<p>Hi all! Just wondering if anyone knows if there are "cousins" to Carleton and Grinnell on the East Coast.</p>
<p>Bates, Vassar, and Wesleyan come immediately to mind for a somewhat similar overall feel. What is it about Carleton and Grinnell that especially appeals to you?</p>
<p>I guess the characteristics that are appealing are small size, quirky, intellectual, friendly…</p>
<p>Haverford?</p>
<p>Haha, on the west, it’s totally Reed, but on the east, it’s Swarthmore.</p>
<p>Many schools would fill these criteria: “small size, quirky, intellectual, friendly…” But not all of them would be similar to Grinnell and Carleton.</p>
<p>Never visited Carleton, so speculation – but I would see Swarthmore as most like Carleton – super smart, a bit more hard driving, and Haverford as the Grinnell match, with the self gov and Honor Code match up plus a bit more low key, live and let live, whatever floats your boat vibe.</p>
<p>My son had a classmate whose parent teaches at Carleton and he wanted to go to a similar school but in a new place. He chose Bowdoin. Two schools comfortable in their own skin attracting smart kids and offering a wonderful experience. Ultimate frisbee is big at both schools as well! But, really, as the above posters mentioned, the east coast is populated with many such schools.</p>
<p>DD applied to Carleton and to Smith.</p>
<p>My D was accepted to both Carleton & Swarthmore this spring. We live near Carleton, too. I have to say that they are not as similar as it seems. Carleton is a LOT lower key. Swarthmore has a sort of manic thing going on (at least this year!). Like people are trying to “out passion” each other on being the most passionate about… whatever it is they are passionate about. I would agree that Bowdoin is a closer match to Carleton in tone/tenor.</p>
<p>Amherst and Williams definitely fit the mold of small, intellectual, and comfortable in their own skin. Very elite liberal arts schools for kids that could probably get into the ivies but want a smaller college experience.</p>
<p>I have to agree with intparent. While a lot of Carls look at and apply to schools like Swarthmore and Chicago, both have a more intense and “I take myself seriously” vibe than Carleton.</p>
<p>Surprisingly, the student body I’ve found that best approximates Carleton is not a LAC at all but a university (albeit small) - Rice - probably closely followed by Pomona. I’ve never really found an East Coast equivalent. There are Carl like groups to be found at places like Williams, Haverford, Bates, Wesleyan, Middlebury and Bowdoin, but the gestalt of the students at these schools is measurably quite different.</p>
<p>When considering the overall atmosphere of the school, there is an element of midwestern (esp Minnesotan) low key, happy, self-effacing, playful modesty that is hard to reproduce, in particular in the Northeast. </p>
<p>So yeah, there are Carleton cousins on the East Coast, but more like distant 2nd and 3rd than 1st cousins. No one would confuse Swarthmore with Carleton any more than one might confuse Eastern Pennsylvania with Minnesota.</p>