<p>-4000-8000 undergrad
-not in deep south (tn ga ms al...) (note nc good, sc maybe)
-for someone w/ 2250 sat w/ 780 cr 710 math and 766 writing in top 10 of class
-for someone thats humanites rather than sci leaning
-city of 150-500-ish thousand (maybe 700,000?)
-not big greek life or hgue drinking scene
-not big commuter population
-preferably still intellectual atmosphere
-not super conservative or preppy</p>
<p>I wouldn't say that TN and GA are any more southern than SC...in fact, I'd say that they're less southern. Anyway, if you'll consider GA, Emory sounds like a great fit for everything you're asking. </p>
<p>Maybe Elon? It's a good fit, and very humanities-oriented.</p>
<p>University of Miami? It does have a bit of a party scene, but not nearly to the extent of big state schools. Very diverse. Pretty intelligent place. Nice campus.</p>
<p>Tulane?</p>
<p>I don't know..it's hard to think of safe southern schools that you wouldn't consider the deep south.</p>
<p>I think Isabel was asking for schools north of that line, not just southern schools. It basically works out to mid size schools in suburban areas (no rural areas or big cities, no small or large schools).</p>
<p>yeah pretty much : ). i've lived 1/2 my life in tn and the other half in ga so I'm really desperate for something a little more....un-southern!! But thanks anyway for your suggestions world changer, i appreciate your input. That's pretty much what I'm looking for Erin's Dad, but not necessarily suburban, most just mid to smaller sized cities. I don't want to live in a suburbia community thats primarily a community of young couples and new families...etc. thanks 4 the feedback ya'll!</p>
<p>Need to know your stats to know what is a safety for you.</p>
<p>Is it for you, Isabel? If you're willing to go to a smaller school, some of the women's colleges in the North (Bryn Mawr, Wellesley, Smith) fit your other criteria. Their acceptance rate is high, although few unqualified students apply, making the overall intellectual environment top rate. (My daughter had similar stats and is now attending Smith.) These schools are top LACs that admit a high percentage of applicants. Where else are you going to find that?</p>
<p>The problem with your criteria are the Greek life combined with the size. If you're willing to look at smaller schools, also try Gettsyburg, and Dickinson. I don't know much about the University of Delaware, but it was a popular safety in my friends' school district.</p>
<p>Ahh..I see, I thought you wanted southern but not "deep southern". Miscommunication. ;)</p>
<p>Well, if you want a real change of pace, you could try some CA schools. That's about as different as it gets. Stanford sounds like a perfect fit, but it's not really a safety. Maybe Santa Clara (which is like a mini Stanford)?</p>
<p>How about Creighton in Omaha? The size of the school and the size of the city meet your guidelines, and it's good for liberal arts. Although if I were picking a safety school with good liberal arts in the Midwest, I'd choose DePaul in Chicago in a minute. (DePaul isn't in the middle of Chicago and it's definitely not in a boring, cookie-cutter, family suburb; it's in a kind of fun, funky older neighborhood.)</p>
<p>(IMHO, these two are safeties for students with test scores and class rank like yours.)</p>
<p>Santa Clara would indeed fit all the characteristics, if you are willing to include California. (very fine school!) American might work (and would likely provide a big merit scholarship), but their forte there is international relations/service and cultural studies. It is in DC, but tucked away in the northwest quadrant near the embassies.</p>
<p>With the exception of the humanities part, maybe (I'm only acquainted with the science and engineering programs at these schools), and with those scores, one of the Claremont Colleges may be a fit.</p>
<p>The only "safety" among them would be Pitzer, perhaps.</p>
<p>Creighton is not a good fit for this student, in my opinion. Plus, Omaha is about the least desirable city in the entire midwest!</p>
<p>Hmmm...
I am trying to think of a less desirable medium-sized Midwestern city than Omaha...
Something in the 150 to 500 000 range the student was looking for...
Let me ponder.</p>
<p>All of the cities in Minnesota and Wisconsin are nice.
There are no cities in North or South Dakota over 150 000.
Hmmm...
Toledo?</p>
<p>So who said the school has to be in the midwest? Not sure there is a good fit there.</p>
<p>The problem is finding the match of school size, town size, and a less intense Greek scene. If you move out of the South north or west, you'll find predominately large public universities or smaller LAC's. If a state has public universities that match your size preference, they will frequently be regional universities in smaller towns, and often without the overall intellectual atmosphere you want. This might mean having to look at the NE or California. However, if you lower your size preference to 2,000-3,000, you've suddenly opened a whole range of LAC's, such as Trinity in San Antonio. Having said all this, two schools that come readily to mind are Rice and Wake Forest. Further afield, if you're not bothered by Catholic schools, might be Notre Dame and Fordham University. Both have about 8,000 undergraduates. I don't know much about Fordham, but from what others have said on CC, it has an attractive campus, located in the Bronx, and an easy trip into Manhattan. I would second an earlier poster's mention of the University of Delaware, Although larger than what you indicated, it's a good state university, has a very attractive campus, and offers some interesting programs. Newark is much smaller than you prefer, but has the advantage of being within 2-3 (Amtrak stops in Newark) hours of NYC, Philly, Baltimore, and DC. It might be worth a look as a safety (OK, I'm an alum). I'd also second DePaul as a place worth at least a look. To follow up on Momwaitingfornew, Smith is an outstanding women's college that last year admitted over 50% of its applicants (from their web site). Others will have many additional suggestions.</p>
<p>I was going to suggest Rice, but it is not a safety.</p>
<p>^^I'm not sure there really are safeties anymore.</p>
<p>boston college and lehigh (matches really, not super safeties), university of denver, university of san diego</p>
<p>Oops, didn't see the word "safety", it only being at the very top in bold, black letters. Sorry. Just some other names to throw out: Butler University (Indianapolis), Xavier University (Cincinnati), Marquette University (Milwaukee), University of North Carolina-Asheville.</p>