very snooty.
Funny I loved New Paltz, but not Plattsburgh as much… although that may have been more due to location. Both are great schools though, and worth the OP checking out if they pique her interest. 