So maybe you weren’t exactly a star student. Maybe you spent your junior year A.P. Chem class blowing things up, instead of memorizing the periodic table. Maybe you never did pass in your term paper on “Great Expectations” even though you read the entire works of Baudelaire last summer. Although your GPA maybe less-than stellar, maybe you actually are really bright. Maybe you are a classic underachiever.

So does that mean that college is out of the picture? Hardly. So what if you goofed off: plenty of people who just couldn’t bother in high school become motivated later in life. But if you don’t start challenging yourself, you could turn your youthful blasé into a lifetime of underachievement. So what’s a B- student with an A+ mind to do? Check out these top colleges for underachievers:

Hampshire College

Freshman Profile:

• SAT Math: (Low) 540 (High) 660
• SAT Verbal: (Low) 590 (High) 700
• Top 25% of Class: 58%
• Percent Admitted: 51-59%

What Makes It Unique: Hampshire College does away with traditional majors, and traditional admissions. Students work with faculty members to design their own programs based around their individual passions and interests, culminating in an independent project based on their original work their final year.

You’re a Good Fit If… you have all-A’s in your favorite subject, but you let the rest slide, this is the school for you. Independent workers who have a real passion-whether its art, social justice, science, or writing will find Hampshire a perfect fit.

St. John’s College

Freshman Profile:

• SAT Math: (Low) 580 (High) 680
• SAT Verbal: (Low) 650 (High) 760
• Top 25% of Class: 63%
• Percent Admitted: 77-85%

What Makes It Unique: St John’s College, located in both Annapolis, MD and Sante Fe, NM follow what is called a “great book” curriculum. Instead of requiring students to take Calc 101, Intro to Psych, and English Comp, St. John’s bases its curriculum around reading and discussing “the most important” books in the Western tradition. Expect Chaucer, Freud, Einstein, and Plato to come up a lot.

You’re a Good Fit If…  you’re that kid who’s always reading for fun when you should be paying attention in class, this could be a great school for you. It’s a tiny campus, only 500 students, and you get a lot of individual attention. So if you enjoy the idea of reading non-stop for the next few years, then St. John’s may be for you.

UMass Amherst:

Freshman Profile:

• SAT Math: (Low) 520 (High) 630
• SAT Verbal: (Low) 510 (High) 610
• Top 25% of Class: 58%
• Percent Admitted: 62-70%

What Makes It Unique: UMass Amherst takes part in the 5 college consortium along with Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke, and Smith College. At state-college tuition (and admission) rates, you can take liberal-arts classes at some of the top private liberal arts colleges in the country. Students can also take part in extracurricular activities at other campuses, and can even eat their meals on other campuses.

You’re a Good Fit If…  you’re a curious student who wants to try a bit of everything in the liberal-arts. If you thrive in a large and diverse environment, or have a hankering for a liberal-arts college without the high price tag, this is a great choice.

Anyone have any ideas for other good colleges? Let us know in the comments below!

Last week, we may have surprised some of you by suggesting that you forget about your admissions essays. To conclude the series of “College Application Tips You Don’t Expect, we have the audacity to tell you to write your own letter of recommendation! Read on if you have real college admissions cojones.

Write Your Own Recommendation: When it comes to getting a letter of recommendation from your teachers, it can be all-too tempting to take a passive role. You want to show your respect for them, so you just meekly ask for them to write you a recommendation, and pray for the best.

Well don’t. You’re not doing your teachers, or yourself, any favors by leaving it up to them. Be open about the kind of recommendation you are looking for, and the kind of programs you are interested in. If you are planning on being an English major, ask your English teacher to talk about your writing. Point to some essays you did particularly well on. If you want to go pre-med, ask your A.P. bio teacher to talk about how excited you are about research.

Be polite, but firm. If you let your teachers know what kind of a recommendation you are looking for, it will help them know if they are the right person to write it for you. And if they ultimately decide that they can’t give you what you are looking for, at least you know now, instead of after you’ve mailed in your application.

Think like a teacher. If you were in their shoes, what would you want to know? Mention your accomplishments, goals, and setbacks. Also, everybody likes to be flattered. Let them know why they are the best person to write your recommendation. Was it because their class was your favorite? Or did you write one of your best papers for them? Let them know that not only are you a unique student, but that they are the teacher that can uniquely advocate for you. How could they say no?

You might also be interested in:

College Application Tips You Don’t Expect Part 1:
Be Yourself, Only Better

College Application Tips You Don’t Expect Part 2:
Forget your Admissions Essay

“So how are you, really?”
Stressed? Overworked? Blissfully on top of things? Share with us - and your fellow school counselors! - your tools, tips and tricks for dealing with college application season. Add your comments below.