vassar vs wesleyan vs skidmore vs macalester vs bates vs brown vs scripps vs connecticut college

College Search & Lists
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what would be the ups and downs of these schools for me? I am artsy, would love a good music program, and want to study psych, anthro, and/or urban studies.

here’s some info about me!

white female from NY

GPA (Unweighted) - 3.85 (93 avg)

ACT - 33 (tested early)
36 in Reading
36 in English
29 in Math (I know)
32 in Science

SAT II - World History, 740
(will take Lit)

APs - AP Human Geography: 4
AP World History: 4
(both self-study)

Course Load In School: (my high school offers no honors/ap to underclassmen besides honors math, which I wasn’t capable of taking)
-8th Grade (on HS Transcript) Accelerated Algebra I, Accelerated Earth Science, French I
-Freshman Year: Theater Arts, Chorus, Biology, World History I, Geometry, English 9, PE, French II
-Sophomore Year: Self-Studied AP Human Geo and AP world, took Chorus for credit outside of school, Anthropology, Intro to Psychology, Chemistry, Algebra II/Trig, World History II, English 10, Health, PE, and French III
-Junior Year: English 11 Honors, AP Environmental Science, Pre-calculus, French IV Honors, SUPA (Dual Credit with Syracuse University) American History, Science Research, Self-studying AP Comp Gov ang AP US gov, PE, taking Chorus for credit outside of school, digital photography

Extracurriculars
-Founder and editor-in-chief of Stop the Silence, Stop the Stigma, a website where musicians and other creative people are interviewed about mental health to propel an active and inclusive conversation on the topic
-100 hours of community service, volunteer tutor and peer mentor with the special education department
-Singer-songwriter with a single on Spotify
-Secretary of Academic Challenge/Quiz Bowl Team
-Treasurer of Hexadecimal Society of America
-Secretary of Do Something Club, a charity outreach club
-Intern at a local music venue
-Involved with school and local theater
-Helps with a middle school geography education program
-Member of select choir (10th grade-present)

2

ps i know brown is a crazy reach

3

For anthropology, look for schools at which anthropology and sociology maintain separate departments. Look as well for indications that the college offers ample courses in each of the four major anthropological sub-disciplines: archaeology and cultural and social, linguistic and biological anthropology.

The psych department curriculum should provide courses in the major branches of modern psychology: clinical, cognitive, educational, developmental, personality, physiological, sensory and social.

4

Many good psychology departments don’t offer a dedicated class in educational or physiological/biological psychology. Many also don’t offer one in clinical, although they will generally offer a class in abnormal psychology. I don’t think those are particular indicators of the quality of a department.

A standard psychology curriculum will include 1-2 semesters of general psychology, a semester of research methods, a semester of statistics, and then some required core courses and some required electives. Cognitive, developmental, social & personality (often combined into one class, as they are closely related subfields), and sensation/perception are usually offered electives. So is abnormal. What other electives exist are going to be largely based upon the specialty areas and subfields of the psychologists in the department.

For example, my undergrad department did not offer a biological/physiological psychology or an educational psychology course but it did offer a Statistics II course, an advanced course in research ethics, and a course in African-American psychology (it was an HBCU). I’ve seen some departments offer health psychology or psychology of sexuality, but not a physio course or a separate course in sensation and perception (sometimes the subject matter is subsumed under cognitive psychology).

I would agree, though, that an anthropology major would probably want a separate anthro department and anthro major. A lot of combined soc/anthro departments are really sociology departments with a couple of anthropology classes.

5

@julliet : My message would have been better served if I had said “should provide exposure to” those branches of contemporary psychology. Dedicated classes in all of those areas would not be necessary for a department to be considered exceptional. However, a degree of integrated inclusion of them might be, particularly in terms of experiential components in applied settings.

6

Tag above intended for @juillet.

7

Ah, makes sense! Yes, you’re right - you generally do get an overview of all the bits in other classes.