Bird’s Eye Views (via Google Maps)
Wesleyan
Dartmouth
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I’d second and third all of this. Our son is a sophomore at Wes and absolutely loving it: learning a ton; meeting great people; taking courses in art, music, politics, economics, etc.; taking advantage of NYC not too far away; and on and on and on. And he too knew on visiting this was a place for him, mostly because of the people and the “vibe”–and the scale, which is also important (almost twice the size of Swat, which is really small). Didn’t even want to think about any place else. When it works it really, really works…but for others it just isn’t a fit. Long story short: learn as much as you can and do try to swing in a visit if possible. Great options all around!
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I agree your daughter could get a solid art education at any of the schools on her shortlist. Of those, my son would have been most happy to attend Wesleyan (or Hamilton or Kenyon) had he not been accepted ED to Williams.
Your daughter’s denial by Williams really doesn’t make sense in light of her subsequent successes in the RD round (shaking my head here) but since your daughter is familiar with Williams culture and environment I’ll use it as a point of comparison
I would consider Wesleyan’s art department as one of the best among LACs, both in facilities and critical mass. My son preferred a more rural, outdoorsy environment and a less activist student body, but I don’t think that would have deterred him from attending Wesleyan.
For various reasons we didn’t visit Bowdoin or Dartmouth, though I believe their overarching culture would be similar to Williams’: outdoorsy and, except for widespread support for environmental issues, not particularly activist. Dartmouth’s Greek presence was a concern.
Swarthmore appealed to my son intellectually, even though at the time it wasn’t considered an art destination. What stood out in our visit — in the information session (comprised of both students and admissions officers) and in the interview with a current student — was the focus on the prevailing anxiety level and remedies to counter it. Maybe it was just a bad day for admissions, but everyone seemed stressed out and unhappy.
If at all possible your daughter should try to revisit Bowdoin to find out if it’s still her “favorite vibe” among others on her short list (or at least talk to current students on line about their experiences). To me “gut reaction” is a valid indicator.
I would also caution about relying completely on NCES statistics on number of students in each major. My understanding (and I may be wrong) is that NCES only counts one major per student. At schools where double majoring is common (Williams is around 40%) the actual number enrolled in some majors would be greater. Suggest you ask the schools for clarification.
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I have a family member who recently left the counseling office at Swarthmore to work at Haverford and her observations of the student culture track with this assessment. Of course, she likely saw kids who were intentionally looking for help managing their stress load but her view of the overall campus climate supports that Swatties are stressed out in greater numbers than at Haverford and Bryn Mawr.
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This seems to be true, which they label — but don’t appear to define — as a “first major.”
Nonetheless, in seriousness, I might calculate the number of studio arts majors as a ratio with economics majors. This figure may indicate the general arts atmosphere across the schools under consideration.
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You might want to check out the Institutional Research, Analytics and Consulting link on the About Bowdoin webpage. It includes information on Fall 2023 majors and minors under Bowdoin Facts and Figures. For Visual Arts it lists a total of 19 declared majors and 31 declared minors. Since so many double major at Bowdoin, this may account for the difference in numbers. There are a total of 995 declared students, so this represents a sizable cohort.
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This resource shows the number of first and second majors (or you can specify first or second) for graduates from the class of 2022:
https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/jonboeckenstedt/viz/BachelorsDegreesAwardedin2022/Dashboard1
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Okay, I had a little bit of time to go back and look at the 2022 majors for the finalists in question. For Pomona and Swarthmore I included the information for the specific school, but then on a separate line for the other schools in their consortium. This made a particularly big difference for Pomona, as it doubled the number of art majors.
Additionally, I shared the results looking up 3 different majors that were the most likely to actually reflect the desired major, in case a school classified things differently (generally, they did not).
I am posting a snip so you can see the consortium schools have been color-coded as a purplish color, but have also added in the table for those who need a text reader for the data.
The list was ordered from most art majors to least.
- Wesleyan: 29
- Pomona: 24 (including the consortium schools)
- WashU: 20
- Dartmouth: 17
- Swarthmore: 13 (including the consortium schools)
- Bowdoin: 9
| Art/Art Studies General | Fine Arts and Art Studies, Other | Fine/Studio Arts, General | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wesleyan | 0 | 0 | 29 |
| Pomona | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| Scripps & Pitzer & CMC | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| Wash U | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| Dartmouth | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| Swarthmore | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| Bryn Mawr & Haverford | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Bowdoin | 0 | 0 | 9 |
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As the parent of a student artist who has no intention of majoring in art, but still intends to take art classes in college, I would take “# of visual arts majors” as only one data point in assessing Studio/Visual Art programs.
Many students choose a Liberal Arts path specifically because they don’t want a BFA or art major, but are still an active part of the college art community, taking classes, making work, etc. I think talking to current students/faculty and touring facilities (which you are doing) will give you a good idea of the robustness of a program beyond the numbers.
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I agree that the number of people enrolled over a period a time, maybe an average, is just one data point, but it seems like it’s a significant one when assessing the program. I’d say that about any particular field of study or focus, and people often do on CC. And from my (albeit limited) perspective, it would seem to be particularly important in the arts. At least, again, when assessing the program.
As to the related, but different, point you raise concerning students who want to do, but not major in, art in college, I would think those students, too, would benefit from an environment that is rich and robust in artistic endeavor. It may not matter as much to those students, who perhaps have other priorities, but would still seem to be a significant consideration if they are serious about plans to continue spending valuable time “doing art.”
There are a multitude of reasons why a given department has on average a fledgling enrollment over time, and to me, almost all of them are negative.
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This morning’s edition of the student-run newspaper states that six Wesleyan University studio arts majors completed senior thesis projects which IMO demonstrates their level of commitment to the major (they are pursuing Honors) as well as the seriousness with which the college regards the arts as an integral part of the academic experience.
The photos accompanying the article include some pretty accurate views of the inside of the main exhibit gallery, one of eleven modernist buildings occupying a spacious, meadow-like location near the center of campus:
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I believe we concluded in another lengthy thread, with the help of many non-Wesleyan architecture experts and hobbyists, that, rather than brutalism, the CFA reflects a modernist architectural style that is best described as unadorned classicism because of its material, form and layout.
Shall we revive that topic here? Or let the other thread stand?
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Personally, I’m always ready to discuss the Center for the Arts (CFA) history and design. I was an undergraduate when it was being built; I know what was there before and what the architects created in terms of a grand reimagining of the standard, beaux arts style campus crossroads.
But I think it would hijack the thread.
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D24 chose Swarthmore in a somewhat fraught decision.
Keeping in mind that I’m an imperfect narrator of my kid’s though process, here’s my best attempt.
Swat: Swat was probably the cheapest option when all the hidden benefits were factored in. D24 did Swatstruck, liked the students she met there, liked the campus and food (maybe the new dinning hall fixed the old complaint about food?), and appreciated the proximity to Philly, which offers a very different experience from our rural mountain town. Swat’s art facilities weren’t as impressive as Williams or Dartmouth, but she liked the professors and she really liked the off-campus opportunities afforded by the art program and Swat’s ginormous endowment. Most persuasive of all, she met a studio art student at Swat that is remarkably similar to herself. D24 got a very forthright perspective into Swat and its art program.
WashU: WashU ultimately came in 2nd place, even though D24 never visited. (She tried, but it didn’t work with her extremely busy April calendar.) She had no significant criticisms of WashU, but slightly preferred a broad liberal arts education to WashU’s focused BFA program. She also preferred Swat’s study-abroad opportunities and East Coast location. But D24 was very close to picking WashU.
Dartmouth: D24 visited Dartmouth’s admitted students’ day and really liked the size and vibrant social life but was left cold by the art department. (As noted above though, its art facilities are top notch.) Dartmouth was also the most expensive (they offered a minor reduction when I appealed) and had no study-abroad option for art majors.
Wesleyan: For whatever reason, Wes just never clicked with D24. I wish she could have visited, but she’s the ultimate arbiter of what she wants and I trust her intuition.
Bowdoin: D24 really liked Bowdoin, but its art department seemed a little too small, and it was on the slightly more expensive side of the final five colleges.
Parental perspective: What a long, strange trip it’s been. I am happy with Swarthmore, which I think gets too often maligned by the reductive “intensity” shibboleth. In terms of educational quality and opportunities, Swat seems as good as it gets. And as comforting as the outdoorsy atmosphere afforded by Dartmouth, Williams, and Bowdoin are, I think it’s great that D24 is opting for a completely different and new experience. That all said, I would have been happy with any of these schools. Despite their differences, I think D24 could have thrived at any of these schools. To some extent, the difficulty wasn’t choosing one school so much as it was turning down the four other awesome schools. It’s hardly a bad problem to have.
Thanks for all the advice and contributions, everyone!
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Congratulations! I’m sure your daughter will thrive at Swat. The proximity to Philadelphia will give her access to museums, galleries and a vibrant art scene that a rural school can’t match. I hope that she’ll be able to take an art class at Haverford and an art history class at Bryn Mawr—both strong departments, plus a great way to have a change of scene. (I appreciated the chance to spend time at both campuses when I went to Haverford.) I look forward to hearing how her first year goes.
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Congratulations on the end of a well-documented journey! I’ve always felt that when it comes to SLACs it often comes down to a choice between different varieties of gilded cages. You really can’t go wrong.
I’ve visited Dartmouth. It probably didn’t help that its art facilities seem farther from the main campus than D24’s other choices.
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This appeared in brief comments on Swarthmore a few years ago:
As far as I can tell, this applies to your daughter as well. I wish her the best of luck there!
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Plot Twist: D24 was offered admission off the waitlist at Pomona and has until Tuesday to decide. The financial aid package is slightly more than Swarthmore but less than most of the others. We haven’t visited Pomona but may be able to sneak a hasty trip on Tuesday.
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Congratulations! One major difference from Swat, as you know, is the consortium, which would mean a far larger school feel than the 1,700 or so at Swarthmore. Lots of other differences, of course, but this is for sure a major one. Pomona also just inaugurated major new art exhibition and studio spaces, just fyi.
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I recently heard the director of Pomona’s museum speak. She was terrific—smart, dynamic, and thoughtful. She emphasized the museum’s role as an academic institution whose priority is engaging students and faculty. It’s a relatively new museum that’s still building its collection. IIRC they’re prioritizing art by underrepresented groups as well as West Coast artists. If your D is interested in museum work, as well as the practice of art, Pomona offers an opportunity unavailable at Swat.
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