I really like Trinity’s campus and the fact that it’s in Hartford—a decently sized city that has larger buildings but is not as overwhelming and large as Boston (sort of like providence).
I also like the outdoorsy and welcoming community at Bates which is better than the fratty, somewhat exclusive culture at Trinity. However, Lewiston-Auburn is more run down and definitely more dead than Hartford.
Is there any school, anywhere in the US, regardless of size, location, or prestige that has both of the positive traits I mentioned? I really like both of these schools for different reasons and kind of want to find a cross between the two.
I have read many of the posts in your other threads.
Consider:
University of Vermont
University of Colorado at Boulder
University of Montana in Missoula
Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon
Davidson College in North Carolina
Flagler College in St. Augustine Florida (very low COA & great location if you like the ocean)
University of Washington in Seattle
McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada
University of Victoria in British Columbia
University of British Columbia in Vancouver
University of San Diego
University of Denver
Hard to recommend schools without feedback on current suggestions.
Hmmm. I agree that parts of Lewiston are poor, but it is not dangerous. Otoh, many people would agree that Hartford is not particularly safe.
As far as wanting city life, Bates kids do go out in Lewiston, primarily the area of Lisbon Street, where there are a bunch of restaurants. Lewiston has seen noticeable improvements and is far better than it was even five years ago. I can’t speak to what is around Trinity.
If your idea is that you want to easily be able to get into the city and enjoy all the excitement it offers, many students seek the same thing. In reality, most students, even those at schools like Macalester, spend most of their time on campus. That’s where their friends, food, and beds are. Both Trinity and Bates will offer plenty of activities and events that students will stay on campus to participate in.
There are other small colleges that are in cities, many of which are extremely selective. The Quaker consortium in Philadelphia comes to mind. Reed and Lewis & Clark in Portland might be worth investigating. Macalester as already mentioned could be a good choice. Clark University in Worcester, Mass could be a good choice.
It would be helpful to get some feedback from the OP.
Personally, I cannot think of any better college friendly towns than Boulder, Colorado or Burlington, Vermont in light of the fact that you find Boston to be a bit overwhelming (which is easy to understand).
P.S. OP: after I wrote the above, I came across this article:
Finally, a list that includes beautiful Missoula, Montana:
A really thorough list of many of the best college towns (even includes the ten worst):
FWIW: WalletHub offers many lists based on affordability & social scene among other categories.
One short list: “Highest Quality of Education” listed five locations:
1.Princeton,New Jersey.
2.Pasadena, California (CalTech).
3.Stanford, California
4. Evanston, Illinois (Northwestern University)
5. Cambridge, Massachusetts (Harvard & MIT)
All 5 are beautiful locations. Important to remember that the quality of education is among the most important factors one should consider, and that the top educations in the world are often offered in beautiful locations–as demonstrated by this list.
If I could redo my college years, location would be a significant factor that I would consider in addition to COA and academic interests–so I think that your approach is smart with respect to this aspect.
Thanks for the suggestions, I will definitely look into those schools. I’m not really worried about safety or poverty levels, more about activity in the city and the population but you do make some good points about that anyway.
Mac students use the city all the time - for fun, internships, etc. Especially after the first two years. There’s a lot of community on campus, but having the city right there is the best of both worlds.