I don’t know geology well, so won’t comment much on intended major. Colgate, Hamilton, BU, and Bates are all fine schools, but wouldn’t seem to be worth a premium over W&M and UVA unless there is some aid that makes costs closer or there is something else that appeals to your kid.
What type of school does your kid want? Colgate, Hamilton, and Bates are small LACs in relatively small towns. BU and UVA are much larger, with a very urban location for BU. William & Mary is in between those in size.
UVA and W&M have very similar demographics (percentage OOS, percentage from Northern Virginia, etc.) I think W&M is a bit higher for international percentage (but both of those might be coming down under the current circumstances). I’m not sure why you see any difference there. W&M usually rates quite high for quality of life (e.g. Princeton Review), so might want to take another look at pre-conceptions.
If you are considering UVA, I’d look at classes offered and try to reach out to someone there to understand if it fits your kids direction. They have e-mails in department listing and you may get a response. I believe it is under Department of Environmental Sciences at UVA.