I wanted to vouch for the above Oberlin suggestion. I’m a first year planning to major in bio (pre-med) if your daughter would like to reach out to me, but I’ll try to cover all bases.
As for Greek life, we have none. Sports are available, but by no means a big deal. It is very casual and they don’t get much affection from administration.
almost everyone here is very unique and passionate. i think its worth coming out to visit!! We also have great opportunities for undergraduate research which is so rare. Not many undergraduate students can say they have their names in a published academic journal! We have a ton of resources for research (esp bio and neuro) that you’d expect to find at a giant university.
I was going to say Reed, but I see several have already said it! If you’re open to the midwest, take a look at Kenyon or Oberlin, and maybe Grinnell in Iowa.
I don’t believe Carleton has been mentioned. This school has a top biology program as well as perhaps a reputation for attracting students who prioritize academics.
Good point! You need to figure out your budget and what you can afford and then look at schools based on that. You don’t want your kid to fall in love with a school and then find out it’s unaffordable and offers poor aid.
I know someone mentioned this above, but I think Western Washington would be a good fit. It’s also WUE which would help with cost!
I know a quirky student who went to Northern Arizona University and loved it, but I don’t know if it’s a specific college for quirky students. It’s also WUE.
@S_B6 I know you said she doesn’t want to go to the Southern US, but hear me out. Eckerd College in Florida might be a good fit for your daughter. I work at a school and we’ve had a couple of kids go to Eckerd over the years and they were definitely the quirky, earthy type. From what I heard, they both thrived at Eckerd. It is a private school, so it’s not cheap and you would have to factor in travel costs, but they could be generous with aid. Definitely worth looking at…
Schools now welcome students who may be eccentric or unusual. The proportion of students who describe themselves as “quirky” has significantly increased over the past few years. Numerous schools offer these students specific programs.
I agree with the point made upthread that it can sometimes be easier for quirky kids to find their people at a larger school vs. a smaller one with a limited student body and activities/outlets. For example, I went to UGA, which certainly has the Greek life and the football and all of that, but also is in a town known for its arts and indie music scene and where nonconforming students have a strong voice. I belonged to a literary society where we’d get together once a week in a pretty old 19th-century house on campus, debate completely random and off-the-wall topics, then go out for beers. I’m not suggesting that UGA is a fit for your daughter, just that you often can carve out a niche in the most unexpected of places.
If you have any questions about Eckerd, I could help out. It is located in St. Pete, a very progressive, blue voting city. Great mentor relationships. Research available to freshman, freshman research grants, honors college. Phi Beta Kappa chapter. Many semester, winter term, summer, spring break study abroad programs. Green campus. Close community. Great merit and financial aid. Member of CTCL. Daughter’s BF interned with alum at Harvard medical genetics research lab for 2 summers, then worked for her for 1 year. Earned PhD in molecular and cell bio. The alum takes 12 students every summer for a paid internship program. Many, many network opportunities for students.
I would agree with this. The clique type behavior from high school doesn’t really continue on in college from what I’ve seen. And part of the fun/thrill of college is meeting people from all different walks of life. Plus there are tons of activities designed to help meet each other I would imagine it would just work itself out. I would also think California schools would be fairly open to the more “quirky”.