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<p>I was responding to post #5, which suggested RIT. Several kids from our hs head there since we are the IT school in our county. IMHO it wouldn’t be a great fit based on what the OP posted. Others have given some great suggestions. :)</p>
<p>Thanks, Happymomof1. Financial issues are already resolved. He can go to whichever school he chooses.</p>
<p>Carnegie Mellon is probably quirkier than he realizes, but it’s not a safety. Probably a match in science, but is reachy in comp sci for everybody. (I’m told SCS’s admissions rate this year was 7%.) Not much of an LAC vibe, but because of it’s division into schools I think it’s a bit more intimate than other institutions of it’s size. (I think it’s smaller than U of Chicago.) </p>
<p>Bard would definitely be a safety. It has new science labs, and a great educational philosophy, but I have no idea if it has adequate comp sci for someone who is serious. Personally I think Bard is too small and too isolated to be very attractive, but it really appeals to some.</p>
<p>My comp sci son had RPI and WPI for his safeties. Both are technical schools, but RPI has a new arts complex and WPI seemed to have a very active theater scene, and both have consortium arrangements with other colleges in their area, that may make them attractive choices. He’d likely get merit money at both of them.</p>
<p>jamdds - Yay! I love it when a parent can say that! You deserve a big round of applause!</p>
<p>I will jump on board with the others who suggested Oberlin. My son recently graduated from there and is the epitome of quirky!</p>
<p>‘whichever school that he chooses that also chooses him’ would be more accurate :)</p>
<p>Not in the Midwest but how about Reed? Talk about quirky and intellectual! No band tho. My DS had it last on his list until he visited and feel in love. He is there now and the school is challenging him intellectually and is full of kids like him. Not a safey but you do have geographical diversity which DS did also coming from east coast.</p>
<p>Knox is quirky, and in the midwest.</p>
<p>Isn’t Oberlin more of a ‘reach’ school than a ‘safety’ school?</p>
<p>Yes–I forgot to mention that in my message. It is pretty competitive.</p>
<p>Harvey Mudd. I know it’s far from the location he’s looking at and it’s not a safety, but it is a great math, engineering, computer science school that is also a liberal arts college. And it has opportunity for band participation. From their web page:
“Membership in The Claremont Concert Orchestra, which is supported through the Joint Music Program, is open to all students at The Claremont Colleges. Students are chosen following a successful audition. All students may also participate in the Pomona College Orchestra. Students also have the opportunity to join the Jam Society (musician club), HMC’s band, and the jazz ensemble.”</p>
<p>And without doubt, students are wonderfully quirky.</p>
<p>Kalamazoo College would fit him and he could play his instrument. Areyou are talking about a geeky quirky kid . This would be in contrast to the hipster quirky kid that would like Reed, Bard, Oberlin. I agree with Hanna that Beloit would also fit the description of what he might like unless he’s looking for a totally hipster vibe…</p>
<p>I might have read a little too quickly. My mind transposed the “not” from greek to small LAC and was wondering why so many people were suggesting the schools they are. A re-read shows my error.</p>
<p>The University of Rochester is a small research U where the vast majority of the students also do research. Then it meets the quirky standards (loving learning in general and it overflowing into everything inside and outside the classroom). It’s also rather diverse and students have been very accepting according to my guy. Music options abound for both majors and non-majors. But it’s not a small LAC, so if that’s what the OP is looking for, it won’t suffice. It’s a research U. Sorry for the mis-read.</p>
<p>NOT a hipster–definitely NOT a hipster…</p>
<p>With his numbers, I would think of Oberlin as a match. My D would not qualify as a hipster either (not even sure exactly what that means though) but we are going to look at Oberlin later this month. With a 30% acceptance rate, it’s easier to get into than many of those on her list. U Rochester is high on her list too.</p>
<p>(re hipster)
Glad I’m not the only one! My kids use this term so randomly I can’t get a handle on it. Every time I think I understand, they refer to someone as a hipster and it doesn’t fit what I thought. Does this mean I’m old? lol</p>
<p>Consider Beloit, Kalamazoo, Earlham. Also Hendrix and Centre. Skidmore and Goucher. </p>
<p>It seems that some of the Colleges that Change Lives schools might be good for him to check out: [CTCL</a> Members | Colleges That Change Lives](<a href=“http://www.ctcl.org/colleges/list]CTCL”>http://www.ctcl.org/colleges/list)</p>
<p>He might find that colleges that have good ultimate teams (especially at the D3 level) might have the vibe he’s looking for: [Deprecated</a> Browser Error](<a href=“http://www.usaultimate.org/news/college-rankings-open-apr-4-2012/]Deprecated”>http://www.usaultimate.org/news/college-rankings-open-apr-4-2012/). Similarly, quidditch: [Teams</a> | International Quidditch Association](<a href=“http://www.internationalquidditch.org/teams/]Teams”>http://www.internationalquidditch.org/teams/)</p>
<p>One thing to keep in mind is that due to the nature of the applicant pool many liberal arts colleges have a higher acceptance rate for men than women. The common data set breaks down the numbers between male and female applicants.</p>
<p>Quite a bit like my D2… what about Whitman? Not midwest or east coast, but once you are leaving the midwest, why does it matter which coast?</p>
<p>Just easier to get to the East coast than the West (can drive it) from Wisconsin. It’s not an ‘absolute’ but would play a role in the final decision.</p>
<p>DD2 with similar stats considers herself geeky. She looked at Knox, Carleton (more of a reach), Lewis and Clark (beautiful school in Portland OR), Oberlin. Reed may be reachy since stats only count 20% in admission.</p>