<p>Another happy at Grinnell family here whose answer is “yes” to all of OP’s original questions.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Don’t forget Earlham!</p>
<p>I’m a grad of a quirky Quaker HS in NY. Many of my classmates went to Swarthmore or Earlham. </p>
<p>In fact the matriculation list for my HS reads like a whos who of quirky cool colleges :)</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.brooklynfriends.org/RelId/607348/ISvars/default/Matriculation_List.htm[/url]”>http://www.brooklynfriends.org/RelId/607348/ISvars/default/Matriculation_List.htm</a></p>
<p>Thanks njmomof4. I loved Goucher’s description and their expressed commitment to inclusion. Their SAT range is higher than I thought it would be. Simmons looks interesting too, but has no track team which D will want.</p>
<p>Many great and lovely schools have been discussed on this thread. However, I would not consider Swat to be particularly “quirky” unless the term pertains to a student body that is highly socially engaged and not all clamoring to apply their intellect to careers in investment banking. Wonderful school (if one is lucky enough to get in), highly intellectual (and notoriously rigorous) and a gorgeous campus. Unique, not a clone of Williams, Amherst or other academic peers.</p>
<p>Is Grinnell along the lines of Macalaster and Carleton–lots of Birkenstock wearing ultra-liberal students type school?</p>
<p>^ Good question. It seems that often “quirky” entails a not-mainstream vibe which is liberal and kind of hippy. I remember thinking that a lot of LAC’s we looked at were quite liberal. That would have been a bad fit for S, but possibly OK for D. Would you agree that Amerst is among the most conservative?</p>
<p>Bates mom here. I wouldn’t call it quirky-cool at all. The kids are more the down to earth types, academics are very important, they have a lot of work and work hard, but not a competitive atmosphere. Sustainability is huge, college believes in buying local, organic, have their own chefs (not a food service.) and food is fab. </p>
<p>Lots of kids are involved in both sports and other types of clubs, activities. DS is on sailing team, on student government and mock trial team all as a freshman. </p>
<p>It’s not a cliquey school and more a place where kids are just accepted for who they are. </p>
<p>There is a lake (aka The Puddle) on campus and every January a hole is cut out in it and kids jump in wearing their bathing suits. </p>
<p>I also wouldn’t label Hamilton as quirky cool. Imo, it’s even more traditional than Bates. </p>
<p>No merit aid at Bates at all but they are very generous with FA, imo.</p>
<p>Lots of great schools on this thread, many of which D strongly considered. I’m a little surprised no one has mentioned Colorado College yet. Small, quirky, great school, and has the unique ‘block system’ that some people really dig (you only take one course at a time). It also offers merit aid to high stats kids. Well worth a look if you’re considering LACs that are just a notch down from the very most selective tier.</p>
<p>Would you agree that Amerst is among the most conservative?
Not necessarily
[Jerome</a> L. Himmelstein’s Home Page](<a href=“http://www3.amherst.edu/~jlhimmelstei/menu.html]Jerome”>http://www3.amherst.edu/~jlhimmelstei/menu.html)
But I dare say it is compared to neighboring Hampshire.</p>
<p>^ ^</p>
<p>From what I’ve heard…Amherst is more conventional and preppie…not necessarily conservative…unless you are comparing it to Hampshire, Oberlin, or Sarah Lawrence.</p>
<p>Yeah, I’m wondering about this quirky/cool designation. Maybe it needs to be redefined. My alma mater, New College of Florida, Hampshire, etc definitely qualify. But many mainstream rich kids from one of my kid’s private schools are at many of the colleges listed and I don’t think they fit the quirky/cool description at all. They are more like the average, well-educated, upper middle class, supposedly liberal but -you-better-have-gotten-the-memo-about-how-to-dress-and-act-or-be-chastised teenagers. Yes, they are going to Kenyon, Vassar, and Oberlin, too.</p>
<p>Ps:thanks For the earlier heads up about Kalamazoo. It sounds fantastic.</p>
<p>Our son would not fit in at a school like Macalaster or Carleton. He is just too conservative. Emilybee’s description of Bates though, sounds JUST like him, good student who likes to be involved in group activities/sports but not over the top with political activism, etc.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>May I ask - how did you go about the second part?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>And that site is … ?</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>She said it without linking to it in her post, but i think it’s OK to link, CC doesn’t seem to block it: </p>
<p>[CollegeData</a> - Net Cost Calculator](<a href=“http://www.collegedata.com/cs/promo/promo_netcost_tmpl.jhtml]CollegeData”>http://www.collegedata.com/cs/promo/promo_netcost_tmpl.jhtml)</p>
<p>It’s very helpful, I’ll have to let you know when we’re done how accurate it was.</p>
<p>
Isn’t it the same thing? If you hit the 75th percentile, 25% of kids will have higher stats.</p>
<p>To answer mncollegemom, yes, Grinnell students are very liberal, but to characterize them as “birkenstock-wearing” I think isn’t right. (I did not have that impression anyway of Carleton as you did). Not everyone there is politically active, and while the student body is liberal and the school emphasizes social justice, I don’t view it as hippy central (or hipster central, despite its recent top ranking in that regard by some publication.) I think that “come as you are” attitude that someone described on the “Why Grinnell” thread is very accurate. Apart from the left-leaning socio-political bent, there is no uniform there, literally or metaphorically, IMO.</p>
<p>It is among the most diverse LACs in the country, and something like 85% of the students get FA (for comparison, I have a friend whose daughter left a high ranked LAC where about 70% were full-pay).</p>
<p>Another great site is College Navigator…and it includes the very helpful “Net Price By Income” stats.</p>
<p>Interesting, familyof3. I get very different numbers from those two sites. For one school the net is way higher on one site, for a second school it’s the reverse.</p>
<p>I wonder why?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Indeed. I suppose I should have been clearer or should not have stated the obvious as if it were some sort of brilliant idea! We just tried to pick places where my D would be attractive but not where she was going to be head and shoulders above everyone. Anyway, not particularly profound. As it turned out, the schools that appealed to her were ones where she appealed to them. That was more what I was getting at. Anyway, 4yorkshiremen (post #48) said it better:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>OhioBassMom - I’m not sure… haven’t really compared them side by side. Let me check that out…</p>