Girlie AGDee's College Search Thread
 

So, I talk enough about her that y'all know that my girlie is obsessed with finding the right college for her. She wants to apply to 8 schools total.

Schools she knows she wants to apply to:
Columbia (reach)
Barnard (reach)
Brown (reach)
University of Chicago (reach)
Northwestern (reach)
University of Michigan (the 'safety' school)

Others she is considering but would like to hear from people what the school is like in general (not necessarily Greek life, she isn't sure that's something she wants):

Emerson: Any info is appreciated. Not familiar with the school at all.

Tulane : How is it post Katrina? Is it a really *southern* school? I don't think she'd fit it in a really southern school.
Washington University St. Louis : No idea how this made it on the list except she has been to St. Louis and liked the city a lot

University of Iowa (safety): She's worried that she reads a lot about this being a "party school" but she's interested in their creative writing program which is the best in the nation.

Anyway, she suggested we ask here (because Munchkin has been really helpful in answering her Brown questions). I suggested she create a User ID like KR's daughter and post herself and she thinks that would be weird..lol.

Her anticipated major is English, probably with a double major in a) journalism, b) Poly Sci, c) Social Policy or d) Communications with grad school goals of either A) Journalism, B) Editing/Publishing or C) *maybe* Law School (because of her love of politics).

So, any comments are welcome :) (Not being heli=mom, I swear! It's all up to her!)

I have some schools in mind that she may want to add to her list to consider (because she has similar academic and career interests as I do/did) but before I do, how would she feel about attending a "small" school (2000 or less undergrads)? Also, how does "prestige" play into her decision-making? Example: If she got into all of those schools on a full scholarship, would she choose the one which was ranked the highest?

She's ok with a small school IF it is in a big city. Small school in the middle of nowhere won't work for her. That's actually one of her concerns about Iowa too.. it is in the middle of nowhere.

Right now, if she got into all with a scholarship, Brown would be the top choice primarily because of their open curriculum. They don't have a required core so she could more easily get her double/(maybe even triple) major in and still graduate on time.

I added another question, btw.

Not necessarily, but clearly, with that list, prestige is a factor.

Oh yeah, and Barnard is the only all girls school she will consider.

Yay for this thread! :D How did she like her Barnard experience?

I seem to spend a lot of time with Tulane people. From what they've said, it's not a Southern school like LSU or Mississippi State, but there are a good number of students from within a 4-5 hour drive. Long Island and the NYC suburbs represent pretty hard.

She *loved* her Barnard experience! We have plane tickets to go to Providence over Labor Day weekend. She won't be able to do any "official visit" things but it's the only time we can get there before the Early Decision app deadline. We're going to Chicago in mid-October. She won't be able to do any other visits before applying for the rest due to Marching Band season.

Gotcha.

So here is my advice:

English is a good major nearly everywhere. Journalism is a stupid major. As an undergraduate, it will be far better to focus in English and join the staff of the campus newspaper to see if she wants to do print journalism, while also contributing to the campus literary magazine and taking as many creative writing classes as possible.

Do not go to Iowa. There are many good creative writing programs on the MFA level. But as an MFA drop-out, I must say if she's any good, she won't really need an MFA to be published or make connections. Just my opinion.

She needs more safety schools -- consider one or two safeties in a few cities in which she'd want to live. If she's considering Tulane (which is a great choice, though New Orleans doesn't have quite as many internship opportunities as a larger city) also consider Loyola University of New Orleans.

Also consider the higher tier and/or well known private liberal arts colleges: Swarthmore and Sarah Lawrence come to mind quickly, especially for English/writing.

As a Georgetown grad, I must say it's a great place for writers, but like many well-known universities with large English departments, a creative writer struggles to be heard and seen among the MANY people who major in English only to go on to law school or med school. That's one thing to watch out for at nearly all of the schools she's considering -- is the English department a true community of writers and literature lovers, or is it a means to grad school.

Of all the schools she's listed, Wash U would be my number one pick.

I don't have thoughts about many of the schools except I'm very excited for this thread!

She used to have NYU on her list until she saw that area while in NYC. She crossed it off her list then. She doesn't know that she wants to be a creative writer as a profession and that's part of her dilemma. She's really into political/social issues too and I honestly could see her being a political pundit someday... or maybe even a Senator or something. But, writing is definitely her gift.

You need to be... you might have to teach us how to get to Northwestern on the el.

You can do that? LOL

I guess it would be the purple line, huh?

I know my friend used to do it when she was at Northwestern...

Your list is strong. My daughter did a summer program at Brown and really liked it but being from Texas is was a culture shock to her. Very liberal campus and lacking social graces that you find in the South. That is not a "bad" thing, but it is very different. If your daughter is drawn to liberal arts based education and likes the big school attitude, have her look at....

http://www.utexas.edu/cola/progs/plan2/about/

(Plan II-University of Texas Ausitn)

I believe UT is pretty "non" southern for being in Texas, liberal (but in a conservative state...so it is relative) and endless educational options. Now as far as scholarship dollars...few and far between but some kids snatch in-state tuition waviers and that helps. They have a scholarhsip program that started this year called the 40 acres scholars, but they only took 10 kids, but for applications this year that number is 75. This is a full ride including a living stipend and study abroad grant for 4 years. Grab on to one of those and it becomes a no brainer. Austin is a dynamic city which I equate to an onion...endless layers.

That looks like a pretty awesome program. A lack of scholarship money would be an issue, even if she scored an in-state tuition voucher. Until she added Tulane to the list this week, she wasn't considering anything in the south. I was just in Austin for a week on business and saw a few layers.. and a million bats :)

Ditto. :)

The 40 acres scholarship is a biggie and the odds are much better this year. Make sure she is applying to big outside scholarship also, like Coca-Cola and any others she might qualify for. (Try FastWeb) That way if she is to bank on of those, then she does not have to bank on a specific University coming through.

Have you booked a hotel room yet? Labor Day is tough because it's New Student Orientation and move-in weekend for upperclassmen. Rooms right in Providence can be expensive ($200 is average, especially for in-demand weekends), but you should be able to stay right near the airport for a reasonable rate. I'll be there a few weeks later--we'll just have missed each other! :(

I always considered Tulane a safety. I know its architecture school is booming now, but I'm not sure if the rest of the undergraduate schools have bounced back to pre-Katrina levels. WashU is great.

I'm skeptical on public schools in other states, especially being from Michigan, if financial aid is a major concern. Unless you're exceptional, very few top-flight state schools are going to give an out-of-state resident without a legacy, sports, or diversity "hook" substantial money to attend. As a result, Brown or Columbia could cost you less out-of-pocket to attend than a UT or Berkeley.

Does anyone really have success with FastWeb scholarships? I applied to over 100 scholarships my senior year in college--some through fast web, some local scholarships--and got nothing. Ugh! Such a waste of my time. Also, many private universities use outside scholarships to reduce the aid they're responsible for, so it doesn't reduce your out-of-pocket cost.

Ivies and many other private schools do not give out merit scholarships, only need-based. They also use the CSS Profile when calculating the Estimated Family Contribution. Unlike the FAFSA which only considers the custodial parents' income, CSS Profile will assess the non-custodial parent's income in addition to the custodial parent.

Quite a few colleges have EFC calculators on the admissions portions of their websites so that the applicant can get a rough idea of how much aid will be likely.

Tulane and Loyola are doing great after Katrina. Daughter has a few friends that go to there. Very different vibe than LSU or most big southern schools. Her friends say that most students are from out of state. Not sure if that is northern states. Seems like when she was looking at those schools they actually had the breakdown somewhere on the website.
New Orleans is a wonderful city but I would be afraid there would be way to many distractions. They culture in New Orleans is all about partying and I would be afraid it would be very easy to get caught up in that lifestyle.

Right. Our advantage at the moment is that the non-custodial parent has been unemployed for 22 months now. The Ivies and most of the privates she is interested in will cost about the same as Michigan either way and for some of them, it is a "no loans" guaranteed package.

I'll address Iowa. It is NOT more of a party school than any comparable size school, and less so than a lot of others. It's certainly no Wisconsin. The Writing Program at Iowa is phenomenal, but I wouldn't choose Iowa as an undergrad just for that. There are great summer programs, and the Writer's Workshop really isn't a degree program. However, for a good solid liberal education with a Great English department, I think it's a great choice. It just seems like an odd next choice after the list you've given. If she's overreaching on her choices and has to end up at a state school (nothing wrong with that AT ALL, but she may feel that way) she can at least hold her head high because of the prestigious writing program there.

As far as majoring in Journalism, as a person who did just that, I will both agree and disagree. I think learning the journalistic style of writing is helpful in a lot of careers because it teaches you how to write in a clear and succinct way, which is extremely helpful in all career fields. It's also a common undergrad for people going on to Law school (at Iowa, anyway). But you would get a lot more help in becoming a professional news writer by working for the Daily Iowan. If you have specific questions about Iowa, PM me. And I can probably get you in touch with a recent grad who can address the current climate there.

Go Hawks!

What's nice about the schools with large endowments is that they can afford to offer financial aid in the form of grants-only. A big point in your daughter's favor is that you all are from Michigan as schools do want geographic diversity.

You may want to peruse the forums on College Confidential, especially the Parents' Forum. There are a couple of current GCers who are on CC as well. I didn't discover CC until after my oldest was already admitted but have certainly used it ever since.

Emerson is really known for it's film and theater departments, but it's English program is good from what I've heard/remember. Boston is also a great college town because there are so many great schools there. If she's set on Journalism, she may want to check out Boston University, they have a really good Journalism program too.

The University of Iowa campus is in the middle of Iowa City, giving it a much more urban feel than the other two universities in the state. It draws a lot of students from the Chicago area, and it does have a reputation as being a party school, but I think that will diminish as the bars are now 21+ only (they used to be 19 and up could get in, 21+ could drink, but the 19-20 year olds would just have their 21 year old friends get them drinks. The bars made money on the extra drinks and the city made money on giving out PAULAs.).

That said, I wouldn't choose Iowa, either. Their writing program is excellent, but as others have pointed out, there are other opportunities with summer workshops that may give her just as good as experience. Their Journalism department is decent, but not regarded quite as well as the one at Iowa State. And neither of them are as good as the ones at places like Mizzou or Columbia.

You had me :( with this
But redeemed yourself with this:

I thought as a Wash U alum I should pipe up.

Wash U is an INCREDIBLE school. I loved it a lot as an undergrad (as well as when I was there for grad school).

It has become a very popular school over the past couple of years. If Northwestern is a stretch for her, Wash U will be too and your daughter should be prepared for that. Northwestern actually has a higher acceptance rate. The way to let Wash U know you're interested is to actually visit the school in the Fall; don't wait until she gets accepted. They notice who comes to visit.

Wash U has a good English department, but no real journalism curriculum and no journalism major at all. However, it is strong in PoliSci as well as Psych and they have a couple of interesting interdisciplinary majors like Social Thought and Analysis that may be of interest to your daughter.

Wash U is outside of the St. Louis City limits and the school is a bit of a bubble, but there are fun things to do right near campus and now that the Metrolink goes there, it's easy to do things like go to a Cardinals game.

PM me if she has more specific questions. Although it's been a while since my undergrad days, I wasn't out of grad school there all that long ago...

^^^Go Bears!
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tbMXvrgoy3...+bball+063.jpg

lol.... I definitely didn't mean to sound so harsh. I am just a very strong proponent of a strong liberal arts education that leaves the professional stuff to grad school. :)

UI is only a party school if you want to party - certainly no more so than Ann Arbor. Iowa City is a very cool place to live, as well. The CW program isn't very large, but she'll have multiple opportunities to enter at different stages. If she's serious, she should definitely visit, and possibly consider a workshop - it's definitely worth seeing the campus and campus life.

Tulane is doing very well post-Katrina - two friends were in law school during Katrina, and to hear them tell it, the campus has come out amazingly well. My impression has never been that it's particularly "capital-S Southern", but that's because it draws from all over the south (and nation).

From my limited experience there, I've always felt WashU was similar in many ways to U of Chicago - the differences being primarily the differences between STL and Chicago.

Also, if she's dead-set on an "urban" campus life (like, she actually wants to experience city life in that city), Northwestern and UChicago are notoriously NOT that, at least not in the way you might expect. Northwestern is very suburban and well over an hour away from Chicago proper via public transportation - it's very self-contained, although the campus is neat (almost to the point of "cute" honestly). U of Chicago has a long and storied reputation as a "marriage factory," with an insular campus lifestyle based around itself/students rather than going out into the city.

Obviously, undergrad is what you make it, but from friends who have attended both, that's sort of the vibe.

Similarly, Emerson is probably the least 'urban' of the Boston schools. It's a fine school, but it's very much the stereotype of "Liberal Arts" school. Again, considered to be insular* to an extent - it's a smaller campus, although it isn't far at all from Boston landmarks etc. BU, Suffolk, and even MIT/Harvard/BC (even in the suburbs) have a much more "Boston" feel. Maybe even Tufts. That doesn't mean Emerson is a bad choice - she just needs to know it's very much a small LA school, even in Boston.

With that said, if she wants an urban, liberal-arts atmosphere, she should seriously consider the Boston and Philadelphia schools - there are some fine ones that can offer her what she wants, while still having options if those wants change later.

*By way of example ... we mixed with an Emerson sorority, and they were astonished at essentially every portion of our mixer, from having a sound system to having officers with 'jobs' to perform/set times to perform them to everything being paid for. The campuses are a 20 minute walk apart, but that walk was across the Collegiate Sea, apparently. It was a fun mixer though.

As am I. :)

I think every college, except super-duper conservative Bible colleges and the service academies, can be a "party school;" party schools aren't necessarily filled with Animal House antics all the time.

I had friends in college who took every class pass/fail and partied like it was 1999 every night (to their credit, it was!). On the same token, some of my friends at UF and FSU kept their nose to the grindstone harder than any Ivy League student I knew. Columbia doesn't have Friday classes for undergrads (with the exception of discussion sections and seminars); imagine what Thursday nights are like!

My husband (a journalist) would tell her not to major in journalism. Newspapers are struggling right now. He gets furloughed 5 days a quarter.

I read some good advice (in Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann's book "The Big Show," no less - from back in their Sportscenter days): If you want to go into communications, don't major in that alone. Double major or minor. They said political science is a good major. The important thing is to get experience, so as was suggested earlier, get on the campus newspaper or literary magazine staff.

I was a mass communications major in college, meaning I got to pick and choose between journalism, PR and broadcasting courses. That turned out to be SO helpful, because in my career I've gone from newspapers to web to public relations. It's helped me be adaptable in writing style.

BTW, if she's interested in creative writing, Susquehanna has an excellent program. :-) (but we're a small school in the middle of nowhere, so I guess she wouldn't dig that.)

ETA: On the other hand, we're an hour from Harrisburg, 3 from Philadelphia, 4 from Pittsburgh, 5 from NYC and you can make Baltimore or DC in about 2.5-3, depending which side and on traffic. :D

She decided to create an account herself so she can have this conversation with y'all. Stay tuned.

*she has to wait an hour to post so we're getting dinner first*

Hi guys, daughter-in-question here. I felt like there were a few things my mom didn’t express very well in the initial post, so…I’m gonna clear things up. :)

1. A major concern is academics. My main priority isn’t to get prepared for a job, it’s to learn and explore things I enjoy or couldn’t in high school (which, granted, is probably naïve, but with the job market requiring college for even below average students, I don’t want to be shoved into a group of kids who are just going out of obligation. I’m nerdy, learning is fun.) That’s part of the reason I’m looking at Ivies and sub-Ivies, because I want a college where people are driven and passionate.

2. I don’t necessarily want an ‘urban’ campus life. Mainly, I want diversity. Coming from a tiny, everybody-knows-everybody kind of town, I want to meet new people with lots of different interests and personalities. That’s why I’m primarily looking at universities with strong liberal arts programs, rather than just liberal arts schools. I also like the idea of research universities with strong liberal arts programs, although I don’t really know what’d I’d research…it’s just intriguing. :P

3. I’m not concerned about prestige in the typical way. I would like a college that is well-known to potential employers and grad schools, but I’m not looking for a college that makes me look “smarter” when I casually mention it to friends and family.

4. Iowa was mainly a safety that I kept because I couldn’t figure out anywhere else. I would like to pursue creative writing in college to some extent, but there are so many things I’m also interested in, I’d rather not go to one college for a great writing program. Having said that, any suggestions for safety schools (that fit the above requirements to some extent)?? I feel like it’s impossible to find one where I’ll fit in, but my test scores are low (1870 on the SAT, retaking in October, but I got a 2010 on my PSAT so I know I can do better). I’m scared I’ll get rejected from all of these schools I’ve invested so much time in, and I won’t have a SOLID safety school to fall back on.

5. I don’t really want to go into traditional journalism. If I did choose journalism, it would be either writing for magazines or some kind of editorial work. I would really enjoy going into editing and publishing, though, or…well, my dream at the moment is to somehow work for the UN. Dunno how that’d happen, but we’ll see. :) So, another question, what would be my best bet for majors? I’m pretty sure what my mom said was on par, I just want to make sure I’m not going for the wrong things.

I think that’s all. :P

Yeah, I'm personally familiar with the BU, MIT and Harvard campuses, but I wasn't sure on Emerson. It also isn't that hard to use the T to get around the city to visit places, assuming you know where to go.

ZOMG yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaay! This thread makes me 80,000x happier now!

S I'm excited for you and your mom to come visit me in Chicago. Seriously.