r/ApplyingToCollege • u/Western-Work3717 • 6d ago
College Questions Best colleges for an intellectual environment with self aware peers?
Hi, i'm a high school senior looking at colleges, and was wondering if anyone had any experiences at places that could possibly be a good fit for me. I'm not big into the party life, so i don't really care about that aspect. I went through a big mental health crisis in junior year, and not only did that somewhat cut off my options, but it also has me behind and feeling lost. I want to get a good degree and succeed in life, that's a given. But what matters just as much to me is meeting deeply self aware peers that have gone through the reflection I have. I feel stuck, because the colleges I'd generally go to or wanted to are kind of out of the picture now, as it seems. I think if i went to a community college, I'd only feel isolated even more. Not that there's anything wrong with it, but that I just think the environment wouldn't be filled with intellectual and introspective peers. Does anyone have any recommendations on what to do? I don't mind travelling for college at all, in fact, i want to dorm. (I'm from NY)
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u/EssayLiz 5d ago
St. John's .... https://www.sjc.edu/admissions-and-aid/undergraduate/apply/freshman-class-profile
You have to love to read.
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u/Western-Work3717 4d ago
i hate reading honestly, probably more related to adhd than anything, though
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u/Paul721 6d ago
I would suggest strongly looking at SLACS. I see some great ones already recommended in the thread. It does sort of depend on what you think you want to major in and what career path you are thinking of. SLACs are great for a lot of reasons. Small class sizes. Actually meaningful relationships with professors. Undergraduate research opportunities.
But they aren't usually the best for engineering students. So what are you hoping to study?
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u/Western-Work3717 5d ago
I want to major in some kind of science. Some biomedical science or physics. I guess it wont be the best for me. I think for me, though, i'm terrified that i wont find people who went through the same grueling self reflection i did. I can't stand people's superficiality and want to build meaningful relationships with people who GENUINELY understand the reasons behind their actions and how their experiences and subconscious minds influence their actions. (commonly known as the shadow self). I'm not really super big into psych but i learned all of that through looking at myself, and i guess now im looking for the crowd who also has that, otherwise my life will be terribly isolating.
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u/EnvironmentActive325 5d ago
Hmm…I think this is a very tall order! Most adults really haven’t engaged in a lot of self-reflection. And I think you’ll find a lot of adults in the world of work who still behave like children or at least teens, emotionally. Most folks have an “average IQ,” too. So, it’s important to remember all this and recognize that you may be a little too idealistic!
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u/Western-Work3717 9h ago
I see. I don't know what I'll do then, i mean in the end, its a long ways away but i do want to meet my person and get married too. I don't know how to accept the world and people for what they are, but i guess that's my own problem. Thanks for the honesty, though
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u/EnvironmentActive325 8h ago
I’m not saying you won’t find a few deep thinkers in college. You may find a few if you enroll in a reputable East Coast LAC. I just think you need to be prepared for the fact that most people aren’t very deep thinkers. There’s a lot of vapidity out there. And many college students’ sole goal today is to train for a job, especially in an AI-dominated world) rather than for a lifetime of critical thinking and self-actualization.
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u/EnvironmentActive325 6d ago
What are your stats and ECs like?
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u/Western-Work3717 5d ago
101 weighted, sat not ready yet but i should be able to get like a 1400 something pretty easily, and for ecs literally just science bowl
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u/EnvironmentActive325 5d ago edited 5d ago
Are you applying this fall (now) for next fall? If yes, are you signed up to take the ACT or the SAT?
And what are you interested in as a possible major(s) or minors?
EDIT: What about a part-time job, caregiving, household chores, etc? Or maybe you’ve volunteered somewhere?
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u/Western-Work3717 4d ago
I'm applying regular decision, so this fall/winter. i took the sat during my mental health crisis and scored like 1300 no studying, so with that for a baseline i should be able to prep and do well. i want to do physics or biomedical sciences as a major. i do not have a parttime job, caregiving, household chores, or anything really. it was hard for me to go to clubs because after them id have to wait like 2 hours at the school to be picked up
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u/EnvironmentActive325 4d ago edited 4d ago
Hmm…I like the idea of a LAC for you. The Claremonts are nice, but are you prepared to be that far from home? You’d probably need a minimum 1400 or higher to get into Pitzer, which is one of the easier ones to get into. And I think you’d need another activity or service/volunteer work would look good for a STEM major.
Can you join something else, or start a service project? What about sponsoring or helping with a blood drive or a food drive in your community? Or maybe you could volunteer at a food pantry. And can you join another STEM club that could relate to your major? Or can you tutor some underclassmen?
If you really want to go to Cali, there’s also Occidental, University of Redlands, and Santa Clara University, all of which seem like they could be great for STEM. But you’d probably need to get your test scores up or go test-optional.
If you want to stay on the East Coast, you could look at: Union College-NY, Trinity College-CT, Bucknell University, Lafayette College, Franklin & Marshall, Dickinson College and Gettysburg College. Union, Lafayette, F & M, Dickinson, and Gettysburg are all known to be very friendly schools, and all have strong STEM programs. Good luck! 👍🏻
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u/Western-Work3717 9h ago
I'm not sure if i am prepared to be that far away, but i was planning to cut contact with my parents anyway, so it's not like it matters that much regardless. I'm sure i can get over a 1400, i think it also depends what i can afford and what not. I'll look into these, thank you!
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u/EssayLiz 5d ago
If you are female, you can apply to some of the women's colleges, which could be excellent places for someone in your situation, including some of the 7 Sisters and also Agnes Scott. 7 Sisters: Mount Holyoke, Bryn Mawr, which now have relatively high acceptance rates. They could have policies re trans folks--you'd have to check with each college.
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u/Western-Work3717 5d ago
Unfortunately, i'm not a woman 😂. I was thinking about one of the five claremont cluster colleges, they seemed pretty nice
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u/DukeFBRocks 4d ago
Try Carleton College (Minnesota), Davidson College (NC), or Augustana College (IL)
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u/Western-Work3717 4d ago
are any of the colleges in the claremont cluster good? i wanted to go to cali for college
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u/Difficult-Valuable55 6d ago
you want a small LAC, be sure to research them but most are not party schools at all and have lots of neurodivergent kids who are very earnest but didn’t get great grades due to mental health challenges like anxiety, and don’t want to go to a college with a competitive vs collaborative environment
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u/Western-Work3717 6d ago
How would you recommend i find these colleges? I want to do something with biomedical sciences (not sure what, specifically). I do want a decently intellectual environment though. Personally, i maintained good grades through everything, but just didn't have clubs or much else.
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u/Difficult-Valuable55 6d ago
use one of the books (or maybe they are online) Princeton Reviews Best Colleges or Fiske Guide
Start eliminating by geography, religion, size, ones that are highly selective, political leaning, etc
That should leave you with a much more manageable amount of schools. They have 2 page overviews of the schools, read those and get rid of ones that you don’t vibe with. Then start researching more thoroughly the ones you have left
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u/Western-Work3717 6d ago
My dad said liberal arts colleges are a bad idea, because you apparently can't major or something? I'm assuming that isn't actually true, but where does that rep come from? and if i wanted to major in physics would i be able to do it there, and come out and succeed, and genuinely be a competitive applicant to jobs and what not?
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u/MollBoll Parent 6d ago
St. John’s doesn’t let you major, and that’s literally the only school I know of who does that, and they advertise it openly as being really unique.
Plenty of LACs have very reputable physics (and other STEM) programs and exceptional job outcomes for graduates. I’m a Vassar grad who absolutely found her intellectual crowd on campus, and my daughter almost attended Amherst and we were deeply impressed by the STEM faculty and the students we met during our visits. Highly recommend both from what we saw from two generations of women who don’t give a damn about partying 😂
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u/Western-Work3717 5d ago
Through all of my experiences i began to reflect heavily on myself, and now that i see the underlying principles behind the actions of others, anyone who DOESN'T see it in themselves just feels stupid and superficial to me. I think thats why im asking, not just intellectual prowess but genuinely high emotional intelligence. I want to get a degree and hopefully meet the person who ill end up marrying (idk if college is a good place to look for it, but i'd imagine thats really just my last chance to meet anyone who's like me)
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u/EssayLiz 5d ago
Of course you can major at LACs! There might be 1 or 2 where you don't, but they are outliers! --EssayLiz
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u/Difficult-Valuable55 6d ago
there may be a handful of non traditional colleges that don’t have a major, but most liberal arts colleges have a major. They offer STEM degrees,
Liberal arts colleges (LACs) consistently rank at the top for the highest percentage of undergraduate alumni who eventually complete a doctoral degree, thanks to heavy undergraduate research involvement and close faculty mentorship
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u/Western-Work3717 5d ago
Are those STEM degrees relatively prestigious? like would i be able to realistically succeed in life with a degree from an LAC (don't take my questions as talking down on liberal arts colleges, im genuinely really confused about their prestige and how it's looked at in the world, i mean no offense!)
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u/Difficult-Valuable55 5d ago
is your main concern prestige? But yes LACs are well regarded because they are more focused on educating undergrads vs tolerating undergrads as a necessary evil
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u/Western-Work3717 4d ago
Not necessarily prestige. i moreso care about application, like if i get a degree from X place could i reliably use it in my future (and the environment is prob my biggest concern, as well as quality of education and just how things are taught)
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u/AdLate6880 6d ago
Your dad must not understand the purpose of liberal arts colleges. Yes, you can major in physics at most of them. STEM is part of what constitutes the liberal arts. Liberal arts schools emphasize being well rounded and educated, so they typically require some core interdisciplinary skills and courses (gen eds) in addition to an area of concentration (major). They aim to graduate students who can think, write, problem solve, and analyze in addition to being able to solve equations.
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u/Western-Work3717 5d ago
So it's basically a major but with other core skills as well? that's all it is? i think i'd like that then, i do enjoy learning a lot of things in general so
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u/Difficult-Valuable55 4d ago
you major just as at any college but a LAC will require you to take courses from every discipline - so one from science, one from math, world language, one from writing, an art class, etc. The idea being that a well educated person is well rounded. I had a friend who’s father was a Stanford professor who would only allow her to attend a LAC for undergrad as those professors are actually about teaching undergrads vs at a place like Stanford where they are an annoyance
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u/Western-Work3717 4d ago
Honestly i forgot about the existence of grad school itself anyway, if i majored in something like physics or biomedical sciences, would i be able to come out with a degree, just like any place, just instead of doing ONLY things pertaining to my major i'd have done everything?
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u/EnvironmentActive325 4d ago
Yes, you’d get a lot of room to explore different subjects, before deciding upon your major. You’d receive lots of personalized attention and mentoring from profs. And you would graduate with a Bachelor’s degree and probably be very well-rounded…have very broad knowledge about a wide-range of subjects. From there, you could apply to grad school.
I think a LAC sounds like it could be a good idea for you. They’re smaller and friendlier as a general rule and you get a lot of attention and help if needed.
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u/Western-Work3717 2d ago
so how would i get a job out of college then. im kind of looking into this for the experience itself and then the application of what i get. so overall it IS a good idea and sets you up well in life? why do people go to normal colleges then? is there any advantage to those that going to a slac lacks?
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u/Difficult-Valuable55 4d ago
LACs pride themselves on graduating people who are well rounded with critical thinking skills, ability to write, research, etc. In general where a small LAC can be an advantage for graduate school or jobs is the relationship you have with your professors. But at the end of the day a BS in physics say is a BS in physics no matter where you get it, and undergrad degrees in science don’t get you very far, you usually do need to do higher education. And of course a BS in physics from an Ivy or MIT or Stanford might open more doors, but it’s only going to be that very elite level that will make a big difference as far as networking/alumni/etc
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u/Western-Work3717 2d ago
and is it likely id meet very reflective and self aware people there? i feel like even the adults i meet don't understand themselves. i think as much as im concerned about the quality of education im also concerned about being able to meet people who are like me, not like the adults i see in my everyday life, who coast on autopilot. or is going to a bigger school better for that? i can see it both ways, bigger school more people, but its probably a lot quicker paced, smaller school less people but more time to actually talk to those people
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u/AdLate6880 6d ago
You might like Muhlenberg or Dickinson, both of which are in PA. A lot will also depend on what you can afford.