<p>MY D is interested in finding schools in the suburbs of larger cities-she would prefer a smaller school-under 3000. She liked the Towson/Baltimore area. Anyone familiar with any others. Say- Lake Forest- Chicago etc.</p>
<p>I would also like her to look at some midwest schools that appear to have nice suburban towns like Lawrence with Appleton or some city schools where the college has a campus- Macalester- St Paul</p>
<p>What she wants is an area outside the college that has a mix of stores, restaurants but not suburban strip malls. Think Priceton downtown.</p>
<p>She is not IVY or top LAC but just slightly below. East coast schools may be even step below that but midwest/south she may get a slight nod. I understand there is an admission value outside the NE. I can do the research so feel free to throw out some towns/ schools.</p>
<p>Haverford
Some Southern ones - Rhodes is in an older "interior" suburb of Memphis, if the student will have no car, I would ask about transport (it is not far to mall, food, etc, but you can't walk). Oglethorpe in Atlanta is another thought, and Agnes Scott. I'm not 100% sure where AS is, but there is a MARTA stop just outside the Oglethorpe gates. The immediate area of Ogle is nothing to get excited about, but the availability of MARTA makes up for that, couple of stops and you are in Buckhead - excellent flights in and out of Atlanta, of course.
Pre-Katrina, Loyola of New Orleans would be an excellent idea - it is right next to Tulane, and on the trolley line, not sure what the situation is now.
Son of a friend graduated from Belmont University in Nashville, great place for a kid with music interests. I'm not sure about transport from it, he had a car.</p>
<p>D's friend goes to Lake Forest, and he is extremely bright, but hated the structure of HS, and barely was accepted. But he loves it! If she is as bright as you say, she will have tremendous opportunities there, and the FA is very good. D's friend became research assitant to History prof for summer, worked in the FA office, too, over summer, received free R&B and held a third job on the weekends. If your D likes to write, there is a freshman writing contest, which D's friend won this past year. All in all, a great experience for him. He is scholarship student, and he is very popular - it doesn't seem to matter to the other kids, even tho many of them have a lot of $.</p>
<p>I thought of Lake Forest also. Nice school. Depending on how good the stats are Davidson sounds like a good fit but the stats have to be stellar. Cute little street right across from campus and only a blink from bustling Charlotte. Trinity in San Antonio is another possible, as is Southwestern in Georgetown, TX (read North Austin but it's probably too far) .</p>
<p>Rhodes is a great choice ;) but there is zippo, nada, nothing in easy walking distance except the Zoo and Park. WashU , too big but everything else fits. Furman, suburban but stll nothing you can walk to easily as I remember and I don't know if Greenville is a "larger" city. U of Richmond? William and Mary has that feel although larger and not really in a city.</p>
<p>Another option would be a school in a small but vibrant town, for example Skidmore or Smith. Even though they're not near a big city, both have plenty of access to shops, restaurants, entertainment.</p>
<p>momrath, I wanted to say Skidmore but I'm glad you did.;) For some of the things mentioned Saratoga Springs downtown would be great, wouldn't it? I think it is because of the tourists and weekend residents. (Edit: Duh. I am the Master of The Obvious.)</p>
<p>Lake Forest College has very nice campus, and within walking distance of the also very nice town of Lake Forest. It is about 30 miles north of Chicago, about an hour on the Metra Train. The train station is within walking distance of the campus. I knew people who attended and really liked it, other than that I know little about it.</p>
<p>Rice would fit your criteria perfectly - and is easier to get accepted if not a Texas resident. 2800 undergrad, beautiful campus in lovely attractive older neighborhood, terrific village of little shops/restuarants within walking distance, good finanial aid and merit aid. check the trip visit posts, or pm me if you want any infol. :)</p>
<p>If she will go west, Oxy, Lewis and Clark, UPuget Sound, Willamette all are good LACs with city access. Some have a shuttle or bus to better shopping if it is not easily walkable. In the midwest, Macalester would work. And I just had a chance to learn about Coe College in Cedar Rapids, which is more of a regional college but seems to have an excellent program and the students were especially glowing about the small college community with easy access to city for shopping and internship</p>
<p>Ursinus is pretty small, but is outside Philadelphia and pretty close to King of Prussia. The town of Collegeville isn't much, but there are enough restaurants and stores to make it OK.</p>
<p>I have to second Loyola University New Orleans. Untouched by Katrina, it is in the beautiful Garden District of New Orleans (my DD attends in the Fall). I can also recommend Southwestern in Georgetown, TX as an excellent match.</p>
<p>If your D is not adverse to the idea of an all-women's school, Bryn Mawr is a short train ride to all that Philly has to offer, and the towns of Bryn Mawr and Haverford are cute walking towns full of boutiques and restaurants.</p>
<p>Check out the thread about college towns. As I recall, the OP was interested in one like you're talking about...shops, restaurants...but many people list whether a city is nearby, how the access is, and so forth. It'll be another good reference.</p>
<p>Allegheny College and the College of Wooster both have beautiful campuses. I would make a guess that Meadville is larger than Wooster. Either place would have lots of things to occupy college students taking a walk to town. Baldwin Wallace occupies a rather nice enclave, I understand, and is proximate to Cleveland, (a mega city).</p>
<p>Some of the schools mentioned (Macalester, Bryn Mawr, Haverford) are top LAC's and if as you say she is slightly below they may be a bit of a reach. If you are looking for something like Princeton look at Drew University in Madison, NJ within in a quick train ride to NYC. Mt. Holyoke is a good women's college in the five college area of Massachusetts. For a bit more competitive school, look at Holy Cross in a suburban like section of Worcester, MA</p>