Yes, that’s carless and not careless! My S doesn’t drive at present. We’d both rather divert funds into his education right now and he’s been taking public transit around our city of 1M since age 13. He actually wants to live in a smaller town and he’s not a “partier” but being within easy reach of a drug store to pick up a prescription and other necessities would be helpful. Also with a tiny campus it just seems like it would be nice to escape the bubble from time to time. That was a big reason we took Bard off an early list, actually. We’ve visited some of these campuses, but not all–so I know with Colorado Springs and Appleton there’s a nearly seamless transition between town and campus. Whitman & Earlham seem particularly isolated (have only visited Earlham). Puget Sound seems within easy reach of some cool stuff but I’m 99% sure it will fall off the list for us since they’re famous for not offering much aid. I know Willamette is across from the Capitol but what about other stuff? On student review sites I frequently see people talking about the “terrible” town of Salem and I’m not sure what to believe bc I know students come to any college from very different backgrounds. I’m also concerned about crime/safety in Beloit but have no idea if these concerns are justified. I’d obviously love to be assured that my son could dependably get back and forth between campus and town (on foot or by bus) without any safety concerns. So anyone familiar with the following college/towns, feel free to rank them from best to worst in terms of how well the fit is for a student who doesn’t drive. I’ve heard some good things about Wooster (the town) but have not visited. I will list them myself according to my own perception at this juncture.
Colorado College (Colorado Springs)
Lawrence U (Appleton, WI)
U of Puget Sound (Tacoma,WA)
Willamette U (Salem, OR)
College of Wooster (Wooster, OH)
Beloit College (Beloit, WI)
Earlham (Richmond, IN)
Whitman (Walla Walla, WA)
I’ve heard some towns “close up” at 5pm etc. so that would be something I’d like to hear about as well. For his part, he’s probably more interested in being able to get to parks or other places to hike etc and enjoy nature rather than stores and entertainment. Thanks!
@Basbleu Hi! I can tell you what I know about Appleton, can’t compare though because I don’t know anything about any of the other towns.
As you noted in your post, the campus of Lawrence flows right into the main downtown with lots of shops and restaurants easily accessible by walking. The performing arts center is right in the downtown also so students can see various touring shows in addition to what is available through the conservatory on campus. There is a pharmacy that will deliver prescriptions right to campus. In warmer months, late spring and fall there is a large farmers market right on college avenue adjacent to campus. There are banks in walking distance also.
There is a shuttle service that will take students to the mall and a local grocery store and other trips can be arranged in advance during the hours that the shuttle normally runs.
My D is a runner and when she lived there during the summer after her freshman year she complained that there were not a lot of trails easily accessible within walking distance to do her longer runs. There are a lot of nice places to hike and various parks to explore in the area surrounding Appleton but not really easily accessible within walking distance of campus. The town doesn’t not have great public transportation. Lawrence does have a car sharing service through enterprise but that wouldn’t really be useful to your S since he doesn’t drive.
My D has found having a bicycle on campus is very useful especially the summer she worked there and didn’t have a car. She also had a practicum for one of her classes freshman year and used a bicycle to get back and forth from the local schools she was assigned to. Bicycles can be borrowed from the residence halls as well.
My D had a car for the second summer she worked on campus and she found that very helpful. She has not had a car during the school year and though she said it would be nice on rare occasions she doesn’t feel it is necessary at all to have one during the school year. Let me know if you have any other specific questions about Appleton/ Lawrence. I’ll be glad to answer if I can!
Students get a special rate using taxis. If a group of students rides together they might pay just $2 each. There is a limited-schedule shuttle run by the college on a fixed route (I think). There is a basic grocery store within easy walking distance. A CVS pharmacy that would be a long walk. Party scene seems very minor. Area seems very safe.
I am shocked that you think there might be safety issues with Beloit. It dropped off our list for other reasons and I never read anything to cause concern.
Thanks @cellomom2! Lawrence looks pretty good all around. And yes, @alooknac Earlham’s “back campus” seems to have the nature element covered and their August Wilderness program is a big draw. I can’t remember now what combination of words I googled for Beloit but it produced tons of video and stories about the public high school students in the area. There was a recent murder…idk, maybe not all that recent. Anyway, stuff happens everywhere, I guess–including in the town we live in now. If Beloit becomes a real contender we will definitely make a point to visit during accepted student days. Sadly, I think Wooster is dropping in to last place due to curriculum/course offerings.
Whitman is just a few blocks from downtown Walla Walla, which is charming, and bigger than you might expect going by the population numbers, because the town is somewhat isolated and attracts shopper from the surrounding smaller towns. There is a Macy’s downtown, (at least for the time being.) There’s a Safeway within easy walking distance. There is very little need for a car. As long as a student isn’t expecting chain restaurants or a mall, it will be fine.
Dickinson (Carlisle, PA) and Oberlin (Oberlin, OH) are embedded within their respective communities. College of Wooster is a mile or two from downtown (a mixed commercial/residential area lies in between) but easily bikeable, IMO.
Salem, Oregon, has its charms but probably not the ones on a college student’s list. I often drive there from the Portland metro area (45-60 minutes) with my kids and/or visitors for a neat children’s museum, river walk with a merry go round, and historical houses. DD stayed at Willamette for a summer soccer camp. JC Penney and a few other stores are within walking distance of the campus, which is part of the “downtown”. The real plus for Willamette are all the state government offices and courts surrounding the campus. The big mall/retail area (Lancaster) is further away on the other side of I-5.
He would have ZERO issues being a carless nondriver at Colorado College. In addition to being able to get around by foot and bike, there is public transportation and students have a very efficient rideshare group.
I’ve been to Tacoma a few times (live outside of Seattle). It’spretty walkable. WalkScore for UPS’s address is 53, which is fair to middling. It’s also relatively easy to get from Tacoma to Seattle via transit.
I put the colleges into WalkScore, which provides a numerical analysis of the area’s walkability. I have found it fairly accurate - although it is based on things like restaurants, cafes/coffee shops, grocery stores, schools, parks, and other things that might be more important to adults than college students.
Interesting @juillet! Looks like we definitely need to spend some time doing a virtual “walk around” via google maps! I’m surprised by some of these numbers.
Oh and @insanedreamer I think Reed would be too intense/stressful for my kid and a reach, probably. Lewis & Clark’s campus looks stunning but I read so many negative Students reviews online. I know we should probably take those with a grain of salt but…
We are a Beloit family. For sure there are incidents of crime both on and off campus. On campus crimes are mostly theft and now hate graffiti (popping up in lots of unexpected places since 11/8). I participate in a parent Facebook group. Some parents over-the-top concerned about crime and interested in pulling their kids out; others, like me, are less concerned. The kids figure out what’s safe pretty quickly.
On the other hand, parts of the college are located in the downtown core, so it is an easy 3 block walk to access the bookstore, the performing arts building, and the entrepreneurship building. There are some decent restaurants in town. My D walks to Walgreens to buy sundries. There is a weekly shopping shuttle to Wal-Mart and, I think, to Woodman’s (giant grocery store). Also, there’s a campus shuttle to the South Beloit Van Galder Bus stop that goes to Chicago O’Hare and Midway airports, as well as downtown Chicago or even up to Madison. Discount tickets available on campus.
I’ve been to Earlham, UPS, Wooster, Lawrence, Whitman, and will be visiting Willamette (but am somewhat familiar with Salem). All of them seem suitable to me for a kid without a car using a combination walking, biking, public transit, and campus shuttle. My D and her friend have even borrowed one of their professor’s cars when they needed it to get to the movie theater in Rockford
My son went to Whitman, everything a student needs is within walking distant, if you have a bike you’re golden. He really enjoyed the cozy charming downtown, and so did my husband and I. I miss visiting Walla Walla.
I should also add that the outdoor program facilitates trips on weekends for students and supplies food, gear and transportation. They kayak, rock climb, ski, backpack, go white water rafting, etc. They have a fund that pays for every student to take one trip free, after that the trips are very reasonably priced. There are great student hang-outs just a few block away. Not much nightlife in town, but the campus brings in music, authors, scientists, all sorts of stimulation. It was important to my son that he could easily get off campus, he is an extroverted introvert, and just needs to decompress sometimes.
If he has the stats for Whitman, has he looked at Dickinson? My non-partier had s great four years there without a car. We never had any intention of our kids having a car at college. Honestly, I don’t think it would have been a problem at any of the colleges they considered (and it was a long list). I wouldn’t let it be a decision driver.
Our son also got into Colby, it’s a very fine college but is on a hill pretty far from the town, not walking distance and not biking distance in the winter. Son saw himself either begging rides or stuck on campus a great deal, for him it was a decision driver. I think there are many considerations each individual weighs when picking a small college especially. If you have pretty comparable academics to choose from, the seemingly small stuff can make the difference.
@bopambo, I totally understand what you’re saying about Colby – it really feels out there! We asked about this, and they do have a shuttle that goes into town with some frequency and I think they have zip cars as well. With that said, not sure how much either of these resources are used by students – apparently over half of them DO bring cars to school. This one, like so many, does provide solutions to the problem, and I suspect that uber is also available in that area.
We loved the town/campus mix of Dickinson, btw. I’d always thought of Carlisle as a trucking interchange, so was really surprised at how nice the town was! I’d definitely look at that one.
Denison U and Gettysburg College are located in wonderful college towns. I agree that Dickinson is worth considering
I was very impressed with the college and town.