college - tell me about "the best kept secret" schools - anyone have one?

[Anonymous]

What about University of Richmond? Although it's southern in geography, the student body is heavily from the northeast.

[Anonymous]

I was also interested in small liberal arts colleges in the 2,000 - 3,000 student range. Gettysburg College in PA ended up being a great fit for me, but I agree with the advice a few PPs have already given - the best school will be the one where your daughter feels at home on campus.

Not sure if you've already been doing this, but if any of the schools you're visiting have campus host programs, that can be a great way as a prospective student to get an idea of what going to a particular school might be like. Current students host prospective students overnight, then take them to a few classes, for lunch or dinner in the cafeteria, etc. I did this when I was looking at colleges and found it to be really helpful. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Nice, helpful thread. Guilford also came to mind for me. Yes, it's in North Carolina, but should have a diverse student body with varied interests. It has a Quaker connection. Wake Forest, probably very different from Guilfod but also in North Carolina, is another possibility.

[Anonymous]

According to an alum with whom I'm close, Wake Forest sounds like the sort of southern school the OP is not interested in.

[Anonymous]

There are a lot of great recommendations on this thread (YEAH DCUM!)

Some things to consider in this process - how far is too far?
The Claremont Colleges in Southern California are incredible schools - but is that too far for you / your child?

What are your requirements on how easy it is to get to/from the school?
My niece is at Bates and we had a death in the family. It was not easy or cheap for her to get to the funeral.


Good luck with the process!

[Anonymous]

Another Earlham grad...it's a Quaker school in Indiana, small, liberal arts. Always on the "best kept secrets lists." I went there because I had high SAT scores and mediocre grades, and ended up really blossoming into a top student...ended up at an Ivy grad school. Highly recommend giving it consideration.

[Anonymous]

Skidmore in NY, St. Michael's in VT - Catholic but pretty liberal, and very crunchy - just a stone's throw away from Burlington.

[Anonymous]

for a little ivy feel (ie-wesleyan, amherst) with better acceptance rate, try the small new england schools: bates, bowdoin, colby, bennington. i'd also look at the u of vermont. and union and ithaca in NY.

[Anonymous]

Start by looking at the classics departments because that will sort things out very quickly -- some schools won't have one (Hiram), others will be tiny (2 classics profs at Earlham), others will have a different emphasis than what DC had in mind, and a few might look great. Then check drama departments.

My quick and random application of this process left me thinking Macalester looked especially good. Still expensive, but 64% of the kids are on financial aid and the average grant is close to $30,000 according to their website. Re selectivity -- 39% admission rate overall; 49% for early decision. Looks like DC would need to be in top 25% of her HS class to be competitive. Couldn't find average SAT scores, but 1260-1450 was the central range.

[Anonymous]

Re feeling at home. I'm 8:05 (and another ex-prof!). And I wouldn't start there. I'd start with programs and then only visit schools that have what she's looking for academically. Among those schools, fit's certainly a voting issue -- and could certainly be THE voting issue if she gets some place and has the "I'd hate it here" reaction.

Conversely, I think it sends the wrong message about what college is to start from which campus environments do I like best and treat academics as an afterthought.

So, yes, fit matters, but it's not all social/environmental. It's curricular and pedagogical as well. And if you start with the former, it'll be hard to put the latter in the picture.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Re feeling at home. I'm 8:05 (and another ex-prof!). And I wouldn't start there. I'd start with programs and then only visit schools that have what she's looking for academically. Among those schools, fit's certainly a voting issue -- and could certainly be THE voting issue if she gets some place and has the "I'd hate it here" reaction.

Conversely, I think it sends the wrong message about what college is to start from which campus environments do I like best and treat academics as an afterthought.

So, yes, fit matters, but it's not all social/environmental. It's curricular and pedagogical as well. And if you start with the former, it'll be hard to put the latter in the picture.

I must have mistakenly left the impression that this is how she is approaching her college search. She is not. She is only interested in visiting schools that offer a classics/classical studies major and preferably schools where she can double major in classics and in theatre.

[Anonymous]

Sorry, OP -- I was reacting primarily to the responses (which sold campus environment without referencing programs) and to generalized advice/discussions of fit I've read on DCUM. (And, in fairness to the responders, the framework - hidden gems -- does encourage that more generic responses).

Glad to hear DC's priorities!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Re feeling at home. I'm 8:05 (and another ex-prof!). And I wouldn't start there. I'd start with programs and then only visit schools that have what she's looking for academically. Among those schools, fit's certainly a voting issue -- and could certainly be THE voting issue if she gets some place and has the "I'd hate it here" reaction.

Conversely, I think it sends the wrong message about what college is to start from which campus environments do I like best and treat academics as an afterthought.

So, yes, fit matters, but it's not all social/environmental. It's curricular and pedagogical as well. And if you start with the former, it'll be hard to put the latter in the picture.

I must have mistakenly left the impression that this is how she is approaching her college search. She is not. She is only interested in visiting schools that offer a classics/classical studies major and preferably schools where she can double major in classics and in theatre.

Wow, I was a Classics major! There aren't too many of us out there these days. I went to Bucknell in PA which isn't exactly a "secret" school, but I loved it nonetheless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Re feeling at home. I'm 8:05 (and another ex-prof!). And I wouldn't start there. I'd start with programs and then only visit schools that have what she's looking for academically. Among those schools, fit's certainly a voting issue -- and could certainly be THE voting issue if she gets some place and has the "I'd hate it here" reaction.

Conversely, I think it sends the wrong message about what college is to start from which campus environments do I like best and treat academics as an afterthought.

So, yes, fit matters, but it's not all social/environmental. It's curricular and pedagogical as well. And if you start with the former, it'll be hard to put the latter in the picture.

I must have mistakenly left the impression that this is how she is approaching her college search. She is not. She is only interested in visiting schools that offer a classics/classical studies major and preferably schools where she can double major in classics and in theatre.

Wow, I was a Classics major! There aren't too many of us out there these days. I went to Bucknell in PA which isn't exactly a "secret" school, but I loved it nonetheless.

She is aware of this and is not sure if this is going to help her or hurt her if she falls in love with a highly competitive school. Anyone have any insight on this dilemma?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Re feeling at home. I'm 8:05 (and another ex-prof!). And I wouldn't start there. I'd start with programs and then only visit schools that have what she's looking for academically. Among those schools, fit's certainly a voting issue -- and could certainly be THE voting issue if she gets some place and has the "I'd hate it here" reaction.

Conversely, I think it sends the wrong message about what college is to start from which campus environments do I like best and treat academics as an afterthought.

So, yes, fit matters, but it's not all social/environmental. It's curricular and pedagogical as well. And if you start with the former, it'll be hard to put the latter in the picture.

I must have mistakenly left the impression that this is how she is approaching her college search. She is not. She is only interested in visiting schools that offer a classics/classical studies major and preferably schools where she can double major in classics and in theatre.

Wow, I was a Classics major! There aren't too many of us out there these days. I went to Bucknell in PA which isn't exactly a "secret" school, but I loved it nonetheless.

She is aware of this and is not sure if this is going to help her or hurt her if she falls in love with a highly competitive school. Anyone have any insight on this dilemma?

Does she even have to declare her intended major when applying? I don't think I did unless I am forgetting things, and I also ended up changing it 3 times before settling on Classics. FYI, I eventually became a teacher and teach World History and ESOL which I love. Good luck to her!