Thanks to you all, we have a long list of academic/financial target & likely schools to explore for DS25 (like Wheaton, Clark, Muhlenberg, Ursinus), & we are focusing most of our research & visits on those schools. I would, however, eventually like to explore a couple of reaches for him also. Which northeast LACs might be the best fit for a kid with these preferences/interests?
-public policy/political science/international relations/environmental studies
-wants to participate in theater/music but not major in them
-limited bro culture–wants good social options for men who aren’t athletes
-active extracurricular/club scene
-politically active & engaged
-supportive & safe for LGBTQ
-socioeconomic diversity–he will qualify for work-study & will not have much $$ to spend on restaurants/bars/concerts/shopping. Looking for a school where that won’t matter so much.
My immediate thought is Vassar - it checks all your boxes
A definite reach for all but if you go into the process with your eyes open and keen awareness of reach= unlikely to happen, why not?
DO run the NPC.
Bates matches most criteria (except for politically active: i’s not super politically active but lots of volunteering/actual social action opportunities. Other criteria should work).
In addition to the colleges on your list Dickinson, Skidmore, and Goucher (I expect Goucher is not a reach) came to mind. You will need to see if finances work.
If you want to add your son’s academic stats it could help with suggestions.
My understanding is people in IR think this Foreign Policy list is a pretty good starting point for narrowing down undergraduate options:
The NE/NY LACs on the list include Williams, Middlebury, Wellesley (not applicable), Amherst, and Vassar.
Based on the other things you wrote, I also immediately thought of Vassar. Not that you should rule out the others, but Vassar isn’t a NESCAC school and I understand it to be generally less athletics-focused. My understanding is it has also long been particularly known for being LGBTQ friendly, although at this point I think that is basically universal among these LACs. Still, Vassar made this top 25 list, for example:
By the way, any chance of looking outside NE/NY? Like, just cross-referencing the IR list and the LGBTQ list, I also see Macalester. From what I know that also seems like a good fit in general, and it is in a great city.
You’re 100% right about Macalester–I’m from the midwest & know that Macalester, Carleton, St. Olaf, Grinnell, Oberlin, etc. would all be great prospects for him. So far he is adamant about staying East, so we’re trying to find a couple of good fits in New England/NY/PA.
Thanks–I’ll be running the NPCs for all schools later this fall.
He just finished sophomore year, so his stats are still very much in flux (no SAT score yet). But so far he has a 3.9 unweighted GPA (one B+ 9th grade, otherwise all As) & has taken the most rigorous classes available to him–top 10% in his class. He took AP World History last year & got a 5; taking 3 more APs junior year. Reasonably strong but not extraordinary ECs–city-wide youth leadership position, tournament-winning debater, lots of theater & music. Basically, he’s pretty average excellent so far–if he ends up applying to any of the highly selective LACs, he’ll know that they are very much long shots.
Any interest in smaller universities? Tufts is an obvious choice for IR people, also on the other list. Brown is on both lists. William & Mary too–obviously in Virginia, but it very much has a similar vibe to those sorts of Northeastern schools. Also has a cool joint degree program with St Andrews, and one of the majors in that program is IR (St Andrews is also well-known in IR):
Of course if universities are out, that is fine too. Since you mentioned PA, I think that would put Swarthmore into play. I believe it is again considered very LGBTQ friendly as well.
Yikes. Too early for a list! Not too early to get your financial ducks in a row, and not too early for your son to throw himself into becoming the best HS person he can be based on what he loves.
Definitely agree with Skidmore, Vassar, for extreme reaches Brown, Williams (big athlete population but also big performing arts population so should be able to find a place). These are the reaches in the area for my S24 who has similar thoughts and music extracurricular.
Wesleyan University checks a lot of boxes (though, I agree with @blossom that a rising Junior still has time to change their priorities.) Wes is probably the poster child for political activism in a NESCAC context: a good mix of non-athletes as well as athletes. It boasts two sitting U.S. senators as well as the mayor of Middletown as alums, and is home to a widely cited political ad watchdog, “The Wesleyan Media Project”. Here’s an interview with a typical Wesleyan student:
Not a reach and somewhat different than most of the other options mentioned thus far, I wonder if he might fit in at College of the Atlantic. Small (350 students), very LGBTQIA+ friendly, strong focus on the environment. Not for everyone, but when it clicks, it clicks.
I also immediately thought of Vassar and keep in mind that being male would help his admissions odds slightly compared with some other LACs. Good luck!
Just an FYI…very later this fall, the NPCs will be reset for students entering college in fall 2024. That is NOT your kid. So use any results you get with caution. And yes, financial aid calculation policies do change, and so do the costs of attendance.
