Every college has a book store where you can buy school supplies. Williamstown, Mass., has a small downtown area with shops and restaurants.
^Can Amazon deliver an ice cream cone? Or, a corn dog? An order of fish `n chips? Would you shop for a greeting card online?
If someone couldn’t manage to cross the Baltimore Pike to reach Target and Macy’s then I’d have to wonder about their abilities. There is a light and many students cross it frequently. The walk is quite beautiful from campus.
To add to what made Swarthmore desirable was the intellectual and competitive vibe. That is to say my D is one that likes to push her abilities and doesn’t much care for just getting by. She likes to challenge herself and while Swat is competitive it was mainly competitive because she was competitive with herself if that makes sense. That is what draws people to those type of environments so it is not for everyone. I’m not saying other schools do not offer that vibe or have aspects of those qualities its just sometimes when you hear that talk it can be a turn off for some or a turn on for others.
Essentially you can find like minded people in a lot of the colleges you are researching. Though some places will speak to your core more than others so visiting will give a helpful perspective. Research through as many means possible on CC, guide books, looking through the courses offered and email professors at schools for information (though you may not always get a response). You have a great list!
Another thought to add about Swarthmore and the consortium: often times those opportunities are played up as an assest. You can for instance take classes at Bryn Mawr, Haverford and Penn though not a lot do. My D did take a class at Bryn Mawr and thought about a class at Penn but it does take some time management. Quite doable if you are organized and disciplined and have an interest but many find all they need with the offerings available at Swat.
Going into Philadelphia is also something my D did frequently though again there are many who don’t. Swarthmore the town doesn’t have much to offer but Media is close and is quite quaint.
OP in trying to give you a flavor for Williamstown, yes, it’s a small town surrounded by countryside, but it’s what I’d call sophisticated country. The are a lot of weekenders/vacationers from Boston and NY in the area, and there are a lot of cultural things to do as well as skiing (at small mountains) and hiking. There are a fair number of country inns and bed and breakfasts in the general area, and it’s pretty there. You’d need a car to access some of the surrounding area, but I’m sure that once you’re no longer a freshman, plenty of your classmates will have cars and you can hop along. For me, I’d much prefer Williamstown (Williams) to Poughkeepsie (Vassar), since I wouldn’t feel comfortable walking around downtown Poughkeepsie by myself at night. I’d say that Middletown (Wesleyan) is probably in the middle for feel since the size of it’s town is in-between and it still has some grit but not too much anymore.
@circuitrider I can’t say I’ve ever had a pressing need for greeting cards or corn dogs, but if you do, I’m sure you can find a college that’ll give you easy convenience to both of those necessities.
^That’s the beauty of a mall - or, even a half-way decent commercial strip - they are places where you find things you didn’t know you needed or wanted until you saw it, thought of it, or, in some cases, smelled it.
Even some beautifully rural colleges can offer convenient access to an array of familiar amenities.
Hamilton provides regular shuttle service to nearby areas that include an indoor mall and movie theater:
https://www.hamilton.edu/campuslife/transportation/the-jitney
Kenyon provides a similar service to shopping areas in the nearby and relatively populous town of Mt. Vernon:
http://www.kenyon.edu/student-life/residence-life/office-of-housing-residential-life/arrivals-departures/shuttle-information-getting-to-and-from-campus/
OP, maybe if you were to spend a few days in a small town in Britain – not for a vacation; just to be there – you could get a feel for rural life. It can be pretty, and sometimes the lack of crowds, the relative solitude, the access to the outdoors are all nice.
On the other hand, some prefer the convenience and range of selection of having 32 restaurants of all different cuisines, seven pizza places, three cinemas, an art gallery, a music hall, and professional sports stadiums within 15 minutes of their home in the city.
Campus activities at a LAC can make up for some of the lack of social, cultural, sports and culinary opportunities, but not entirely. If you need to be in a city, you need to be in a city. If you don’t, your options increase.
You just have to decide (IMO) which schools offer the best mix of intellectualism – academic fit – and environment, and apply to them. (and a safety)
One thing to consider about attending a rural intellectual college: the isolation is part of the charm. You will be studying on the weekend. You will be lining up at the library on Sunday, so that you can get one of the nice study spots. You will attend a lecture, concert, or play on campus on Friday and/or Saturday night and, otherwise, reading and writing and meeting with others over coffee or beer to talk about your papers. Other than a bike ride through the rolling hills of Iowa (Grinnell) or a hike in the Vermont mountains (Middlebury), you will be enjoying the life of the mind. Starry skies and no city = clear thinking for a few years of your life. Sure, some people will be partying and drinking heavily, but many will not be.
I know that not everybody wants this, but for those who do, it is a special time in life.
When I was a youngster in college without a car, I had a bike. I didn’t need to bring it with me from home. I just bought a used bike from another student, at a ridiculously low price for what I got.
@ZZdecision2016 I agree with your sentiment for the right student. Kids can live in a city after they start working. Not many opportunities to live secluded from the noise and enjoy your fellow students.
Can’t believe I forgot about Amazon! That’s answered quite a few of my worries. And a bike sounds like a great idea.
@ZZdecision2016 Your post really has helped me warm up to the idea of a rural college. I feel like I’m really seeing both the pros and cons in urban and rural.
@prezbucky I thought that was a great idea so I’ve arranged to go stay with my aunt next weekend who lives in a very small town (population less than 2000). She moved out there about 15 years ago from the city and she said she would show me the ins and outs of small town life, the pros and the cons. I’ll let you all know how that goes in about 10 days.
The bike thing depends somewhat on the campus & community. I was on a very flat campus in a very flat town, so very bike friendly. But to add to the mix, many campuses these days also have zip cars, which makes a lot more sense if you just want a car from time to time for a shopping trip, assuming you get your license before starting college. Williams is one – easy to check on the Zipcar site.
With the combination of Amazon, Zip Cars, and Uber/Lyft, having a car on campus is a non-issue.
@OutOfKantrol Great idea to check out rural life. But I do want to add that a rural American college town is quite different from just an ordinary rural town without a college presence. Not sure if the UK has the equivalent of the American college town. It’s quite a thing. I love college towns and would love to retire in one.
@brantly Yeah, I get it will be different and will take it with a grain of salt. I have actually been to an American college town - Oxford, MS - when I went to a lecture at Ole Miss, so I have a bit of an idea of what they’re like, but, of course, Ole Miss is a lot bigger and has a very different vibe than places like Grinnell. No, we don’t really have college towns. The closest thing would be Oxford, Cambridge, or St. Andrews, but they’re much too evolved to be considered ‘college towns’.
Well, here’s an exercise for you: imagine Oxfordshire. Now subtract ~90% of the constituent colleges where the university once stood. What you have left is what a small, rural, American college town would be like. Crickets.
I had a bike and no car from ages 18-28 and I loved it. You feel healthy on a bike. Now our family has–ugh–three cars. Sometimes, out of rebellion to suburban life, I ride my bike to work, 7 miles each way, and arrive sweaty but happy. Cars are a bother to care for and take a lot of time and money, so if you can make do without one in college, I would. If you really need a ride, there are zip cars and other people who really like cars with cars. You won’t need a car at a small college because you can walk or bike, and at most universities, there is excellent public transportation.
Maybe St. Andrews. It’s a small uni in a fairly isolated small town.
Still not Kenyon or even Williams, though.
Bear in mind that college communities are larger than just the student body. They comprise the college’s faculty and staff, the people who service the campus and “civilians” who just live there. Williamstown MA has a population of 8000, Grinnell IA 9000, South Hadley MA 17,000. The level of sophistication and accessibility to shopping, restaurants and services is variable, but the colleges in general generate a lively atmosphere.
I don’t think rural colleges are for everyone. If the major objective becomes figuring out how to get away from campus, then it’s probably not the best choice. My observation at Williams, is the happiest students were those that wanted to be there because of its environment, not despite it. Visiting will help clarify your reaction.
When you make your visit list, I’d encourage you to look at international enrollment figures – the number of internationals enrolled, not the percentage of internationals against of the total student body as you are only competing with other internationals. If you can get the percentage of internationals admitted against the number of internationals applied, that’s even better, but those figures are hard to come by.
These academically rigorous LACs, most of which have been recommended in this thread, have the highest numbers of enrolled internationals. They’re all reasonably good fits for you. You should try to visit as many as possible. (I couldn’t find figures on Bard’s common data sets.)
I hesitate to call any LAC a safety for an international applicant from your demographic, but these seem to be your most “likelies” Any college that enrolls under 40 internationals would be a reach regardless of its US admissions statistics.
Enrolled non-resident aliens / total degree seeking first year students
Holyoke 151 / 529
Wesleyan: 108 / 761
Dickinson: 99 / 607
Grinnell: 97 / 414
Smith: 95 / 639
Bryn Mawr: 90 / 354
Oberlin: 85 / 728
Wellesley: 81 / 603
Skidmore: 81 / 661
Richmond: 81 / 801
Macalester: 76 / 506
Middlebury: 72 / 635
Colby: 61 / 508
Barnard: 61 / 603
Carleton: 58 / 522
Swarthmore: 55 / 392
Pomona: 48 / 411
Sarah Lawrence: 47 / 377
Vassar: 47 / 624
Williams: 41 / 548
Add to that Colgate: 87 / 778