Just finished tours and need target/likely schools similar to Brown/Tufts/Vassar please

College Search & Selection
21

I really think because her school is small - we need to see how she weights out overall - in test score (you said very high is likely)…ECs, etc.

I’ve visited Richmond and read a lot on here but it doesn’t seem to be what you’re looking for.

Honors Colleges, I believe, depend on the school. For example, my kid is at Charleston as a Charleston Fellow - so that’s Honors but then she’s in a small cohort within Honors to boot. She’s also an International Scholar - another cohort.

My son goes to Bama - they have the biggest Honors program in the country and while I’m sure you can take advantage of it, he doesn’t and says most don’t. Rather they’re in it for priority scheduling. He plans to drop it second semester (he’s a senior).

I do think - with Honors, Living Learning Communities, other programs - that you can make a big school smaller whereas you can’t do so the other way (unless you’re in a consortium - like the Claremont Colleges). Honors colleges come from large to small - and again, many colleges have smaller groups (within or not within - such as Randall Research at Bama…I think you can find that type of thing at many schools that are considered “lesser.” when you’re talking about the elites.

It doesn’t sound to me like the schools you listed - based on my reading here or knowing kids - that the three you list would fit. Brandeis most - but Richmond just seems rich kid, I know Denver is (from my daughter’s BF who goes there - rich kids who party)…even Charleston as a whole is your generic public school but the city/architecture vibe fit and size almost did.

Even Tufts, btw, is a rich kid school as is Middlebury - just look at the % full pay (2/3 for Tufts) - no, that doesn’t mean it can’t meet the need but when you have rich kids, you often have - similarities in experience growing up.

Anyway, I don’t think those three work but if any, I’d say Brandeis. Rochester works - you’re between three cities - near Rochester, Syracuse and Buffalo - since a few hours seems ok. It’s got open curriculum but not necessarily the student vibe. It’s a top school so not an easy admit and not sure of the vibe you want.

Not sure if U of Oregon might work, Reed (too small), Carleton - small but close to St. Olaf for a bigger vibe and then Minneapolis (cold yes).

I know Colorado was mentioned but looking at stats, while Boulder is hip, i’m not sure the student body matches.

I think - forgetting size - NYU, Oberlin, Eckerd (you’re in Florida), Sarah Lawrence, W Washington (which seems to be getting more notoriety), - might be some names.

Good luck.

Here’s a list of Honors Colleges by size. It may seem alphabetical (at the beginning) but it’s by # of students - obviously some schools are bigger to begin with so take that into account.

These Public Schools Offer an Honors College (usnews.com)

3 Likes
22

I think Brandeis could be a great option.

7 Likes
23

I’m confident I know the weather where I live.

Of course there can be lake effect snow in Chicagoland, but there’s relatively more in Indiana and western Michigan (southern and Eastern sides of Lake Michigan).

Evanston Il (where NU is) has avg annual snowfall around 35 inches. Burlington VT in the low 80 inches, Buffalo around 85 inches.

3 Likes
24

I went to grad school in Philadelphia and in all candor, I found downtown New Haven to be comparable as a day trip option. That brings Wesleyan and Conn College into play.

4 Likes
25

Wesleyan is a reach but conn college shouldn’t be. For what its worth for my kid who seems somewhat similar and is also applying to all of Tufts, Vassar, Wesleyan, Northwestern and Brown and also didn’t like Princeton or Amherst, his targets/safeties are CU Boulder, U of Toronto (amazing honors college), and UWashington Seattle (though that perhaps should be viewed as a low reach for out of staters).

4 Likes
26

Brandeis has a powerhouse of an anthropology department including a couple renowned Mesoamerican scholars. Also an impressive arts department. Definitely not the old school quad vibe of Brown or Vassar though.

Tulane has M.A.R.I. and teaches Maya languages.

4 Likes
27

It may depend on your definition of rural of course, but Vassar and Poughkeepsie are not rural by any stretch, I’d categorize them more as suburban than anything else. I grew up a few years in Poughkeepsie, about ten minutes from the campus. I do recall the train rides to NYC being about a hour and half. That was a long time ago though, so you may want to check the Vassar board here to get a more current opinion!

2 Likes
28

Lake effect in MIchigan is not the same as in Buffalo. In Buffalo, the snow storms have gone over the water and have picked up more moisture and snow. Chicago is west of there…not the same at all.

Chicago does have significant wind. It’s not nicknamed the Windy City for nothing!

29

Have you looked at any Pacific Northwest schools? Schools like the University of Puget Sound, Evergreen, Pacific Lutheran, or Reed and Lewis and Clark (though the last two are smaller than your d’s preference) might be good target/safeties.

3 Likes
30

That’s not why we are the Windy City ; )

A DIFFERENT KIND OF WIND

One of the first known instances of Chicago’s “windy city” nickname came from a New York Sun reporter named Charles A. Dana in 1893, who editorialized that the city’s politicians were “full of hot air.” Why is Chicago Called “The Windy City”?︱Skydeck

7 Likes
31

Well…there is that too. But Chicago IS very windy in the winter…or at least it was when I was there!

1 Like
32

uvm! toured a few weeks ago and was pleasantly surprised. the campus is really pretty with a lot of new buildings, very outdoorsy/artsy vibe, and burlington which is an awesome college town/city on the lake. it’s around 10k students with very few grad students, but they also have an honors college that could be a reach/target within a safety and make the school feel smaller

6 Likes
33

I wanted to provide some of the differences between Vassar and Brown for your awareness. I am a big fan of both having graduated from Vassar in the 1980s and having been an active alum and my kid just graduated from Brown. They share many similarities in terms of the flexibility of the curriculum and the type of kids they draw. That said there are meaningful differences.

Vassar can be urban, suburban or rural depending on how you exit campus. Go out the main gate and head towards the river and you are in Poughkeepsie (aka City of Sin) which is a fairly tough city, go left and you will ho to the Vassar farm which is extremely bucolic and hang a right on Raymond Ave and another right and you will hit several suburban towns. The feeling however is that Vassar is a cloistered environment that isn’t integrated. It is beautiful and self contained with easy access to NYC.

Brown has a separate campus high above the urban setting of downtown providence but is fully integrated well beyond the main quads. If you go down the backside of the hill towards Wayland or the football stadium you find yourself in a suburban atmosphere that provides largely Brown affiliated people housing. You never really know when you are on or off campus which leads the passive tour first to underestimate the size and scope of what Brown offers. The proximity (down a Hill) to the city is great as it offers a ton of great food options and some culture and pro sports with Boston less than an hour.

Vassar feels smaller than you might expect. A positive is everyone knows everyone else and it is a very collaborative, inclusive and kind community. The gender ratio is palatable and particularly felt by male athletes who are a conspicuous minority. As a result a significant number of kids take advantage of junior year abroad options.

Brown’s athletes seem more integrated across the broader population. While a significant number of kids do study abroad it doesn’t seem as impactful given the size of the student body and as a div 1 the kids stick around for sports.

Both schools have very active alum that I would rank as comparable. Brown however is much deeper in the finance and management consulting space. With that said as a result Vassar alum will bend over backwards to support one another in those areas as we are keenly aware of the need to punch above our weight.

Hope this helps and please let me know if I can offer any other comparisons or observations. Good luck.

9 Likes
34

Thank you to everyone for the comments and suggestions! Special thanks to @Catcherinthetoast for the detailed and insightful comments on Brown and Vassar. I have started researching Brandeis, UVM, Connecticut, and other suggestions and am finding a lot to love! I agree wholeheartedly with the suggestion that Tulane has an outstanding mesoamerican program, and D has looked at it, but she is not sure about New Orleans and is concerned about Tulane’s reputation as a party school?

The weather discussion is delightful and I have learned a lot! I will take another look at Chicago schools too.

Loving all the great thoughts! Thank you!

5 Likes
35

Hi, I grew up in Chicago, went to Tufts here in Boston, back to Chicago for law school and another dozen or so years - then back to Boston for the last 16 - and I can tell you that there is very little difference between Chicago and Boston winters. Chicago actually typically more often gets cold spells with Siberia-like temps (like -10 and below), but Boston can get very grey and dreary.

5 Likes
36

With respect to schools that haven’t been mentioned yet…

Two schools that are considered to have very flexible curricula that might interest your daughter are Colorado College and Smith (MA). Some schools with a somewhat flexible curriculum (like Tufts) that you may want to look into are College of the Holy Cross (MA), College of William & Mary (VA), and Pitzer or Scripps in the Claremont Consortium.

4 Likes
37

It doesn’t meet all your requirements but I think Beloit College in Wisconsin is worth taking at least a preliminary look at. It is a liberal arts college within an hour from Madison and Milwaukee and less than 2 hours from Chicago. It is a little smaller than your ideal range, but I mention it because it is nationally known for its anthropology department. It may also make for a nice target or safety.

8 Likes
38

Since Mesoamerican culture tends to be understood through archaeology, an available track in this anthropological subfield may be of benefit. Although rarer, the availability of a geoarchaeology concentration also may be of interest.

2 Likes
39

I was also going to suggest Barnard. Which means access to the classes and resources of Columbia as well.

I suggest you look at the Colleges that Change Lives website. Beloit is on it. We really liked Clark University, which is also on it. In Worcester MA and close to Boston.

Brown, Tufts and Vassar are all great schools of course. She didn’t like Amherst…I would have added that due to the freer curriculum and presence of the 5 College Consortium (and not that far from Boston).

3 Likes
40

Thank you! I will look at those. I also was shocked she didn’t like Amherst! Prior to tours it was #2 on her favorites list. When we arrived in the town I thought it was picturesque with cute shops, fun restaurants, and beautiful views, and the Amherst programs are phenomenal! But, her current school is in a tiny town and it just felt too similar. I was surprised Vassar didn’t turn her off for the same reason, but there is public transportation to NYC I guess? The teen mind can be a mystery. Regardless, it is good to cross a high reach school off the list.

Some new ones we are going to think about also include Bard (very cool but tiny), Brandeis, American, Vanderbilt (looks like a great anthropology department), NYU, Oberlin (although she is weirdly against the Midwest and Chicago still? I don’t know why?), Skidmore, Connecticut, maybe Wesleyan is still in the mix? Still brainstorming.

Oh . . . And she had a twin brother who will be interested in completely different schools if he ever decides he is interested in college. :rofl:. It will be an interesting next 2 years.

1 Like