I just reread the comments on my last post, and I noticed they had a distinct collegiate bent.
-I haven't even come close to deciding what college I'm going to go to. A few days ago, BJ was around on his semester break, and I had a nice long talk with him about colleges. He suggested one called Amherst in Massachusetts, and some other one in Minnesota that I forgot. He says pick one I like. Well, I won't try to contradict that advice. But he also says I ought to pick out one with a good reputation for its English department if I want to be an editor. This begs the question, BJ: How am I supposed to know what a college's reputation is? What I really need around now is a big list that says what assorted colleges are known for, and how well they're known for it. Is there such a list? Where do I get it? There probably isn't. So, how do I know?
-Another thing I need to know is how much colleges give for a National Merit Scholarship. It's different with each college. So how do I know what it is for each college? Like, say, does Amherst tell somewhere on their website how much they're going to give me because I'm a Scholar? And if not, how am I supposed to tastefully find out--from each college I'm thinking about? Or am I supposed to just navigate in the dark? And more than just how much they'll give me, here's another question. Where does it say what the tuition is for a college? That at least is probably on the website somewhere.
-Those are the questions I keep asking. Now I've actually asked them of someone.
2 comments.
holy cow it has been a long time since I considered college entrance. Ok, first off get on the phone and call the admissions offices for the colleges. They can give you all the information you need and then some. Humans still have the edge over the internet. Second, your school should have a guidance counselor to help with the process. Check it out.
Thirdly, investigate visiting the campuses during the summer visiting programs. Nice deal, go visit, stay the weekend. My sister did that, I didn't because I knew that I was going to CU. Read that as I didn't research and now wonder if I shorted myself. I didn't know what I wanted to be when I grew up until oh... last year??? Go figure.
For you, I see looking at a good writing school, you have a gift. That is a career that you could do while in your cabin in the woods. Of course I hear writers don't get paid much. ;-)
Toy has some good advice. Talking to Mrs. Brown can be a good place to start, although her major strengths come a little later down the line.
Visiting campuses and summer programs, also an excellent idea. Can give you a good feel for the place. I really wanted to go to Georgetown until I visited the campus. I found the campus to be claustrophobic and the administration rigid. The bookstore was nice. Especially compared to Brandeis' piss-poor version.
If you want to get a launching pad, write out a list of things you are looking for in a college. Some good questions to ask yourself in addition to the reputation of the English department and frigid environs:
1) Is the size of the student body important to you? Would I like big, small, medium or indifferent?
2) Do you care about the reputation of the school overall? For instance, do you want to have the seal of an Ivy league school (or equivalent) on your diploma? Or is that not such a major concern?
3) What kind of character or ambience are you looking for, if any? One of the schools in Minnesota I mentioned, Macalester, has an excellent English program with a good, nation-wide reputation. However, it is San Francisco liberal and in the middle of downtown St. Paul. The last two facts might not be so desireable.
4) The sex ratio might be something worth keeping an eye on. For example, most science oriented schools are solidly male majority. In your case, some of the best liberal arts schools in New England and New York are former all-girls schools (Bryn Mawr, Swarthmore, Vassar) and remain 60+% female. I do not know what you think of that, but there is something to be said for a balanced student population.
One thing you shouldn't pay attention to at all is whether the school says it is diverse or not. That is all horsehockey. Most schools you will be looking at will be at most, 20%. And plus, you go to Finneytown. You know what diversity is and diversity isn't.
Once you kind of have a broader outline of the kind of schools you are interested in, go to the library or the bookstore with your mom or your dad and flip through the college guides. A few hours of your life doing this will pay off big. Off of the top of my head, I do have some names that can you sort of start out with:
1) Amherst. Excellent little school that has a stellar reputation in the humanities and the liberal arts. In the more rural part of Massachussets outside of Boston.
2) Macalester. See a few paragraphs up.
3) Carleton. Another Minnesota college. About as good as Macalester, but in a more rural environment.
4) University of Michigan. Huge, but one of the best public universities in the world. Also, frigid just like you want.
5) Brown. Of the Ivies, the most...unorthodox. Very liberal, but also very good in the liberal arts. Providence, where it is at, is gorgeous. You will be within spitting distance of the Atlantic and the woods.
6) Dartmouth. Backwoods New Hampshire. More conservative. Beautiful country, excellent school and an Ivy, if that matters.
7) Reed College. In Oregon, for a change of pace. Definitely an outdoorsy kind of place and a rising star of liberal arts colleges.
8) Haverford. Alma Mater of Dave Barry. I think that alone should merit a close look.
9) NYU. Urban, certainly, but a good English department and a good Media and Film department, which in today's day and age, is becoming closely linked to editing. And New York does get cold as hell.
For the last part, you should call or go online to see what colleges will offer for National Merit Scholars. Many of these schools won't, but it never hurts to ask. The best insurance you can hope for is TO DO AS WELL AS POSSIBLE IN SCHOOL.
Lastly, scope out a state school in Ohio as a back up. As a Merit Scholar, you are garaunteed a free ride at most of them. I recommend Kent State. Cold and Beth Bloom says the English department ain't half bad.
Good luck and IM me if you have any questions.
BJ
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