What about Skidmore? I don’t know much about the actual school…but the area is lovely. ?
I think Tulane is a good one to add.
I’d add Dayton, Villanova. Certainly BC. Fits your description to a tee (although a little bigger - about 9k undergrad - still pretty small compared to the state Us). Let’s not forget Georgetown. Has its own dedicated campus (unlike GW) just outside all the activity.
No on Georgetown. We visited on our trip to see Davidson and William and Mary for S19. D was along on that trip. Dedicated campus? I guess. But hardly any green space and the buildings were so close to each other. She loved Davidson on that trip. Thought William and Mary was ok and I love that school. May have her put it on the list. I do think it’s a bit sleepy for her. Maybe too bookish. She IS a good student but not the type to have philosophic conversations at 3:00am (that would be S19). She’s very social. A leader. Not quirky (whatever that means these days).
Thanks for all of the suggestions so far. Very helpful!
^ Exactly why I didn’t mention W&M. I love the place. S applied (I think primarily because mom and dad were so into it - I know that’s terrible) and was accepted. We even attended Admitted Students Day hoping S would love it. He just didn’t because of what you mentioned. Thought everyone was very nice and accepting, etc. Just felt it was “quirky”. Chose Wake and never looked back. Smart, social, leader are words I would use to describe the typical student.
Wash U? Also think that Richmond might work for her.
@homerdog Definitely keep Bucknell on your list based upon your last post. It’s reasonably close to Gettysburg to work the two in on the same trip (though I wouldn’t do same day - they’re roughly 2 hours apart from each other). Dickinson is between the two if you take the route through Carlisle, but probably more academic vs social based upon kids who like each one. (This stated knowing academics and social are at all colleges, of course.) If heading this direction with enough time, I’d visit all three. Head east a couple of hours and you can look at the eastern PA schools of Lehigh, Muhlenburg, etc. Of those, I would think Lehigh would fit better.
Wake is also loved by students you describe.
Scratch W&L if she doesn’t want a more conservative bent. They’re hardly super conservative, but definitely moreso than many schools and she has other choices.
I agree with the Emory comments. It’s definitely not urban - in a pretty part of town surrounded by old southern neighborhoods and somewhat close to some artsy funky areas. Definitely a lot of northeast kids and the medical school/hospital are prominent on campus (plus not much school spirit). However, they have excellent liberal arts programs and lots of resources. Plus, there is Oxford for the first two years if she likes the idea of combining the small liberal arts college with the research experience.
It seems like she will like Colgate, Vanderbilt and Richmond. However, I’m having a Wake Forest feeling for her.
What about the U of Miami?
@gardenstategal Richmond is smaller than both Bucknell and Lehigh. All three fit the OP’s criteria.
@twogirls U Miami too big. One of her biggest wants is small class size. All of the schools in my original post offer that. I think we are probably at the end of this thread. Seeing the same schools again and again. Thanks all!
Would she consider Bryn Mawr? It’s all women and there’s no Greek life, but students and alumni love it. Beautiful campus. Close to Philly. It’s part of the Tri College Consortium which includes Swarthmore and Haverford. I also think it is connected to U Penn somehow.
Just a thought.
@STEM2017 I’ve talked to her about women’s colleges a bit. In general, I think they do check some of her boxes. She pictures them full of LGBT kids, super lefty, and intense. I’m pretty sure that’s not the case. I have a friend whose daughter will go to Scripps in the fall and she’s nothing like that. Two of D21’s best friends are boys so she just can’t wrap her brain around going to school with all women. I love the idea but I don’t think it’s going to fly.
Maybe I should read more about women’s colleges. I am pretty curious about them.
Allegheny is one to consider. Small classes, Greek life prominent but not dominant, beautiful rural setting, definite merit possibilities and some great academic departments (Environmental Science is one of the top programs in the country).
My daughter couldn’t really wrap her mind around women’s colleges either. She ended up applying to two though, Scripps and Bryn Mawr, because they were a part of a consortium that made her feel they were more than women only. Honestly though between Bryn Mawr and Haverford, the vibe was always pulling her toward Haverford. There was something more stiff and traditional about the feel of Bryn Mawr that she had trouble shaking off.
Furman University in Greenville, SC may fit your D’s needs. It’s a beautiful, contained campus (quite spacious considering approx 3000 students) that is a few miles from downtown Greenville which was very nice. Good restaurants, shops, etc.
We toured for my S14 and thought students were polite, energetic and seemed a good mix of serious/social. I did not get vibe it was big party school. Greek life was definitely a factor, but if memory serves, there weren’t Sorority houses so Greek/non coexisted well.
Certainly worth touring if you decide to see Clemson.
I know we spoke about this but Emory would fit that bill
@kidzncatz , I think of it as larger, perhaps based on the grad schools. But you are right.
Has anyone mentioned Elon? I haven’t seen it myself, but it is popular at our suburban Philly high school.
Specifically know a kid who chose it over Wake Forest and is loving her experience (rising Senior, I believe).
If OP’s daughter wants greek life, Bryn Mawr and Haverford are not fits.
Richmond, Rhodes, Franklin & Marshall, and Emory. College of Charleston could be worth a look.