<p>From a parental perspective, what type of college do you think would be best for helping a shy/introverted but very creative kid come out of his shell a small liberal arts school, a large university or somewhere inbetween?</p>
<p>Specifically, if anyone has any recommendations of schools in the Midwest, that would be great. What about schools that are known for their warm and welcoming student body?</p>
<p>Depends on the kid. A school with a big sports scene or school spirit definitely couldn’t hurt.</p>
<p>I would definitely say that a LAC or smaller school is the best way to go with a shy/introvert. I don’t know what type of school you are looking for in particular, but I would suggest Earlham, Kenyon, College of Wooster, Denison, Wittenberg, Knox. All are known to be “friendly” as well.</p>
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<p>Funny thing, that’s just exactly the kind of school I’d advise a shy/introverted kid to avoid. jkiwmom’s suggestions sound good. Also Kalamazoo College.</p>
<p>cbug, I have heard that Grinnell is just like what you are looking for.</p>
<p>Also, you could look into Oberlin, St. Olaf’s, Brandeis (not Midwest) - to some degree, these also sound like they may fit the bill.</p>
<p>Beloit’s a friendly place too.</p>
<p>Depending on their academic interests and “stats”, WUSTL or Rice could work out quite nicely, but realize that these have become reach schools for just about everybody.</p>
<p>I’ve heard great things about Rice. I haven’t heard it moved to the Midwest, though. 
I think it’s still in Texas.</p>
<p>You are right, CF, still in Texas… (But a very friendly campus and well worth the extra trip if OP’s son has stats that might make it a good possibility, at least IMHO.)</p>
<p>D2 would probably be described as “shy/introverted” by people who don’t know her well. She was very tempted to go to a big school where she could hide in the crowd in a lecture hall, but ultimately decided to go to a small LAC where she would be forced to push her comfort zone and work on what she sees as her weakness. I don’t think she’ll ever be the biggest contributor to class discussions, but being in a setting where the prof knows her name has created more situations where she’s being encouraged to participate more. It was her idea though - I don’t think it would have worked if it had been a parental move.</p>
<p>I agree that WUSTL is an extremely friendly campus. My son recognized that right away when he visited. He’s a very relaxed, adaptable kid, and he felt that that was totally true with the kids he met when he stayed there. They have some frats/sororities, but that’s not a major factor in their social scene.</p>
<p>And Missouri is in the Midwest, right?</p>
<p>Small LAC vote here. It is much harder to “hide” when your classes have fewer than 20 students. It is easy to be anonymous on a large university campus. Not sure about your kids stats, but Lawrence and Carleton are a couple more choices that fit the LAC mold.</p>
<p>I third (fourth?) the idea of Rice and Wash U for a welcoming, inclusive social life for students who are on the shy side. I have one son at each school and both schools are really wonderful.</p>
<p>Look at Allegheny as well. Not quite in the midwest, but in northwestern PA.</p>
<p>I’m going to swim a little against the tide here and suggest that the best place for a shy kid is the place where he can find his passion. Nothing will bring him out more than to find a group of people, both professors and other students, who share his interests. This might be at an LAC, but it might be at a big University. I say look first for the place that best fits his interests and let the social aspect fall into place from there.</p>
<p>I don’t think small is necessarily so great. I agree with lolulu it’s finding a place that offers a place to be at home. I thought the residential college system at Harvard (and presumably also at Yale or Rice) does a pretty good job of giving students a smaller place within the bigger institution. I think a good club or activity can serve the same purpose. As a somewhat introverted person, I was happy to be at a midsize university where I could have a mix of lecture courses where I didn’t have to put myself out every time and smaller classes.</p>
<p>I’m going to concur with mathmom and expand a bit. A school that has a good First Year Learning Experience (FYE) can really help.Here’s an example of one: [First-Year</a> Experience (FYE) FAQ](<a href=“http://www.southernct.edu/FYE/faq/]First-Year”>http://www.southernct.edu/FYE/faq/)</p>
<p>Colleges that have a pre-orientation with a small group outing proved to be a big boost for one of my kids.[Journey</a>, Freshman Outdoor Leadership Pre-Orientation Program - Roanoke College - Salem, Virginia](<a href=“http://roanoke.edu/a-z_index/student_affairs/journey.htm]Journey”>http://roanoke.edu/a-z_index/student_affairs/journey.htm)</p>
<p>A small living/learning community where students in the same major or similar interest is great too. [Residential</a> Living - Learning Communities](<a href=“http://www.drexel.edu/rlo/LC/default.asp]Residential”>http://www.drexel.edu/rlo/LC/default.asp)</p>
<p>A big school worked very well for me, and the factors that contributed to that were: fairly diverse student body, largeness makes cliques virtually nonexistent, and we have THOUSANDS of EC options and it’s very easy to start your own group. I really got the chance to stretch my wings here without worrying about being bullied or hurting my reputation, and because the university has such vast resources I was able to find and dive into my passion. A kid that doesn’t want to get involved won’t be dragged into the spotlight no matter where they are, in my opinion. A kid that does, I think, can flourish just about anywhere as long as the school is a reasonable “fit” socially. Some kids will be less intimidated by the small school environment and that will work better, but for me I needed the big crowd to feel “free” enough from judgment to really put myself out there-- I knew worst comes to worst, I could meet new people tomorrow who would have no idea I’d embarrassed myself the day before.</p>
<p>My advice is in regard to high schools, so there are obviously some differences, but I still think it could be valuable.</p>
<p>I used to be very shy in new situations/around strangers. I was pretty comfortable with my friends, and thus fairly talkative around them, but when meeting new people I was pretty bad. One time, at a restaurant, I was dying of thirst and really wanted my water glass refilled. My parents asked me why I didn’t go up and find our waiter and ask him to refill my water. I asked if they could do it and they said, no, you should be able to ask for a refill of water! But I just couldn’t do it, so I sat there thirsty… Similarly, I had trouble introducing myself to new people, hating making small talk, etc.</p>
<p>For high schools I was choosing between a small private with about 300-350 kids and a large public with more than 2500 students. I ended up picking the larger school because I thought it would be a more challenging experience. I was right… at the bigger school I had to really work hard to make friends. They wouldn’t just come to me–I had to go out of my way to introduce myself to people, to ask them to hang out, to talk to them, etc. I found that going to a bigger school necessitated me becoming more outgoing and less shy in order to make friends. I am pleased that as a senior in HS I am comfortable not only with asking for more water and ordering takeout over the phone–this used to be a challenge for me, it really did–but also in going up to people and asking for directions, in introducing myself to new people on college visits and the like, in making new friends, etc. etc. I cannot exaggerate how great going to a large, sometimes impersonal school has been for my social and personal development.</p>
<p>Everything pointed out about a small LAC is correct- however, as a person who attended one I think it is very likely that how one is perceived freshman year can dictate the next three years. So, if a shy student got a unfortunate room assignment, or housed in a “special living” situation that did not fit, or if the shy student just took a while to adjust to school it could make it vary hard to evolve on a small campus- especially if it is in a remote location. It can replicate the high school experience instead of pushing the young adult to come into themselves. Very important, because once work starts young adults often feel isolated and need to know how to put themselves out there to progress socially and in the competitive work arena. A middle sized school- of say 6,000-10,000 might be just right.</p>