Hello. I’m a senior looking to add a few more colleges to my list for application. I’ve had a stressful and generally unhappy high school career and I really want a good, happy college career. I read alot, play banjo, love the outdoors, and i’m far leftist and want to be a history teacher, so I want a calm, outdoorsy, liberal school, but don’t necessarily need one with an especially good history program. I live in California and have about a 3.6 weighted/ 3.1 unweighted GPA (no judging please.) and ACT of 28 currently. I’m retaking and anticipating around a 30-32. I have UC Santa Cruz, Evergreen, Humboldt, SFSU, Oregon state, and Lewis and Clark. Obviously some of these are stretches and some are not. I just want to broaden my scope some. Dont mind where it is, though I will always prefer Pacific Coast schools. Thanks so much.
Cost constraints?
Not necessarily. Prefer to keep on the lower side, BUT im just looking for options. I can weigh the costs myself.
Evergreen State, WA.
Univ Vermont, Willamette, Puget Sound, Western Washington
Quest University in Squamish, BC, Canada
Look into the University of Montana. I visited one of my Yellowstone coworkers there and found that it very much fits the vibe you’re describing. Also consider Willamette College.
Whittier?
Good luck. I hope you find a tribe in whatever college you choose to attend. These days it seems all colleges and universities are answering to the bottom line….Sad news for those who embrace ideas which may seem not so practical in the short term. I’m surprised so many suggest Willamette. Corvallis seems a cool place to be while attending college. Again, stay focused on your interests and things will work out.
If you do decide to look to the east coast, Hampshire or Warren Wilson might be a fit (not sure about GPA or score ranges for Hampshire, though, you would have to research).
The University of Oregon…Probably the most liberal/hippie/green you can get
Thanks for all those replies. I hadn’t heard of many of the schools mentioned. Its always great to have options. I’ll keep them in mind. If anyone has any other suggestions, i’m all ears, but i’ll research these thoroughly. Thanks guys.
Oregon is a mixed bag, a good example of a school gone corporate. I trust there are still vibrant communities of the good ole days but they may be like me…an aging hippie from the 70’s 
I think find a college and a town go hand in hand. Eugene is a good place. Santa Cruz is as well. There are many on both coasts, midwest not so much.
Can’t get greener than Eugene…? Hippie? LOL Sporty, maybe.
Have you ever been to WWU or Evergreen?
Note that you may be able to take advantage of the WUE program to get reduced out-of-state tuition if you apply to west coast public universities.
On the east coast, UVM is particularly known for this.
OP, one small note, at many larger schools, even those noted for their conservatism, there will likely be a moderately sized continent of people who you would likely enjoy hanging out with.
For instance, I go to the University of Oklahoma, a center right school with a large bro culture, situated in a poor location for outdoors enthusiasts. Yet last weekend I was camping and hiking with about 30 students, some of whom literally spent the summers living in tents in the middle of the forest. Many people I know fit the mold that you describe, despite attending a Greek dominated institution in the bible belt.
Keep in mind that I’m not suggesting you attend OU. Sounds like a terrible fit for you. What I am saying is that you may wish to investigate the outdoors club, environmental science/ sustainability programs (not just the major), etc at schools which might not be dominated by hippie culture to the same degree as say, Humboldt, and see if you would be able to find your niche there. At most larger institutions in the West excluding some places in NV, UT, and ID, I suspect the answer is yes you would.
Humboldt State it does not get much more green than Humboldt State. I grew up about 5 miles north of Humboldt and if you spend time there today you would think Woodstock just happened. A number of strong departments at HSU marine biology, ecology, forestry. It is easy to find interesting summer jobs in the area
Unless you like hunting and camping @whenhen