<p>Hey CC,</p>
<p>I currently have a 3.9 unweighted, 4.0 weighted GPA, 2150 SAT, top ~5% class rank. I have visited a lot of schools up North in NE/Mid Atlantic, but I'm really in love with the west. If anyone knows of any great schools out there (small-medium sized), let me know! I like the campus of Colorado College, but I'm not in love with the block system. Something with a similar setting & opportunities would be great.</p>
<p>If you are a Science, Information Technology, Engineering, Aero, Math, Architecture, Business or Agriculture major, try the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly SLO). They are not bad for Liberal Arts and really good for music too.</p>
<p>If you like Colorado College, image all that with the Pacific Ocean on your door step. You may also like some schools in Oregon and Washington as well.</p>
<p>Uh… what? Cal-Poly SLO looks way different than Colorado College. </p>
<p>Ooooh, there are tons of schools. Maybe use the collegeboard college search thingy, or I think CC has one too. You might like Caltech, ALL OF THE CLAREMONT’s, Occidental, Stanford (too big?) if you want a CA school. I don’t know many schools like Colorado College, but some Northwest schools that will have a rural vibe could be Reed (it’s in Portland though), Lewis & Clark (Portland as well), Colorado School of Mines, Whitman, University of Puget Sound, OSU (too big?).</p>
<p>Major?
What state are you in?</p>
<p>Check out Whitman College (Walla Walla WA) and its “Semester in the West” program. Whitman and Colorado College seem to generate a fair amount of common interest. </p>
<p>The Rocky Mountain West has (in addition to CC) St John’s College (a Great Books school) and the Air Force Academy. California has the Claremont Colleges (Pomona, CMC, etc.) and Occidental. The Pacific NW has (in addition to Whitman) Reed, Evergreen State, Lewis & Clark, and Willamette. </p>
<p>The CC block plan isn’t for everybody. However, it does have some interesting advantages. For one thing, professors can and do hold classes off campus for field work (without worrying about schedule conflicts with other classes). For another, each class gets its own dedicated room/studio/lab for the duration of the block; so, classes can and do spill over past the scheduled end times. Also, there’s a break of several days between blocks (which creates great opportunities to explore the region).</p>
<p>Probably Polticial Science, Econ, etc. But not really sure. And Georgia</p>
<p>How does Occidental stack up in relation to the Claremont schools, Colorado C, Whitman, etc?</p>
<p>The LA area would give you a very different vibe than Walla Walla or Colorado Springs.
If you’re in love with “the West” (as in mountains, wilderness, wide-open vistas) then the latter two might be closer to the real deal for you.</p>
<p>Check out this college preference comparison:
[Compare</a> Colleges: Side-by-side college comparisons | Parchment - College admissions predictions.](<a href=“Compare Colleges: Side-by-side college comparisons | Parchment - College admissions predictions.”>Compare Colleges: Side-by-side college comparisons | Parchment - College admissions predictions.)
[Compare</a> Colleges: Side-by-side college comparisons | Parchment - College admissions predictions.](<a href=“Compare Colleges: Side-by-side college comparisons | Parchment - College admissions predictions.”>Compare Colleges: Side-by-side college comparisons | Parchment - College admissions predictions.)
[Compare</a> Colleges: Side-by-side college comparisons | Parchment - College admissions predictions.](<a href=“Compare Colleges: Side-by-side college comparisons | Parchment - College admissions predictions.”>Compare Colleges: Side-by-side college comparisons | Parchment - College admissions predictions.)
[Compare</a> Colleges: Side-by-side college comparisons | Parchment - College admissions predictions.](<a href=“Compare Colleges: Side-by-side college comparisons | Parchment - College admissions predictions.”>Compare Colleges: Side-by-side college comparisons | Parchment - College admissions predictions.)</p>
<p>Honestly, I’m just more interested in anything westward thats within a few hundred miles of the mountains. Anyone know how strong Occidental is academically?</p>
<p>Occidental and Whitman are pretty much on par academically. Colorado College rose a lot in popularity over the past 6 years so it has gotten harder to get into, but I would still say it is academically similar to Oxy and Whitman. As Tk says, Whitman and CC share many of the same applicants - high achievers who love the outdoors. Because Occidental is more urban, the student body reflects that.</p>
<p>Pomona comes to mind.</p>
<p>Have you looked at the schools in the Northeast in or near beautiful mountain settings like Williams, Middlebury, Hamilton, Dartmouth, Cornell? Not the Rockies, but quite outdoorsy.</p>
<p>Have you also looked into Chapman University in Orange, CA? If you’re looking for a small to mid-size campus, Chapman could fit the bill.</p>
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<p>There is not much public information available to compare one LAC to another, objectively, for academic strength. Most of them feature small classes and pretty much the same academic program. They do differ in admission selectivity. In this respect,
Pomona, CMC > CC, Whitman > Occidental > Chapman
One survey ([How</a> to make NSSE college scores work for you - USATODAY.com](<a href=“http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/nsse.htm]How”>http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/nsse.htm)) indicates that CMC is more academically challenging than Chapman, but results are not available for the others.</p>
<p>What can your family afford?</p>
<p>" One survey (How to make NSSE college scores work for you - USATODAY.com) indicates that CMC is more academically challenging than Chapman"</p>
<p>Fyi - the above site is outdated. Survey was in 2008-2009. Chapman offers a lot more programs now than before and higher ranking as well. For example, Chapman has entered into collaboration with the Keck Graduate Institute for the school of BioPharmacy. They’re growing and expanding all the time with new programs and new buildings! Chapman is an outstanding school with world-class professors!! DS mentioned that Chapman is highly regarded and they really prepare their students to work in the real world!!</p>