<p>there has been talk that the surge in applications came from an essay requirement being taken out of it, and the john green effect…I would bet it will stay at this rate. Do your best, be you, and certainly find some other schools that have that good feel…we felt that a lot of the ones on the colleges that change lives…website/book were the same vibe</p>
<p>Check out Grinnell if you’re willing to go that far…extremely diverse, sounds quite similar.</p>
<p>Assuming you are female, Mount Holyoke is very diverse (ahem… except for men, but in terms of ethnic and cultural diversity), has a lovely campus (I think Kenyon has one of the most beautiful campuses I have ever seen, but MHC is right up there), and strong academics. They also give pretty good merit aid if you have high stats. And there are guys at 3 of the other consortium colleges, too.</p>