I’m finding a lot of info on academics (which DO come first!) - but does anyone have any thoughts on the liberal arts schools in MD &/or PA that have great food/dorms?
Muhlenberg in PA has great food, but the dorms are nothing special. Its a wonderful school.
Bryn Mawr for dorms and food.
Mount Holyoke for dorms. Amherst also has some nice dorms. And please don’t “shout” with all caps.
I don’t know about food but Franklin and Marshall has a beautiful new dorm (I think it’s called New College House).
The dining hall at Swarthmore is beautiful
Yes, New College at F & M is gorgeous. As for their food, we didn’t eat there but it smelled great when we walked through!
Gettysburg College consistently wins or ranks very high for Best College Food (Niche and Princeton Review). They are also an all-you-can-eat, & unlimited swipes meal plan. Their dorm rooms were also quite large compared to other similar colleges my DS looked at. And they come w/ a micro-fridge-freezer that you would ahve to rent going to any other school. So that’s nice! They also have a new apartment style dorm on the north side of campus on a large pond. Very pretty!
The problem with dorms is most colleges have a range from Vintage (aka old) to new and quite modern. Freshmen rarely get the best. Upperclassmen may or may not.
The problem with food is it’s very subjective. What one student loves, another despises. One student complained that she couldn’t find plain white Wonder Bread for a sandwich. We loved the multiple options of breads in the same place. Whose view do you prefer? Hamburgers and fries or main courses with lamb?
Personally I think all colleges now likely have better food than my college days. There’s certainly more choices offered.
Loyola of Maryland is famous for its dorms, and the food is great, as well.
U of Scranton and Loyola Maryland are both known for their spacious dorm rooms.
You may get more tailored help if you share some of the colleges that suit you for other reasons and ask people to comment on the dorms and food at them and at similar colleges. I mean, if you don’t want a religiously affiliated school, then neither of my suggestions in the first line will help you. Bryn Mawr’s dorms and food were mentioned by another poster, but they won’t help a male applicant. And it does no good to say that Bowdoin (in Maine, not PA or MD- just using it for an example) is supposed to have the best college food in the country, if an applicant would not be applying to Bowdoin because (s)he does not have the grades and rigorous coursework in high school for it.
Best of luck in your college search!
Thanks a lot for the replies.
S is looking at small LACs in MD and PA for next year. Goucher, Allegheny, McDaniel, Washington College. He’s also interested in Towson for some of their programs - very different in scope but still interested. St. Mary’s too isolated, and he didn’t feel like Loyola was a good “fit” when he visited this fall.
He’s not a picky eater but likes a variety of foods and a nice place to eat. Dorm-wise, would probably be happiest in a suite with a few others.
Our older son is at McDaniel, and says that the new food service provider is decent (better than Temple, where he was before).
Good to know - thanks. We’ve heard McDaniel’s food was “ok” and it’s nice to hear from someone with an inside scoop.