<p>xiggi, she said "socially very conservative" used other words like reserved , traditional, and somewhat religious. I don't think "socially very conservative" and "social conservative" are the same thing. One is more about personality , one more about politics.</p>
<p>I think we have by now convinced the OP that our collective cheese has slipped off our collective cracker. ;)</p>
<p>
[quote]
I-Dad, are you really saying that Smith and MHC are NOT great fits for students who seek a nurturing and accepting school for LGTG's?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>No, I don't recall saying anything like that.</p>
<p>Your Wikipedia definition of "social conservatism" is a political buzzword. I know that partisan politics are very important to some people. However, the it could just as easily refer to a student who prefers a social life of an evening with friends watching a movie rather than getting girls-gone-wild drunk at a frat party and competing in a wet t-shirt contest before staggering off for an anonymous hook-up. I'm sure that my daughter and her friends were viewed as "socially conservative" in high school since they didn't drink or smoke pot or get tatoos. That had nothing to do with how she has voted since turning 18.</p>
<p>She's just staring at the screen in disbelief that her simple question could have caused this debate. Been there, done that, and now I fully and happily participate in this circus.</p>
<p>Dstark, not in the least! </p>
<p>This thread was and IS about offering suggestions of schools that fit the criteria proposed by the OP. How can suggestions be accurate if there is hardly any agreement about the criteria. </p>
<p>FWIW, it is not about politics. Let's remember that one important faction of democrats are considered to be socially conservative. I do not care to debate politics; correctly describing schools is the issue.</p>
<p>Maybe we all need to chill till the OP ventures back (please!) and clarifies the criteria?</p>
<p>"No, I don't recall saying anything like that."</p>
<p>Idad, this was my question; " Would Smith and Mt Holyoke not survive the new criteria with flying colors?" Your succinct answer was ... No.</p>
<p>The new criteria were "my daughter is openly gay and wants a college that has a liberal view on bisexuality and has a vibrant LBTG population."</p>
<p>As far as defining social conservatism, feel free to use your own definition. From my vantage point, it may include conservative views on tattoos, drug, and drinking ... just as in your example. However, I do not see how you would exclude homosexuality.</p>
<p>Another vote for Whitman. It's a brainiac school, but with a more mainstream student body than Reed. It is politically liberal, but it seems most kids come from traditional religious backgrounds (including a representative share of Catholics). If by "socially conservative" the OP means "not a partier," her daughter would find like minded students. The college does a great job of offering theatre, movies, lectures, concerts that are well attended. Students take school seriously (even the partiers). </p>
<p>It doesn't attract the pretentious type. Have yet to hear a popped collar argument. </p>
<p>What impresses me most as a mom is how caring and responsive the college is. I have always received quick replies from e-mails. When S was registering this summer from home, he discovered he needed instructor consent for a class. He e-mailed the prof, got a response within 5 minutes, problem solved. They charter buses for Thanksgiving and Christmas to Portland and Seattle. Princeton Review said school "runs like butter." That has been our experience - attention to the details.</p>
<p>
[quote]
How can suggestions be accurate if there is hardly any agreement about the criteria.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Many schools do not necessarily fit into neat little categories. My experience has been that, even if you have a very specific set of criteria, you will find schools that meet some those, but not others or meet those criteria in different ways.</p>
<p>For example, the poster said that her daughter liked the culture at MIT. But, she also outlined a broad set of academic interests that probably wouldn't make a tech school a particularly-well suited choice. Also, I find it rather large leap to categorize MIT as a "socially conservative" school in the political buzzword sense. Somehow I doubt that Pat Robertson has Norm Chomsky as a guest on the "700 Club" very often.</p>
<p>Hi Mombot:</p>
<p>I won't engage in any of the political rhetoric. However, I would like to offer a practical piece of experience. If your daughter is only a junior, you should keep an open mind and not try to find the "perfect fit" or perfect "type" of college at this time. Many kids (including mine) go through many ideas of what they think the perfect college is prior to making that final decision. They will change their minds even throughout the process. I would strongly caution you about deciding now whether you need to focus only on the so called nurturing LAC's. </p>
<p>I have a "braniac" kid who is happy as a clam at a non-LAC medium sized university that offers some degree of social debauchery (if one so chooses to engage in such). He has braniac friends that are absolutely miserable at some of the LAC's mentioned in this thread. </p>
<p>College is a time to explore and grow socially as well as academically. Contrary to some of the opinions on this board, the two are not necessarily mutually exclusive. There are indeed some medium sized Universities (even some with athletics and (gasp!) a greek sytem) that offer excellent academics with lots of resources to pursue one's academic passions.</p>
<p>Have fun! The journey has just begun.......</p>
<p>I really like the Notre Dame idea, and for chances at great merit money you might want to look at Rhodes in Memphis.</p>
<p>EK, the only merit scholarships I see at Carleton are for National Merit and National Acheivement Scholars for 2k per year. Am I missing something? Just wondering.</p>
<p>Those were the only ones that I had heard about too entomom
But for the student we knew at Carleton- the NM made teh difference- it can be hard to find schools that offer great merit based aid- although I think for most students it is worth applying for aid anyway- schools can interpret need differently.</p>
<p>I also want to say- that my daughter is not out there at all and loves Reed. Reed is a place where GLBT students can be comfortable- but academically is very conservative as I would describe any school that has such an emphasis on dead white guys. My daughter also lived in sub free housing for three years- and I don' thave the impression that your social life is restricted if you choose not to use illegal or legal substances to "party". I can't say that about some other schools that may have a more socially conservative student body.</p>
<p>HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</p>
<p>So far this is worth every penny....I'll try to clarify what is going on. I didn't post a bunch of specifics because DD falls into the category of "often wrong but never in doubt." She has said she only wants to go to a biggish school, but when I took her to schools that met that criteria she was turned off. She also says she wants to go to east coast but I can't kick her out to a summer program further away than University of Washington which is on the local busline. That's why I left her preferences out of my post--I wanted input to give her ideas because has too many opinions.</p>
<p>She's the classic victim of the branding frenzy that has infested college admissions in the past 20 years or so. Her GPA and test scores are very high so she somehow thinks she needs to go east, but that's not really who she is. I have to say I understand what spoke to her at MIT--I sensed it too, but it wasn't anything to do with the location. She will definitely apply there, but I warned her not to expect too much unless she can get her math score over 700 (her PSAT was 630)</p>
<p>By social conservative I meant a classic libertarian. She doesn't drink but it doesn't bother her that others do--she goes to the parties and drives people home. She's bothered by unkindness and hypocrisy. She is opposed to affirmative action but is pro gay marriage and pro choice. To her there's an absolute standard of right and wrong, but it's not the government's job to police morals. </p>
<p>We did Catholic school from K-8 and she is actually quite interested in going back to a Catholic college (ND is on her list but she perceives Jesuit schools as weak in science). The reason she decided she was probably not too interested in Reed was "mom, I'm a Catholic kid and that's just not what they do there."</p>
<p>The other thing to know about her is that she can take a pounding. If she were male, she'd be a great candidate for one of the service academies--she's a distance runner and she's the most disciplined person I know, but she's also smart enough to know that the service academies aren't great for girls--no sense in being tortured.</p>
<p>What is wrong with UW?</p>
<p>Absolutely nothing other than she grew up with the place. You could throw a rock and hit the campus from where she grew up. Half of her babysitting co-op were UW professors. She "feeeeels" like she needs to get a little further away. </p>
<p>I think there's merit to going away to college: I did, her dad did and my husband did. Her master plan is undergrad somewhere else and then UW for grad school.</p>
<p>She sounds overqualified but she might consider Christian Brothers University in Memphis. Being overqualified would probably net her big scholarship money. Catholic, 2,000 students, they have an honors program, engineering and several graduate programs. For what it's worth, they're ranked in the top 25 best southern universities in the 2006 edition of U.S. News and World Reports Americas Best Colleges.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.cbu.edu/%5B/url%5D">http://www.cbu.edu/</a></p>
<p>Thanks. Overqualified isn't a problem. She needs three lists: reaches, matches and schools where she can drag in some merit money.</p>
<p>I had thought the Jesi schools were stingy with merit cash--if not that's great. She was less interested in Jesuit schools when she was hardcore science but now that she's discovered economics and history she might really like a more broad based program.</p>
<p>I hear you- my daughters were born at the UW, but the oldest didn't even want to look there. I made her look at Seattle U- but that was cause I wanted to go on the tour and see the chapel.
The closest school to home that she applied to was Evergreen state college- ( or maybe Central WU- but she would'nt look there either- even though Washoe was going to sign at a lecture)</p>
<p>Given the extraordinary amount of static on this thread, I'm compelled to repeat my general suggestion. . .visit 2-3 LACs and see what she thinks. And if I had to pick 2 I would pick Carleton and St. Olaf in Minnesota.</p>
<p>*I don't see religious right, anti-choice, anti-evolution, pro-Republican. *</p>
<p>Ouch! These do NOT necessarily march together in lockstep! I know way, way too many people who belive in God but think his means of creation was evolution; who are libertarian about abortion and think the government should stay out of it but also think it is always a sign of despair and one of the most horrendous evils to befall society (or who are followers of eastern religions who oppose it as an act of violence, or feminists who oppose it because it as the original feminists did, and for the same reasoans); and who are progressive on many social issues involving the poor but socially/economically conservative, etc.</p>
<p>'Nuff said.</p>