Suggestions on colleges for my S

<p>My S is a HS junior so just starting the search. He is a quiet/studious type who loves music and theater and very involved is that scene at his HS. Also, really loves history and chemistry as well. He has trouble making friends so we know he needs to be at a "friendly" school. No SAT stats yet but wGPA is 4.3. We have visited Washington and Lee as well as William and Mary so far. He liked William and Mary and I think it is a good fit but even as an in state applicant, The College is going to be a reach.
So, I'm thinking we need to find some similar schools. Out of state is fine as is private but would like to stay east coast, patprticularly midatlantic and the northeast. We won't qualify for need based aid. Merit aid is always great but the lack of it is not a deal breaker.</p>

<p>Any advice is appreciated!</p>

<p>I’ll throw in a plug for my alma mater: BU. They have an active music/theater scene. I think it is overall a pretty friendly place. The student body is very diverse, so everyone should be able to find friends/like minded people there. Only downside is it’s expensive and, sad to say, seems to be a little stingy with merit aid.</p>

<p>Is BU a friendly place? I’m not saying it isn’t…just never heard anyone describe it as being. lol</p>

<p>Anyway, once the student has test scores, it may be easier to suggest schools. Maybe some of the Colleges that Change Lives? </p>

<p>maybe some of the midwest LACs?</p>

<p>BU parent here…yes it is friendly. Large but friendly.</p>

<p>What about Brandeis? It might fit your son’s personality well.</p>

<p>Muhlenberg (Allentown PA) and Ithaca College (NY) would likely be match/safety based on GPA. Excellent Theater program at Mulenberg. Excellent Music at Ithaca.</p>

<p>Parents of happy kids at X college are always going to say X college is friendly.</p>

<p>There are probably Harvard parents who will swear up and down that Harvard is friendly.</p>

<p>I dated a BU woman for 2 years. Wonderful school, but it strikes me as a hard place to be if you have trouble making friends.</p>

<p>OTOH I think Brandeis is a pretty good candidate. Also mom2collegekids’ suggestion of Colleges that Change Lives is very good advice.</p>

<p>EDIT: agree with mathmom on Bard.</p>

<p>Both W&L and W&M strike me as on the preppy/conservative end of colleges. My younger son (hair down to shoulders at the time) looked at pictures on the websites and thought he wouldn’t fit in. W&L is very Greek (80% of the males, and almost as many of the females.) Wake Forest comes to mind, southern, midsize, test optional in case scores are disappointing. </p>

<p>If north is of interest Vassar and Bard are both great for theater and music, but have a more hipsterish vibe.</p>

<p>PS, I found Harvard friendly. :)</p>

<p>BU is a fine school, but it is huge, and it’s one of those urban schools with no campuses. Polar opposite of the two schools he’s looked at and liked.</p>

<p>William & Mary sounds like a very good fit for him. Being instate, having a 4.3 GPA and being male will definitely help in admissions. Hopefully, he will do well enough on his SAT’s.</p>

<p>Re: music at various schools…check to see availability for students who are not music majors (if your son doesn’t plan to major in music). Ithaca has an excellent music conservatory. I’m not sure what is available for those who are not music majors.</p>

<p>Ditto theater. You want to be sure the college welcomes non-majors or has productions for non-majors. Some schools do…and some schools don’t.</p>

<p>A lot will depend on his SATs. Has he taken any PSAT? Or PLAN or ACT?</p>

<p>What are his unweighted GPA and SAT/ACT scores? Right now people are just throwing darts. Particularly if W&M is a reach in-state. You can always look at the Full Tuition Scholarship thread in the financial aid forum.</p>

<p>Goucher in Baltimore is very friendly, as is Clark U. in Worcester MA</p>

<p>Consider Elon and Furman. Elon is about the same size as William and Mary, Furman is a bit smaller. Both may be a little south of the region you are looking for, but not very far from that. Perhaps also Wake Forest.</p>

<p>I am not sure I would agree about Bard being “friendly.” There are a lot of angsty hipsters and a fair amount of pretension. Academically I do think it would be good for a student who likes history, though.</p>

<p>How about Wheaton (MA)? A boy with good stats would have a decent shot at merit aid–they still have a gender imbalance from when it was a women’s school.</p>

<p>Thanks for the suggestions. S had been thinking about Elon and Muhlenburg but will look into the others. We only have scores from the 10th grade PSAT which was 168. Took the PSAT again this fall and will take the SAT in the spring. Unweighted GPA is 3.75.
William and Mary is local and I would not consider it preppy.</p>

<p>I have to agree that compared to other universities, William and Mary IS preppy. But it’s a great school.</p>

<p>Does your son still want to major in theater or musical theater? If so, that puts a very different spin on your college search.</p>

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<p>It will also be very different if he wants a BA vs. a BFA or visa versa. </p>

<p>Muhlenberg, while having a very strong theatre program for its theatre majors, also offers LOTS of performing opportunities for non-theatre majors. They also have a very active a cappella program with many groups to audition for, for the number of students they have on campus.</p>

<p>I’ll second Muhlenberg, which prides itself on its friendliness. The son of a friend who was a bit of a loner has blossomed nicely there. D got a decent performance scholarship from 'berg and generally liked the school after doing an overnight, and I think it would have been a good fit for her, but she decided she didn’t like the location (me neither) and went elsewhere.</p>

<p>You are in-state for VA? I would look at James Madison. Very friendly campus and student body, as well as strong music and theatre. Is he looking to major in music or theatre?</p>

<p>My son graduated from William and Mary in 2011. He definitely considered it preppy.</p>