Currently planning a summer road trip to some colleges to narrow down the list, check out the surrounding areas, and figure out which are definite for a revisit when school is in session. This is for possible transferring.
The main criteria are english, judaic studies, and in at LEAST a suburban area with access to a city if not in a city. There’s a few that don’t fit that perfectly on the list, but that’s also to determine if those criteria are firm or not.
How about Brandeis? That would seem to fit your criteria really well. I’m not sure how transfer friendly it is. Maybe you can make it there if you go to Smith. It’s a 2-3 hours away.
Those aside, it seems like a good list, and pretty reasonable in terms of travel. I love Northampton (Smith). Did you know Smith is a member of the Five College Consortium, with Mount Holyoke, Amherst, Hampshire, and U Mass Amherst. Students can take some classes and take advantage of opportunities at the other schools.
Chiming in on Mid-Atlantic possibilities:
Muhlenberg and Dickinson in PA have Judaic Studies programs and English, but are about 1.5 and 2 hours from Philadelphia. To me that’s too far, but it might not be for you, even if you have access to a car. I’m not sure if SEPTA goes up as far as Allentown. I’m pretty sure they don’t go all the way out to Carlisle.
UMBC has a Judaic Studies minor, and excellent access to Baltimore. University of Maryland has an undergrad major, and Metro access to DC.