<p>Hoping to help -
Arrange the Chicago trip. Have her take public transportation to the U of C. It will take about 90 minutes. The colleges are NOT near each other - much of city is in between the two. Not wanting to "share" a metropolitan area of 9 million people with her sister is not a good reason to cross a great school off her list. Ask if she'll at least take a look at U of C; she can spend the rest of the weekend at NU with her sister and get an inside look at college life.</p>
<p>Second the motion on Tufts and Brandeis; not strictly LACs but have a similar feel and are in transportation's distance to Boston. In Philadelphia, maybe also Drexel, depending on her interests and the strength of their curriculum in that field. It is in the city, just outside the downtown area, next to Penn.</p>
<p>Swarthmore and Haverford-outside of Philly
Reed College-Portland, Oregon
Macalester-Twin Cities
Ohio Wesleyan University- right outside of Columbus, Ohio</p>
<p>Bryn Mawr (Phila.), practically next door to Haverford.</p>
<p>DD is also looking for LACs or Universities near but not IN cities. Her criteria is the ability to get to the city or town EASILY without a car. For example, U of Richmond is certainly "near" Richmond....but the reality is that to get there you need a car. Ditto Davidson and Charlotte. So far the only thing she has found that meets her criteria is College of Charleston....small enough, but walking distance to the town....and U of Pittsburgh which has very easy access into downtown without need for a car. Any other ideas would be very welcome particularly in WARM climates (I know...Pittsburgh does NOT meet her warm weather criteria).</p>
<p>Hopingtohelp: "Somewhere "we" picked up the thought that Rice is primarily for math/science/engineering types, which this child is not."</p>
<p>I've posted on this issue before. (Sorry for the broken record.) DD is at Rice and loving it. She is an "academ", very NOT science/engineering/math: into linguistics, women's studies, enjoys playing sports. Don't listen to the negative comments in PR - check other print and online sources, because Rice is really a great place, and the location is excellent. Big green campus, across from park and zoo, on lightrail line, walking distance to "Rice Village" (tons of restaurants and little shops). 2800 undergrads, great music conservatory and architecture program, friendly residential college system. Lots of themed parties, student-run drama and musical events, lots happening. Email me if you have any specific questions..</p>
<p>To clarify cangel's post about Oglethorpe University in Atlanta- it is on Peachtree Street, which is one of the main drags in Atlanta. But I must clarify-- there are a gazillion streets in Atlanta with the word "Peachtree" in it. But this is THE Peachtree Street-- goes through several trendy areas down to the theater area and into downtown proper (spanning many miles). Oglethorpe's campus is very pretty-- old stone gothic buildings that look very much like the older NE schools. While there isn't much to do right outside the gates of Oglethorpe, the bus and subway are right there, and it is an easy 5' ride that goes right down to 2 big malls (Phipps and Lenox), surrounded by other shops and restaurants. Oglethorpe has a wonderful shakespeare festival and ongoing theater program.
That said, I'm with anxiousmom- my s. is at Rice and loves it. And while these schols are both universities and not technically LACs, their enrollment is small and has the feel of a LAC.</p>
<p>"In" vs. "near" cities are very different animals. There are hundreds of LACs at which you can jump on a bus or train and be there within 25 minutes to an hour. But the reality is that for most students, most of the time, they might as well be 5 hours away. They don't take advantage of it, except with rare exceptions.. And many of these are, at best, in sleepy, upscale suburban neighborhoods, holding no real interest of their own. The flipside of course is that the administrations at each of these places knows it, and will do their best to make for a lively life on campus.</p>
<p>You might want to think more carefully about what it is that is being sought. If access to stores, coffeeshops, off-campus music and art, service opportunities, churches, etc., you might be better off looking for a college actually IN a town that is worth encountering, rather than NEAR a city (however defined.)</p>
<p>Brandeis, Boston College - like Tufts, univ not LAC, but not large and similar feel</p>
<p>Assuming from the Wellesley, Middlebury egs that looking for v. competitive schools. If not, then there's another list, like Bentley...</p>
<p>If approx. one hr from Phila is ok, then Lafayette College</p>
<p>wjb - Wellesley is not urban, but as an alum I can tell you I spent oodles of time in Boston/Cambridge. Hop, skip and a jump. Also cross-reg with MIT</p>
<p>Also Santa Clara outside SanJose/SF. Another "technical" U with an LAC feel.</p>
<p>interesteddad - respectfully disagree re difficult access of Wellesely to Boston. Personally spent m. time in Bos/Cambr than Wellesley. Shuttle buses avail from school, tho I mostly used public transport.</p>
<p>With many of these schools you don't need a car, you just need a friend with a car :) .
My s. doesn't have his car with him at school, but he's taken many excursions to the shops, restaurants, theaters, etc. with friends in other cars. He sent a photo of 5 people and a bicycle inside a Honda Civic!</p>
<p>Holy Cross runs bus service most weekends into Boston and rail service is only 1 hour to downtown Boston. HC has also has a significant alumni network in both Boston and New York. Another LAC would be Trinity in Hartford.</p>
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<blockquote> <p>respectfully disagree re difficult access of Wellesely to Boston. </p> </blockquote>
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<p>I didn't mean to imply that access from Wellesley was bad. Just the opposite. I think it would be in the top half dozen or so LAC's in terms of public transportation access to a major city.</p>
<p>I ranked it lower than Swarthmore, simply because the rail station is pretty good walk from campus. The rail station at Swarthmore is closer to my daughter's dorm than the Science Building. In fact, she has one of her classes this semester in the Train Station.</p>
<p>Overall, I think Boston's subway system has more coverage than Philadelphia's, but can require a lot of transfers depending on where you are going. Also, the commuter train line in Phila drops you off closer to places you would actually want to go than the rail line into South Station in Boston. But, that part of it is six in one half dozen in the other.</p>
<p>Rail access to the airport is much better in Phila -- door to door to the terminal buildings. Access to the major sports/basketball/concert arenas would be the same.</p>
<p>I think the easy rail access is a major, major plus for Wellesley and the three Phila. LACs. Getting out of the ivory tower and into a city on a regular basis reduces the impact of the liberal arts college's major drawback, IMO.</p>
<p>mini - Good points. Although sometimes it is just a feeling that you're not "way out in the boonies" with no options. Even if you don't take up the option very often.</p>
<p>Johns Hopkins really has the "feel" in many ways of a LAC. Lovely compact campus in very pretty part of Baltimore. Small size, too, relative to most universities. Many divisions in other locations, so the Arts/Sciences part has a LAC feel (engineering depts are there too, but don't overwhelm the place).</p>
<p>Tulane, while not as selective, is also quite a small U with v nice campus in great part of New Orleans.</p>
<p>"hoping to" - Rice does sound like it is really worth your D's consideratin. No first-hand knowledge here, except for a visit, but two close friends and their daughter both alums. Not a science/techie among the three. Rice has a "college/house" system (anxiousmom - am I saying that right?) with each house having its own character to serve interests of its residents. And while a "U", Rice has very much of an LAC feel physically. My S deemed it hte most beautiful campus we visited (and we visited lots of beauties).</p>
<p>ditto, mini - "If access to stores, coffeeshops, off-campus music and art, service opportunities, churches, etc., you might be better off looking for a college actually IN a town that is worth encountering, rather than NEAR a city (however defined.)"</p>
<p>D's LAC is located in a town of 12,000 (not counting the college students), 40 minutes from a major city, its airport, and large shopping mall. As mini pointed out, this city might just as well be hours away. Coming from a metropolitan area of over 2 million, she hasn't expressed any interest in running up to the city to repeat the same activities she did at home.</p>
<p>Her town is surrounded by corn fields and cows. So far, as a freshman, she has walked the 3 blocks to the downtown area to her favorite coffee shop, sandwich shop, grocery store and clothing & shoe store a grand total of maybe 10 times. These are all funky hole-in-the-wall places that she never encounters back home in the burbs. Franchise restaurants and major department stores/malls don't have the same appeal to her now. She has taken the bus once up to the city to attend a baseball game. There is way too much to do on campus that keeps her and her friends there (studying is a major activity...). I suppose by the time she is a junior or senior, she might be weary of the same old places. At this point, I would not predict it.</p>