I got into CC and Davidson but I was wait listed at Wesleyan.
I haven’t been able to visit any of the schools yet, but I’m visiting CC soon and hopefully Davidson too. I’m planning on going into environmental studies, political science, and public health and I’m vegan
If any of you can go over the differences of the schools academically, competition wise, politically, the surrounding town and shed some light on the cafeteria food that would be great 
And do you think it’s worth staying on the wait list of Wesleyan?
Davidson will be much more conservative than the more liberal CC. Based on your description of interests, CC would be the better fit, but I might be reading you completely wrong (guessing you’re progressive). With that said, you have to be prepared for the block system at CC. It’s love it or hate it. There’s nothing else like it.
I took my daughter to visit Davidson and she loved the school. Unfortunately, she was waitlisted. Beautiful campus and new science building called “the wall”.
Only downsides; small town, literally as you step off campus, it’s basically a street maybe 1/2 mile long with some nice little shops and a couple places to eat. You can have a car freshman year but you will be 15 minutes from anything and 30 minutes to Charlotte, NC.
Davidson has a great reputation as a pipeline for law and medicine. A top LAC. Daughter was accepted at University of Richmond, which is similar to Davidson, just too close to home for someone who wants to spread their wings.
Also accepted to VA Tech, JMU Honors College and University of Southern California (she received acceptance Saturday).
The block plan and CC’s location are well suited for studying environmental science, ecosystems, and geology. The block plan creates a lot of flexibility to schedule off-campus field work.
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Our exceptional location is adjacent to rich and diverse ecosystems situated at the range limits of many species of plants and animals. In an east-west direction, the elevation changes from roughly 6,000 to over 14,000 feet on top of Pikes Peak, resulting in a mosaic of ecosystems spanning plains, forests and tundra. Many classes take day-long, overnight or multi-day trips to explore sites near and far. /quote
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My favorite college course was Introduction to Geology, taught by Professor John Lewis. Colorado College uses the Block Plan, in which students take only one course at a time for a month. Introduction to Geology is two blocks long. So my first two months at college were spent with Doc Lewis and about 19 other students scrambling around the Front Range with our backpacks and sleeping bags trying to piece together the geologic history of the Southern Rockies from first principles. We never cracked a book the entire time. I was drawn to the grandeur of the Earth sciences and awed by the time and space scales upon which Earth processes played out. No lab coat. No test tube. Science outside
If you’re more drawn to the politics/policy side of environmental studies, the following First Year Experience course might interest you:
https://www.coloradocollege.edu/other/fye/courses/course-descriptions/EV274.html
There are things about Wesleyan that might make it worth the waitlist. Economics professor, Gary Yohe shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 for his groundbreaking work on the economic costs of climate change and is on the faculty of the College of Environmental Studies (COE). Also, food is taken fairly seriously at Wesleyan; a lot of upperclassmen cook for themselves and the main dining hall gets high grades for its vegan and vegetarian options. Middletown itself is not a true metropolitan area and its residents aren’t in any hurry for it to become one. But, it’s big enough to support a hospital about a mile away from campus and there seem to be a lot of senior citizen centers in the immediate neighborhood. I’d be very surprised if there weren’t opportunities to volunteer without traveling very far.
Thank you guys for the responses! I am progressive, but I’d be ok going to a college if there’s still a fairly large politically active group I could join. Right now I’m leaning more toward the politics and policy side of the environment, but that could very easily change. And I would prefer to be in a a larger town with some stuff to do within walking distance (I won’t have a car at all during college).
You may want to check out the transportation system in Colorado Springs when you visit. It’s 200 square miles in area and sounds like you would still need a car to get around.
Colorado College is within walking and biking distance to the core downtown with coffee shops, restaurants, etc. so not an issue.
You have 3 great options. Congrats. I would say for the environmental interests, Colorado College is the strongest of the 3. It gets very high marks on food and I doubt you’d have an issue there as a vegan as you’d have plenty of company.
Wesleyan appears in this article as the second most vegan-friendly school in the country:
http://www.collegemagazine.com/top-10-veganveggie-friendly-colleges/