While no one will confuse them with Utah, Ohio and PA both have snowboarding/skiing. PA more and better than Ohio, but OH has 3 I am aware of.
By “heavy” or “light” it was supposed to mean pressure to convert or conform to lots of religious rules that those of other religions do not necessarily follow or otherwise unwelcoming to those not of the same religion and level of observancy (e.g. mandatory religious service attendance like at at Pepperdine being “heavy”). Of course, not relevant any more since the OP’s student does not want any level of Christian religious affiliation.
For both of them, it sounds like the most important criteria might be to stick with schools where they don’t need to declare a major going in.
For 2nd kid who likes humanities and writing and likes outdoor activity, take a look (virtual tours, and read about in Fiske/Princeton Guide) these LACs: Bates in Maine, Whitman in Walla Walla, Juniata in Central PA - all near mountains and hiking trails, all with cultures that could appeal to her, although they may not be as diverse as she she’s looking for. Middlebury and Bowdoin fit this profile too but are more of reaches (I think Bates would be target/low reach and Whitman and Juniata safeties for your student). Reed fits as well but since she found Pitzer too hippieish, might not work for her.
Wesleyan, Smith, Kenyon, Grinnell, Barnard (though it’s in the city so not so much access to outdoors adventures that I know of) could be good options for her to read about and see if they appeal - they sound right for campus culture.
For your 1st kid, how about adding these to a list of mid-sized schools to consider: Northwestern, Carleton, Case Western (a target / low match), Vanderbilt, Tufts?
He may want a college with a lot of club sports options - and if he doesn’t want to play club soccer or doesn’t make the club team, club Ultimate frisbee teams love to get good soccer players (lots of skills transfer over) if that potentially appeals to him. A fun and social but extremely active and athletic sport.
With both kids, reading about the schools in Fiske/Princeton Guide and taking virtual tours could help narrow to a few they might really want to tour in person.
Edit: 2nd kid might also find Northwestern appealing, potentially. Both might like Brown (especially 2nd kid).
Wesleyan has a first-rate crew team (both women’s and men’s) and access to a gorgeous riverfront just blocks away.
My son loved Hamilton but he was offered significant merit aid Which Hamilton does not offer by Several of the Ohio based LAC schools. In the end though Hamilton was wonderful we could not Justify additional $37000 a year for him to go there and he couldn’t Justify it either and we get no financial aid.
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