Tufts is the only NESCAC with ready access to a big city. There’s a stop of the T (translate: subway) within walking distance and there’s some question whether this affects the weekend atmosphere of the college/university.
All the others exist in fairly distinct bubbles where there is a symbiotic relationship between a small campus community and host towns of varying sizes and degrees of economic, racial and ethnic diversity. Almost without exception, there are few opportunities for conspicuous consumption.
That being said, that doesn’t mean all is peaches and cream. How can it be when there are such yawning income gaps between the kids who can afford to pay full-freight and the kids who require full-need in order to attend? Add the fact that we are living at a time in history when Americans have never been more stratified by location and class. Currently, there are (or, were) two CC threads on this very subject: Not the kid I dropped off - Parents Forum - College Confidential Forums and, UPenn professor asks students what they thought the average American worker makes in a year - Parents Forum - College Confidential Forums
People always come away from these places with stories about all the exotic places some of these kids spend vacations. That’s not new and TBH, I never found it of particular interest. What’s new is the degree to which NESCAC is now committed to recruiting and retaining kids who truly have needs above and beyond the usual tuition and books that the average college bound student has to contend with. Things like, where to stay, if they cannot afford airfare back home during major holidays; how to compete for valuable - but, unpaid - internships; how do they eat, if they run out of points on their meal plan? Stuff like that.
Don’t get me wrong. Kids are kids, no matter how much money their parents make. And, I think there is something mutually beneficial about having places where Americans from all backgrounds can get together and learn about each other. But, be prepared for speed bumps.