I was just coming here to write the same thing! I would add that the ed preparation is geared towards NJ certification . Teacher prep at most schools of education are state dependent.
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To hit a less than $50k/year price point is likely going to require merit at a lot of LAC’s. You probably best looking for schools that are test optional. I think that you will have to relax some of your criteria.
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Clark could be a good one from the CTCL list. It’s extra-strong in psychology, has graduate education programs (and an undergrad minor), is in a small city (Worcester) and within easy commuter-rail access of a large one (about 45 minutes to Boston).
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Location is wrong, but Earlham sounds perfect. Bard isn’t known for merit but could be worth a look.
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Thank you everyone for these excellent suggestions! Yes, we have already discussed the possible need for a masters or teaching certification later. Since she isn’t certain exactly what she really wants to do, much less what state she might end up in, the focus is on a more general undergrad program first.
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If she were my daughter, Agnes Scott College in the Atlanta suburbs would be at the top of my list. Another to consider would be New College of Florida in Sarasota just outside Tampa. I know that both of these are in the South, but they’re far from Texas, are super supportive to their gay students, and provide lots of individual mentoring. Being near big cities, the areas are more diverse than more stereotypical southern communities. Both are also excellent financially.
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Maybe Rollins in FL? Our tour guide there was LBGTQ bad said she was having a great experience. In a super cute town with light rail service to downtown Orlando in about 15 minutes. I would also look at some of the OH LAC’s. Although not in cites, College of Wooster and Ohio Wesleyan would meet the rest of her criteria. Wooster definitely had a very open, sort of quirky vibe to it. Connecticut College also comes to mind. Not in a city but between Boston and NYC. Not sure about merit there though and may be more academically challenging than your D is looking for.
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Whittier College is a hidden gem of a small liberal arts college in the L.A. suburbs. Might be worth a look.
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Skidmore
Connecticut College
Clark
Muhlenberg
Wheaton (The one in MA, not the one in IL)
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Seconding Clark, Muhlenberg, Goucher, Mount Holyoke, Lewis&Clark, Agnes Scott.
Bryn Mawr might be too intense but worth checking out.
What about Dickinson? Would prepare her well for teaching abroad, low key, LGBTQ friendly. Not in urban area though.
St Olaf has teaching placements abroad I think and same profile as above except 45mn South of Twin Cities.
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I definitely agree with Clark - known for strong psych program, great LGBTQ community and easy to get into Boston. Not sure about their study abroad programs but worth a look. I’ll also second Dickinson because even though it is not in a city, it isn’t too far from DC and fits all your other criteria, particularly its emphasis on global education and study abroad.
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I should also add that when my DD applied to Dickinson, she applied test-optional because her SATs were not up to par (good EBRW score but has always struggled with math) and still received an excellent merit scholarship from the school.
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A vote for Clark with their top psychology program and ability to get a free master’s degree. Also endorse Occidental.
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Clark does seem like an excellent fit, non-competitive culture but academically strong, LGBTQ inclusive, good supports. Worcester is a city but not glitzy. Strong Psychology dept and free 5th year masters which you don’t need to apply for until Senior year. It’s not likely to come in much under $50K though depending on your household finances. Goucher will also be supportive both of her mental health needs and LGTQ community. Its in/near Baltimore and part of a consortium. Study abroad is required there. Juniata will likely come in closer to $30k and will have similar supports but it’s more rural, Amtrak train ride to mid-atlantic cities (DC, Philly, Baltimore, etc). Run the NPC for Bard which is an East Coast magnet for out of the box kids, though again, a 90 minute train ride from NYC, closer to Poughkeepsie. It can be a little intense with originality (my quirky son found it so) Hampshire is another for students who are comfortable with wide open curriculum. You are likely to get lower out of pocket costs at some of the midwestern LAC’s, Kalamazoo, Lawrence, Oberlin, St. Olaf the latter is Lutheran, not Catholic and quite social justice oriented. It has very robust supports for kids with all kinds of disabilities and mental health needs. I only know it’s LGBTQ culture on paper which is good. My son starts there in the fall so will maybe have more insight by the time you apply. I agree Macalester is worth a strong look too.
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LAC’s tend to be very LGBTQ+ friendly, but since most are 2000ish students, the dating pool is quite small. If that is an issue for your D23, then the schools that are near other schools (e.g. Pitzer, Haverford), near a city (e.g. Macalester) or women’s colleges, or bigger than the usual LAC (e.g. Asheville) are good choices.
Also, it seems like your D23 is going to have some excellent choices given her academic record, so you might end up shopping for the best financial deal. If so this thread might help your search:
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If she decides to go to major in education/special education, Lesley would be a good fit. Very supportive school in Boston. She should get good merit.
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In the interests of accuracy, I’d just like to note that Poughkeepsie is a 2 hour train ride to midtown and it takes over an hour to get from Bard to the Poughkeepsie train station by local bus service, making the trip well over 3 hours. And then a student has to add the time it takes to get from Grand Central to wherever they want to go in Manhattan.
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Thank you! It’s been so long since I road that Rhinecliff to Grand Central Amtrak. In my mind it was shorter than the drive but you are so right it’s about a 2 hour and 15 minute train ride, not 90 minutes. I meant though that Bard is closer to Poughkeepsie than to NYC which it is by a ton. 30 minute drive or 10 minute drive to a 15 minute train ride.
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I would definitely recommend Denison University in Granville, OH. Beautiful campus in a wonderful college town just 25 minutes from Columbus, small (about 2300 students) LAC, very LGBTQ+ friendly, very collaborative environment, lots of support to find study abroad/internships/jobs/etc. Admissions is somewhat competitive, like 30% admit rate, they’ve been test optional for several years, and I was admitted without a test score submitted this past cycle. They give fairly decent merit aid that should put you under 50k/yr. Anyway, definitely a school worth checking out.
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Florida Tech is known for engineering, but has a big psychology program with an autism focus and a school (Scott Center)devoted to autism. It doesn’t offer a teaching degree except in high school science and math, but students figure out a way to get certified through agreements with the community colleges or other local schools.
My daughter had several teammates who are gay and they enjoyed the school. I don’t know that there is a big separate LGBQ community, but there is inclusion in the entire community. About an hour from Orlando, 1.5 to Fort Lauderdale and a little more to Miami.
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