I just read this haha. Again, Miami University. Work hard play hard is the motto. And It is a good school and pretty selective. I was in the top 10% of my class and so were a lot of other people. Lots of Nature-- Hueston Woods State Park is here. Look that up too. So pretty:) Great for hikes and doing homework by the water. You’re seriously describing Miami haha this is great. I’m from NC, and I can honestly say the weather isn’t bad here. We actually have seasons! It was so hot when we got here, then the fall was absolutely gorgeous, then winter was a little bit snowy, and currently it’s 60s-70s out! Beautiful!
OP, if you want a genuinely preppy LAC with a distinctive “nautical vibe” (as you put it), you should check out Bowdoin, which is located on the Maine coast. Your stats would make you a competitive candidate for admission.
I absolutely second @Overtheedge in recommending Sewanee as a viable alternative to Sweet Briar: It is very Old-Southern, very preppy, has a huge, rural campus, and caters to the horsey set.
^ Using similar criteria, Connecticut College. The College shares New London with the Coast Guard Academy, which I’d say is pretty nautical.
St. Lawrence is preppy and is near the St. Lawrence Seaway.
Sewanee is actually a very nice school. I think I’m going to apply as a safety.
Sewanee has many of the attributes you are looking for, but it isn’t nautical. If you apply to Sewanee, even as a safety, you’ll probably need to visit and demonstrate interest to be admitted. The number of applicants went up dramatically this year, so they are being more selective.
I agree with those who say Oberlin may not be a good fit. It didn’t strike us as preppy when we visited.
The two schools we visited that felt the most preppy were Skidmore and Hobart & William Smith (Hobart has a top sailing team). But they may not be selective enough for what you are looking for.
Consider looking at Union and Kenyon.
Look at ST. Mary’s College in Maryland. ON the chesapeake bay: lots of sailing
http://www.smcm.edu/
@Momzie I have a nephew who attended St. Mary’s (though he withdrew after junior year to “pursue his muse”), and he liked the school. It is indeed located right on the water. However, based on his experience, I’d say that the vibe is much more hippie/crunchy/hipster than preppy. I’d compare it to New College in FL–another public LAC located on the water and appealing to a distinctly “progressive” student body.
Holy Cross, Colgate, Trinity.
Do you guys think Georgetown would fit the preppy nautical vibe that I’m looking for?
Georgetown does have a preppy slant. What do you mean by nautical? Folks wearing boat shoes without socks?
My niece was on their sailing team. She is a classic preppy: Andover, sailor, skier, married a Princeton Hockey/Lacrosse star. She is also a diehard liberal, as are most of her friends, so don’t expect it to be a Young Republicans club exclusively.
By nautical I mean there’s a lot of sailing (like woogzmama mentioned) and boats and piers nearby and stuff that the college students are allowed access to
And no I wasn’t expecting it to be all conservative. I actually prefer liberal but that’s not one of my most important factors in choosing a college
Oh and @woogzmama your niece sounds like my goals 