Schools in the South/Southwest that aren't too preppy, "old south" or rah-rah?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>My D has this idea that she wants to go to college near a beach...and wants it to be warm. She also identifies with the musical, tatooed and pierced set rather than the sorority girls, preppies or football fanatics. (She's a wannabe...no tatoos or piercings yet!) Her grades and stats will be decent but not stellar, so she can't write her own ticket anywhere. </p>

<p>I've been on this board since 2007, I believe, and have learned about a lot of schools that I didn't know about before. But D's preferences have me stumped...I can't think of any schools that fit. Ideas?</p>

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<p>Someone I know who is very much like your D (musical, tatooed, pierced set) got into Mills College in Oakland, and it was her first choice (for some family reasons she went elsewhere). It is an all women’s college, and that is not a warm/sunny beach. But still. :)</p>

3

<p>To be honest, not sure if what she is looking for socially is at any of these schools, but it is a starting point.</p>

<p>UNC Wilmingon
ODU in Norfolk, VA–just added football,but supposed to be diverse (not warm year-round)
CNU in Newport News, VA
Coastal Carolina in Myrtle Beach, SC–has some decent merit aid based on standardized test scores.
University of South Florida in Tampa</p>

4

<p>How near to a beach qualifies?</p>

<p>Eckerd College and New College of Florida immediately come to mind.</p>

<p>If 5 hours from the beach is close enough, maybe UNC-Asheville, Warren Wilson, and Agnes Scott.</p>

5

<p>I have definitely thought of Coastal Carolina…but Myrtle Beach? Not saying she wouldn’t love it but…Myrtle Beach?..</p>

<p>Disclaimer: Negative opinion based on one week of dance competition a few years back…have only seen through the eyes of someone forced to be there during the busiest week of the summer.</p>

6

<p>Myrtle is popular if you’re a college kid on spring break or going after school lets out in May. It’s otherwise relatively quiet.</p>

<p>The College of Charleston might work. Large OOS population, moderate size, fairly small Greek scene. Diversity isn’t its strong point, though, and it rates somewhat high on the preppy scale.</p>

7

<p>I’ve thought of the College of Charleston. </p>

<p>Warblersrule, is your screen name a reference to birds or singers?</p>

8

<p>I second New College of Florida.</p>

<p>St. Mary’s College of MD is not on an ocean beach, but it’s on a river and near the Chesapeake Bay. </p>

<p>The College of William & Mary is about a 75 min. drive to Virginia Beach. The York and James river fronts are much closer.</p>

9

<p>^
Birds. I spent a summer doing field research on warblers when I was in high school. I chose the name on a whim, having no idea I’d be stuck with it so many years later.</p>

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<p>Warm beach? UC Santa Barbara, UC San Diego, University of Hawaii. But OOS costs can be quite high.</p>

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<p>I don’t think she could get into William and Mary.</p>

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<p>Yeah, aren’t the California OOS costs among the highest?</p>

13

<p>Texas A&M corpus Christi and Texas A&M galveston are both right on the water. Also not too into sports except sailing and surfing</p>

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<p>East Carolina</p>

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<p>A&M Galveston has only maritime majors, I believe. A&M Corpus looks great, but gets pretty bad reviews. The good reviews seem to come from students who spell “which” as “witch” etc. (Not that D would mind an academically easy school…)</p>

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<p>Dont’ forget Eckard in St. Petersburg, Fla. And I second St. Mary’s College of MD - an especially wonderful option for Maryland residents who want in-state AND a LAC.</p>

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<p>Also vote for New College. Rollins. Maybe Eckerd. Near a beach was my brother’s priority, all those years ago. Ended up in CA.</p>

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<p>

</p>

<p>Yes.</p>

<p>Hawaii is somewhat less, but still fairly expensive unless you are in a Western Undergraduate Exchange state.</p>

19

<p>Thanks so much, everybody.</p>

<p>If you can think of a school that fits the bill but isn’t near a beach, feel free to throw that out also. The child is a ginger, for heavens sake, so the beach is really the last place she should be. (But warm climate is still pretty imporant.)</p>

20

<p>University of San Diego (private)
Loyola Marymount (private- LA area)
University of San Francisco (private)
Santa Clara (private) </p>

<p>All west coast- all in sunny areas</p>