liberal arts colleges US

[Junny0711]

I am just an above average IB Diploma programme student (not in M'sia) hoping to study in US in the fall of 2008. I am looking for good unis/colleges (not Ivy) which provide partial financial aids. From previous posts in relation to studying in US, most of the people seem to be A students looking for placements in top or Ivy unis. What are the chances of students like me getting into a reasonably good college? Any suggestions on liberal arts colleges would be appreciated. :(

[caramel_nut]

Liberal arts colleges are great if you're not looking for Ivies. State universities are also an option for cheaper tuitions but they rarely give financial aid to international students. I'd suggest that you aim for LACs. LACs offer top-notch education and you have very small classes with a lot of personal attention. Most of them are need-aware, save for Middlebury and Williams but if you're admitted, you'll most probably get a decent financial aid package. Amherst for example, gave me an extremely attractive finaid package, which consisted of $49k+ of scholarship, inclusive of travel budget and I only have to work on campus for $1700, no loans, no parents contribution. Apply to some top LACs, some middle and some lower-tier and I'm sure you'll get one. Btw, I think Bates loves international students. You should also give the Wesleyan Freeman Asian Scholarship a try.

[Junny0711]

Tks a lot for yr advice. Need to work real hard!! :)

caramel_nut,


did u do Sat 1, 2 and toefl for Amherst application?

[forEVA]

eh? i thought they're required by the college(s).

anyways, i'm torn between applying to either Sarah Lawrence (NY) or Bates (Maine) for ED. i favour SLC coz i'd love to be studying in NYC dont ask me y, i dunno. maybe coz hey, it's NYC (n i'm a true blue city girl) n seems to me that most of the other colleges (including Bates) r located somewhere in the suburbs. however, dunno y but it appears to me that it is harder to get into SLC than Bates although SLC's rankings r lower than Bates. it's also stated in their website that all our documents have to be translated by a translation agency, this n that lah.. sounds like it's pretty stuck up n everything. so how? SLC or Bates? which do u guys recommend i apply for ED?

[caramel_nut]

I didn't apply to Sarah Lawrence so I wouldn't be able to comment on it. I did apply to Bates though and was accepted. As for NY, I visited once but don't quite like it. Do double check whether Sarah Lawrence is really in the middle of NYC 'cos being in NYC can also mean being in a suburb situated in NYC.

If you're interested in knowing more about Bates, try to talk to Yang Jerng or Yi Xing about it. They're both alumni of the college and they're very nice people.

[forEVA]

oops. SLC is not in the middle of NYC actually. sorry. dont know y i said that either. :? :oops: it's located just north of NYC, so it's pretty much ok with me. thx anyways. may i know how do i contact them?

[Alextakashi]

Hey, well din know much bout SLC or Bates, but yeah, if you are not looking at Ivies, Liberal Arts Colleges are better choices. Many top state schools are extremely expensive as well, for instance UMich or any UC (California) is priced over 45k, and no financial aid whatsoever. If finance is a major problem, and you are not a straight A student, (Like me) then start looking for some interesting school down the rankings. Rankings ain't about shit, as long as it is not below top 75-100, and when u research and ask local people about it, and it's good, it's good.

For instant, Macalaster College which is worldly famous is ranked 25, compared to schools like Grinnell, Vassar(actually also quite) which are top 10s. So dun get fooled by the rankings, but look for quality and fit instead. Not everyone is Harvard/Princeton material, you're looking for knowledge not fame, and you wouldn't wanna be burden by a few hundred thousand upon graduation!

Good luck to Class 2012, and happy starting of college to all class of 2011!

[Junny0711]

Well, to put it into simpler terms, my dad doesn't seem to understand the concept of a liberal arts college, and thinks that I should pursue a more professional course (Yeah, i know... old skool thinking lah). How do i convince him to send me to a liberal arts college??? PLS HELP!!!! :'(

[chenchow]

I would say that you could try google some literature on Liberal Arts College online and show it to your dad.

Perhaps another way is could arrange some alumni of LAC in Malaysia to meet up with your parents. There might be some alumni here who might be willing to do so. You could try to search The Star about 2-3 weeks ago on its Education Pullout. They have a bunch of articles on Liberal Arts College. That could be another way to show your parents.

One advantage of Liberal Arts College would be personal attention and also wholesome undergraduate education. Liberal Arts College does not mean that the students do not take science related courses.

What it constitutes is a diversified education, which is similar with most Ivies as well.

One thing that you mention about LAC would be its lack of prominence, at least within Malaysia, so I can definitely understand your parents' concern. Not many Malaysians know LAC well enough, and hence, there is this problem of lack of marketability, or at least the perception of that.

That was why one of the main aspects highlighted during the recenet Discover U.S. Education - KL '07 is on LAC. The Star recently ran an article on that too, and also Descartes Educational Counselling Center had a seminar on LAC too not too long ago.

There are a number of ReComers who are studying at LACs, so they could share too.

[sully]

Hmmm..... I haven't been here in 4 years... I hope Junny0711 got all the help he/she needed. Otherwise I think it's time to start business to help people like her X)

[chenchow]

There will be a talk at Descartes at Damansara Utama this Saturday, 23rd August 2pm to 5pm on Liberal Arts College. Hope to see more people there.