Oh no! Now I’m looking at Roanoke, too! We don’t need another one on the list!
Elizabethtown is RURAL. Like very, very rural. Nothing wrong with rural but it is not for every 18yr old. For those that want rural, Elizabethtown is a very attractive choice. For those that would prefer a town or city keep looking…
My impression is that Elizabethtown is less rural than some other PA LACs, though definitely not urban.
There is a downtown area of Elizabethtown, nothing particularly impressive but it’s there for a walk, coffee, etc.
Lancaster is a short train ride away or a twenty minute drive. Restaurants and lots of shopping.
Harrisburg is also a reasonable distance.
My kid who went to Etown did not have a car for the first two years but was able to concerts and other events in Lancaster and Harrisburg with friends. Kids can get internship-type experiences in Harrisburg, Lancaster, and Penn State Medical Center in Hershey.
P.S. Etown smells rural. But it also smells like chocolate. Not everyone would like that but I did.
We were just at W&L. There is a bus to D.C. At breaks. Seemed pretty organized–imagine transportation works well.
FINAL ROAD TRIP PLANS MADE… Whew. So many great rec’s on colleges with terrific insight. I seriously checked each and every one for the programs, areas, NPC, admission chances, and vibe.
Fly into Newark --1.5 days in NYC with hopes of grabbing two Hamilton tix in the lottery. If not, great food and walking around then leave Sunday to start the real fun.
Day 1 - Ursinus
Day 2 - Susquehanna
Day 3 - Juniata
Day 4 - University of Richmond
Day 5 - Roanoke College
We might skip U of R and go right to RC… making this a 4 day week. We will then see U of Richmond in Week 2
Heading south bc we are connecting with College daughter driving or flying up from Florida for a quick visit. We are both so anxious to see and hug and love on her!
Week 2 - Drive up on Sunday night to Virginia Beach - Virginia Wesleyan U
Day 2 -
Day 3
Day 4 - we fly out of Newark at 10 pm so will be up that way closer.
SPEAK NOW OR FOREVER HOLD YOUR PEACE… any to add that ON THE ROUTE… Sociology / Psychology / Criminology / Social Work-ish … 3.66 … Loving Test Optional / Normal Test Scores -waiting for SAT this week / Interesting backstory / Clever, cute, witty Essay that showed her “we are the world” attitude (without using those words!).
@DoDEAMom18 – not sure if you are still looking at JMU, but to answer a few questions about housing, transport… Freshmen can sign a 2 yeat housing contract which guarantees on-campus housing for 2 years. Most juniors and seniors live off campus. Off campus options include houses within walking distance to campus, and apartment complexes (some also within walking distance to campus), many of which cater specifically to students… ie. only students live there, leases are by the student, utilities included, etc…
Harrisonburg has a bus system that serves both the campus and the community. So, it is not too difficult to get to shopping. East campus is walking distance to a shopping plaza with Wal-Mart, Chipotle, Barnes and Nobel, etc… West campus is walking distance to downtown which is full of local restaurants, coffee shops, a food coop market, and boutiques.
JMU is larger than the other schools on the list, but if she wants a larger school in the mix, it may be worth a visit. It is an undergraduate focused university, and offers undergraduates the opportunities of a bigger school, with the close-knit feel of a smaller school.
Sounds like a great trip! If you have any questions about Susquehanna, let me know. My sophomore daughter is currently planning her study abroad semester in Florence, Italy for her junior year. 
@KatMT We are coming to JMU the weekend of November 10/11th for auditions. Do you have any restaurant recommendations? or must sees? Sorry for the high jack!
Another CTCL school, McDaniel College in MD may be worth investigating, perhaps Washington College, also in MD. Franklin and Marshall college in PA. We have family friends with students st all 3 of these colleges who are having great experiences.
Just when I thought it was safe to print off the map (as a back up, of course using GPS)… lots of good suggestions. MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY in Arlington has caught DD2 eye … Criminal, Soc and Psych. Even though she does not want Criminal Justice major or minor…she wants “something” to do with Criminology or Crim Justice so is looking for the option to even just take some courses along with her major. Ran the NPC and it was as usual amazingly so very close to the other NPC’s.
@MaineLonghorn I will PM you for some info on Susquehanna. We read such wonderful reviews of the college and programs. Does your DD feel remote or connected enough? I am not that far from Florence so keep me in mind if you ever need a Mom on this side of the pond for your study abroad daughter!
@DoDEAMom18, my D feels connected, for sure. I should add that we live in a rural area outside of Portland, Maine, so she feels comfortable in that environment. But the school sends kids to Philly and NYC every year on day trips.
I will keep your offer in mind next year! Thanks so much. She studied abroad in Spain in 10th grade, but I will still be a little nervous having her overseas.
Let me know if you have any Ursinus questions! I think it would feel less remote than Susquehanna (I am familiar with both schools and their locations) but you can’t go wrong with either!
OP, I am very familiar with all of the schools. Juniata is a crapshoot. It is truly in the middle of nowhere.
Ursinus is quite rigorous in the sciences. The school is filled with athletes. No cute, walking town nearby.
My Son is a junior at Susquehanna and loves it. I have never heard anything bad about it! My D will be applying there in the upcoming weeks.
Others on her list (she is looking for intellectual, hipster-ish, average SAT scores, needs merit):
Agnes Scott, Wooster, Denison, Knox, Lawrence, Beloit, St. John’s College in MD, Earlham.
Another poster mentioned Lycoming. I liked that school. Elizabethtown, too. We were tired by the time we went to McDaniel, so I cannot objectively say what I think!
In Maryland, you may want to check out St. Mary’s College and Goucher. Are you willing to consider Allegheny? May be a good fit, although it, too, is in the middle of nowhere.
Hate to pile on another school, but consider Guilford in NC. It has a forensic biology concentration (criminal justice-like, but not) along with lab equipment and related internships. It is Quaker (social workish, we are the worldish) , test optional, CTCL, with merit estimation built in to the NPC. Good Luck
@NancyTN thanks for the lead to Guilford - it looks fabulous with similar programs to Juniata -but not so remote! I hit the NPC and was slightly shocked to see that the only merit was 6k bringing the net price to 42k. Absolutely the highest of any of the NPC’s run and at least 15k more than all the other LAC’s. I am dropping them a note to see if there was an error… but they use the College Board NPC (love that – so fast and easy!) so I doubt it. We would be happy to see Guilford join the list due to the more central-ish location and terrific we are the world programs!
Thanks for the suggestion!
@lisabees Thanks for the info and insight. I do not recall now why but McDaniel, Lycoming and Elizabethtown all did not make the list but honestly I do not remember why… DD toured Denison (loved!), Allegheny (on her short list and gauging from how much she wears the shirt she must love it), and C of Wooster which she also really liked and she has the option for the non-music major scholarship as she plays the trumpet, guitar and sings quite well. Putting a lot of hope on Susquehanna at this point. Toying with taking Juniata off the list just due to the endless comments that it is in the middle of nothing and it takes up an entire day … but their program is just what DD is looking for so I will see if she is up for being in the sticks. Thanks for the info… trying to keep it all from being a blur before we even hit the road!!!
@DoDEAMom18 Over the last year we have visited several of the schools on your list including Ursinus, Dickinson, Muhlenberg, Juniata, as well as Wooster and Denison. It’s a tough call on whether or not to skip Juniata. My son does not want rural, but he was impressed with the school and students he met. The tour guide was a science major and very strong advocate for the school. At Ursinus our guide looked like he just woke up and only talked about frat parties and skipping classes. Both felt rural, and could have been the day, but very different results for my son. Ursinus fell off the list. Juniata stayed on, although second-tier.
If your daughter likes Denison and Wooster, was Kenyon ever a possibility? We have also toured there and although remote, it isn’t too far from Columbus. The students are bright yet didn’t come across competitive. If I had to compare, I would say they seem a mix of Denison, Wooster, and Dickinson students. There is merit aid with some half and full tuition, but could be very competitive. My son took Dickinson off the list as we didn’t see merit any higher than $20k and with it’s COA, other schools moved ahead. Wooster seems to have a sweet spot with lower COA and possible higher merit, along with a good mix of students. My son has visited twice and it’s near the top of his list. Muhlenberg is also there, and agree it did feel a bit more regional, but friendly students just the same.
Good luck in your search and enjoy the journey!
@jcmom716 Yikes no idea how Kenyon was not on our We Love list… yes we toured and really liked it. The Ohio LAC;s were really welcoming and encouraging. With all the fussing I am making over this trip, I need to remind myself that she has some really great options in Ohio that she loved and they loved her! Funny how the right or not so right tour guide can really make or break the day on a college visit. The Allegheny guide was just along for the walk with not saying anything for minutes at a time - DD was the one asking "soooooooo is housing for all four years?, what’s the Greek like like?, what do you do on the weekend?. The guide was ready with one word answers… but DD still really liked the school. Thanks for the encouragement with the list. I am going to stop obsessing, book the hotels and hit the road for a fun and interesting few weeks of touring around PA and VA … and sneak in a visit to college daughter 1 !
I don’t have anything more to contribute regarding schools (except that we liked Scranton and Muhlenberg) but here’s a link to the Hamilton digital lottery http://www.hamiltonbroadway.com/lotto and info about it https://www.timeout.com/newyork/theater/hamilton-lottery as well as a lottery page for Wicked and some other shows: https://lottery.broadwaydirect.com/
Have a great trip!