mid-range, mid-size schools in the northeast

<p>My daughter is interested in: a co-ed, mid-sized school (4,000 - 8,000), within in a 7 hour drive to Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Her stats: 3.5 gpa, SAT's: m - 590, cr - 620, wr - 700. She is in love with Carnegie Mellon for these reasons: "Carnegie Mellon is not for everyone however. This is not a party school, if you are into sports as a major extra curricular I wouldn't recommend it. It is a great school for people who are open minded, interested in off the wall and off the beaten track things and who like meeting people that don't fit "typical" molds." (studentreviews.com), the size is perfect, it's in a nice size city. I like that the financial aid for need's based families is high. But, alas this school would be a very far reach for her. Also, she is not a science or tech type - though most of her friends are. She wants to study psychology, but needs a liberal arts college or university because her mind may (and probably will) change by the time she wakes up this morning. Any ideas would be hugely helpful - I am swimming in the information</p>

<p>Providence College would be worth a look. Maybe Clark or Quinnipiac.</p>

<p>U of Scranton, U of Maine.</p>

<p>Fordham, American and Ithaca. Maybe Syracuse (around 12,000 or so).</p>

<p>Marist comes to mind. Also a little further afield–U of Delaware.</p>

<p>Dickinson (might be a reach), Lafayette, American</p>

<p>University of Vermont in Burlington has about 10,000 undergrads.
Burlington has a lot going on for the student population. </p>

<p>Pricey for OOS, though, I take it that your D is not interested in UMASS? I interpreted your post as being a MA resident.</p>

<p>Northeastern, Clark, Bennington maybe, Colgate…</p>

<p>you guys are great! She is very interested in Umass - when we looked at it last year she fell in love with everything about it. She will definitely apply there, but I’m hoping she won’t put all of her eggs in one basket. She says she doesn’t want to be in Boston - personally I think she would love Boston, but I’m not her! I will research the suggestions you’ve all made. Thanks so much and keep 'em coming if you can!</p>

<p>Holy Cross, Trinity.</p>

<p>Above suggestions all excellent, especially Clark. Check Hampshire; Ursinus; Muhlenberg; Drew (all smaller than midsized, but the atmosphere she wants is more common at small schools); Goucher; Alleghenny; Pitt; Hobart; Alfred; Stonehill; Bard; Skidmore; Union; Juniata</p>

<p>Clark and Holy Cross have strong psych depts.</p>

<p>julefyfe, as a parent of four, I have always urged my kids to look at different types of schools & their environment to see what feels right to them. For instance: Large public university (UMASS, UCONN, UVM etc.) smaller LAC’s, a women’s college (if interested) and urban, rural, suburban type settings. This helps to narrow it down! </p>

<p>Wheaton College (MA) not too far from you has a psychology major. Small town, kids go into Boston & Providence for a taste of city life. I personally, don’t put too much emphasis on the major they think they want, because they do change their minds!</p>

<p>I am making a spreadsheet to help keep things in order. This website is so great and thanks to everyone for helping. I am sure she will change her mind many times and probably has since I began this thread. This is what I am thinking at this point: she is hoping to connect up with people with similar interests and tastes (as everyone is) so, if she chooses a small school it should be made up mostly of people she thinks like - in a larger school there are so many types she will be sure to find who she is looking for. I have a wonderful list going thanks to all of you. More suggestions are certainly welcome… but, I am going to start to narrow this list down! Thank you, thank you, thank you!</p>

<p>Well, UMass-Lowell or Salem State are far enough away from Boston and are situated in two interesting places, particularly Lowell, which has reportedly undergone a rennaisance.</p>

<p>Other than that…
Allegheny College
Westminster College, PA
St. Lawrence University
U of Rochester
William Smith College
Richard Stockon College</p>

<p>Right…all excellent suggestions. But you better get cracking on narrowing the list down to the 10-12 she will apply to and start the applications NOW. (Many take the common app, which I highly recommend.) Because by Christmas the frenzy is on, the schools are closed and getting recommendations and transcripts in on time can be dicey. Some schools have January 1 deadlines for completed applications!!! GET GOING! </p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

<p>Yes, GET GOING is right! I have been searching for ages - 10’s of hours for sure. My daughter, however, is satisfied applying to just Umass and Hampshire (which is why I am the one on collegeconfidential.com and she is away on a three day field trip! Truly, I think she will be plenty happy wherever she goes - she’s very easy going and takes life as it comes, but I would like to her to keep her options as open as possible by applying to a bunch of places.</p>

<p>Try to get out and do visits at some of the most likely prospects. Seeing the school can be a very different experience than looking at them on line and on paper. Take a tour and go to the info session when ever possible.</p>

<p>Union College as well</p>

<p>Northeastern has the top co-op program in the US and it is located in Boston. It is a slightly larger school than you were shooting for though. I was just discussing it in another thread with someone, so I have the link readily available with some info:</p>

<p>Northeastern’s cooperative education (co-op) program was one of the first of its kind in the world. Through the co-op program, students complete eight semesters of full-time study and up to three six-month terms of paid full-time work. The program has been regularly ranked as the best co-op program in the country. The university has a large selection of corporate and non-profit co-op partners both in the United States and abroad. Employers have included major newspapers, popular television shows, top ranked international law firms, banks, and corporations and many Fortune 500 companies such as Microsoft, Disney, and Procter & Gamble. Participating students typically receive their undergraduate degree in five years, however a four year option is also available for most majors with fewer co-ops. Northeastern was ranked #1 by the Princeton Review for “Best Internships/Career Services” 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011.</p>

<p>Class size: 3,400-3,500 students per year, so it is slightly larger than the smaller schools you mentioned. </p>

<p>Wiki:
[Northeastern</a> University - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northeastern_university]Northeastern”>Northeastern University - Wikipedia)</p>

<p>Official:
[Northeastern</a> University: a leader in global experiential learning in Boston, MA](<a href=“http://www.northeastern.edu%5DNortheastern”>http://www.northeastern.edu)</p>