<p>Ok. CC brains, please help me find colleges that fit the following criteria:</p>
<p>*Urban or suburban setting is preferable. Going to a college in the middle of nowhere and being cut off from the outside world for four years does not appeal to me.
*No women's colleges please. I'm sure they're awesome, but I'm just not that sort of person.
*I'm interested in a quieter, more intellectual college experience. A student body that values learning and intellectual curiosity is important. I'm looking to go into academia, so places like Reed and Swarthmore are exactly what I'm talking about.
*Fraternities and sororities are not a negative per se, but I'm certainly not looking for a place with a strong Greek scene and/or a fixation on sports.
*A good community spirit would be a bonus.
*My strengths lie in the humanities and social sciences, so good engineering programs or strong science departments are not selling points for me.</p>
<p>I'm not going to list my stats because that would shift the focus of the thread to determining my chances of getting accepted, which I'm not interested in at this stage. For now I'm simply looking for colleges that fit my criteria. However, I feel I should mention that the top 10 LACs are all reaches for me. So don't hesitate to name some less selective colleges too. I'm not interested in prestige and brand power as much as quality of education.</p>
<p>If intellectual LACs like Carleton, Grinnell, Oberlin, Reed, Swarthmore are reaches, you might consider the intellectual LACs Beloit, Claremont McKenna, Hampshire, Lewis & Clark, Macalester, St. John’s.</p>
<p>I have no idea what sort of person likes women’s colleges. Perhaps open-minded! ;)</p>
<p>Carleton, Grinnell and Oberlin are probably going to be too rural-they are all in small college towns about 45 min-1hr from a city. Consider Macalester in St. Paul and Bates in Lewiston and Rhodes in Memphis, in addition to Reed and Swarthmore.</p>
<p>I am open to new experiences, but at the same time I know what I’m looking for in a college. Having a list of undesirable characteristics does not necessarily mean I’m narrow-minded; it can just mean that I have my own preferences.</p>
<p>Anyway. Thanks for the input! My guidance counselor has already pointed me in the direction of Grinnell, Oberlin and Reed, which would indicate that she, at least, doesn’t consider them too outrageous for me (although her list of suggestions may be a little too optimistic, and I’m not too fond of Grinnell. In fact, Grinnell convinced me I wouldn’t be happy in a small college town). However, places like Swarthmore, Bowdoin, Amherst, etc. would definitely be reaches.</p>
<p>@M’s Mom</p>
<p>Thank you for replying! I’ll add your suggestions to my list.</p>
<p>I always recommend the Catholic schools for a great learning experience in the humanities in an urban setting. Check out Santa Clara, Trinity in San Antonio, Univ of SF, Regis (in Denver), Seattle U, Villanova, Univ of San Diego. Boston College is more difficult to get into for the quality of education than these others because everyone wants to be in Boston. The Santa Clara campus is just beautiful and you can’t beat the weather. It’s more of a suburban environment than Seattle U or Univ of SF, but there is certainly plenty going on.</p>
<p>I agree…the Jesuit and other Catholic schools would be good…</p>
<p>St. Louis U
Loyola Maryland
Loyola Chicago
Loyola Marymount (Los Angeles)
Not sure if Gonzaga is rural or not.
U Seattle
Fordham
U San Francisco
Santa Clara</p>
<p>U Dayton
U San Diego</p>
<p>What are your stats?</p>
<p>How much will your parents pay each year?</p>
<p>The answer to those 2 questions will play a large part in where you should apply.</p>