Anonymous wrote:VCU or Sarah Lawrence

SLC is a very writing intensive liberal arts college modeled off the Oxford/Cambridge tutorial system of education. It encourages intellectual curiosity and deep thinking. That really doesn’t sound like what OP’s non-academic son is looking for.

Anonymous wrote:I don't know why everyone is recommending liberal arts colleges, where you have to get a personal, rigorous education. Just go to a state university-plenty of students who couldn't care less about school and just doing it for their parents, no motivation, no care.

+1

He should go into trades or go to a big public where he can get through with whatever level of effort he’s willing and able to put into it.

Why hasn’t OP come back to clarify details and answer some of the questions? It’s just not enough info to provide meaningful recommendations.

Depaul

VCU or Sarah Lawrence

What about going somewhere abroad?

Why would you send this kid to college now when he’s clearly not interested or ready? I’d suggest trade school, community college or a very focused gap year to pursue one of his interests that could lead to a career. For example, taking comedy classes at Second City in Chicago or New York.

OP, I have a similar sort of non-academic kid but he is really into music--rock music. Plays electric guitar, is a guitarist in two bands, writes songs, knows how to do digital production, etc. He's also an outdoorsy type though, not really a music-nerd type (i.e. he's not in the school band or orchestra). Does not have good grades, SAT better than you'd expect based on the bad grades, and his only AP will be AP Music Theory. He's a rising senior and our list includes:

Syracuse for a reach
possibly Oberlin for a reach
U Rochester for a possible super-reach but unlikely
Indiana (has a good music school)
Ithaca College
James Madison (OOS, so easier to get into than in-state)
University of Vermont
University of Denver
U of Colorado
Temple
U Oregon
U Cincinnati
Elon
Possibly UConn, Conn College, UNC Asheville, Belmont, Shenandoah. Not doing music-only schools like Berklee I think--kid wants more of a campus.

Don't know how these are for a creative but non-musical kid but I think Ithaca, Syracuse are appropriate for that. I would figure out what he wants to study (visual art, performance art like acting?) and build a list of that have that. Some random schools like SUNY Fredonia, SUNY Purchase, Muhlenberg have good performing arts programs. For visual art you might want SCAD or MICA or Pratt. For any of it he will have to do an audition or submit a portfolio.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about a school like Warren Wilson College in NC or Paul Smith’s College in NY? Great places for creative outdoorsy kids looking for a more hands-on educational experience.

These are really on-point.
Or, OP, if your son is thinking about the trades, https://williamson.edu/

Not unless the child is very low income. And yes, I had a middle income friend ask if she could pay full price for her kid and was turned down. In any case, it offers a highly disciplined experience, and I am not sure that is what the kid wants.

We don't really know from ops description if her child's creativity is anything besides verbal, but the American College of Building Arts would work for someone artistically creative into something adjacent to the trades. It's like an art school, except people want to hire you at the end.

So neat! Thanks for sharing that. Really cool that that place exists, and I appreciate now knowing about it.

It is great, isn't it? They are, I think, slowly getting traction.

I don't have my giant file of weird colleges available, but two other trade school/college hybrids worth looking at (though maybe not for op) : Harmel Academy of the Trades, which is modeled on Williamson but is very new, Catholic, and will take rich kids, and the Apprentice School in Norfolk, which pays their students to work as shipbuilders while they attend.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about a school like Warren Wilson College in NC or Paul Smith’s College in NY? Great places for creative outdoorsy kids looking for a more hands-on educational experience.

These are really on-point.
Or, OP, if your son is thinking about the trades, https://williamson.edu/

Not unless the child is very low income. And yes, I had a middle income friend ask if she could pay full price for her kid and was turned down. In any case, it offers a highly disciplined experience, and I am not sure that is what the kid wants.

We don't really know from ops description if her child's creativity is anything besides verbal, but the American College of Building Arts would work for someone artistically creative into something adjacent to the trades. It's like an art school, except people want to hire you at the end.

So neat! Thanks for sharing that. Really cool that that place exists, and I appreciate now knowing about it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about a school like Warren Wilson College in NC or Paul Smith’s College in NY? Great places for creative outdoorsy kids looking for a more hands-on educational experience.

These are really on-point.
Or, OP, if your son is thinking about the trades, https://williamson.edu/

Not unless the child is very low income. And yes, I had a middle income friend ask if she could pay full price for her kid and was turned down. In any case, it offers a highly disciplined experience, and I am not sure that is what the kid wants.

We don't really know from ops description if her child's creativity is anything besides verbal, but the American College of Building Arts would work for someone artistically creative into something adjacent to the trades. It's like an art school, except people want to hire you at the end.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Temple, Emerson, VCU, JMU

I was going to suggest Emerson and VCU!

Liar.

Anonymous wrote:Temple, Emerson, VCU, JMU

I was going to suggest Emerson and VCU!

I don't know why everyone is recommending liberal arts colleges, where you have to get a personal, rigorous education. Just go to a state university-plenty of students who couldn't care less about school and just doing it for their parents, no motivation, no care.

University of Rochester or one of the other schools with an open-ish curriculum.