What about Allegheny?
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@citymama9 - My kid was attracted to two very different types of schools, so we made sure his list had a mix of both, along a spectrum of selectivity, including a few that were SORT of hybrids. When decision time came, he had options, and ended up opting cozier, though there were several not-cozy on the list.
I just went back and reread a few posts. You say your daughter wants to join a sorority and could see her self at Tulane or Vandy?
Whoa. That could be a pretty hard core Southern sorority scene. Lots of fashion, lots of social pressure, letters of recommendation for the sororities required in advance, and so on. If your D has an aversion to people carrying designer purses and wearing expensive clothes, that is NOT the scene for her. (Yes, yes, I’m sure the girls don’t dress that way 24/7, but still…compared to the great range of female college students?)
There seems to be some disconnect here.
@consolation I agree about the intense sorority scene in the south. Is Tulane really like that considering there are so many people from the Northeast? I think Vandy is probably unlikely. It seems impossible to get into. As for designer bags and clothes, that’s not my daughter’s issue. She’s a little fashionista herself. However, what I have noticed is that the people she is friends with and likes are pretty down to earth. I was using the designer stuff as an example. Wealth isn’t even the issue as most of the people she knows have money due to our location, but the girls she gravitates towards get excited finding designer labels at thrift stores.
There is a real disconnect. I agree. My daughter has this fantasy of what she thinks she wants. She looks like a stereotypical sorority girl on the outside, but on the inside she’s kind of shy, serious and wants meaningul interactions. She hates anyone she sees as fake/inauthentic. She also loves parties, boys and excitement and is very social for a quiet person. She doesn’t drink or smoke pot like her peers. She likes watching the Bachelor and youtube makeup tutorials and talking about literature and philosophy. I say this, because I think it will make finding a good fit challenging. I think she would do best with a midwestern school with lots of school spirit, down to earth kids, greek life that isn’t too intense and a real mix of kids: preps, jocks, intellectuals, nerds, creative types, hipsters, because she is a little of all those things. Please tell me what you know of Tulane’s greek system. That school really intrigues her. Thanks so much.
@citymama9
I think you are over thinking a bit. Your D sounds a lot like my D and about 100 other girls I know. Once she starts looking she will find lots of schools where she can fit. My D extremely happy at an east coast LAC with no Greek life, some of her friends very happy at bigger schools with sorority presence.
@wisteria100 Me overthink? Nah:))) Just kidding. You are 100% correct. I have a feeling it will be easier when the time comes, as you say. I make everything more complicated than it needs to be!
@citymama9 there is an airport in Ogdensburg, just a half hour from St Lawrence if that. No direct flights to NYC but it to Albany and Boston, and recently added Florida. http://www.ogsair.com/airline_information/
And I agree about Denison. It checks all the boxes and isn’t too far from NYC (9 hour drive or direct flight on several airlines).
@OHMomof2 I can’t wait to see Denison. I keep on hearing about it and what I have read makes me think D will like it very much. The only downside is there are no sorority houses, which she is insisting on at this point. Hopefully, she will get over that.
@citymama, this is based on a 1 hour stroll around campus and a few conversations with kids I talked to on campus, but I thought the kids at Gettysburg seemed very down to earth. I was pleasantly surprised, because for some reason I was expecting a bunch of snobby rich kids.
It has the Greek life. Not sure about the school spirit and sports part. I would at least give it a look.
@citymama9 Denison has sorority houses they’re just not residential. Everyone lives in dorms on campus.
Just adding some perceptions/experience with Denison – while there are plenty of “preppy” looking kids who may be from east coast or Chicago, the student body is pretty balanced across a range of types. There are social justice kids, musicians (big bluegrass scene), artists (amazing arts facility), athletes (men’s and women’s) and kids who fit into several, or none, of those “types.” There is strong socio-economic diversity, as a result of conscious outreach to 1st gen and other kids, with good financial aid and merit aid. Not overly PC, in the sense that some schools have that reputation (Oberlin). Greek life exists, but does not dominate the social scene. For the most part, good kids who work hard and are decent to each other.
@Midwestmomofboys Ok. So Denison sounds terrific for so many reasons. I guess I just wonder what its reputation is in general…for job hunting and grad school. I’d like to know how involved the alumni is too.
Denison seems to be the latest “it” school…we are early in process putting together our list, but prelim research indicates that Denison is one of few schools whose total application count increased significantly from 2015 to 2016–still can’t find official 2016 admission %, but guess it dropped into the 30’s. Almost every other LAC we are investigating (outside all girls schools) has seen its app count drop from 15 to 16–know the college aged population is shrinking for the foreseeable future–but Denison has definitely seen its fortunes rise.
@CroissantMiser are you in the Midwest? Wonder if the word is out mostly for Midwestern kids…
no we are East coasters looking at usual LAC suspects: Bard/Vassar/Barnard/Muhl/Ursinus/Goucher/Bryn/MHC with a touch of midwest sprinkled in: Denison/Kenyon/Wooster/OU/St Olaf/Beloit, etc…i think all but the female-only schools have seen their apps dip from 15-16 (kenyon seemed to have a fairly substantial dip if i recall).
Denison is awesome! We loved this one, and they are really one of the up and comers these days. DS felt it was a little too much of what your DD is looking for (i.e., greek/party/social) , @citymama9 , so maybe it’ll be just right! You may want to check out Franklin and Marshall, Bucknell, Dickinson, Lafayette, Lehigh, and Gettysburg. They all attract a more middle atlantic/Midwestern type of student which tends to be a little more down to earth.
BTW, the website startclass ERRONEOUSLY lists Denison as a place where applications have dipped and has some sort of poorly researched clickbait thing circulating listing it as a college “nobody wants to attend any more.” Which couldn’t be further from the truth. Applications have gone up, not down, and its appearance on the list the list is simply the result of a data error.
@citymama9, you mentioned Miami U (Ohio.) From how you describe your daughter, I think it’s worth another look and maybe a visit! It’s not the small LAC you describe, but if your daughter is pulled to Tulane and Vandy she may want something this size. Picture-perfect gorgeous campus, cute (safe) small college town, football, Greek life, big enough to be exciting (and to find your niche) but not overwhelming. Depending on her major some of her classes may be quite small. A bit on the conservative side for a college campus, and I don’t know how easy it would be to find those “deep” conversations but large enough to find a few like-minded friends. That would be my main caveat…would she find it intellectual enough…there are a lot of pragmatic -minded business-majors, etc. there.
I transferred there after a year in a too-tiny southern LAC MANY years ago (so things probably have changed somewhat…but current descriptions pretty much match what I experienced. ) I wanted something bigger and more exciting, yet cozy, as you said. Visited Penn State and U of Wisconsin and felt overwhelmed. Fell in love at first sight at Miami U. and did an overnight visit in a dorm. Was placed in a dorm with super-friendly girls so I had no problem adjusting as a transfer, even though I was a bit shy. In retrospect, I probably would have done better overall in a somewhat more liberal /intellectual atmosphere (that’s just me, and I wasn’t into Greek life) but it was still a fine experience. I do remember that the spectrum of sororities and fraternities was pretty diverse…some were definitely on the more snobbish side, but others were known for being down-to-earth. And it is the Midwest, after all 
. Your daughter liking fashion, and growing up in NYC, I don’t think she would find anything intimidating there. Maybe worth a visit, even though it is far. Anyone else with more recent experiences with Miami U?
I also went to grad school at Tulane quite a few years later and enjoyed the school and LOVED New Orleans but really was not clued into the undergrads except as a backdrop walking around… so I can’t really comment on how those students are. Both campuses are beautiful but very distinctive from each other. New Orleans and its “live-oak” atmosphere surround and permeate Tulane. Miami U has that uber-classic college feel, surrounded by an enormous, bucolic campus complete with its own woods (I think the campus is around 2000 acres.)
I have a friend who went to Miami U, and what @inthegarden said makes sense.