Have you looked at either Oglethorpe University or Berry College? They fit the requirement of being close to home and would be likelys.
@dadof2d Those are definitely two Iâve considered. Apparently, there is definitely something he considers too close to home! ?Thatâs Oglethorpe. It is very close. We know people who have been very happy with Berry, and itâs intriguing⊠But also on a list of most conservative student bodies which wonât work for him.
@roycroftmom Unfortunately no Naviance.
@jeneric thanks. Will give UNC Asheville another look. Would still prefer a community where most of the students live on campus, but I understand your point about the financial reasons. While I understand the financial reasons as the cause, it still might not be the kind of situation that works well for himâŠbut it is really helpful to know that itâs not much of a commuter school so Iâll definitely give it another look!
I just have to correct something I saw back on page 1⊠@roycroftmom wrote: "With the exception of Bates, all the schools on his current list will draw largely from the surrounding region. Few travel from California, for example, for Dickinson or Willamette. " Actually Willamette is about half California kids. True that they donât get a lot from outside of the western states but itâs not just Oregon/Washington kids there.
Living on campus is not necessarily evidence of a community. Most students at NYU live in college-owned housing but few would claim it is a community
@jeneric @roycroftmom and anyone else who knows something about UNC Asheville. I mentioned it to my husband who spent some time looking into it and came back saying it seems worthy of further investigation as it seems to him like a smaller University of Vermont. Do you think that assessment is at least reasonably on point ?
No idea. Sorry.
UNC-A is changing so fast that you have to be sure to get current info, Incoming 1st years are now required to live on campus, where just a couple of years ago they didnât have enough housing to even be able to promise accommodation. The university now has 10+ residence halls and the building continues. NC is investing heavily in strengthening the Asheville, Charlotte & Wilmington branches, both in infrastructure and teaching resources.
Imo, yes, UNC-A is great alternative to UVt.
GA college has a military institute and is among the most conservative LACs. Gettysburg is also conservative and nowhere closer to Atlanta than Dickinson 
Seconding Eckerd.
Ncf is unique, so you need to be sure of the âfitâ.
College of Charleston may be a good alternative.
Look into Millsaps ?
Revisit the idea of UNC Asheville. Itâs not commuter - most students live on campus or eight by campus, they donât go home to their parents after class. Itâs a public university so to compare to private universities use the 5-year graduation rate. Itâs quirky, unpretentious, in a nice town, liberal (would attract Liberal kids who didnât get into UNC chapel Hill/NCSU).
Visiting may be needed though to see for yourself.
@nichols51
Thanks for the info about Berry College. I thought it would be a good fit for D22, but she probably wants a more liberal student body.
@nichols51 UNC Asheville is on our list to visit this summer for D21. She sounds a lot like your son- doesnât care about sports or Greek life. Ideally, weâd love a small school and UNC- Ashevilleâs LLC Athens to Rome- actually caught her eye (big Greek and Roman mythology kid). Your mention of his strength in Latin made me think of this LLC. D21 also loves Asheville as do we, fun place to be. I will try to update after we visit.
She took tours of FL schools over Spring Break. Loved Eckerd the most, also like Rollins. The Eckerd kids were so friendly, several stopped to talk with our group. She just doesnât like FL that much- too hot.
Yes, it seems pretty accurate to me. Asheville itself is very hip and quirky, arguably more so than UNCA. My sister graduated from UNCA a couple of years ago, and Iâm a huge fan of the school.
The low graduation rate was mentioned upthread. One reason for this is that UNCA has a fairly extensive core curriculum, including a required three-semester humanities sequence. It is not too difficult to graduate on time with good planning and a single major, but if you want to double major in unrelated fields (or change majors late in the game), it may take an extra semester or two. Another reason is that some students decide that a small LAC is not for them and transfer elsewhere, most often to UNC Chapel Hill. A motivated student has little reason to fear not being able to graduate in 4 years, I think.
History and Classics are very strong at UNCA. I think itâd be a great place for his academic interests.
1 Like
@jeneric, yes, your D21 sounds a lot like my son (right down to not liking it too hot)! Thanks for the info. I think we are going to go check out Eckerd. My D23âs friend has an older brother who is a sophomore there and loves it. Please do update after you visit UNC AshevilleâŠweâve have been meaning to check out Asheville (itself, not the school) forever, and I think this discussion has just convinced us to go later this year to visit (and to include a stopover at UNC Asheville).
@warblersrule, that is really helpful info. Thank you!
While youâre checking out Eckerd, give New College another look.
You write that one of his current teachers is a NCF graduate who uses a NCF tool - student contract. Your son is doing well with that tool so the âstructureâ works for him.
Even though you want to find a college with accommodations and structure,
It appears your son doesnât actually take advantage of some of the accommodations youâre trying to find in a college. That second part - the learning support of low student-teacher ratio and teachers who are incredibly invested in their students - is exactly what NCF would have. So you already know he does well in the type of structure (or non-structure) found at NCF.
IOW, donât waste time looking for colleges that offer things he wonât seek or use anyways. If you know he works well with low student-teacher ratio and invested teachers, find that instead no matter what the other structure or supports are.
Just one more voice to take the graduation rates with a grain of salt. My nephew at a similar school in the NE has had several internships for semesters/summers, even though he struggles with ADHD and his grades are pretty lousy. He is in year 5 and counting, but his employers all seem to want him to continue working for them and he loves working, so he keeps putting off school. Iâd consider his situation a great compliment to his school, but it looks bad for their graduation rate stats.
Deleted
your best post yet on cc!
Yes, but it is 40 years later and Rollins costs over $70k per year.
I love Rollins, love the lacrosse coach and wish my daughter could have played for him. No way, even as poor Florida residents with BF and the Florida resident grant, could we have had an EFC of $0 at Rollins. Many of the private schools in Florida now rely on students getting BF that theyâve lowered their FA by about $10k (BF plus resident grant).
Iâll just throw in another recommendation for New College. I went there and I have ADHD. The lack of structure does require that your motivation for doing well in classes comes internally, rather than externally, and it can be hard with ADHD. But I promise you that the format of New College, the contract system and the lack of grades, is not harder because of ADHD. The reality is that if you have ADHD youâll have a harder time at ANY college. New College is not uniquely challenging for students with ADHD, if they fit the culture of being academically passionate. But New College students do have to have a drive to do well academically outside of âto get good gradesâ.