I'm planning to go to college--probably a liberal arts college in the U.S.--next year, and I would welcome any comments on specific strengths, weaknesses, or other characteristics of colleges anyone has studied or worked at (especially if it was recently).
To give some idea of what I'm looking at, some of the options I'm considering most seriously are Grinnell, Middlebury, Carleton, and Macalester.
I'm probably going to major in a natural science or mathematics, but also have a strong interest in languages.
As for the colleges you wrote, I do not know much of, though one of my friends is considering seriously Middlebury..I shall inquire her about it.
Some things to look at, depending on your needs/wants, is if an institution offers single room dorms (which, while I wouldn't especially mind the idea of a roommate, I would have to prohibit them from using any perfume, lotion, or strong deodorants and air fresheners, which would be unreasonable and unable to do so).
Also, again depending on needs and wants, to see what the disability supports might be offered. I know that for me, it is hard for me to understand spoken language very well if not spoken slowly and would need to record a lecture possibly so I have more time to process on my own. Also, I myself need often to ask clarification on instructions.
See if you can assess how much emphasis the institution places on group work, and what flexibility there might be. Of course not in all situations, such as laboratory work, but some situations a group setting is not necessary and could ask the professor for adjustments.
I also have a strong interest in languages, and I would like to become proficient in Japanese, Russian, and French during college. I have already taken two years of high school French and two semesters of college Japanese, and while I am often one of the students with better understanding of the language and the materials covered, often the means of testing and grading slip me up.
Some of this is unavoidable, such as questions where one must understand the context of the sentence as well as the language to fill in the blank. I score miserably on these questions, even when I otherwise ace the exam. Other stuff should be looked at. If you (like me) have trouble with spontaneously coming up with questions and answers to questions, ask the professor ahead of time if you can have ahead of time the questions in English you will be required to ask and answer.
Of course, this is based on my own strengths, weaknesses, and experiences with the system, so maybe none of it applies, but I know that I have difficulty enough with coming up with things in English that to come up with things to say in another language is also difficult, even when my understanding of the language is advanced.
BTW, I am a senior also who is looking at Evergreen State College or Chapman University. I want to major in Math/Film Production or Math/Physics or something.
I went to a small fine art and design school.
Because art/design has always been the focus of my special interests, it worked very well for me. Everyone talked for hours about art and nobody got bored.
Also, most of the general ed classes (read non-art) incoorporated art into its curriculum. For instance, a botony class involved a sketchbook and lots of time at the botanical garden.
It was also in the city where I lived... and hey, it was a bunch of artists. Can't get much wierder than that...
Ack. What I was meaning to say was that the things I'd look for in a school:
- a small school
- in a small area or an area that you are already familiar with
- that specializes in your area of interest
- if you have the oppurtunity, go there and see if you fit.
Good Luck
I went to a small fine art and design school.
Because art/design has always been the focus of my special interests, it worked very well for me. Everyone talked for hours about art and nobody got bored.
Also, most of the general ed classes (read non-art) incoorporated art into its curriculum. For instance, a botony class involved a sketchbook and lots of time at the botanical garden.
It was also in the city where I lived... and hey, it was a bunch of artists. Can't get much wierder than that...
That sounds wonderful and I really wish I'd gone to a place like that. Mind you, at the time when I was looking, the closest one would have been about 3,000 km from home and I was too scared to go that far away from home.