Where do smart kids go who aren't overachievers?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Check out Miami University in Ohio.

Thanks. This is more what I was thinking. I will look into the other schools, but they seem small (perhaps I'm wrong?). But this is more the size of school I had in mind.

Miami of Ohio is an 18,000 student university, not a mid size LAC. Maybe it would be helpful to define your (or her) view of midsize?

This made me laugh. I went to huge state school, so I view 15,000 to 20,000 as mid-size! Anything under 5,000 students is very small to me.

OP here. I guess I was thinking a mid-size school would be anywhere from 5,000 - 15,000 or so. I definitely don't see her at a big university such as Penn State or University of Maryland as I think she would get lost. I think a school that is smaller than 5,000 wouldn't have the activities she was looking for (like theater), but that may be incorrect. Even though Pitt and Miami of Ohio are bigger, I am intrigued by those. But, ideally, I think a smaller school (smaller than those) might work better for her. Admittedly, the criteria is a little broad right now, but I don't want to overlook something as we evaluate our options at this point. Schools like Vassar or Brandeis sound intriguing, but it sounds like those may be more competitive to get into -- at least according to PPs. Schools like Elon seemed a little too small with only 1,500 or so students.

I wouldn't write off small colleges as not having strong theater programs. You really need to evaluate each one individually. Where have some of the theater kids from her school gone to college? They might be able to provide some good information.

Drew (FTE 2500ish) has one of the best Theater programs in the country. I am an unapologetic alum and totally fit your daughter's profile. Great faculty, great school, great programs. It -- like everywhere else -- is what you make of it. And Drew networking in DC is awesome because so many Drewids go into non-profit and political science.

[Anonymous]

All the schools disparaged on this forum for being second tier schools that aren't worth their money! See the threat about George Washington for an example!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, do you think your daughter will do well going to school far away from home? There are lots of wonderful schools that will fit her needs, but not necessarily on the east coast or in the DC area.

She has some medical issues so I would prefer that she not go too far away. I am thinking east coast, possibly down to NC and over to Ohio.

[Anonymous]

Check out Simon's Rock

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Check out Miami University in Ohio.

Thanks. This is more what I was thinking. I will look into the other schools, but they seem small (perhaps I'm wrong?). But this is more the size of school I had in mind.

Miami of Ohio is an 18,000 student university, not a mid size LAC. Maybe it would be helpful to define your (or her) view of midsize?

This made me laugh. I went to huge state school, so I view 15,000 to 20,000 as mid-size! Anything under 5,000 students is very small to me.

OP here. I guess I was thinking a mid-size school would be anywhere from 5,000 - 15,000 or so. I definitely don't see her at a big university such as Penn State or University of Maryland as I think she would get lost. I think a school that is smaller than 5,000 wouldn't have the activities she was looking for (like theater), but that may be incorrect. Even though Pitt and Miami of Ohio are bigger, I am intrigued by those. But, ideally, I think a smaller school (smaller than those) might work better for her. Admittedly, the criteria is a little broad right now, but I don't want to overlook something as we evaluate our options at this point. Schools like Vassar or Brandeis sound intriguing, but it sounds like those may be more competitive to get into -- at least according to PPs. Schools like Elon seemed a little too small with only 1,500 or so students.

I wouldn't write off small colleges as not having strong theater programs. You really need to evaluate each one individually. Where have some of the theater kids from her school gone to college? They might be able to provide some good information.

Yep, second that. I went to Vassar and it was full of theater. I'd be surprised if other schools similar in size but that might be more realistic for admissions wouldn't also have a lot of activities. If anything, the lives of students at small colleges tend to revolve around campus more than for students at bigger schools, so activities are a big deal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Check out Miami University in Ohio.

Thanks. This is more what I was thinking. I will look into the other schools, but they seem small (perhaps I'm wrong?). But this is more the size of school I had in mind.

Miami of Ohio is an 18,000 student university, not a mid size LAC. Maybe it would be helpful to define your (or her) view of midsize?

This made me laugh. I went to huge state school, so I view 15,000 to 20,000 as mid-size! Anything under 5,000 students is very small to me.

OP here. I guess I was thinking a mid-size school would be anywhere from 5,000 - 15,000 or so. I definitely don't see her at a big university such as Penn State or University of Maryland as I think she would get lost. I think a school that is smaller than 5,000 wouldn't have the activities she was looking for (like theater), but that may be incorrect. Even though Pitt and Miami of Ohio are bigger, I am intrigued by those. But, ideally, I think a smaller school (smaller than those) might work better for her. Admittedly, the criteria is a little broad right now, but I don't want to overlook something as we evaluate our options at this point. Schools like Vassar or Brandeis sound intriguing, but it sounds like those may be more competitive to get into -- at least according to PPs. Schools like Elon seemed a little too small with only 1,500 or so students.

I wouldn't write off small colleges as not having strong theater programs. You really need to evaluate each one individually. Where have some of the theater kids from her school gone to college? They might be able to provide some good information.

Drew (FTE 2500ish) has one of the best Theater programs in the country. I am an unapologetic alum and totally fit your daughter's profile. Great faculty, great school, great programs. It -- like everywhere else -- is what you make of it. And Drew networking in DC is awesome because so many Drewids go into non-profit and political science.

Drew''s proximity to NYC is a real asset. It's long been the home of the NJ Shakespeare Festival, bringing many theater professionals from the city to campus. Additionally, it draws a number of major corporate employers who come to recruit Drew students. Drew is a 4-hour drive from the DC area and easy to get to by plane or train as well.

[Anonymous]

For those who studied theater in college - what is your profession now?
DD likes to be a part of her school's plays and she may be interested in going to college for it....

[Anonymous]

Check out Dickinson. A wonderful place, and I was just at an alum event w my husband and I was so impressed with their approach. Sort of a "do you, be kind, learn well" thing going on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Check out Miami University in Ohio.

Thanks. This is more what I was thinking. I will look into the other schools, but they seem small (perhaps I'm wrong?). But this is more the size of school I had in mind.

Miami of Ohio is an 18,000 student university, not a mid size LAC. Maybe it would be helpful to define your (or her) view of midsize?

This made me laugh. I went to huge state school, so I view 15,000 to 20,000 as mid-size! Anything under 5,000 students is very small to me.

OP here. I guess I was thinking a mid-size school would be anywhere from 5,000 - 15,000 or so. I definitely don't see her at a big university such as Penn State or University of Maryland as I think she would get lost. I think a school that is smaller than 5,000 wouldn't have the activities she was looking for (like theater), but that may be incorrect. Even though Pitt and Miami of Ohio are bigger, I am intrigued by those. But, ideally, I think a smaller school (smaller than those) might work better for her. Admittedly, the criteria is a little broad right now, but I don't want to overlook something as we evaluate our options at this point. Schools like Vassar or Brandeis sound intriguing, but it sounds like those may be more competitive to get into -- at least according to PPs. Schools like Elon seemed a little too small with only 1,500 or so students.

I wouldn't write off small colleges as not having strong theater programs. You really need to evaluate each one individually. Where have some of the theater kids from her school gone to college? They might be able to provide some good information.

Yep, second that. I went to Vassar and it was full of theater. I'd be surprised if other schools similar in size but that might be more realistic for admissions wouldn't also have a lot of activities. If anything, the lives of students at small colleges tend to revolve around campus more than for students at bigger schools, so activities are a big deal.

I agree - I went to a small college (Mary Washington) and loved that everything revolved around campus life - activities, parties, etc. Almost everything took place on campus, which made it a very special, cohesive place to spend four years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Look at Elon. Good theater program. Smallish. Up and coming.

yeah, and Burlington is a fabulous city

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, do you think your daughter will do well going to school far away from home? There are lots of wonderful schools that will fit her needs, but not necessarily on the east coast or in the DC area.

She has some medical issues so I would prefer that she not go too far away. I am thinking east coast, possibly down to NC and over to Ohio.

PP here, my daughter did too and we had the same concerns, so for that reason, I'm not as familiar with east coast schools because we focused on schools in the West.

That being said, I would strongly urge you to check out, "Colleges That Change Lives" and get acquainted with some of threads over at College Confidential, particularly in the Parents forum. We were at a loss and didn't know where to even start with school applications for our student, and that forum changed everything for us, and we ended up sending our daughter to a great college that we previously didn't even know existed in our own state!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Carnegie Mellon
Grinnell
Oberlin
Kenyon
De Paul (for theater)
Sarah Lawrence

Grinnell, Oberlin, Kenyon out of reach for student fitting this profile.

DC has a 3.6 GPA and very, very strong PSATs. These schools are definitely within reach. Some of these others suggestions - such as community college -- for this profile are just ridiculous. OP, don't be afraid to aim high.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Carnegie Mellon
Grinnell
Oberlin
Kenyon
De Paul (for theater)
Sarah Lawrence

Grinnell, Oberlin, Kenyon out of reach for student fitting this profile.

DC has a 3.6 GPA and very, very strong PSATs. These schools are definitely within reach. Some of these others suggestions - such as community college -- for this profile are just ridiculous. OP, don't be afraid to aim high.

OP described her child as having a 3.6 GPA without many AP courses. She also noted that her daughter doesn't hold a leadership position in any organizations. It's unlikely that high scores will compensate for these factors. So, I'd agree that Grinnell, Oberlin and Kenyon are real long-shots (and Carnegie-Mellon, which has an excellent theater program, even longer). That said, there are many other great schools along the selectivity spectrum. It's fine to aim high with a couple of reaches, but every student needs likelies and safeties to anchor their list.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your original post sounded very Brandeis.

not a good fit if not Jewish

There are plenty of non-Jews at Brandeis who fit in fine. The school is artsy, the right size, and has smart (but not over-achiever-y) kids and lots of theater opportunities.

Sometimes I wonder if this forum has some anti-semites on it. This is not the only time I've seen someone try to warn people away from a school for being "too Jewish".

Newsflash, it doesn't make you an anti Semite to point out Brandais is 50% Jewish. That's on top of being small (3,500 undergrads) and being s bit further out from Boston. I believe they run shuttles and it's only about 10 miles from the city but can feel longer, especially since the T would only get you as far as Newton.

[Anonymous]

Not sure where "Sloucher" is coming from -- no, Goucher may not be highly selective, but if you graduate from there you have worked hard and have not benefited from grade inflation.