Might look at Holy Cross(don’t have to be religious) great campus in mid-size city Worcester, which is one hour from Boston.
Willamette University is directly across the street from the Oregon State Capitol building in Salem, loads of students intern there.
Univ. of Richmond is on the coast and in a small city. You may also want to check out Rhodes in Memphis.
Santa Clara in Cali and Furman in SC would both appear to work with those stats, and both fine schools.
As a CMC alum who majored at Pomona and ended up spending a lot of my time there (there were even photos of me in Pomona admissions materials for a few years), I will say that it can be done. But really it’s better to find the right fit from the get go. Pitzer doesn’t want to be a gateway school for kids who really want to be at CMC, they want kids who really want to be at Pitzer. I know you want to get out of the midwest, but that is really where some of the finest and most accessible LACs are to be found. We just visited College of Wooster and think it’s fabulous.
Bowdoin would certainly be a reach as well.
You mentioned he doesn’t want a cutthroat environment and Haverford fits that description. It would be a reach as would other schools of similar caliber like Bowdoin but there is nothing wrong with having some reaches on his list.
Bowdoin
Claremont McKenna
Haverford
Pomona
Swarthmore
Wesleyan
Macalester
Reed
Trinity (CT)
Connecticut
Dickinson
Franklin & Marshall
Occidental
Pitzer
Beloit
Goucher
Kalamazoo
Lawrence
Lewis & Clark
Wheaton (MA)
For identifying schools “in or near a city” that you might have missed, these Newsweek lists aren’t bad: “The 25 Most Desirable Suburban Schools,” “The 25 Most Desirable Urban Schools.”
I echo the endorsements for Willamette, U of Puget Sound, and New College of Florida. Encourage schools in the midwest, even though right now he says he doesn’t want to go there. My daughter applied to coastal schools (on the water) and one midwest school. After visiting her top choices, post-acceptance, she chose the midwest school.
I do not recommend Swarthmore at all - it’s an intense environment. It’s not quite cut throat but the students are very focused and well, intense.
Could someone else corroborate that Haverford is cutthroat? D has it on her list, but most definitely will not thrive in that sort of environment. We felt more of that vibe at Swarthmore, so eliminated it.
I think the previous post meant Haverford is not cutthroat, I would be shocked if anyone felt that it really was! Seems like an incredibly supportive community, very tight knit and collaborative.
I second Union, an outstanding school that is within reach. In the south, perhaps consider Rhodes or Rollins.
Oh, you’re probably right. I read it too quickly. What about Dickinson? D may major in classics, so the concern is that the major may attract pre-law kids who need to be very grade-conscious. Hard-working students are fine, but she won’t want to, or even be able to, compete with loads of brownie-point seeking Type A’s.
@TheGFG Sorry if I was unclear. I meant that Haverford is not cutthroat. Swarthmore is the one with the cutthroat and intense vibe, Haverford is more laid back.
I would suggest exploring colleges on the CTCL list. If you consider the Florida and South Carolina to be on the coast, then I would suggest Rollins and College of Charleston. Your son would be competitive at both. There are many more colleges for your son in the Northeast. For other colleges in CA, check out Redlands, Whittier, and Chapman in the LA area.