Sorry I meant to put former mayor. Thanks for the correction.
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Youāre a saint 
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Iād look at Emory if he EDs there. Very strong creative writing program. For example:
Scroll all the way down on the page, too.
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I think - and weāve had this debate on the CC a few times before - but you have to look at the school and not the state (thatās my opinion). So Rice is no issue nor is Arizona, Indiana or any myriad of schools which lean āliberalā if weāre going to put labels.
But if you do that - throw in TN. We are negotiating with Hillsdale College to use their curriculum in our public ācharterā HSs - so Vandy - gone.
And OP is from Florida. I think FAU Honors in Jupiter might be another fit - but nonetheless, if weāre holding schoolās accountable to their state, since they are about to sign off on the ādonāt say gayā bill - you should take off every school in Florida by this method.
I understand this is a subject with differing views and I appreciate that - Iāve seen kids eliminate schools like Case Western because of Ohio laws or Rice or UT because of Texas laws.
I personally think the school should outweigh the state because otherwise youād have to eliminate a ton - but obviously any āconsumerā can handle that situation in a way that is best for them.
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McGill is a good suggestion. Gay friendly(gay hub, really), right in the middle of the city, quite the social/arts scene if you want it. U of Toronto, too, though Toronto is itās own thing.
Carleton is a great school, and would be a fit except that it in a small town well outside the city, not in a big city. It is only a 40 minute drive to MPLS/SPL, but how many students get a chance to do that?
Iowa(the state) is conservative, and does not jump out to me as a place for the fashion conscious. I think it might be hell for the OPās son.
U of MN? Maybeā¦ it could work. I think it would be a better fit than WI, and in any event would be an easier admit.
I know I havenāt answered the OPās question about which schools should be struck from the list. The only school I know quite a bit about is Macalester. It might be a fit. Certainly not the hectic urban pace and excitement of Columbia, Penn, or even BC(I think?), or a fashion hotspot. It is more of a benign pleasant residential urban neighbourhood, with other colleges within walking distance, and of U of MN a short LRT ride away.
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At least about Arizona I have heard this is not true - lots of kids are closeted and in the town to see anyone openly gay is a rarity. Heard from several parents of lgbtq kids to stay away from Arizona and Tucson. As in everything I am sure some have very different experiences. State schools have a lot of kids from the state they are in, and presumably lots of them come from households sharing the views of those who enacted the hate laws. But I agree, it is sad to have to basically limit the college search to the blue states.
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There are conservative schools in blue states and I think you are getting mis-information.
Tucson - The city and school slant liberal - home of Gabby Giffords. The school is rated highly on the campus pride index and has loads of LGBTQ clubs. My niece and her husband work there - and Iāve met several gay staff through her (we visited, toured, and she took us all over and introduced us to many).
That said, the OP is looking for the right college - and this wasnāt on their list so no reason to get off on a tangent. And itās only one school.
I simply was saying - I personally wouldnāt eliminate schools from āredā states if the school was right.
Iāll leave it at that.
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That may be good if the student values smaller classes that are not overflowing* with students and more access to faculty. It may not be so good if departments shrink (faculty retire or leave and are not replaced) due to lack of student interest. Take a look at faculty rosters and interests, and course offerings with frequency of offering.
*The opposite occurs in CS at Swarthmore, where access to CS courses is rationed.
The following have automatic admission criteria; if the student meets them, then they are 100% sure thing safeties (be sure to make sure that the desired major is also automatic admission or non-competitive to declare later):
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Remember that some state laws can have a direct effect on the quality of life of some students, so they may be more directly concerned about such state laws that someone who politically disagrees with them but is not directly affected by them.
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I understand - itās why I said we all have differing opinions and that itās acceptable.
As a consumer, we can all choose what is best for us.
Iām not gay and I donāt portend to know what may or may not be comfortable for a gay student.
Unfortunately (well I say that depending on your politics), rules that many deem unfair are popping up everywhere and if you eliminate states (and thatās a personal choice), the map gets a lot smaller!!
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No west coast schools? Gay, fashionable, and creative sounds great for USC. Definitely a be who you are kind of place. Easy to double major across schools, add a minor, change majors, but maybe out of your geographic preference.
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While those who are not of a minority group that is targeted for hostility by such laws can put the politics aside when they are not doing political activity, that is a luxury or privilege that may not be available for members of a targeted minority group.
In other words, while it may just be politics to some people, it may be a quality of life issue to others.
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U of A is in Tucson, which is super liberal. Not liberal like Berkeley is, but liberal enough that for many many years now, their local US congressional districts are Democrat. And Tucson has had a liberal mayor for many years now. Local city ordinances are definitely progressive. Thereās a pretty decently sized LGBT+ community in Tucson. We lived in Tucson for about 15 years before moving elsewhere in the state a couple of years ago.
If 1 of my kids was LGBT+, I would have no qualms whatsoever in sending my kid to UofA. Iād prefer that my LGBT kid would go to UofA over ASU, for example. And U of A is a large enough school that an LGBT+ student could absolutely, positively find his/her/their group of like-minded students to hang out with.
My kidsā drama teacher in Tucson at their elementary school is gay and a really active member of the local drama community. He volunteers with a local organization that assists at risk LGBT youth and is really involved with the local theater community, too.
Tucson also has a gay menās chorus ā Go to https://reveillemenschorus.org/ for more information.
Tucson also hosts a Pride Festival every year. There are a few different LGBT+ organizations in town.
A very good friend of mine is gay, lives in Tucson, and loves it there. Your son would do just fine in Tucson.
I know there is at least one English professor at USC who focuses his research on 20th century gay and lesbian studies. This may be an area of interest for your son.
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Yes, you neednāt sell me. Iām married to a U of A grad, both kids considered, got married at the Omni Tucson Nationalā¦and if you have a 3.9 UW GPA or higher, U of A is a home run - and the Honors Dorm is fantastic with a dining hall on the bottom and gym and counseling center adjacent. After touring, I wanted to sell my house and move in.
@relaxmom on message #44 had some hesitation and @ucbalumnus said some may have hesitation on what state laws bring in regards to qualify of life.
All valid points - but like you, Iām a big U of A fan for all students. Iām an ASU MBA grad, but U of A brings the more traditional campus and as you correctly noted, Tucson is the liberal bastion of Arizona.
Here may be another school - another liberal bastion in a conservative state. Iām so amazed at the quality and warmth of the people on each visit. UNC Asheville has a creative writing concentration - and Asheville is extremely liberal (and granola).
I definitely have the sense that UNC-Asheville is more crunchy granola and thatās not quite the vibe that Iām getting about OPās son. But I think it would be likely or extremely likely for admission and is a gorgeous part of the country.
I realize that OPās son didnāt care for Poughkeepsie, at least in the area around Vassar. But was it all of the town, or just around Vassar? I ask because Marist has come up as a likely or extremely likely option. It was ranked #6 on this list of colleges with the most fashionable students and has a fashion magazine and fashion shows, etc, probably not too surprising since it has both a Fashion Merchandising major and a Fashion/Apparel Design major. Thereās no creative writing major, but there is a minor or a writing concentration within the English major. Or the English major can have a concentration in theater, and the minor in theater includes acting, directing, etc. Just adding another institution as food for thought.
Re: safety school - apologize if this is a repeat but Lewis and Clark is in a great city (Portland OR). OPās son is quite overqualified academically I would think, but could possibly get excited about Portland as a place (love your safetyā¦) itās a big enough city to have a significant fashion and arts scene, and my kids consider it one of the very coolest cities in the US. Seems to have some history with creative writing.
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Not sure if DePaul is an academic fit but itās certainly LGBT friendly. Catholic but very accepting. Film and theater is big there. Boystown is close to campus.
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At any number of these schools, test scores, while considered, are not important determinants for admission. Iād encourage these parents to trim their list down to a more workable number and then Google the school + common data set where they will find the priority that the particular college places on test scores.
In his favor is the fact that he is an increasingly rare bird - a male with high grades. The overall numbers include everyone, but colleges strive for gender balance although they find that increasingly hard to find. Overall, colleges are about 60:40 female. Common data set breaks down the number of applicants by male/female. His chances improve at any school where the applicants are disproportionately female. In a world where undergraduate engineering schools and many business schools are disproportionately male, he has the advantage of applying for Liberal Arts where male applicants are much fewer.
I think that the point about colleges which accept 15-20% of their applicants or less are a crap shoot for anyone. As @AustenNut says, itās simply a numbers game - too many highly qualified applicants for too few seats. This is especially true in light of the fact that the applicant pool itself is self-selecting, so only top students mostly are even applying to these schools to begin with.
I think that this students chances for a very good College are better than might appear at first glance - especially at a school where gpa is a more important factor than test scores and where the number of male applicants is substantially lower than females.