28 Nov 01 - 09:40 AM (#599320) Subject: College Questions for Leftist Folk From: GUEST,Confused Parents So, I see Gordon Bok sings for Allied Whale at the College of the Atlantic. John McCutcheon gives the commencement address at Warren Wilson College. Well, we are gathering info for our daughter's college (she will be graduating high school in 2003). So far she has been most interested in College of the Atlantic, Antioch College, Warren Wilson, Culinary Institute of American in NY, and possibly Evergreen State in Washington. She has a passion for political activism, theater, and music, and a strong interest academically in biology. She is a pretty average student (3.0+), and has excellent leadership skills. As you might be able to tell, she is having a terrible time fitting in to "conventional" school. These are the only schools that have had any appeal for her whatsoever, and we love them all. Money is a huge issue for us though, and without exception, these colleges cost a pretty penny. We aren't able to afford mistakes involving huge sums of money for a child (even our only) to experiment with college, and so we are wondering if anyone here might have had personal experience with any of these schools themselves, or with their own kids? Any information will be greatly appreciated. |
28 Nov 01 - 09:42 AM (#599323) Subject: RE: BS: College Questions for Leftist Folk From: Amos You might want to look in to Shimer College in Waukegan, WI as far as the "conventional" issue. It's a powerful school for non-conventional people. Excellent place. As far as the dough goes, you need to be up to your ears in grant and Federal aid and such paperwork about now.... A |
28 Nov 01 - 09:45 AM (#599326) Subject: RE: BS: College Questions for Leftist Folk From: GUEST,Confused Parents Thanks Amos, we'll look into Shimer. Yes, we are also getting all the scholarship & fed grant & loan information together at this point. |
28 Nov 01 - 12:17 PM (#599430) Subject: RE: BS: College Questions for Leftist Folk From: Mrrzy Look into Deep Springs; it's a junior college but the school administration IS the student body... and I think they're coed by year now, as in, one year it's all women, next it's all men, or something. They'll have her digging wells and herding cows in between getting a superb academic education. |
28 Nov 01 - 12:19 PM (#599434) Subject: RE: BS: College Questions for Leftist Folk From: Sorcha Goddard College in Vermont is pretty alternative, but I think it is expensive....... |
28 Nov 01 - 12:28 PM (#599443) Subject: RE: BS: College Questions for Leftist Folk From: Willie-O I went to Evergreen for a while in the mid-70's. Unlike the other ones listed, its a state college so doesn't have private college tuition rates. And as you may have noticed, tuition is a lot cheaper if you qualify as a Washington State resident. Which usually involves living there for a year before enrolling. There are definitely worse places to spend a before-college maturation year than Seattle, Oly, or some of the more mountainous parts of WA state. Other schools of interest (my nieces' and nephews':)Earlton College in Indiana, Oberlin. Best of luck |
28 Nov 01 - 12:30 PM (#599445) Subject: RE: BS: College Questions for Leftist Folk From: Willie-O Also, I should say, I think Evergreen is a great school for people who are self-directed, inner-motivated types, which sounds like your daughter from what you said. W-O |
28 Nov 01 - 12:49 PM (#599458) Subject: RE: BS: College Questions for Leftist Folk From: GUEST,fretless (at work) Lawrence in Wisconsin; Oberlin in Ohio; Reed and Lewis & Clark in Oregon, with Lawrence and Oberlin giving more emphasis to the music; Reed a good, traditional left politics school; and Lewis & Clark with strong science programs. These are all (pricey) liberal arts, private colleges, but that seems to be what your daughter is gravitating toward. Other good, selective lib arts places include Guilford in North Carolina and Carleton in Minnesota. Based on your initial list, I'm guessing that your daughter has pretty good SATs to go along with her 3.0+ grades. She'll need them for most of these places. From the other replies: Deep Springs is a really interesting school -- only two years, but virtually all of their students transfer to 4-year colleges, including all of the top of the line places. There's no set curriculum; students set their courses by negotiating with the faculty. Only of interest if your daughter is a real self-starter. I'd stay awaay from Goddard. It was a wildly innovative place in the 60s, got somewhat out of hand in the 70s, and into serious financial difficulties in the 80s and 90s. They have had administrative difficulties of late, and have been tending to fire their presidents on about a 2-year cycle. You can forgive a college for doing that once or twice, but when it becomes a regular habit, it is usually a sign of instability (faculty-administration feuding, etc.) and you want to keep your child out of that sort of mess. What's your home state? If money is an issue, then you may want to look into local/regional options. |
28 Nov 01 - 01:16 PM (#599473) Subject: RE: BS: College Questions for Leftist Folk From: catspaw49 I'd check the admission requirements on a few of these, especially Oberlin, because a 3.0 probably won't do it there unless you're daughter has really aced the tests. Antioch is pretty much living on the reputation it developed 40 years ago and today I'd really question whether you can get any education there at all.......Of course that's true of college in general...**sigh**.......... I'd redirect the search a bit and focus on the academics more and then choose from them the ones with the most liberal bent because most schools have some form of political activist groups where she can easily become involved. Rest assured that something will probably come up totally out of the blue and all your careful searching will be down the crapper. I had scholarships at three excellent schools and was about to commit to Brown when I came home home one afternoon from high school and found that my Mom had packed my bags for Berea.....a place I was only marginally familiar with prior to that day. It's a long story, but it worked out well. The blindside often has a way of working that is a bit mystical. Spaw |
28 Nov 01 - 01:53 PM (#599499) Subject: RE: BS: College Questions for Leftist Folk From: Mrrzy Don't go to Antioch unless you cannot be led astray. Deep Springs bills itself as the last socialist utopia extant... that's pretty leftist... |
28 Nov 01 - 02:04 PM (#599508) Subject: RE: BS: College Questions for Leftist Folk From: GUEST,MAG at work In my generation Shimer was a total druggie school -- and "sexual experimentation" was way ahead of the curve. That was 30+ years ago. My wildly unconventional niece has been very happy at COA -- again, I gather it works well for self-motivated students who hate bureaucracy and heirarchy. The 3 OR and WA schools mentioned have done well by various children of friends. Although Monica did come out of L&C, as I recall ... it has a great location, close to downtown Portland, which is a great town. Good luck. This environment will be so signifigant to the rest of your daughter's life. |
28 Nov 01 - 02:31 PM (#599537) Subject: RE: BS: College Questions for Leftist Folk From: Jim Dixon I'd still recommend my own alma mater, Macalester College, here in St. Paul, Minnesota. Small, liberal arts, in an urban environment (but urban here is a lot like suburban in some other places), high academic standards, with a long tradition of liberal-to-radical politics and internationalism. (Walter Mondale and Kofi Annan are alumni.) It's expensive, but also well-endowed, so lots of scholarship money is available. There are also several other small colleges and one very large university in the Twin Cities area that allow students to enroll in each other's courses, use each other's libraries, etc. |
28 Nov 01 - 04:09 PM (#599606) Subject: RE: BS: College Questions for Leftist Folk From: Tiger Our daughter went to COA and loved it. Excellent programs and facilities. The only degree offered is in 'Human Ecology'. If your daughter's a crunchie, she'll love it. Bar Harbor is great, but the kids are quite isolated from the real world. Moderate political activism (but centering on man's misuse of the environment more than other political causes). Not big on theater and music. CIA, on the other hand, is excellent for restaurant/hotel industry training, much less for the academics. Take a peek at Marlboro College (Massachusetts). |
28 Nov 01 - 04:38 PM (#599625) Subject: RE: BS: College Questions for Leftist Folk From: artbrooks You might check out Prescott College in Prescott Arizona (about 100 miles north of Phoenix). It is known locally as the home of the tree-huggers, but the kids appear to get a good, well-rounded education and I understand that their financial aid program is reasonable. |
28 Nov 01 - 05:03 PM (#599647) Subject: RE: BS: College Questions for Leftist Folk From: catspaw49 Tiger.....As the holder of a worthlees degree (Philosophy), I don't think that many degree fields have much to do with our later lives and generally having a degree is enough for many. But all that said, and I'm sorry to admit this, but I just cracked up at the idea of having only one gegree program and that one being Human Ecology. What the hell is that anyway? Spaw
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28 Nov 01 - 05:28 PM (#599666) Subject: RE: BS: College Questions for Leftist Folk From: GUEST,Margaret V at work As an alum of Oberlin who tries to follow the scene there despite the ever-growing number of years between now and the time I was there... it sure sounds like it would be a good match for your daughter. Their biology program has always been superb, but they now have this amazing Adam Joseph Lewis center for environmental science that is, in itself, an incredible work of sustainable, "green" architecture. Plenty of campus activism, though it is in a rural area... Cooperative living and dining options abound. And there's so much music happening there (even if you're just in the college, not the conservatory) that it's an embarrassment of riches. I'm sure there are drugs everywhere, and I know I was there a long time ago (in the '80s) but frankly I almost never ran into them! Totally avoidable non-issue for me and my friends. When I was there we had, alas, a pretty unpopular president, but Nancy Dye, the current pres., is a very strong leader who has the support and respect of both students and faculty. Oberlin is very generous with financial aid. As 'spaw pointed out, it's pretty competitive, so hopefully your daughter's SATs are okay. Marlboro is actually in Vermont (or was, all those years ago when I was considering it). Feel free to PM me if I can be of further help. Margaret |
28 Nov 01 - 05:37 PM (#599673) Subject: RE: BS: College Questions for Leftist Folk From: GUEST,Hippie Chick the College of Wooster [Ohio] houses the Ohio Light Opera, a mixture of students, faculty, & community actors etc. Lots of potential for good experiences in that area. Small town atmosphere, lots of tight *** conservatives to rebel against........just a thought. |
28 Nov 01 - 05:38 PM (#599675) Subject: RE: BS: College Questions for Leftist Folk From: Mark Clark Definately take Jim's advice and check out Macalester. She may also want to check out Brown University. My neice found a number of worthy political causes while she was there. See if this interests her, or this. She also collected a volume of labor songs while she was at Brown titled “The Little Brown Songbook.” - Mark |
28 Nov 01 - 05:51 PM (#599684) Subject: RE: BS: College Questions for Leftist Folk From: Murray MacLeod Spaw, you must not berate yourself for having a "worthless" degree. The philosophical insights which you acquired during your years of study are now being passed on to others via the 'Cat and as the years pass will come to bear a rich fruit. I attribute my own current level of intellectual development directly to your influence. What more can I say ? That said, one of the prettiest university towns in the country must be Northampton MA. Can't remember the name of the college there (Brown?) but a hell of a lot of good music as well. AND they have a guitarmaking school there, fot those who might want to forsake the groves of academe for the life of a struggling craftsperson. (As I did) Murray |
28 Nov 01 - 05:54 PM (#599686) Subject: RE: BS: College Questions for Leftist Folk From: catspaw49 Hey...WOOSTER!!!
"Be like a booster I have no idea what that means, but it rhymes....at least it rhymes in Ahia (Ohio). It was another of my Dad's oft quoted little tidbits of the weird and I never had any idea what most of them meant. So Hippie Chick....Got some personal experience with Wooster? Spaw |
28 Nov 01 - 05:59 PM (#599693) Subject: RE: BS: College Questions for Leftist Folk From: Desert Dancer Spaw, how closely have you looked at Antioch lately?? I went there probably at its lowest point (in enrollment and endowment, certainly) in the early 80's, and from all I can see they've really pulled their act together. I have one friend from the time who believes it was a waste, though it doesn't seem to be hindering him now. For me it was just the thing. There's _nothing_ at any other school that can compare with the amount of real-world time that you spend on co-ops in the course of getting a degree (interspersed, of course, with the unique environment of the campus). If your daughter's looking at Antioch then she's got the literature with the good stats -- a very high proportion of graduate degrees achieved by Antiochians, excellent ratings in the National Survey of Student Engagement, etc., etc. I was the kind of kid who didn't want to consider Antioch because my mother went there and she wanted me to go there -- as I get older I realize more and more how wise my mother's been... ;-) ~ Becky in Tucson |
28 Nov 01 - 06:08 PM (#599698) Subject: RE: BS: College Questions for Leftist Folk From: catspaw49 Dunno Becky.....Haven't investgated it personally lately, and I don't put much credence in anything said locally about the place, but several national reports have been less than complimentary, even for a school with it's reputation. So I humbly bow to your better informed opinion. This of course also brings up really investigating, personally if possible, whatever schools that the poster here might choose to put on the short list. Spaw |
28 Nov 01 - 06:13 PM (#599705) Subject: RE: BS: College Questions for Leftist Folk From: mousethief Evergreen is only for people who are VERY self-directed. If she needs any kind of external motivation to do her schoolwork, read the readings, etc., she won't get it there. On the other hand if she is a self-directing person, and plays Evergreen right, she can end up getting a real doozy of an education there for pretty cheap, if she lives a year in-state first. The real problem is what "greeners" do after they graduate. They tend to be so self-directing that many managers in the area are leary of hiring them: they don't "take orders" and work as a subordinate easily. So in part her career path choice will determine if Evergreen is a good fit for her. A lot of greeners end up working at used book stores and such -- while others go on to very bright and exciting adult lives. Like anything else, it's largely what you put into it that determines what you get out of it. Alex |
28 Nov 01 - 08:35 PM (#599827) Subject: RE: BS: College Questions for Leftist Folk From: GUEST,Confused Parents Wow! Thanks everyone for such a great response! As to some of the specifics people mentioned... My daughter is just now taking SATs. She is not particularly self-motivated about school work, which is a big reason why I'm starting to ask around about the schools she is interested in. I am concerned that if she gets into a self-directed program she will just get lost. She does much better with well-defined structure. The structure need not be conventional, but it does have to be there. The drug and alcohol environment matters very much to her. She identifies with some of the straight edge/hardcore punk scene (no drugs, alcohol, etc), largely because in our large urban high school, it has been hard for her to socialize with kids who aren't doing drugs and alcohol because there are so few of them. She never goes to parties, because of the pervasiveness of drugs and alcohol. She does give a pretty damn good party though! We are looking at Macalester College--thanks for the mention of that one! Yes, they are very well endowed. And U of VA has been suggested for the same reason. But what I don't know about Macalester is the structure of the academic program. I'm glad to hear there are folks here with experience of COA. I'm wondering if it will be worth a trip to visit the school (we are in the Midwest). It seems to have an alternative academic framework, but I'm wondering how structured it is? I like Antioch because it seems to be pretty structured despite it being unconventional. We haven't looked at Oberlin--we'll give it a look now though. And where is Deep Springs? |
28 Nov 01 - 09:05 PM (#599843) Subject: RE: BS: College Questions for Leftist Folk From: GUEST,.gargoyle University of California, Santa Cruz
No grades
Environmentally friendly, (mascot is the Bananna Slug) Politically active, and so far left the honorable Mr. BSeed of Mudcat fame would approve.
http://www.ucsc.edu/currents/01-02/11-19/walker.html http://review.ucsc.edu/summer.01/standing_up.html
And even FOLK SONG related http://review.ucsc.edu/winter.01/lost_and_found_sound.html |
28 Nov 01 - 10:19 PM (#599870) Subject: RE: BS: College Questions for Leftist Folk From: Amos Shimer, for those of you who succumbed to vile rumors thirty years ago (:>)) is actually not druggie -- anymor than any liberal school, I guess -- althought thirty years ago it may have been a bit advanced in experimentation. It actually offers a powerful music and classif academics curriculum combined with a very Socratic educational style -- those who have bene there swear by it on purely inellectual grounds, much like Spaw's philosphy degree. Spaw, getting a degree in philosophy was really the only sensible thing to do at that age!! It was obvious to me, and it must have been to you, that people spend their whole lives trying to catch up missed credits in philosophy anyway, and if they learn to do it right early on, everything else follows more easily. Now, that makes sense, doesn't it? Fellow B. Phil., A, |
29 Nov 01 - 09:37 AM (#600137) Subject: RE: BS: College Questions for Leftist Folk From: JedMarum Has she considered Baylor in Waco TX? |
29 Nov 01 - 10:21 AM (#600171) Subject: RE: BS: College Questions for Leftist Folk From: JedMarum Just teasing ;-) I don't suppose Baylor is really a good choice for someone hoping to sharpen their leftist perspective! Actually I put a lot of work and thought into college selection for my youngest son (the older boys knew what they wanted) and worked with a group of his friends to refine their choices and pursue admission/scholarships. After seeing their efforts, and the results (they've all graduated now). I'd have to say the most important thing is to find a school that you can afford to keep her in for the next 4 to 6 years! The next thing I'd suggest is that you find US News and World's Report on the Top 100 Colleges. They update this excellent refernce every year. It has lots of valuable info on each college like; how does your daughter's SAT/ACT scores match up with the average entering freshman scores? I would take this match as an important factor - yes, you/she could choose to accept the challenge of being behind the academic curve, and she may do well; but I would not accept that challenge without careful consideration. They also include student/instructor ratios, racial make up, male/female ratios and other social factors that may interest you. This reference coupled with info you get here and more in depth materials from the Univs themselves will give you a good picture. Good luck to you both. By the way, my sister-in-law teaches at Goddard (VT). I'm sure your daughter would enjoy the place - if she enjoys the Northern New England winter ('cause they get a lot of it)! |
29 Nov 01 - 10:26 AM (#600177) Subject: RE: BS: College Questions for Leftist Folk From: JedMarum I found the link to the US News college rankings report. |
29 Nov 01 - 11:04 AM (#600205) Subject: RE: BS: College Questions for Leftist Folk From: catspaw49 Thanks Jed....I still enjoy reading their report and I hadn't seen this year's yet. My alma mater is still in the top 100 and if the acceptance rate was higher it would help, but they only take a limited number of students from Appalachia because there is no tuition. Jed, you also gave some excellent advice as far as finances go. Things often change through the period and that is not a factor to be taken lightly. CONFUSED PARENTS--I don't know where you live in the midwest, but there are some schools that match your criteria besides Oberlin and Antioch, in Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Illinois. Travel and distance can become a hidden factor too. It's good to go away but excessive distance can cause headaches sometimes too. Spaw |
29 Nov 01 - 11:27 AM (#600225) Subject: RE: BS: College Questions for Leftist Folk From: Willie-O What the hell's a Shimer? I thought it was either a middle-aged guy wearing a fez and riding a motorized tricycle, or a black eye. Alex's comments about Greeners cut to the quick! (I didn't go there for very long, though.) I'm in touch with a lot of them , most still in the northwest, a whole pile of them are working or have worked at Microsoft, others pretty much run the state...inasmuch as the public service can do that. There is a structure, you don't just run amuck there. But there is a wide range of options, from group programs to individual one-to-one student-faculty learning contracts. W-O
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29 Nov 01 - 11:32 AM (#600229) Subject: RE: BS: College Questions for Leftist Folk From: GUEST,MAG at work O, I remember those kids from Shimer, Amos, including one good friend from High School -- |
29 Nov 01 - 01:33 PM (#600337) Subject: RE: BS: College Questions for Leftist Folk From: Deckman Mousethief said it VERY well. She better be well motivated. If not, perhaps a couple of years in a more structured setting? My daughter went to Evergreen for two years but she dropped out ... they didn't give a degree in "Partying." Bob |
29 Nov 01 - 02:56 PM (#600414) Subject: RE: BS: College Questions for Leftist Folk From: GUEST,fretless (still at work, sort of...) Apologies if C.P.'s question was answered above: Deep Springs is on the eastern, high plains border of California. WAY off the beaten track. Someone above suggested Brown University. That's not a realistic option with only a 3.0+ GPA. Nor is the University of Virginia unless you are from out of state, willing to pay full tuition, and can offer something special in extracurricular achievement to offset the GPA. The same would be true for Virginia's selective liberal arts college, the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg. Would your daughter consider a women's college? Hood College in Frederick, Maryland is reasonably generous with its scholarship money, has a good program in the sciences (especially in environmental science, but the other science fields are OK, too, and they've just build a fine, comprehensive science center), an active program in classical music, and -- obviously, from their demographics -- a strong interest in women's causes. The school is about 50 miles from DC with a very attractive campus in a community that has very, very strong federal and private industry biotech connections, which may make a difference if your daughter maintains her interest in biology.
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29 Nov 01 - 06:18 PM (#600554) Subject: RE: BS: College Questions for Leftist Folk From: GUEST,Fiver Find out about how many of the people that enter the school finish(there are a number of schools who have lowered their entrance standards,and increased the size of first year classes, knowing that most of the new recruits won't last more than a year or so--) and if your daughter's profile is more like the graduates or the dropouts-- I would figure that a less focussed, less motivated student would do better in a larger, less political school that offers more options--forget which schools you love, and let her know she has to please herself, not you-- |
30 Nov 01 - 06:06 AM (#600796) Subject: RE: BS: College Questions for Leftist Folk From: Deckman Hey "Guest" ... I'm pretty impressed! Looks to me like you got some very good advice here! CHEERS, Bob |
30 Nov 01 - 11:07 AM (#600940) Subject: RE: BS: College Questions for Leftist Folk From: GUEST,Claymore I sorry to tell you this, Confused, but U of VA is pretty much out of the question for someone with a B+ grade average. As the "Harvard of the South", and a reputation for a strict Honor Code (kicking out Teddy Kennedy for cheating on tests) it is probably not where your daughter should go. It offers one of the best educations in the US for one of the lowest tuitions, and as a result, kids in VA start studying for it in junior high. They've actually had to put quotas on certain counties in VA whose whole school systems are devoted into getting their kids into UVA. Since it's only a couple of years younger than Harvard, it's an instituion in Virginia and the region. As I sit here and think on it, I'm not sure the South is the region to find liberal Liberal Arts Colleges, but due to local wage scales, it's still one of the best education bargains around. And for the record Spaw, I was majoring in Philosophy when I got drafted, did the Nam thing as a Marine officer up from the ranks, and came back to finsh my degree in Law Enforcement. Getting shot at focuses the mind wonderfully... but the major got me some of the most amazing chicks... if you could just shut them up... bent over a sofa and still discussing Kant... but I digress... |
30 Nov 01 - 11:38 PM (#601417) Subject: RE: BS: College Questions for Leftist Folk From: Art Thieme We had very significant cash problems too. After a year off between H.Schl. and college in Casablanca and Europe --and our son, running out of cash, came home and delivered pizzas and found out what he DIDN'T want to do the rest of his life. He went to a great, local, Community College for the first two years---and then tranferred to a good 4-year campus. We all had to compromise to make it work. Art Thieme |
30 Nov 01 - 11:56 PM (#601424) Subject: RE: BS: College Questions for Leftist Folk From: DougR I can't quite understand why anyone would want to select a college that espouses only that political philosophy that one feels is correct. Shouldn't a university be selected because it offers a well rounded education? Why go to one that only reinforces one's political beliefs? I never thought one would choose a University because of it's political beliefs anyway. I thought one went to a University to learn. That would mean learning all points of view. It's a puzzlement. DougR |
01 Dec 01 - 12:04 AM (#601427) Subject: RE: BS: College Questions for Leftist Folk From: Amos To be fair to Shimer, you should probably look at , Mag, I knew of lot of those baddies too, thirty years ago. They've all reformed since and what they remember best isn't the pot or the sexual exploration -- it was arguing Socrates from source materials and the like. I'd go there again, if I needed a college education. Unfortunately, what I need is a retirement income!! Amos |
01 Dec 01 - 02:00 AM (#601466) Subject: RE: BS: College Questions for Leftist Folk From: Amos I dunno whatI screwed up there. But the whole block links to their web site FWIW. Sorry! A |