You might check out NC, too. I would say NC and VA are pretty similar politically. VA has a republican governor now and NC has a two term democrat governor, but a republican legislature.
In VA maybe JMU, VCU, Hollins or Roanoke College (although the area outside Roanoke is pretty Texas red). She could try for William & Mary but might be a tough entry, same with UVA. VA Tech is a possibility. I think VA Tech would fit the nice, smart, sporty, but kind of nerdy vibe. They do get some cold there, but itās not like Wisconsin or anything.
In NC, UNC Chapel Hill is a hard entry for an OOS student, but in a very liberal bubble. NC State would be possible. Elon might be worth a look. Lots of other options in NC like UNC-Charlotte, etc, too.
I think California or WA or OR might be her best bets.
The UCs are going to be reaches for most out of state due to the drastic reduction in the number of out of state + international students they are allowed to admit. Plus with additional challenges like over crowding, housing shortages, etc. I am not sure the UCs are good value for out-of-staters. Just my opinion.
The mid-Atlantic region will provide you many options for great schools in blue states with not too cold weather.
California also has the CSU system, which has a more pre-professional (versus research) orientation and has less expensive list prices. Most campuses are commuter-heavy, although Chico, Monterey Bay, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, and Sonoma tend to have a greater proportion of residential students.
University of Delaware has become a popular option in the NYC metro area. They have a well-regarded honors college and offer merit to OOS students.Honors College | University of Delaware
In terms of this, is her main concern about state government policies and laws, or general attitudes of the people at the college and the surrounding area?
I looked into a couple CSUs (especially Cal Poly SLO) for my other child (STEM). For this one, however, I am at a complete loss Which I know makes it hard to help me! This one has equally good grades in everything. This year sheāll have more electives, so hopefully sheāll develop an interest. But I was completely undecided headed to college, so I understand it.
I think sheād prefer a more traditional college experience, so the commuter schools are not high on my list.
As I mentioned, we live in a blue city in Texas, so she understands life in a blue bubble in a red state. I think she is just overwhelmed by all that the state is doing that still impacts life in a blue bubble. It can be somewhat hard to pin a teenager down, and I donāt want this to veer into politics. Each of my children will still be applying to in-state safeties, but I do understand their desire to try out an area of the country where the politics of the state government reflect their values. As a parent, I do have concerns about the rights and health of a woman in a state like Texas these days.
VA or NC might work for you. Once you get up to Northern VA and MD it does get a lot more snow. In NC outside of the mountains we maybe see snow once a year and itsā a treat when it happens.
So far NC and VA havenāt gone down the road that Texas has as far as womenās rights. There are some super blue areas in both states.
DC is perfect - what about Georgetown or GW. Most states being suggested I wouldnāt send my kid to (we are also blue state only). USC is California? She may have to live with not being that warm, which opens up all of New England and Mid Atlantic (all getting warmer every year!) in California Claremont colleges (Claremont, Pomona, Scripps, Pizker, Harvey Mudd). In Pennsylvania there is UPenn, Swarthmore, Haverford, Bryn Mawr if you would consider womens colleges.
Along the lines of those suggested by @AustenNut, Willamette in Oregon might be worth considering if she expands her scope to smaller schools.
Canāt speak for SJU, but I donāt think that LMU would be the least overbearing for a non-religious student.
Also, for what it is worth, I donāt think of either Pitzer and Scripps as pressure cookers, and Pomona doesnāt have to be, although some students are pretty driven. (You may have other reasons re the Claremont schools, but I thought Iād mention it.)
Thanks for the additional suggestions! Iām looking at mid-Atlantic states in my Fiske guide now
Iām not sure about Womenās colleges, but weāll see.
I think Iāll try to see if sheāll look at the smaller PNW schools or likes either Oregon or Oregon State. I really feel like the descriptions Iāve read of of Whitman in WA fit her, but I think itās too small, too cold, and too isolated for her to consider. But Willamette, L&C, or Puget Sound might be tempting.
OP- if youāre really stumped, Iād press your D on waiving the weather issue right now, so you can explore a bunch of schools that sound like theyād be a terrific fit for her. Then you can evaluate how important weather is in light of everything else.
So American U vs. Rowan vs. Farleigh Dickinson? They arenāt snowy like Vermont (UVM or Middlebury) and donāt have the brutal winters of the ālake effectā like Rochesterā¦ Your D might love Brandeis or Wellesley and decide she can handle Boston (or not) or fall in love with U Delaware and decide that a place that gets cold (but not Maine cold) might work.
Has she ever lived in a cold climate? Iām assuming from your description you live in/near Austinā¦ a key thing to remember is that even in the ādeep snow beltā, college students live pretty normal lives because they dress for the weather! (Although Iāve seen kids on the UVM campus in flipflops and shorts in Decemberā¦ with a Patagonia jacket on top!)
MD, DE, DC: blue
VA: purple / blue; state legislative map was red-gerrymandered, but new maps will be less gerrymandered
NC: purple / red; state legislative map was red-gerrymandered, but new maps will be less gerrymandered
However, each place has its own local political features. It should not be assumed that a blue area is left-leaning in all aspects, or that a red area is right-leaning in all aspects.
While itās helpful to have thought about colleges and have come up with a set of preferences, these preferences canāt be equally important. They need to prioritized, especially when thereāre likely other important considerations in college selections. Few, if any, colleges are going to be perfect for any one student in every way. Like everything else in life, college selection necessitates some compromises in some areas. Letting secondary or even tertiary preferences dictate oneās college selection may be ill-advised.
And FYI NC and VA are not MId-Atlantic. Definitely not NC. Itās the South, yāall. Itās not the Deep South, but itās the South and anywhere in VA that is not Northern VA is the South, too. NOVA is kind of its own vibe with the DC influence. Umpteen generations of NC and VA in my family.
MD is NOT the South. Itās Mid-Atlantic.
I disagree about VA being purple/blue and NC being purple/red. Iād say they are both just purple. VA elected pretty hard right Youngkin in 2021!! NC has a very strong moderate Dem as governor and voted him in twice. Nov elections will tell a lot about where NC is headed. Senate seats are up for grabs.
The Honors College at Oregon State would be worth a look - it has a very good reputation. Also, add Willamette University to the small-PNW-schools list. And Cal Poly Humboldt as a PNW-adjacent option, where a lot of cool things are happening as they transition to being the third Cal Poly campus. Browse the array of themed living groups at Humboldt. Southern Oregon U in Ashland would be a possibility also; itās more artsy than sporty, but has a lot of sporty types too (including a whole major in Outdoor Adventure Leadership). SOU has a LAC-like vibe but has about 4500 undergrads. Also, Western Washington U in Bellingham could be worth a look.
Colorado has a lot of potential too. CU Boulder, U of Denver, maybe Colorado State (although thatās a redder area). U of NM gives great merit, and she might like Albuquerque.
The trick is to find the flexibility-to-explore that she needs, in a not-too-small school. Often, the bigger the school gets, the harder it is to make lateral moves and sample different fields of study before committing. The CA publics are not known for their flexibility, although the barriers-to-entry across programs are lower at the less highly-competitive schools.
Which I know makes it hard to help me! This one has equally good grades in everything. This year sheāll have more electives, so hopefully sheāll develop an interest. But I was completely undecided headed to college, so I understand it.