<p>I think a college along the lines of a CTCL college might be good. My son already loves Cornell College and Austin College and has those 2 as his top picks. So I am trying to think of other schools worth looking at over the summer. He had been interested in Colorado College, but oddly, every single time we spoke to them, they were very rude to us. Not sure why. But, we have finally decided that they need to go off our list as a result.</p>
<p>We also eliminated schools from our list when we met with repeated rudeness or arrogance from the staff. There are so many great schools, why invest time on the ones that don’t care enough about prospective students to show them courtesy. Anybody can have a bad day so once was overlooked, but if its more than once, IMO it’s a systemic problem. </p>
<p>What are your son’s interests? How far up the selective ladder does he want to go? Does he need financial aid? Is need-based aid or merit aid what you’re looking for? Does he have preferences in location, weather, political or religious leanings, student body types? Every small liberal arts college has a somewhat different and relatively distinct character, so the more you can tell us about him the easier to throw out suggestions.</p>
<p>He definitely wants to major in computer science. But he is a top student and has a lot of interest in history and social studies type subjects. He definitely is a computer science major. He will have financial need. He is a legacy at a few good schools, but not ones that would necessarily be a fit. Between my husband and I, and his grandparents, we have U of Chicago, Rice University, and Carleton College (listing just the schools where legacy matters). I am thinking none of those schools would be a good fit anyway.Also, a close cousin went to WashU. He recommended it. But again, not probably a good fit. Not sure. </p>
<p>He is definitely very conservative. He does not like cold weather, but still loves Cornell College. His SAT scores are competitive, but…his grades are not. There have been issues in school that have left his grades needing help. His outside activities have included Fencing, some political involvement, UIL computer science, and Friends of Rachel.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for your help!</p>
<p>I will be honest…I am so sad at the idea of my first born moving away for college. But, I know it has to happen. He is at end of junior year.</p>
<p>Also…he is not one to climb the selective ladder. However, he was in the program for highly gifted kids at the public schools. He never left the program, the local schools discontinued it. He is at a competitive high school, but it is a public school. Oddly, he does better in competitive environments than without. When he has been in average level courses (has only been in a few) he does not do as well as he does when he has been in competitive honors or AP classes. Plus, when he is engaged in the smaller classes, he does well. A few of his teachers (not all) tell me how brilliant he is and how he belongs at some great college. The others tell me how stubborn he is and if only he would turn in his homework. So, he runs hot and cold on how well he does. But, he is definitely getting better about that and we mostly only hear good things about him this year. Oh, and he is a very clean cut guy. Not sure if that matters, but it is something that stands out about him at school. He is not a jock or anything, in fact, he is small for his age and all. And not very athletic at all. But, he is not one of those who can really get in to some of the goofing off some kids do. I am not really describing this well.</p>
<p>Your description of your son reminds me of my daughter. She went to a competitive, nationally-ranked high school, and while very smart, she didn’t really care that much about getting high grades. In some classes yes, but in others, who cares. She just finished her first year at Austin College. Maybe it’s the fresh start in college, but grades are suddenly much more important to her. She’s willing to work for A’s now instead of settling for B’s. I think it has a lot to do with not wanting to disappoint her professors, but she’s starting to hit her stride now and consistently get more out of her classes.</p>
<p>I am trying to think of the more conservative, or at least moderate schools that are small. Where my DS will be attending, Wabash but not everyone thinks they can handle an all-male environment, only has CS minor, and it is also in the midwest (so cold) and full of jocks, though my DS is not one of them either. </p>
<p>I was thinking of Elon, but that may not be conservative enough, or possibly too large. My DS also loved Denison, Ohio Wesleyan and Lawrence from the list, but cold weather would knock all those off. We also really like Centre and Rhodes. </p>
<p>I would consider checking out the B student thread and the Jewish B student threads. Those threads have plenty of hidden gems and can tell you a lot through their campus visits about mood and fit.</p>
<p>Here is another list. I cannot vouch for it, but it has similar schools to the CTCL, and DS considered a few of them, because of the emphasis on undergraduate teaching.
<a href=“http://www.collegesofdistinction.com/[/url]”>http://www.collegesofdistinction.com/</a></p>
<p>Take a look at Trinity in San Antonio. Great facilities and small classes.</p>