<p>OK... me (original poster) again,</p>
<p>Thanks for your additional suggestions. Many, unfortunately, we will have to scratch off the list because of distance, overwhelmingly preppy/conservative/fraternity-type culture, and school size. </p>
<p>I have discussed with my S that he might want to consider putting Haverford back on the list as an ED1 school, but he says over and over that that will be "wasting" his ED, he won't get in... yadda yadda. </p>
<p>I then suggested that he consider putting Vassar on top of the list and use his ED application there but he refers me to studentsreview dot com where Vassar gets many negative comments. (If you check that website ALL schools get negative comments to some degree. Sheesh!)</p>
<p>I am mightily frustrated. So, stage two of developing a college list:</p>
<p>MARLBORO:
He is still smitten with Marlboro after our visit two weeks ago. This despite its remote location, lack of TV or cellphone reception, and the fact that he is not particularly an outdoor/winter kid (just try to get him to shovel the sidewalk here at home and he grumbles!). An overnight is absolutely a necessity for both of us to be convinced that he will not go stir crazy being there for 4 years. Marlboro requires an interview anyway, so we'll visit again this fall. I know that this is what he is looking for academically. Just want to make sure that he would thrive there socially as well. </p>
<p>BRANDEIS:
We'll be adding Brandeis to our "check it out list." We did a self guided tour there last year after we dropped my older son off at Tufts last fall. There was really no one on campus at that time and so the only impressions we had were of the physical campus (it was much nicer than we had expected it to be.) So, Brandeis fell off the list by accident. Unfortunately, my older son refers to Brandeis as "Jew U," since all his peers who go there are quite religious Jews (We are Jewish ourselves, though both of my sons consider themselves Jewish culturally and not religiously). I know it has a wonderful history department, so I think we need to take a "real" tour and meet real life kids who go there.</p>
<p>BOSTON UNIVERSITY:
I know, too HUGE! But...Boston University offers a two year "Core Curriculum" option, limited to 500 freshmen, which uses a "Great Books" approach to meeting basic ed requirements. <a href="http://www.bu.edu/core/%5B/url%5D">http://www.bu.edu/core/</a></p>
<p>My son actually gave some thought to St. John's in Annapolis which uses this Great Books approach all four years, but ultimately thought that would be frustrating not to focus in on history just a bit. </p>
<p>We both read over the BU program and it sounds wonderful! He is very VERY enthusiastic about it. He is especially interested because he would have an option to live with other freshmen enrolled in the Core Curriculum program. This helps him avoid many of the negatives about going to a huge school by offering a "college within a college." </p>
<p>I explained to him that he may be in huge lectures with 500 other freshmen once a week but if he can tolerate that then each class breaks down into smaller seminars for the rest of the week. All courses are taught by real professors, not TAs. He likes that. By junior year he would be able to focus on his history concentration. He would have made the social networks freshman and soph years so the largeness of the school would no longer be overwhelming. AND he would have all of Boston, the best college city in the world, at his fingertips.</p>
<p>He might even qualify for some merit aid here.</p>
<p>THE COLLEGE OF NEW JERSEY.
Another idea is The College of New Jersey. It has the "ewwww" factor of being in our home state and no name recognition whatsoever outside of NJ, but my s has many friends who are interested in TCNJ so he's been hearing more and more good things about it from others who have toured the school. From the website, TCNJ has what looks like a very strong history/classics program and a teacher certification in history program too, which he is considering. </p>
<p>We hear that it gets more and more difficult to get accepted each year and is now the most difficult of Jersey's state colleges to gain acceptance. It is attracting the smartest of the smartest of our state who would otherwise go to Ivies with very generous financial aid packages. My older son, who goes to Tufts, was offered a free ride and laptop at TCNJ and the Val his year goes to TCNJ for the 7 year BA/MD program. </p>
<p>I like that this is a small school where son #2 would get the seminar style classes he is seeking. There is some frat culture there, but I've read it is not overwhelming. Ewing NJ is 1/2 hour from Philly. We hear (and hope its true) that its reputation of being a "suitcase school" is changing as the school develops more and more activities on weekends.<br>
Oh, and... it' cheap.
So, we need to check this one out. </p>
<p>Wow, this is long.</p>
<p>Your thoughts welcomed on:</p>
<p>Vassar ED: Where can I find information on the stats for those accepted ED vs those accepted RD? Are the kids at Vassar happy academically? Socially? </p>
<p>Marlboro? Can a nice Jewish boy from the NYC suburbs survive in remote Vermont for four years if the academics are just what he has been dreaming of?</p>
<p>What is the history department like at Brandeis? Is the academic culture "cut throat?" Is it really "Jew U?" What is the social culture like? Do the kids go into Boston at all? </p>
<p>Any info on BU's Core Curriculum program? Is it really a "school within a school" culture? Would a kid who is adverse to primarily lecture style classes be frustrated?</p>
<p>Any info on the academic and social culture at TCNJ? What's doing on weekends? Would an intellectual kid feel out of place there?</p>
<p>Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!</p>