<p>I considered a teaching position (they call their teachers “tutors”) at St Johns College in Maryland, although I visited Santa Fe as well…(I decided against it for personal reasons), but I was VERY impressed with the kids and the education at SJC. The kids are true intellectuals (it is a subset of being intelligent) and they are happily 5 degrees off kilter. I love that they College grill is lined with blackboards that are being used.</p>
<p>When I visited, a group of student stopped me after the evening class and asked if I was the faculty candidate-- when I said yes we started a conversation that lasted for–well, I’m not sure when it ended bc I bailed out at 2 am pleading to get sleep before my interviews. It was a fantastic discussion of a whole variety of subjects. I loved the kids (I just didn’t like that they pay their tutors (or did, it was a few years back) as if the pay was a stipend rather than a salary – hard to raise a family on that money…yet they have a whole slew of talented folks who decide to take the low pay for the love of teaching there…it was tempting…)</p>
<p>Pomona College - D is a soph there. Brilliant student body, small classes, magnificent weather, CLAREMONT COLLEGE CONSORTIUM which add numerous benefits with class selections, programs, dining halls and social activities. My D will be attending a very well known Washington DC program next semester which is a CMC program opened to all the Claremont colleges. Student population is very liberal, politically correct, diverse and definitely quirky/cool.</p>
<p>^Sadilly: Oh, no! Beloit’s food must be nasty! lol I’m not a fussy eater by any means, but I do like my organic/gluten free stuff. And fresh food.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies! So many great schools mentioned.</p>
<p>Although I’d like for this thread to stay broad enough to cater to many types of kids, I feel like I should expound on my kid a bit, especially concerning the “quirky-cool” adjective. She’s an intellectual that doubles as a wild child. (I was lucky enough to get the 2-for-1 special.) She’ll skip school on Friday to spend the weekend at a small festival, and then she’ll come home and tell you all about the social dynamics of the group she hung out with and the ethnic influences of the music that played. She’s activisty and hilarious. Combine the two, and you have a satire on misogyny turned in for a school project.</p>
<p>She hasn’t had a chance to look over this thread yet; I’ll update with her verdicts when she does. I must say that I want Hamilton for myself.</p>
<p>Bard College? Oberlin College? Check the forums for these schools to learn more; from what I’ve gathered, they’re certainly worth a look for a D like yours. Bard is known for valuing the arts as highly as it values academic subjects. At least that’s what they say; I cannot speak to the truth of that but some other CC denizens might be willing to take a stab.</p>
<p>“Activisty and hilarious”–nice. I love it when it is so obvious a parent not only loves but also appreciates his or her child.</p>
<p>New College of Florida, a public LAC, stand-alone honors college for intellectual kids who can enjoy tiny classes and one on one tutorials with professors. No grades. A hefty senior thesis and baccalaureate defense is required to graduate. When I went there there were only 400 kids, now I think it’s up to 850. It’s always at the top of the Kiplingers Best Buys in A College Education. Sarasota is one of the nicest cities in Florida, right on the beach. Sunsets couldn’t be prettier. Also one of the Colleges that Change Lives schools, and always listed in the quirky/cool category.</p>
<p>In defense of Beloit and the food-my D survived for 4 years, became vegetarian, and I was impressed that she always had a kitchen available to her, whether in a dorm or campus house. The farmer’s market is a short walk from campus. Quirky cool is it, and there are wonderful classes.</p>
<p>Vassar changes its website landing page almost daily - take a look at it - it is always interesting. There are definitely quirky, cool kids there. The campus is gorgeous - there is a lake and gardens in the middle of the campus. There is the Vassar Farm and Skinner Music Building which is designed after a French ‘castle’. The library goes on forever and is magnificent. The arts are huge. There is a ‘respect for all’ atmosphere and everyone supports the performances. Very intellectual and inquisitive students- one even approached us in the parking lot and asked us why Connecticut is the Constitution State when he saw our license plate - luckily we knew the answer! Campus is on the outskirts of Poughkeepsie adjacent to a little trendy section of ethic restaurants. Students are reasonably diverse (definitely geographically). No red tape situations so far at Vassar. You need to visit for sure.</p>
<p>I would add Bard College to the list as being ‘more quirky’ than Vassar. A beautiful campus in a “country forest” - right next to the Hudson - in a very small town. Very intellectual.</p>
<p>Hampshire College is definitely quirkier than Bard and the setting is like being in an apple orchard with large open fields and little wooded areas -very free spirit there.</p>
<p>Lots of fun colleges to explore…hope you can visit them - it really helps…</p>
<p>I have a book from the library here called Cool Colleges by Donald Asher. I think every school mentioned in this thread comes up in it. You might want to check it out.</p>
<p>Regarding post #9, Kenyon is NOT easy for caucasian girls to get into. Since OP says she has a daughter, just thought I should point this out. It is a great school, but just don’t want you to have the impression that it is easier to get into than Reed.</p>
<p>First, this comment made me smile. She’s a great person - only makes my nights sleepless every once in a while. :)</p>
<p>Girlchild has zeroed in on the following schools:
Reed
Beloit
Grinnell
Pomona
Carleton
Kenyon
Wesleyan</p>
<p>I’m fairly certain Beloit and Kenyon are her only non-reaches on this list, given Reed’s unpredictability and Grinnell’s massive increase in applications. I’m not quite sure why Oberlin isn’t on this list - kids are fickle, aren’t they? - but I feel certain that we’ll swing by anyway, if only to humor her nagging mother.</p>
<p>Thanks again, all!</p>
<p>Edit: I am extremely impressed with Beloit. She joined the contact/mailing list and was emailed by a student an hour later.</p>
<p>One thing about Kenyon, though, is that “level of interest” is a very important consideration, per their common data set. They may be one of those schools that doesn’t cotton much to people thinking of them as an also-ran to other even more selective schools!</p>
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<p>Ditto on all of the above! Except substitute S for D.</p>
<p>Other D, the one who didn’t go to Beloit, but would have been happy there, has had a very good 4 years at U of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA. It’s a bit bigger, and has a few MA/MS programs.</p>
<p>Oberlin definitely fits the “quirky-cool” vibe. It certainly was that when I attended in the mid-late '90s…especially in a political activist sense. </p>
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<p>Second Sarah Laurence and Goucher. I’d also add Hampshire. </p>
<p>Not too sure about Muhlenberg as the impressions I had from friends who knew the school in the '90s said it was much more conventional and even a bit conservative than the other schools on your list. Still check it out as that may have changed since then.</p>
<p>Since Pomona is on the list, might want to check out Univ of Redlands just a bit east.Small LAC plus Johnston where you design your own major. professors and staff were very caring. Nice mixture of students, including quirky. Good food, nice town. Son graduated but didn’t leave the town.
Nice merit aid also.</p>
<p>I’ll vouch for Carleton. Sophomore son is really happy there. He’s challenged academically and has blossomed socially. The FA office has been a dream to work with. He loves his adviser, and so do I. He sounds really centered after every conversation with her. He’s elected to go substance-free housing the past two years, feeling like those floors have tighter communities. I love that once we were on the phone and then he got into a side conversation with someone. When he got back on the phone, turns out it was Stevie P, the college president. They were talking about sports. The Arb is gorgeous. You can make cookies anytime, day or night, at the Dacie Moses house. What’s not to love?</p>
lol I’m not a fussy eater by any means, but I do like my organic/gluten free stuff.