<p>hey everyone, i'm searching for colleges right now and was looking for some input. i'm mainly looking for LACs because i wanna get a really personal education and such. i'd go to school in any school, weather is not a problem. looking to avoid preppy type schools and big drug/drinking scenes, at least a good environmental studies program (if they have urban studies/geography, that's a big plus), small size, etc. a couple schools i really like are occidental, rhodes, macalester, and middlebury, so i'm all over the map. i'm still a sophomore, but my GPA is good (3.7 unweighted), my courseload is pretty rigorous, my ECs are awesome, so i'd say i'm a competitive applicant. any ideas?</p>
<p>Look at Carleton in Minnesota - it has environmental studies but not urban studies, though its cross cultural studies major sounds pretty cool. Grinnell has env. studies as well as a global development studies major which sounds similar to what you’re interested in. Kenyon, Swarthmore, and Bates also have environmental studies but not urban studies.</p>
<p>All of these schools are known for being laid-back, intellectual, and not preppy. Hope this helps!</p>
<p>Will you need financial aid? Need based or merit?</p>
<p>[Earlham</a> College | Curriculum Guide](<a href=“http://www.earlham.edu/curriculumguide/environ-studies/]Earlham”>http://www.earlham.edu/curriculumguide/environ-studies/)</p>
<p>Also check out Haverford, Wesleyen and Oberlin. super cool schools with good academics.</p>
<p>Middlebury is a great choice. The environmental studies major is very well known and the geography department is supposed to be excellent. The President of the College is in the Geography Department. Note that Midd will take 3 SAT II’s instead of the SAT I, so plan out when you will take those and which ones are your best possibilities.</p>
<p>I second Oberlin. They have excellent environmental studies, and it doesn’t come any cooler than the music scene at Oberlin.</p>
<p>My cousin went to Westminster College in New Wilmington, PA which is about 1 hour from Pittsburgh, PA.</p>
<p>It’s the smallest and most boring school I’ve ever seen, you should love it.</p>
<p>New Wilmington itself is a dry town, which means it’s illegal to sell alcohol within the town limits. It also has a large Amish (perhaps Mennonite) population around the school. There are no bars, no nightclubs. Their football team resembles my 7th Grade Junoir High team. </p>
<p>I looked up their programs and they have an Environmental Science major.</p>
<p>Not sure what you want to do after college, but the Western PA area is enjoying a booming Natural Gas discovery and Oil & Gas companies are establishing operations and opening offices. Look up Marcellus Shale to get a better idea.</p>
<p>So, the area has some opportunities. Lots of geology, environmental science/engineering opportunities.</p>
<p>Check out SLU: </p>
<p>[environmental</a> studies | St. Lawrence University Academics](<a href=“http://www.stlawu.edu/academics/programs/environmental-studies]environmental”>Environmental Studies | St. Lawrence University)</p>
<p>Even better, if you would enjoy the frozen tundra of Northern New York!</p>
<p>Pitzer College (part of the Claremont Colleges)</p>
<p>ellopoppet: Swarthmore… not preppy?</p>
<p>2college2college: yes, definitely need financial aid, but we’re kinda upper middle class so merit aid is necessary (any automatic?).</p>
<p>Umm, just because I don’t want to drink or do drugs DOES NOT mean I don’t like to have fun. Far from it. I don’t want to be in a boring town, I just want to have options that don’t involve illegal substances.</p>
<p>Pitzer’s good?</p>
<p>If it helps, I’m interested in getting a master’s of urban planning after my undergrad.</p>
<p>No, it’s not preppy at all. Well, I suppose it has the same amount of prep as any top school would have, but it definitely has more of an intellectual feel than a preppy feel. At least, that’s the sense I got when I visited. Plus I grew up relatively close by, so several people I knew from high school go there.</p>
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<p>These are good suggestions, but Haverford doesn’t have environmental science.</p>
<p>Well, that’s good to know. Any other ideas?</p>
<p>Have you visited any of these schools?
Middlebury is a wonderful school, and excellent for environmental studies, but you might find it a rather preppy place compared to some of the others mentioned (Macalester, Carleton, Wesleyan).</p>
<p>Carleton doesn’t give merit aid beyond $2K for NMF.</p>
<p>I haven’t visited any yet, but I plan to this summer. They’re all far from my house.</p>
<p>You might also look at Lewis and Clark in Oregon.</p>
<p>Haverford offers environmental studies at Bryn Mawr.</p>
<p>William & Mary and Davidson are great LACs, esp if you want D1 sports and good weather.</p>
<p>I’m a guy, so can I take classes at Bryn Mawr? Isn’t it all girls? Also, at Pitzer, could a guy take classes at Scripps? </p>
<p>Is Lewis & Clark really any good? I’ve looked at it as a potential safety. I was drawn to Reed but turned off by the drug madness. Plus, it seems really intense.</p>