I’m a pretty introverted/shy person but I also really like going out on the weekends (although I’m not a drinker). I also plan on joining varsity cross country and some type of outing club. What NESCAC schools would be best for this?
Colby has a very active outting club and has a reputation for being outdoorsy and was the first to come to mind when I read your post., You should look at Bowdoin and Bates as well. Maine is called Vacationland for a reason!
Middlebury and Hamilton would be worth a look as well.
Depends on what you mean by “going out”. Most NESCACs are located in small towns and social life revolves around activities on campus. The further north you go, to Maine or Vermont, the more winter sports come into play. To an avid skier, being within an hour’s drive of Killington can be worth a lot of other shortcomings. All of them have cross-country teams.
Tufts, of course, is located within walking distance of a Boston “T” stop and it is said that lots of people take advantage of that transportation on the weekends. There is also a nearby commercial strip called, Davis Square that draws people.
Wesleyan is a different animal altogether; it somehow manages to be both small and metropolitan at the same time. About 10% of the student body are visual or performing arts majors and almost everyone seems to play a musical instrument or sing or both. There’s a live music performance somewhere nearly every weekend. In addition, the newly revamped bookstore is very events oriented with frequent speakers and book-signings and may appeal to the bibliophile in you.