I wouldn’t exactly consider Carleton’s vibe as “laid-back.” Yes, the students are quirky and have fun together, but the intensity of the 10-week terms does create a fair amount of mental health stress among the students.
Neither do I. My point was that the percentages are meaningless.
Hi so I went to see Hamilton and Colgate. Both are beautiful campuses. Hamilton college doesn’t have much to do off campus in Clinton, but the campus is pretty large for a small liberal arts. Colgate is most of a concentrated campus on a hill and it has a cute "Harvard-square"ish kind of town with more shops and restaurants.
But both are very rural and I’m not sure if I would be ready to commit to a school that is 1. so isolated and 2. so far away from my home in L.A.
I might apply early decision at Occidental college, and then go from there.
If anyone has any advice on this could they help out? I am afraid of being too far from home. Not sure what to do, especially since I’m not applying to any UC’s. Should I try for Hamilton or Colgate or is it not a good idea?
Stick to Oxy ED1 and Macalester ED2, especially since Occidental will know your prep school and can probably evaluate it well, which gives you a small boost. It’s also more likely anyway.
There are LACs that aren’t so isolated if you are open to considering other schools.
I am open to considering other LACs just don’t know where to look exactly. I hope it isn’t too late to change up my college list. what colleges would u suggest?
Amherst is less isolated, in a college town with UMass. Not urban but plenty of amenities within walking distance for a college student.
Bowdoin is in a nice town, near the ocean, 30 mins or so from Portland which is a a hip city with good music venues and great dining.
Swarthmore and Haverford are bucolic campuses in suburban Philly with easy commuter rail access into the city as well as amenities with in walking/biking distance (I would say access to such is easier from Haverford than Swarthmore.
Colorado College is within walking distance to downtown. It’s on a lock plan which is fairly unique.
Not sure if you are male or female but many of the women’s colleges offer urban or less remote settingsL Barnard, Bryn Mawr, Wellesley.
If you are looking for a laid back reach school that isn’t isolated, consider Bates. It’s in a small city, close to Portland, Maine, (a very cool city with an airport) and only 2 hours to Boston. Easy access to outdoor activities too. Socially aware, but not activist. Strong academics, but not cutthroat. Lovely campus.
If you want to get away from LA, I think you should not apply ED to Occidental, as much as I always respect the opinion of MYOS1634.
@Lillylamp, MYOS1634 offers excellent advice. If you feel that Colgate and Hamilton are too isolated after a short visit, imagine how you’ll feel after a few months… much less for 4 years.
I like Harvard-square"ish analogy. 
I took “I’m not sure if I would be ready to commit to a school that is 1. so isolated and 2. so far away from my home in L.A.” to mean OP wants a school that isn’t too far from LA.
Since both Colgate and Hamilton are super reaches due to stats, I think a more reasonable reach such as Occidental makes sense for ED1 or Macalester if OP’s willing to go away to a snowy, cold city…; and the other one for ED2. Both are reaches but the ED factor may help.
Whitman would be a good one, but it is isolated and rural. Lewis&Clark is a near safety and is near Portland. UPuget Sound also.
@lillylamp, you may like Willamette U. If you’re willing to look in the east again, Denison.
How about Vassar? Pretty campus with a lot of land. Easy access to NYC by train. And situated in the town of Poughkeepsie, so things to do right off campus.
@littylamp : Regarding your apprehension about being too far from home, this seems to be natural. Worth noting, though, is that in traveling east you would be following a well worn path in the cases of Hamilton and Colgate. Both, I believe, count California among their five most represented states. These schools could be exciting prospects for you partly because of their distance from your home. But you would need to think this as well as feel this. If you reach that point – or do not – your decision might – or, with luck, will – become suddenly obvious.
@doschicos, note the OP is asking for college suggestions based on a 1310 SAT and 3.7 W GPA.
I too was going to recommend Lewis and Clark.
I think Hamilton’s a beautiful school, but the daily schedule of their shuttle, the Jitney, made me sad.
I’ve looked at your list posted on 10/02/17 – you have some great options there! I think if you mainly stick with those colleges, you will have some nice choices in the spring.
@Sue22 : Why? The prevalence of commercial signifiers? If so, I might agree with you. However, I think the store names mainly serve as easily identifiable landmarks for the radius of options available at each stop.
If you want to get out of Cali, but don’t want to be too far then please take the suggestions above about looking at Whitman, Puget Sound, Lewis and Clark etc. They also match your stats better than Hamilton and Colgate, imo