I know you mentioned a budget of under $50k, but your son totally sounds like a Hamilton kid. That place is filled with pleasant and collaborative learners and my son was engaged with both the history and writing departments and had a great experience. They are generous with need based aid, so it might be worth running the calculator just to see. The music scene there is great with tons of student lead ensembles in addition to a symphony orchestra and a brass choir. It has a vibrant campus life and is located in a beautiful part of NY State.
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