Well, two kids who went to isolated schools that I know both COMPLAINED about the close-knit nature of their respective schools. It’s fine if you like the social scene. If you don’t, there aren’t many options!
“Incestuous” is also a word often used to describe the social scene at a remote midwestern LAC attended by the daughter of a friend of mine. She thought that was a drawback.
But - both these kids admit they got great, individualized educations. Something for something, I suppose.
Most small schools including many if not most liberal arts colleges, close their dorms at Thanksgiving. You can’t stay on campus if you wanted to.
That wasn’t the case with Oberlin or many other LACs/small universities I know of even back in the '90s.
Especially considering the not insignificant numbers of international students would have had serious issues as the Thanksgiving holiday is too short to allow many of them time to travel home and back. And most back then weren’t in a financial position to afford staying in local motels/hotels.
That and for many colleges, Thanksgiving weekend is only a week or two away from the start of finals/final seminar/colloquium research paper due dates.
Even some native-born American students like yours truly and the college classmate who graduated from an earlier class at 17 with high honors opted to spend Thanksgiving week on campus to put in study/research paper/senior thesis time rather than head back home.
This isnt the 90’s.
There are many more international students attending US colleges including small LACs currently than back when I was an undergrad.
Thus, more of a reason why closing dorms for Thanksgiving would be very unwise if their aim is to take their needs into account.
In fact, I’ve only heard of a handful of colleges/universities which did that.
Maybe it was more common back when you attended college back in the '70s when international student populations were even smaller than they were when I attended or moreso nowadays.
Care to support your very sweeping claim?
My alma mater didn’t close the dorms. It was fun staying on campus, surrounded mostly by international students–I got to know a lot of people I wouldn’t otherwise have known, as we were the only ones in the dining hall (which was also open).
That was the 90s, of course, and as you say, this isn’t the 90s, but I have a lot of former (international) students who attend LACs in the US, and they almost never come home for T’giving–in fact, they stay in the dorms.
Funny part was the students who stayed behind on Thanksgiving weren’t necessarily just international students. There were also plenty of native-born American students who stayed behind.
Only thing I noticed was that on Thanksgiving weekend, the native-born American students were mostly upper-class students, especially seniors working on their senior thesis or departmental capstone projects to complete their honors/departmental major requirements.
Was great as it meant I got to interact with older students a lot more than i would have otherwise.
Sorry, Marvin, cannot research all the colleges’ academic Calendars. But many of them close over the holidays. Maybe if your avatar had eyes it could look for them 
(that avatar is a bit creepy).
My college closed and I’d often bring people home who had nowhere else to go. But that’s even further ancient history than the 1990s! A quick google search pulls up many schools (in fact many state Us) with dorms and/or dining halls etc closed for the holiday.
Marvin,
Out of curiosity, did they serve Thanksgiving themed meals during the holiday weekend at your college?
One thing I remembered fondly was the freshly made eggnog with the turkey and fixings on white table cloths and table settings and enjoying it with my classmates in the dining hall which was open during that weekend.
Also had some opportunities to be invited to homes of some Profs and a Dean Emeritus for more meals/snacks and conversations/games. 
(1) you said “most,” not “many.”
(2) you made the claim. Support it or don’t, your call, but without any evidence, it’s not credible.
@cobrat - yeah, one dining hall had Thanksgiving food. It was surprisingly palatable 
It’s ok, folks. We could move to other challenges. And it would be nice if OP had responded. Or put this straight into the Midd forum.
Food was fantastic. Thanksgiving themed meals in dining hall and more at the Profs’ homes. Great for food and to get to hang out with classmates, Profs, and Profs’ families.
I went to Oberlin College, literally in the middle of corn fields and back then a dry town. TBH, the student life there was so intense that I was completely absorbed. Cleveland was about 40 miles away and we did go there to dance, have Peking Duck, and various things and during break we went to NYC or elsewhere. So it was fine.
Advantage for a closer student: My DD goes to a college an hour away. She wanted to get a seasonal job so she would have something to do over the break and make $$. I am able to get her so she could interview and also go to the training locally to us. Or she can borrow the carshare car and drive herself.
@alciblade
Interesting.
While there were plenty of corn fields when I attended in the mid-late '90s, it certainly wasn’t a dry town when I attended.
The local Oberlin Inn served alcoholic beverages, one can buy alcohol from a supermarket a 15-20 minute walk from campus, and the campus had a small bar which was frequented mostly by college faculty, staff, and guests of the former two. While 21+ students could also go, it was mostly a much older crowd there.
I went to Middlebury, and now have two kids at somewhat isolated schools - one at a southern LAC (Hendrix) and one at Virginia Tech. I was apprehensive about Midd because of its its isolation, but its rural character is now the part I miss about it the most. Even dealing with snowstorms over Thanskgiving led to some great memories. Unless you are someone that just can’t survive without the buzz of a city, don’t worry about where your college is - just go for the best fit and it will work out. However, I would say that a car is a huge benefit if you are going to be out in nowheresville.
Agree with #37.
Also:
If your school is within a 5 (or whatever) hour drive of your home they will likely be getting to/from home by car at least some of the time. Car is often the preferred choice of transportation, where it is available and feasible.
If the school is large, and your destination is a significantly sized metro area within ready driving distance, there is a decent chance that ride share opportunities will be available. Also if your school is large they may offer other transportation options. For example my alma mater runs its own buses multiple times a day direct from its campus to mid-town Manhattan.
Ok Here is my reply to the first post.
My D went to a teeny, tiny Classical LAC (total 120 students) in Lander, Wyoming. Yes the home of the National Outdoor Leadership school. Her college’s attraction for her was that - Outdoor Leadership. That and the socratic teaching method of a 4-yr Great Books program. All located in the Wind River Mountain range. 5-6 hour drive from Denver (the major airport for most students) The other major airport is Salt Lake City but it can be a hit or miss trying to get there in the winter having to cross the mountains. We live in Southern Md. It was pretty much an all day ordeal to get to or from college.
We saw her for 3-4 weeks over Christmas break and for about 2 weeks between the end of Spring Semester and beginning of Fall. Employment was abundant during the summer months in Lander and the surrounding area so she always had a job. She LOVED it! And she got the opportunity to test out what it would be like in the Outdoor industry being a trekking guide and a backpacking and climbing instructor. Of Course I missed her and was an avid FB stalker for pictures but I loved that she was happy and transforming into a confidant young woman able to do a lot on her own and not having me around to catch her if she fell. She had to figure it out on her own.
She always said that she would die behind a desk and that she needed an active career. So I thought I probably would lose her to the Mountain Zone out west. Surprisingly during senior year she came to the conclusion that although she loved the outdoors, she realized that taking people out on the trail or working with teens out there was not what she enjoyed. But she really liked her Wilderness Emergency First Responder training that made her re-think her future after college. So, NOW during this gap year after graduating last May, she is applying to a Post-Bac Pre-med program here in the DC area - yep now she has her eyes set for medicine! And she is home!
So, my adventurer DD who was keen to go far, far away, has flown back to the coop. She said she loved her time in Wyoming and it was something she would do over again but that chapter of her life was over and it was time to move on.
Hope that is a good story for your parents.