A summary of our visits from last summer, in case it helps anyone. Indoor portion of tours was sometimes limited depending on schools covid rules.
Colby - Same - top notch academics, new athletic facility is amazing, campus is very nice. Drawback for us is isolated feel. Yes town is only a mile or two from campus, but many students probably go for weeks without seeing anything or any person beyond campus. I’m sure that doesn’t matter to everyone.
Bates - Up - we loved the campus and academic options. Campus feels very cohesive. The pond, quad and greenery around campus provide nice variety to a smallish campus. After Colby, the feeling of being in town (at least on the edge of town) felt more comfortable. Tight knit community, all students seem to live on or right next to campus and one main dining hall. There seems to be a good balance of academic rigor with support and collaborative environment. Everyone we talked to was very welcoming.
Bowdoin - Down - I liked it more than D22 did. Obviously great academics, for some reason she didn’t like the campus vibe as much as Colby or Bates, it was summer and very quiet. I liked the mix of newer and historic buildings, along with large lawns and trees. I also like it being connected with the small town.
Middlebury - Up - amazing setting next to the mountains. Beautiful campus and buildings. Campus is more spread out than other small LACs. Quaint little town.
Wesleyan - Down - I’m sure academics are great, but campus wasn’t our favorite. It did not feel cohesive. The brutalist art buildings don’t blend with the main portion of campus. The baseball/football multi-use field in the middle of campus seemed odd. Other athletic facilities are away from campus a bit. Some of the housing looked like old motels.
Lafayette - Up - did a self guided tour. It was the weekend of first years settling in, so there was a lot of activity. Nice setting on hilltop, and Easton is a short walk with some dining etc.
Swarthmore - Down - campus is beautiful, lots of green space and trees. D22 didn’t like the feeling of academic competition, it seems the school almost prides itself on overworking students, not for everyone.
Skidmore. - Up - we were there on a beautiful fall day, students lounging about the quad studying. Seemed like the students really like the school and their classes. Dining hall was impressive. Saratoga Springs is an awesome town. It seemed like lots of students move off campus into town after first year, which may be the reason the school is often described as cliquey compared to other LACs?
Clark (Mass) - Down - campus and many buildings felt a bit run down (library, dining hall, historic academic hall). Not in a great part of town, though not a big issue for us and the school’s community engagement is impressive.
UVM - Same - great campus, clean and modern, with lots of green space, obviously much bigger than the LACs. Short drive to the mountains and walking distance to the lake.