Preliminary list--would love advice!

If he would consider going south he might like Sewanee. I think they are supposed to have a strong writing program.

Agree with @Wilson98, don’t totally disregard PA schools. Junior year my son and many of his friends thought they would be attending OOS schools. Come senior year only two, including my son, are now considering it. Most realized they didn’t want to be a plane ride or 7 hour drive away. It may not hold true for your child, but I read a stat 70% of students are within a 3-4 drive from home.

That said, you have a good list of a variety of schools. Beloit might be a possibility although I don’t know what majors they are strong in. If you want something a little larger, possibly the University of Rochester? Keep in mind changes in majors, location, and general thought process can occur over the next year. Like you, we started with a larger list and narrowed as time went on. Has your son visited any schools? Spring break would be a great time since many colleges have a different break than high schools. It was pretty easy for my son to take some off the list after visiting. As time went on we also added schools, many closer to home. There are many resources that can help give you a general feel of the school, Fiske Guide, College Niche, and College Data are a few in addition to Princeton Review. Also search here on CC…we found that very helpful in our journey.

Part of finding the right fit involves objective factors like big/small, urban/rural, affordability, & having the desired major.

But more subjective factors also contribute to fit. Having come from a small town myself, I would be concerned with whether your son will seem innocent & naive compared to his classmates. Some of the schools on your list would be a tough fit socially for the typical small town kid, especially Reed, Emerson.