<p>My kid is pretty much an introvert, doesn't talk much and has shied away from many of the club opportunities offered at his HS. He will have taken 4 years of track, but is not a "school spirit" kind of guy-- he hates raw competitiveness in people. He's not a natural leader or into community service activities unless someone else suggests it. So, for those colleges that absolutely insist on joining in and joining up, he wouldn't make the cut.</p>
<p>On the other hand, he's smart enough to do well (4.2 gpa) in his regular classes though so far his Jr. year PSAT was rather average on the verbal side. Still, he's reliable, thorough and prefers to do a good job rather than be slipshod. He's also a gifted, imaginative artist, loves animals and prefers to interact with only a few close trusted friends. He does not yet know what he wants to do although he feels he would do best on the math/science side of the equation.</p>
<p>If I could, I would like to find someplace that would help bring him out of his shell and be a nurturing environment. He doesn't really know what he wants except that he doesn't want to be tremendously far from home (Maryland) so that he can't visit. He's a home body, so the college living environment will likely end up being important to his happiness too.</p>
<p>Any recommendations for colleges that would be a good match? I'm kind of drowning in the data just trying to winnow through the factoids with little to go on at the moment.</p>
<p>It is hard to have the whole package, but thank God there are a lot of other options for the majority of our kids. You may want to check out the book Colleges that Change Lives by Loren Pope. Some LAC's is the NW that you may check out are: Willamette (this has been highly recommended from teachers and counselors at D's school), Lewis and Clark, Whitman, Pacific, Puget Sound, Seattle U, and in Cali Pitzer and Occidental might fit the bill.</p>
<p>It sounds like he would find a college that would be a good fit for him since he likes to learn, and has done well in school.</p>
<p>He sounds like a great kid! You may be surprised...perhaps he simply is not in his element yet, in HS, there are lots of kids that just need to get through it, and will absolutely blossom in college where they can "find their people". I second the suggestion to take a look at CTCL.</p>
<p>I checked out the Annapolis Group, a group of Liberal Arts Colleges (list is here:The</a> Annapolis Group)</p>
<p>A school like Allegheny or Muhlenberg might make a good fit for him, particularly because the kids I know there are the kinds of people who tend to want a nurturing environment. </p>
<p>In-state, there's Washington College (don't know about it), Goucher (arty, but welcoming and non-competitive). There's also St. Mary's and McDaniel, but I don't know anything about either other than McDaniel is a "College that Changes Lives" and St. Mary's is public.</p>
<p>He's a Junior, you've got time. Don't worry about the PSAT, SAT scores can be quite different and so can the ACT. He sounds like a good candidate for a liberal arts college (LAC), and there a lot a few hours drive away from Maryland. Try and get him involved in some fun ECs that he can carry over to college to give him some emotional support. For an animal lover I suggest volunteering at a local shelter, or horseback riding (particularly if he wants to meet girls at college). If he's interested in math/science LACs I would first check on Goucher and St. Mary's in Maryland, Swarthmore and Haverford near Philadelphia, Bucknell in central Pennsylvania, Lafayette and LeHigh in northeastern Pennsylvania, and Washington and Lee in Virginia. I would also check out UVA and UMd College Park to see how he feels about big schools. Then think about schools a little further away.</p>
<p>I should have clarified that he's a senior. It's just that all I have to go on so far for test scores is last year's PSAT. I am taking note of the names you all have proffered so that I can look them up.</p>
<p>Bucknell, Lafayette, Lehigh, W&L are all more outgoing, school-spirit, Greek system relatively prevalent kind of schools that don't seem to fit. </p>
<p>Haverford, Skidmore, Connecticut College, Vassar, William & Mary may be good schools worth looking into.</p>
<p>I wouldn't worry too much. Many of the joiners in HS only do that to get into good colleges, and many drop ECs to concentrate on their core curriculum (that's why OSU's choirs don't have 1,500 in them).</p>
<p>since he has a year left in HS perhaps working with a counselor will help prepare him for the college years (and beyond). There are a number of university-based centers listed in the New England area at "The</a> Shyness Home Page"</p>
<p>We live in MD also and found that the LAC's in Ohio took much less time to get to than the LAC's in New England. You might want to add Denison (they were very generous with merit money), Ohio Wesleyan, College of Wooster, Kenyon.
I think it's really important to do overnights at the colleges for your son to get an idea of what life will be like and what kinds of kids are attending.</p>
<p>My son ultimately decided on Oberlin, which may not be for everyone, but seems to be the right fit for him.</p>