<p>Yeah, I'd have to concur about the cow field. We visited, and it's beautiful, and a fine college, and yes, the shuttle does connect to town and the other consortium colleges. But getting there from almost anywhere else is difficult. D had to make three air connections and then a long-distance shuttle from Bradley -- an all-day journey fraught with crowds, delays, expense, and anxiety. She picked a college that's one single city-to-city cheap flight.</p>
<p>Oberlin, Sarah Lawrence, Reed</p>
<p>Many good schools in Cali and , at least here in Northern California, being "weird" seems to be a good thing.</p>
<p>Lots of my school suggestions already expressed above. I didn't see if anyone already mentioned it, but if she liked St. John's, have a look at St. Mary's College of California. Their Integral Program is based on St. John's Great Books Program. Sounds like she would qualify for some of their merit aid.</p>
<p>If looking for a public, then New Platz would fit the bill....very artsy and has a laid back and alternative vibe.</p>
<p>How about Beloit?</p>
<p>Have you looked at tiny Wells College in Aurora, NY? I think they give nice merit aid and their initial cost is below that of many private LACs. Mass. College of Liberal Arts is another one to look at - I've heard they give a tuition break to New York state residents. I don't know whether either college has programs that would fit your d., but it might be worth checking out their websites.</p>
<p>New College of Florida (NCF) in Sarasota, Florida!!! your description of her is very similar to the "New College kid" stereotype.</p>
<p>zoosermom</p>
<p>I'm very interested in how the search is going. We specialized in weird but , as others are saying, there are so many varieties. This is where visits really pay off.</p>
<p>The only thing quirky about CWM is its admissions policy. A while back my son was accepted to USC and FSU film schools (the former with money), VT, UVA, UNC-CH, and Toronto. WL at CWM and then rejected, and we were in-state.</p>
<p>A vote for Oberlin here. When we visited there were a group of students in skirts and painted blue on their way to an impromptu Bravehart reenactment in the Wilder bowl. We could hear them across the campus. Also had a bike coop, food coops and probably lots more such things. Finally there was a reggae band performing on the porch of the student union.</p>
<p>Interesting visit.</p>
<p>Re Wells College. Aurora, NY is simply a gorgeous small town along Cayuga Lake.</p>
<p>"zoosermom</p>
<p>I'm very interested in how the search is going. We specialized in weird but , as others are saying, there are so many varieties. This is where visits really pay off."</p>
<p>She's doing pretty well, decent PSAT scores, new ECs that she's in love with but still the plan is classics. She said to me in the last week "money is a good thing." Meaning that she doesn't necessarily want to be a starving academic. Villanova has caught her eye and surprisingly for me, Mount Holyoke and Smith have REALLY piqued her curiousity. Wells is a new one on us, so I'm going to mention it to her. I so much appreciate all the advice and suggestions.</p>
<p>Geez...I just noticed I wrote New Platz instead of New Paltz....yikes! :/</p>
<p>Visit W and M before she concludes it is a great school for her, if you haven't already. I went with my somewhat left of center son (who is also looking at Bard, Wesleyan et. al) and we both concluded it was not for him. Rather than BEING diverse, it was talking about diversity. Just my two cents.</p>
<p>I think your daughter would find the students at Villanova tend to be pretty conventional... big focus on athletics... and although there is convenient access to Philadelphia, the area around the school is fairly typical of the "Main Line" stereotype.</p>
<p>I had a friend who went to Wells in the 80s who loved it.</p>
<p>"I think your daughter would find the students at Villanova tend to be pretty conventional... big focus on athletics... and although there is convenient access to Philadelphia, the area around the school is fairly typical of the "Main Line" stereotype."</p>
<p>This comment and the one above about W&M is exactly why I posted. It really is helpful when posters take the time to present their own experience, and it can offer avenues of inquiry that may not have come up without the advice, so I'm very glad that you all have done it for us.</p>
<p>I agree with poster who stressed Bryn Mawr. If she likes Smith and Mt. Holyoke, she might really like Bryn Mawr too. And classics at Haverford are also excellent. You really get two amazingly beautiful campuses (Bi-Co) with complete cross registration. Students easily take the train to Philadelphia, which for a classics major, would be attractive (museums for classical artifacts) and she can also take classes at Swarthmore and UPenn.</p>
<p>As the mom of someone interested in classics, after he took both AP Latin courses, some school offerings begin to look think. Bryn Mawr, with the help of the consortium, should never run out of classics offerings.</p>
<p>And you are already one bridge further than we! I joked that the kids had to go north from LI so we could take ferry and not have to do the two bridge tango to get to Philly area. But just a silly joke.</p>
<p>If she likes Haverford along with Bryn Mawr, she can apply there too, though it really is just about one school The kids can even live on each other's campuses.</p>
<p>Mythmom, she loves Bryn Mawr and actually reads the publications on their department's website. I think what holds her back is twofold. We have a family friend who is there now, actually friend isn't the right word. Our two families have run parallel tracks for years. The parents are lovely, but incredibly competitive (I'm having trouble articulating here) and very conscious of their status versus our lack of same. They've said to us that Bryn Mawr offers no money, so it would be a stretch for us, and Zoosersister's impression is that she isn't good enough to go there (personally, not academically). I know that technically, it shouldn't be an issue, but she feels that she would stick out like a sore thumb and feel like a total "loser chick." She's not easily intimidated, but I think this girl hits all of my daughter's insecurities. I can see how people from modest backgrounds have trouble reaching higher.</p>
<p>Some people in the Philly area when I lived there 3 years ago referred to the school as "VanillaNova"..... My younger cousin went there and loved it....but she was the stereotypical preppy sorority girl type; her future husband fit the stereotypical preppy fraternity guy type. They both got excellent jobs out of school, though...</p>
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<p>zoosermom,</p>
<p>Pthhhhhthh to those "friends!" They may be describing some small group that their daughter has chosen, but I do not believe that it is true of Bryn Mawr in total!!!! Most places will have a clique of snobby people. They can be avoided. I hope your D will check it out for herself. (Has she seen it? It is beautiful, IMO)</p>