Sarah Lawrence College was founded on the belief that even the best of traditional colleges define education too narrowly. Our history has been consistent with that vision. And so we have sought to integrate elements in education that are elsewhere conceived of as mutually exclusive: reason and imagination, subject matter and personal experience, intellectual play and the disciplined pursuit of ideas, an established curriculum and the individual's need to shape his or her own education. In so doing, we offer an opportunity for genuine learning that begins with the experience of each student, with people who come to college with a series of urgent questions that come out of their backgrounds, needs, values, and goals. We make it possible for students to link their personal concerns to the great traditions of knowledge and we regard that link as the element that brings life and vitality to the process of education.
< CollapseSarah Lawrence is a private, independent, liberal arts college in the United States. It is located in southern Westchester County, New York, in the City of Yonkers, 15 mi north of Manhattan.
Sarah Lawrence was founded in 1926 as a women's college and became a coeducational institution in 1968. The College is known for its rigorous academic standards and low student-to-faculty ratio of 6-to-1. Individual student-faculty tutorials patterned after the Oxford/Cambridge system are a key component of all areas of study. Sarah Lawrence emphasizes scholarship, particularly in the humanities, performing arts, and writing, and places a high value on independent study. In The Best College for You, a 2000 co-publication of Time Magazine and The Princeton Review, Sarah Lawrence College was named the liberal arts College of the Year, citing the school's strong emphasis on writing as the key to its education.
Sarah Lawrence College was established by real-estate mogul William Van Duzer Lawrence on the grounds of his estate in Westchester County and was named in honor of his wife, Sarah. The College was originally intended to provide instruction in the arts and humanities for women. A major component of the College's early curriculum was "productive leisure," wherein students were required to work for eight hours weekly in such fields as modeling, shorthand, typewriting, applying makeup, and gardening. Its pedagogy, modeled on the tutorial system of Oxford University, combined independent research projects, individually supervised by the teaching faculty, and seminars with low student-to-faculty ratio -- a credo it retains to the present, despite its cost. Sarah Lawrence was the first liberal arts college in the United States to incorporate a rigorous approach to the arts with the principles of progressive education, focusing on the primacy of teaching and the concentration of curricular efforts on individual needs.
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Top States for Incoming Freshman
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| Percent of Students International: | 2% |
| On-Campus Housing Available: | Yes |
| Percent of Students Living On-Campus: | 65% |
| Freshman Students Required to Live on Campus: | Yes |
| Tuition & Fees (undergraduate) | Expenses | ||
Published Tuition and Fees: |
$ 34,042 | ||
Average Tuition for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 33,270 | ||
Required Fees for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 772 | ||
| Financial Aid | Avg. Amount Received | % of Students Receiving Aid | |
Federal Grants: |
$ 4,705 | 11% | |
State and Local Grants: |
$ 2,148 | 9% | |
Institutional Grants: |
$ 19,072 | 46% | |
Student Loans: |
$ 2,130 | 44% | |
Any Aid: |
65% |
| Acceptance Rate: | 45% (Highly Selective) |
| Application Fee: | $ 60.00 |
| Formal Demonstration of Competencies: | Not Required |
| High School Diploma or Equivalent: | Required |
| High School GPA: | Recommended |
| High School Rank: | Recommended |
| High School Record: | Required |
| Recommendations: | Required |
| TOEFL: | Required |
| Test Scores: | Not Required |
College Advice
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How competitive is admission to Sarah Lawrence College?
I have a 3.5 GPA average right now and I'm a sophomore.
Writing is an extreme passion of mine and English is a course that I've taken much interest in. During freshman year I took English 9 Honors and am taking English 10 Honors right now. I plan to take an AP English class next year and an AP English class senior year. I also want to take English/writing classes over the summer at my state college.
I have a feeling I will do well on both the PSATS and the SATS. Will good/high scores on both (especially in the Critical Reading and Writing sections) be a plus?
I really, really want to go there. Am I not good enough?!
19 months ago
Best Answer
Sarah Lawrence has made the SATs optional, because they don't believe they are a good predictor of success in college.
However, most applicants still submit them. If you score well (above 650 or 700 on each section), then submit them. If you don't, then don't submit them.
Taking a creative writing course over the summer is a very good idea. Also, taking AP English courses is also wise. You should also take other AP courses as well.
You will want to strive for As in all your English courses, and develop relationships with your teachers, as their recommendations will be important. I also recommend that you volunteer in your community, perhaps in a capacity that involves writing. Tutoring young children in literacy, working at a library, or designing a creative writing program for youth would all be great ideas.
Sarah Lawrence is a wonderful college. I wish you every success!
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Question:
Anyone go to Sarah Lawrence College?
If do you, what are the best things about it? The worst? Your favorite class? Is the male to female ratio really that dense in the female part?
I want to apply there because it's so writing-oriented, just like me.
19 months ago
Best Answer
If If you like the idea of Sarah Lawrence, make sure you investigate small, liberal arts schools that have similar approaches --- you will write a LOT no matter where you go if you study the humanities --- and at the undergraduate level, there's no such thing as "best school for writing" -- unless you include Iowa in your considerations... because it has BY FAR the best MFA in creative writing, their undergrad program is bound to be affected too -- but not by too much...
don't apply to a school because you like a field they do particularly well in until you apply to grad school -- it simply doesn't make that big a difference at undergrads.
instead, look at atmosphere, setting (rural or city?), size of classes and overall size, attitude toward learning and teaching, whether it's a college or university (in a college you will have ZERO grad students teaching your classes, while at a university they will have to get their students some experience in teaching in your classrooms),
consider all of these things and look at at least 20 different schools in depth. then visit five of them and see where you feel most comfortable. attend that school.
but seriously, very serious advice -- do NOT pick a school because they are "writing-oriented" -- you will be ignoring about a hundred other variables that will affect you much more than their attitude towards writing!
my "keepin it real" 2c
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which is better?
which is better, in detail? can't decide, lol!
29 months ago
Best Answer
Brown has a better overall academic reputation in most disciplines, except for the arts.
Therefore, if you intend to major in theatre, film, or studio art, Sarah Lawrence may be the better choice.
However, between these two schools, you really can't go wrong. Both are academically challenging, and have great campus cultures.
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I was all ready to go to UVM..sent my $300 deposit in and everything, thinking I'd nevvverr get into SLC. Then today I found out I was accepted into BOTH. SLC is way more expensive, but a way better school...What do I do?!
30 months ago
Best Answer
UVM and Sarah Lawrence are two very different schools. Completely different atmospheres, different approaches to teaching, different types of locations - I think that you need to sit down and think about both schools in terms of which you think will be a better fit for you.
At this point, if you haven't already done so, I think you need to pay a visit to each school.
With that said, I'm intrigued by the program at Sarah Lawrence. As you said, academically overall, it's a more rigorous program, and it's a bit untraditional. UVM is much more traditional, and overall is somewhat less academically rigorous, but there are some very strong courses there - you could certainly craft a very challenging experience there, if you want it.
The two schools are just so different from each other; I really think you need to decide based on which school is a better overall fit for you.
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