@simba9 I agree that Davis might have been a good option, but the UC application deadline passed two months ago, so OP’s selection of UC’s “is what it is.”
We also haven’t talked budget or financial aid eligibility, so we’re not filtering suggestions for affordability. (But if OP can afford Reed and USC, then presumably other full-need-met private colleges would be in range as well.)
Also, OP, a lot depends on what you want to study. You noted in your other thread that you’re potentially interested in design programs, but realize that many are four-year sequences that aren’t accessible to transfers. You mentioned being interested in an environmental major too. Would Environmental Design interest you? The School of Environmental Design at CU Boulder is a very cool smaller program within the larger university, and they do accept transfers, although I think you would have to allow more than two years to finish. https://www.colorado.edu/envd/future-students/transferring-cu
I do recommend looking more closely at the Claremont Colleges; they’re very competitive but your strong record might get you in, and they might provide the balance you’re looking for, of access to a city without always feeling like you’re in a city. (Probably somewhat similar to Lewis and Clark in that regard - another school you might consider as an alternative to Reed - but I assume you’ve probably weighed that possibility already.) Look in particular at the “Sustainability and the Built Environment” track within the Environmental Analysis major, which is based at both Pitzer and Pomona, but also open to Scripps and Claremont McKenna students. The major (which should be possible to complete in two years) combines environmentally focused courses with electives in art and design, art history, and/or architectural history. The Pitzer version of the major is more structured, but their course list gives a good snapshot of the possibilities: http://catalog.pitzer.edu/preview_entity.php?catoid=7&ent_oid=336&returnto=505 (Pomona’s approach is more “whatever your advisor approves.” CMC and Scripps students can choose to declare through either Pitzer or Pomona depending on which version they prefer.) There’s also a film and media oriented major that’s open to all the colleges http://colleges.claremont.edu/mediastudies/ - it isn’t a full-blown film production program but it might be of interest.
Historically speaking, Pomona is the “original” Claremont College, and the others sprang up over time, with Pitzer, founded in the 60’s, being the youngest. The campuses form a fully-adjacent patchwork, all easily walkable (lots of bikes, scooters, and skateboards around too); and the course scheduling is fully integrated with the majority of courses open to cross-registration without administrative or logistical barriers. Each college is distinct, but they are very much symbiotic, and the student community spans the 7K population of the combined schools. Harvey Mudd wouldn’t be a fit for you, but any of the other four might be. Pomona is the most competitive, followed by CMC, Pitzer, and Scripps… but I don’t know how many junior transfers Scripps will take this year, since the class of 2021 is already oversized because of an admissions irregularity that happened with that class. Anyway, the consortium is well worth checking out.
Northeast-wise… Cornell is the one ivy league school that takes a significant number of transfers (more than 500/year), especially community college transfers both from within New York and beyond. It more than meets your desire for natural beauty!! It has an 18% transfer acceptance rate - so, a tougher admit than Berkeley, but not necessarily out of range with your record. It’s kind of a brutal commute from the west coast but otherwise might be worth a shot.
