<p>We visited Denison & did not get the preppy vibe at all. The students were among the friendliest at any campus we visited.</p>
<p>I'd like to throw in another idea: Kalamazoo College. It's a great little school with a very good reputation.</p>
<p>I was glad to read the Butler posts. S & I will visit in a couple weeks for a pharmacy tour. He is interested in PharmD and Butler's program is supposed to be excellent. Our neighbor is a freshman at Butler this year & loves it. Yes, it's a greek campus - but the midwestern greek system is different than the "typical" greek scene in the southern & northeastern schools. It's more inclusive - greeks hang out with students in other greek groups/no greek group & use the system as a way to have a great social scene for the whole campus.</p>
<p>DefyingGravity, what would life at Earlham be like if no one in your circle of friends had a car? Are there services or amenities w/in walking distance of the campus? </p>
<hr>
<p>I guess I don't understand the whole Greek thing; if it's way of providing social activities for the entire campus, how is it different from rec council or something similar? Also, even if it is generally inclusive, I'm just not sure how the frat/sorority scene plays out for black students (even if black frats/sororities are present on campus, which I suspect is not the case at most schools).</p>
<p>As for 90% of the students receiving merit aid, a friend's D recently applied to a school which offers $1,000 merit money for every student who submits a FAFSA; this is done precisely so that the school can report an inflated merit stat. I believe the Williams development office ran a similar "scam," mailing $1 to alumni, urging them to return the $1 so that the office could report an inflated percentage of alumni support (alumni participation - - not the acutal dollar amount - - is a factor USN&WR cosiders in determining its college rankings).</p>
<p>What about Beloit? A friend has been pushing Beloit: very liberal and a fairly open curriculum (she says the geneds aren't too bad). WI may beyond my confort zone, but it may be a school OP and others on this thread want to consider.</p>
<p>My D1 visited Beloit. Good rep. A little different atmosphere than she was looking for. Really close to downtown. In fact the campus bookstore is downtown.</p>
<p>I inquired about transportation at Hiram. I was told that they do not have buses from the school. Half of the students have cars and they apparently carpool and rely on those with cars for rides.</p>
<p>Within walking distance there is a grocery store, a video store, Dominos, a local pizza place, and then in the other direction is a diner place, taco bell,KFC and then a little bit farther a CVS.</p>
<p>foolishpleasure,
I would like to put in a word for Marietta, although your trip may not allow time. My D is a freshman. The quaint part of town is within blocks and along the river. My sense is most of these Ohio schools are beautiful. This one fits in well with the town. The town has a van bus to the strip mall area a couple of miles away, but the kids with cars are very popular and my D has yet to take the bus. The school's new library just opened and is gorgeous. Sarah Palin spoke at the school during the election run, but I would not say the school is conservative politically or philosophically. Yet I don't think of the school as liberal in the traditional sense that anything goes. In my limited experience, there seems to be a fundamental respect for diversity in people, ideas, religions, politics, race, and backgrounds grounded in a common sense of humanity, respect for individuals and property, and striving for intellectual enlightment. The school's leadership program may be of particular interest to your D. What struck me immediately about the school and area was how friendly people are. Coming from the Northeast, I have to practice being friendly before visiting. Best wishes in your D's search. The process is very much like falling in love, you don't know what it is, but you know it when you see it and fate does have a part.</p>