Skidmore, in Saratoga Springs NY. Great academics, liberal, spectacular town, strong English program, beautiful area at the foothills of the Adirondaks.
I second Skidmore. Saratoga Springs is a great town. I know it’s bigger than what she wants, but Virginia Tech might be worth looking into. Blacksburg is fun, and they do have liberal arts majors. Maybe Chapman?
I think Susquehanna is a great hidden gem and fits her criteria. Not on your list and in a tiny city is Lycoming College. It is in Williamsport which is larger than a small town but surrounded by mountains and bordered by the river. It doesn’t have a city feel at all. Walking into “town” is easy. Merit $ likely for her stats and a great campus. It is beautiful and everyone we know who has attended really loves it. I suggest taking a virtual tour from their website.
Ohio University
West Chester Univesrity - Really cute downtown walking distance from campus
Manahattan College - Riverdale section of the Brinx is really nice, plus quick access to NYC
Kutztown - Had a really nice downtown walking distance to campus
St Joe’s - great campus easy access to the main line and Philly
OP here. Thanks again for all the responses. She loves the cold but hates the heat. Think I might be able to get her as far as DC/Virginia but don’t think she would go any more southern than that. She doesn’t want to look at women’s colleges.
I’ll look a little more into Otterbein, Lycoming and McDaniel. Skidmore was on our radar but wasn’t sure if she would like the architecture as she loves the gothic style school and student body seems like it might be a bit too “quirky” but I might be wrong about that.
Some others we were just talking about:
Roanoke- seems like it has a town in walking distance and a city nearby. Thoughts?
St Mary’s Md- look like 90% are instate so not sure how she would feel being OOS. Also seems hard to get to.
Union- I think would be a reach. Don’t know much about it.
Some of the public LAC’s offer a guaranteed good value (vs. unpredictable merit). I know you just said DC/VA was her southern limit, but UNC Asheville fits her cute town and pretty campus criteria to a t, and it isn’t hot because of the Blue Ridge Mountains location. It’s also pretty liberal (both school-wise and town-wise). Agree that St. Michael’s could give good merit, and Burlington is everybody’s favorite cold-weather college town. If you’d consider Canada, Halifax is also a delightful town and Dalhousie is quite affordable and drop-dead gorgeous.
I second St. Mike’s. My daughter will be attending the school in the fall. We toured many small colleges but once she set foot onto the St. Mike’s campus she was in love. The community is very tight knit and welcoming. All the professors she has interacted with have been top notch. She is currently taking an online class with the school and is having a wonderful experience. The area is beautiful and very close to Burlington, great skiing, and many cultural opportunities. It is a true gem and I would highly recommend making the trip to visit.
@MAmom111 Thanks for posting this, and thanks to all for your replies! My D21 is also looking for a pretty campus, a picturesque town, and an intellectual vibe. She would especially like professors to be known for getting to know students and being part of the community.
Our main issue is that she would like to be relatively close to home (metro NYC). This thread has given us a good start on a list—keep the suggestions coming!
I’ll just mention that Mt Holyoke doesn’t have a cute town within walking distance since someone brought up the school. You’d have to take the bus to Amherst or Northampton. Smith College is in Northampton.
Would she consider women’s colleges? If so, Bryn Mawr is worth a look although it would be on the more selective side of her list. Absolutely gorgeous campus in a wonderful area. Bi-College with Haverford (another pretty school). Easy access to Philly yet bucolic campus.
Also look at Franklin & Marshall, Connecticut College.
Hobart William Smith, Skidmore, Villanova
Catholic University would not fit your criteria. It is in DC. It has a campus, but definitely urban, not a “cute town”. But definitely a short metro ride from lots of things to do!
I second the suggestion of Mary Washington. Skidmore? Not sure about their admission criteria.
Something I did a lot to find out about the college towns was to use Google maps to see if the college had a town around it and how big it was and what types of shops it had. Maybe you have already done that.
@MAmom111 Although not too familiar with Drew (I drove by once) I live in NJ and agree their financials are not too secure.
Another vote for Skidmore.
If it wasn’t so big, I’d also recommend Ohio University. When I hear the term “college town.” an image of Athens pops into my head.
I agree that Skidmore sounds like a great fit but I think it might be a reach for her. We looked at many of the same schools on your list. Loved Burlington where St. Mikes is (and I’d look at UVM as well), Dickinson was a contender until the very end, and we also liked UScranton. How about Salve Regina in Newport? That should be a match for her and who doesn’t love Newport?
“Cute town and pretty campus” just screams Denison. It is definitely getting more competitive, so not sure if it’s in reach for your student, but the campus is wonderful and the town is so charming. We visited twice and loved it both times. The president of Denison and every school official we met were great.
College of Wooster has such a nice campus and the town is more of a “real” place as compared to Granville (Denison). Granville has a very high per capita income as compared to most towns in OH, and it shows.
Both of the schools and towns are great choices.
I would also add Franklin and Marshall (Lancaster) to your list of schools to explore. Small campus, accessible facultly, and Lancaster has farmer’s markets and a lovely old historic area not far from campus.
There’s also Champlain College in Burlington. Just over 2,000 enrolllment, I think. Overlooks Lake Champlain. Freshman housing is in renovated Victorian mansions. Looks gorgeous. I know a sophomore there who is very happy.
I’ll agree that Denison totally fits the bill! Don’t be convinced that it is a high reach. My D18 had almost the exact same stats as yours and she was admitted last year with a decent financial award and an offer for a free fly-in for admitted student days. Love love love the president!
Unfortunately my daughter gave her heart to University of San Diego on admitted student day, so she never really gave Denison a chance. Alas.