Springfield College in MA, LaSalle U in Philly
Marist, in New York state.
Though seemingly reductive in title, this article can nonetheless be highly useful for identifying colleges within approximate statistical ranges of each other:
http://www.businessinsider.com/the-610-smartest-colleges-in-america-2015-9
The CTCL book is indeed somewhat gimmicky, sort of an infomercial. I assume the website is similar. However, the schools are all good and reputable. You just have to be sure to figure out what they don’t say because they only paint a rosy picture. They might throw in one negative thing to make it seem they’re being evenhanded. Every school has its drawbacks; you just need to know what they are & decide if they are acceptable in light of the positives.
My D is happily attending a CTCL school with a generous merit scholarship and very good need based aid.
I agree regarding the CTCL book. The most important takeaway is that there are viable, worthwhile options out there that don’t necessarily grab headlines, yet still deliver the goods. There are many schools like the CTCL schools that also deliver the goods… you just have to find the ones that fit your needs. Learning about all these schools is where the “fun” of CC and school visits resides.
Another vote for Stonehill.
We were very impressed with St. Lawrence University when my daughter was looking, and St. Michael’s College in Burlington, Vermont may be another great option.
St. Lawrence is on our list. Is St. Michael’s very Catholic? (like would someone who is not a Christian at all be comfortable there?)
Yes, I think so… We only visited once in 2015, but in my memory of the visit and all of the videos I watched and research we did, I think they are like many Catholic schools in that you can be as involved as you like, or as un-involved as you like. Many students are not heavily involved in the religious offerings, and they are open to everyone and all faiths. I can’t remember if there is a requirement to take one or 2 religious classes as a basic requirement, but those are often easy to fill and might even be covered with classes that compare many religions. If I remember correctly, the order of priests there are Edmundite priests and they are involved in education and are focused on hospitality and being welcoming to all.
I don’t remember it being overly religious at all, hope this helps.
If you want something small, not too remote, and barely outside of your region, consider Drew in Madison, NJ.
@newenglandjane, St. Michael’s students are very religiously diverse. I, too, highly suggest that you consider the school. Great location as well!
A little fun fact should you visit. The Director of Enrollment Operations, Robin Rodes Astor, is married to Todd Astor. Todd is the great- grandson of John Jacob Astor IV. John Astor had very colorful life and was a passenger on the Titanic on its fateful voyage.
St. Lawrence and Stonehill are also excellent suggestions.
The Business Insider ranking of smartest colleges is inaccurate and more or less worthless for a number or reasons.
www.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/college-profiles-new-sat/ will be helpful for SAT/ACT ranges.
CTCL are a group of schools that market together, through the website, through books, and through fairs at high schools. There are other groups that do that too. A group of schools in the midwest may do it (or attend the same organized fairs) to save money by sharing the rent on a hotel conference room. The Jesuit schools market together. Catholic schools of the same order do it too, although often in Catholic high school gyms.
When choosing a religious school, you have to be willing to accept that there will be religious signs and symbols around the campus, speakers who are religious, prayers before big events (graduation, convocation). There are not going to be baskets of condoms sitting on the information table like there are at some schools.
My daughter plays against some Catholic schools that I wouldn’t consider extremely religious. When we play at their fields, prayers are said before games over the loud speakers as part of the opening ceremony, but not when they are the visiting team at our field (in their group huddle? I’m sure they are but not over the address system). Surprisingly, our men’s team does pray at the end of games, with the other team, on the field. We’re in the south and that isn’t unusual at all, but our coach just never started doing it. D did play St. Michael’s but since they played at our field, I don’t know what they usually do at home games.