I go to a very cliquey and jocky prep school and I am looking for a college with a social climate completely different. I’m looking for recommendations of good LACs with the best mix of interesting and well rounded students who I can grow close with and relate to. I don’t relate to the fratty, pretentious, preppy kids, nor the super artsy kids. Any thoughts? I’m a girl by the way.
Bates, Hamilton and Lafayette are three good ones. Very much Goldilocks schools when it comes to the social mix.
Can you give any more parameters? For example, do you care what part of the country you are in? Is cost a factor? How selective of a school are you considering (do you have top grades and test scores)? Do you have any other needs/ wants that not every LAC would have… e.g., top music or drama dept, less common majors, etc.?
MY D is at Lafayette and I would second that as a LAC with a good mix of students. But I will say that each LAC we visited had a “vibe” and it is important to visit and see which ones you like. My D eliminated a number of LACs we visited right away (too artsy, too preppy etc.).
@OnTheBubble LOL. My D actually included a Goldilocks and the three bears reference on her Lafayette supplement
All LACs are going to have a lot of kids from prep schools, but according to the New York times, Vassar, Grinnell, Smith, Amherst, and Pomona are the 5 most economically diverse of the top LACs. More low and moderate income kids in the mix probably means less social cliquishness.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/09/09/upshot/09up-college-access-index.html
Carleton, Grinnell and Macalester in the Midwest.
Two less reachy schools, Dickinson and College of Wooster.
Another vote for Carleton. Assuming you are female, Mount Holyoke (visit if you are unsure about women’s colleges, lots of students come away loving it even if they weren’t sold on a women’s college before visiting).
Willamette, Lewis and Clark, Occidental, if west coast isn’t too far.
Take a look at Hamilton. The school represents the union of a traditional men’s college and a progressively oriented college for women. On paper, it matches the balance you are looking for. The school’s reputation for preppiness is not entirely unearned, however it is present more by a palatable reality than affect.
Other colleges as well, such as Bates, have aspects of their history which may extend to their current-day environments. In Bates’ case, the school was founded by early abolitionists under severe regional opposition.
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Goldilocks school? Do you mind clarifying what that means?
I’m looking at schools that are pretty selective: Vassar, Wesleyan, Middlebury, bowdoin, etc… Any thoughts on them?
So that you are aware of it, some of the colleges mentioned so far, such as Carleton, Grinnell and Macalester, are roughly as selective as the group you have highlighted (“The 50 Smartest Colleges,” Business Insider).
@samantha827 IMO it just means that a school has to feel “just right”. In looking at LACs we found each one had distinct attributes/ a distinct vibe etc. so fit was particularly important. I would say that about the group of schools you listed…they are all excellent and pretty even academically so you will need to do the legwork to find which would be a good fit for you.
Wesleyan, Hamilton, Bates, Middlebury and Bowdoin all exist in a pretty preppy neighborhood. However, Wesleyan is the only one that can honestly boast having an equal number of varsity athletes and people either majoring or minoring in the arts - about 25% each. That leaves roughly another 50% who are neither.
Wesleyan appears to have a good mix of students and is easy to recommend for that reason.
Here are my suggestions of schools to look at which are less preppy and more inclusive and cooperative, echoing some that have already been recommended, including some schools of differing selectivity as you’ll need a range of reaches, matches, and safeties. :
Bryn Mawr (females), Carleton, Colorado College, Dickinson, Grinnell, Haverford, Lawrence Univ, Macalaster, St. Olaf, Swarthmore, Vassar, Wesleyan, Whitman
Here are a few that are a little preppier but not overly so depending on your own perspective of what “too preppy” means. I’d recommend visiting as many as you can to make your own determination:
Bates, Bowdoin, Hamilton, Middlebury (came across as a little too preppy to me), St. Lawrence
Have you picked up a Fiske Guide? I find its descriptions to be pretty accurate.
Denison in Ohio is another possibility, significant racial/ethnic/socio-economic diversity and, on a recent visit, we could see many kids involved in arts/music/theater. Also, they just announced a significant building project ($30 million) expanding the performing arts facility. School uses generous merit aid to craft a diverse class.
Having spent a lot of time at Dickinson, Denison, as well as Kenyon, Grinnell, and Oberlin, my kid and I thought Denison’s campus felt less preppy than Dickinson – even though Dickinson had been in his initial list of top schools (which also included Bates, Grinnell and Kenyon).
If a high-achieving student is looking for match/safeties, and is considering Dickinson and St L, Denison is another great place.
@circuitrider I really liked Wesleyan but I didn’t feel like it was preppy, I actually felt like it was pretty artsy (almost too much so) that’s why I wasn’t so keen on it… however, you think it is preppy. What makes you think so? I am intrigued…