My son can be described as “quirky” – doesn’t go to parties, has a small, eclectic friend group, lefty, likes video games, tabletop games, odd music, anime, etc. Wants to major in psychology. Thinks he wants to go to a city/urban school like NYU or BU (which he visited) but these are tough to get into and we think he needs a smaller environment where you don’t need to be as independent or socially outgoing to make friends (which some say is an issue at these larger urban schools). COVID has prevented us from seeing many schools. We have Oberlin, Vassar and Macalester on the list. Did the virtual admissions session at Case Western but had a very intense vibe and while he is a good student (A-) at a tough private school, he isn’t the most driven of students. No to Bard and Sarah Lawrence (he have a niece and dear friend’s kid who hated each and transferred). We need more target and safety schools! NO ACT scores yet (taking it in July after multiple cancellations) (practice tests have ranged —ACT composite from 29 to 31, so who knows what that will be). Suggestions? West Coast is off the list (too far), as is the South and Southwest (not likely to fit his vibe). Cost is not an issue.
Clark University in Worcester, MA. Quirky and tops in Psychology. Colleges that Change Lives school.
Grinnell, Earlham, Wooster, and Guilford could be worth a look. Only the first is on a selectivity par with your current list.
Grinnell is on the same spectrum as Vassar, Oberlin, Mac, though not an easier admit. Midwest LACs like Lawrence, Wooster and Beloit fit the bill, and would be more matchy/safety.
I just came on here to suggest Clark. It’s great for the type of student you describe. How about Tufts? It’s not in Boston, but the surrounding area has a small urban vibe and it’s only one T stop to Cambridge and just a few more to Boston.
In addition to the LACs he might (if the majors suit him) revisit the idea of NYU for either Gallatin or Liberal Studies, which aim to replicate the “small school” experience within a bigger college. Not sure if BU has something similar.
i agree that macalester and oberlin are good matches. grinnell would be considered a reach, it’s getting more and more selective every year (the 25/75 percentile ACT scores for enrolled students in the class of 2023 were 31/34… ridiculous chile, whew). something i think people on here often fail to mention is that vassar’s overall male acceptance rate is usually 7+ percentage points higher than its overall acceptance rate. for the class of 2023, vassar accepted 30% of men who applied (versus 21% of women, for an overall acceptance rate of 23.7%), so that’s something to be aware of.
I have a similar child. Also nixed Sarah L and Bard.
You might want to consider St. Olaf for quirky, arty kids (music) and while not in a city it’s in a town and it’s possible to get to the Twin Cities on the weekends.
NYU Gallatin as mentioned upstream is a possibility and there’s a game cafe in that neighborhood. The Uni as a whole isn’t great for community though. Gallatin might be different. If you check it out, look for how he might find school community there.
Nearby NYU is The New School–it’s literally in the same neighborhood, easier to get into and is known for social science.
One scenario that you might want to consider is Columbia GS. The neighborhood has a gaming cafe. If your son takes a Gap year, he could apply and probably could get in. The education is 100% the same as the rest of Columbia but since GS attracts students who’ve taken unusual paths before attending college, it attracts, well, students who are slightly different – and I find interesting. (full disclosure: I live in the neighborhood.) Taking a gap period before college is highly recommended during this time of COVID but also in general. Harvard used to recommend its students taking gap time to do anything during that period. There used to be an open letter to its students online to that effect. GS is one of four undergraduate colleges of Columbia: Barnard, Columbia College of Columbia University, the engineering school, and GS. GS is for nontraditional students. Many Columbia professors’ kids have attended GS because it’s the same education and they get the tuition benefit. But that speaks to any concern you might have about “is it the same??!” a constant concern on this forum. It’s the same. If you’re wondering what he could do during gap time, there’s no need to do any expensive gap programs. You might want to check out 1) Student Conservation Association internships–have housing, stipends, and great experience; 2) Volunteer.gov; 3) Americorps NCCC or FEMA; 4) volunteering near your home; 5) working near your home, etc.
I know that you feel that the West Coast is “too far” and I get that, but I’d like to mention U of Puget Sound anyway because it has everything you’re looking for – urban campus, cute town, and an easy airport to get to, pretty school, decent academics.
University of Vermont is on many people’s lists as it’s a reasonable size. And its city is adorable. If you like UVM you may also want to consider U of Maine at Orono–it’s like UVM in many ways but cheaper. Also, you might look into UMass Amherst–the social sciences of the Five Colleges is excellent and it’s a really cute community around there with free buses to the various towns. There are plenty of arty, quirky people in that community.
Clark U we also looked at closely and YMMV but we find the town on the depressing side. The school though is cute.
Boston University – urban, has decent social sciences, large enough to find a group of like-minded students.
We also looked at Oberlin–mainly on our list because it has a Sci-Fi dorm where they do quirky things. What concerned us though was the ongoing controversy about the Bakery. The Oberlin thread has a detailed play-by-play if this at all interests you. The case is ongoing otherwise we’d have ignored it as “in the past”. Also: not really a city.
While Vassar is in a city, technically, you might want to carefully check out your assumptions of what city means against what it offers. In my experience, the students tend to use the little shops nearby–a small selection of cute shops and pizza places. And the P-town the city is available for internships, and there are some other offerings, but it’s not the same sort of scene as say Boston or NYC. The Students don’t tend to go out into the city and have fun. That does happen but it doesn’t tend to be the destination. Also, Vassar is arty for theater, but not for studio arts so much. That’s less well developed. I say this because it has a reputation for being arty. The city that most people gravitate towards, when at Vassar, is NYC via the MetroNorth commuter line.
A few more to add to your look into list:
University of Rochester - midsized (total undergrad enrollment ~6800). Good for psychology. Very flexible curriculum. In a mid-sized city. Getting harder to get into though
Dickinson - Excellent LA school in Carlisle, PA. Good study abroad program, including study “abroad” in DC. Not to far from Philly for city fix.
Fordham University - Campuses in both Rose Hill / Bronx and Lincoln Center. (undergrad enrollment ~9600) Lots of majors, but rigorous core requirements. Plenty of opportunities for internships in the city. Easier to get in than NYU.
Also second looking at UVM and UMass-Amherst.
I’m a big fan of Dickinson, a great school, but doesn’t sound like a great fit for someone looking on the Mac/Oberlin/Vassar spectrum. More of a nice kid, hard-working, earnest, kind of athletic but not super-jock kind of vibe. I’m sure kids who are more quirky would find their people there, but it’s not in the first group that springs to mind. Also, Dickinson is 2 hours from Philly and 1 hour from Pittsburgh, so those should not be considered close urban environments.
Lawrence University, with its Music Conservatory, and the small city of Appleton, WI, is worth a look for match/safety. Felt very much like Grinnell, only significantly easier admit (with merit money). Kalamazoo College might feel too small, but it is a short walk from downtown Kalamazoo and is a couple blocks from Western Michigan University, which creates a big school, off campus vibe. Kzoo College is set on a few charming blocks by itself, lovely campus, great kids.
On the east coast, I hear great things about Susquehanna as the kind of place which transforms kids, though it is not really accessible to Philly or NYC either.
I second U Rochester, and although it’s become more selective, around 27% of undergrads are internationals. I wouldn’t be surprised to see their international applications decrease dramatically this cycle, so may be an easier admit than it has been the last few years.
Didn’t know Clark was so strong in psychology! Great suggestion. But is Worcester still a relatively depressing and dangerous place? Husband went to BC and visits to friends at Holy Cross – admittedly back in the day – made Worcester a place he wanted to avoid. Has it improved in the last 25 years?
Good to remember! Some of these really do have significantly less male students! Thanks!
Just remembered Quinnipiac College – close enough to New Haven to count, in my estimation. And New Haven has theater, food, great museums, and places for students to hang out. New Haven is also on the MetroNorth train line to NYC. Not sure how quirky the students at QC are but the Yalies in New Haven – quirky and fun.
Also possibly consider Marist College in Poughkeepsie
SUNY New Paltz is in an adorable town… Lots of quirky fun people. And it’s as close to NYC as Vassar, though it’s across the river. Buses go to NYC from New Paltz
Drew University is LAC sized, is on a commuter train line to NYC and has a pretty campus–has lots of arty students–music, theater, you name it.
Skidmore is in a smallish town, but it’s very cute and has lots of arts.
Consider the Lincoln center campus of Fordham.
Consider the Lincoln center campus of Fordham.
If CWU is “too intense” be cautious about Vassar- it is a ‘fit’ school and pretty academically intense.
University of Vermont sounds like a fit.
Ahh, good point about the “intense” factor. Son wants to go to good school and get a good job one day that inspires him. Very intellectual and loves heady debates in small groups. Teachers love his intellect. But he is not of the “start a company”–“publish a novel during your college years”–“discovery a galaxy” (yes, a student at Case did this and they mentioned in in their presentation)–4.5 in every AP class imaginable – variety.
Dustyfeathers, Quinnipiac is a very pre-professional kind of place (lots of 18 year olds who know they want to become physical therapists) and it is most definitely NOT an easy trip to NYC, not convenient to Yale’s museums, concert halls, performances at all. Yale sits near the main train station in downtown New Haven (Amtrak to Providence/Boston or NYC, Philly, DC or MetroNorth to NYC) and walking distance to fun restaurants; Quinnipiac is somewhat isolated with a Subway sandwich store, liquor stores, and some fast food restaurants close by.
I think any of the Jesuit schools are worth a look- especially if OP’s son is trying to capture the “intellectual but not tearing up the world” vibe.
Agree that U Vermont sounds like a great place to explore for him. Love that campus; the kids I know who have gone there are “big thinkers” but not competitive/in your face kind of students.
An outlier but perhaps Fordham -
Lincoln Center is worth a look (perhaps as more of a safety). About 2,000 undergrad students with a campus in the heart of Manhattan.