| You should read up on University of Rochester, which eliminated entry-level general education requirements and also offers a free fifth year of study to explore one's interests. Haven't been there, so I don't know how to describe Rochester as a city.
WashU in St. Louis, about 7,000 undergrad, will give you a lot of the atmosphere and somewhat urban feeling you would get at Brown, with very low key first-year requirements and emphasis on interdisciplinary programs and double majoring. I don't think it has the pass-fail policy, though. It would also be a reach, but perhaps less so, since you're more interested in majoring in history or environmental studies than in the sciences (ie premed).
Closer to home, but less selective, you could look into the Johnston Center for Integrative Studies at University of Redlands. Johnson students can create their own majors and they write contracts for their courses and receive narrative evaluations of their work rather than letter grades. The Johnson students also live together as part of a residential community. Though it's smaller and not the location you want. |