Going to college?

what does liberal arts college mean exactly? one friend told me that it just means they'll take anyone, but i'm looking into shimer college and it's not very big. i usually take a college having few students for being selective. also, does anyone have any info on good colleges that aren't hard to get into. i really want to go to college, but i screwed up freshman and solphomore years. now i'm really trying in junior year, but my counselor says i won't be able to get my gpa up to a 3.0 by graduation and one of my teachers say i won't even be able to get it up to a 2.7 which is what i would need to get into Stephens College.

Going to college?
Liberal arts college means you can take a broad range of subjects from the arts and sciences. Amherst is a liberal arts college and you certainly would not say they let anyone in. This is in contrast to a technical college which concentrates on technical subjects like math, engineering, the sciences etc. MIT is an example of this kind of school. Another possible difference is in entrance requirements. Technical colleges often do not have knowledge of a second language as an entrance requirement - liberal arts colleges often have it - even if it is only recommended.





I went to a technical school and there is often good natured jibing between technical schools and liberal arts colleges eg (Harvard is not a liberal arts college but is often viewed that way by MIT students)





There’s a story about an MIT student who spent an entire summer going to the Harvard football field every day wearing a black and white striped shirt, walking up and down the field for ten or fifteen minutes throwing birdseed, blowing a whistle, and then walking off the field. At the end of the summer, it came time for the first Harvard home football game, the referee walked onto the field and blew the whistle, and the game had to be delayed for a half hour to wait for the birds to get off of the field. The guy wrote his thesis on this, and graduated.





But getting back to your problem about admission. Shimer seems to have a liberal admissions policy and not require a set minimum gpa to get in so you still may be able to attend. They also encourage transfer students so you can go to a community college first then transfer over.





What good colleges aren't hard to get into? Think about it for a minute. Many colleges minimum entrance is a high school diploma. The reason you need more is plenty of people apply and they have a cutoff - so much so that some have a minimum GPA to get in anyway so people have an idea of what is required. If they are good then guess what - plenty of people will apply.





But all is not lost - check out:


http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/22/educat...





Thanks


Bill
Reply:No, they won't take everyone. Some of them are just as selective as Harvard. If you have below a 3.0, your best bet is a large state school or a smaller state school that's not very well known. Or you could just go to community college for two years, get a better GPA, and transfer to a better school.
Reply:A liberal arts college is not one that will "take anyone." Some of the best and most selective colleges in the country are liberal arts colleges. A liberal arts college is simply one that focuses on turning out graduates in the traditional academic areas. If a college offers a variety of majors in subjects like math, science, history, English, foreign languages, philosophy, psychology, art, music, etc., it's a liberal arts college.





In regard to your own situation, I suggest that you look at a comprehensive directory of colleges and universities to find ones that suit you in terms of size, course offerings, admissions standards, and whatever else may matter in your decision. (In fact there are several such guides online--just google "directory colleges universities.") Keep in mind, too, that other factors in addition to grades get taken into consideration. If you havea definite goal in mind and your grades in that particular area are good, if you have good SAT scores, if you've been involved in extra-curricular or community activities, or if your grades show a marked improvement over the course of your high school years, those facts can weigh in your favor. So can good recommendations from teachers or community leaders.





Good luck!
Reply:Try a local community college, usually they have an open admissions policy meaning they will let anybody in no matter what. Then if you want after 2 years those credits you earned at the Community College should transfer to another institution of your choice. I highly recommend community colleges because they save money and even if you didnt do good in high school they give everyone an equal chance. Also I live in Pennsylvania, if you want to come here we have Pennsylvania College of Technology (an affiliate of Penn State) they have an open admissions policy except their health careers are special admissions. Check out the website www.pct.edu Good Luck

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