Oberlin is pretty crunchy, based on about 4-5 visits with two different kids. My musician/athlete did not feel like Oberlin was his “people” but really liked Bates, Vassar, Dickinson, Denison and Grinnell. Conn, Kenyon and Oberlin all came off list. Never made it to Skidmore or Bard.
Reed is crunchy but with a definite intellectual hipster bent. My kids took summer classes there for computer graphic design and girls in engineering where they visited the on campus nuclear reactor (the only one in the country operated primarily by undergrads). Most Oregonians (or maybe just me?) think of the U of O as way more crunchy given Eugene’s way out there socio-political policies.
Notes:
- Whitman is not a safety. I’d call it a high match maybe.
- Macalester is about as selective as Bates.
If you want a couple more solid LAC matches, here are some ideas:
- St. Olaf
- Lawrence
- Beloit
- Kalamazoo
- Gettysburg
- F&M
- Denison
- Earlham
@not2disappear I would suggest you take a look at Muhlenberg. Very similar to Dickinson but without the big Greek scene and with a more artsy vibe as well. Best of luck to you!
Hi, guys. I just got my october ACT back and I moved up to a 33 - how would this affect my schools?
Great job not2disappear 
For one, I think it makes Skidmore and Dickson safety schools for you at this point. If you are looking at schools with merit, amounts might increase dramatically with that two point ACT change.
Update - Visited Bard and Vassar. Bard’s academic program was a little too out there for me, though I liked the socially “crunchy” aspect of it. I LOVED Vassar.
@not2disappear wow, you seriously remind me of me! I’m also from NY and do a lot of music, and my list looks almost identical to yours, though I’m a senior.
I definitely recommend checking out Scripps. From what I read online, I thought Pitzer would be the be the Claremont college that fit me best, but when I actually had the chance to visit I felt way more at home at Scripps. With a 33 I think you can call it a match. I liked that Scripps wasn’t the traditional women’s college experience, but if you are interested in women’s colleges, I’d definitely check out Smith, Bryn Mawr and Mount Holyoke as well.
Another match you might like is Brandeis. It’s not technically an LAC, but it’s very similar and I think it has a lot of cultural overlap with many of the schools on your list (at least I felt like it did!)
If you’re looking for more safeties, check out Sarah Lawrence and Clark. I also second Muhlenberg and SUNY Geneseo.
@not2disappear - I’m curious - what about Bard’s academics did you find “too out there?” It seems an odd description of the curriculum. Or are you talking about the distribution requirements, moderation, and the senior project?
@lalalemma I’m def into clark as a safety, and I’m really interested in scripps! sarah lawrence is legitimately 15 mins from my house, so that’s probably not for me, but oh well!
@SpiritManager The policy of admittance (my tour guide was accepted with a c average) and the oddly structured curriculum! I’m not sure I had the best tour guide though, he didn’t seem to love the school
@not2disappear what is it about the curriculum which seemed oddly structured to you? Btw my son was a National Merit Finalist and had a fantastic education at Bard - and did not feel like his fellow students were not his peers academically. He did say, however, that most of the students there spent their time in high school studying for pleasure, and not to build a resume for college or for grades.
Bates and Carleton could be matches. Pomona high high reach. Scripps could be a match.
Put Pomona in the crazy reach category. It might even be crazier than Brown if you look at the LAC rankings both US news and Forbes.
Regarding Greek life, at a few colleges, such as Hamilton, fraternities are entirely non-residential, making them far less proportionately impactful with respect to the schools’ atmospheres. Kenyon or Oberlin might be other colleges that could be potentially suitable for you.
Bates and Carleton are not matches, unless someone accepts the defintiion “match” as 50/50 shot, so as much as chance of rejection as acceptance. For a well-qualified applicant, the challenge is the list divides into schools which are functionally reaches, because the holistic admissions makes decisions too unpredictable, and safeties, schools where stats make it almost certain a student will be admitted. So, Oberlin, Grinnell, Bates, Kenyon, Mac etc. are all reaches, in my mind. Beloit, Lawrence, Kalamazoo are safeties. You could have schools in between, such as Dickinson and Denison, which I’d call matches.
Schools with non-residential Greek life include Hamilton, Kenyon, Denison and, I think though someone else could confirm, Dickinson. Schools with non-traditional greek life include Knox, Beloit, Wooster. Schools without greek life include Kalamazoo, Earlham, Connecticut, Bates, Grinnell, Oberlin.
@Midwestmomofboys where would skidmore fall then? i really liked skid.
@not2disappear I’m not specifically familiar with Skidmore admissions, since we researched it but did not visit for my kid. We did visit Bates, Grinnell, Oberlin, Kenyon, Dickinson, Denison etc.
As a junior, consider whether to take the ACT again, as a 31 makes a student qualified for many of these LACs, but puts their score pretty much in line with many other students. If a student could manage a 33, that just helps.
Take a look at the Skidmore Common Data Set, as that has a section which identifies how much they value different parts of the application (scores, demonstrated interest etc.) Most LACs want students who show they understand the campus community and will contribute to it in a positive manner, so being on the mailing list, following the school/admissions office on social media (making sure that your own profile is “clean” and won’t create a negative impression of you), attending any information session the admissions office might have at your high school or at a local college fair.
Also, think about the qualities you like about Skidmore and continue to look for other schools that share those so that you can build a balanced list, with safeties. It’s exciting to find a school you really like, congrats! Keep up the good work in school.
OP- it sounds like you really love Skidmore. You probably stand very good odds of being admitted, especially early decision. If it is still your favorite next fall, do an overnight stay, and if you still love it, submit that early decision application.
Skidmore is a definate match with a 33ACT, puts you in the top percentile for admitted students. Of course, it depends on what you think you might major in as well, what niche they need to fill. Presently, they are attempting to build up their STEM departments. Dickinson, Muhlenberg and Gettysburg are matches as well. With the 33, I’d consider Bates a high match/low reach. I agree, that if you really like Skidmore, you should apply…my bet is on you.