I know. I wasn’t suggesting them – just pointing out that there are very few actual “colonial New England” colleges, so maybe a more useful set of standards would be helpful.
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One of my favorite campuses is Union College in Schenectady, NY. Gothic? No. Colonial? Not really. But it is a beautiful campus with interesting architecture.
Union was founded in 1895 and the campus plan was laid out in the early 1800s. Nott Memorial, a unique domed building is the centerpiece of the 130 acre campus. 8 acre Jackson’s Gardens, established almost a century ago, is the oldest cultivated garden & woodlands on a college campus and provides a retreat for quiet time or reflection.
Check it out.
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Brain doesn’t work like that lol, guess this was a bad question with that being said
Washington and Lee University, founded in 1749, has colonial architecture, but is also a reach.
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Beautiful New England campuses my daughter likes for nursing (I think 2/3 have pre-med)…Fairfield Univ, Sacred Heart Univ, and Endicott (so pretty)
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I assume you have heard this before, but Bryn Mawr has such a close relationship with Haverford–including lots of students taking classes at both, regular quick shuttles, shared meal plans, joint events, and so on–that it may somewhat blunt your concerns about choosing a women’s college.
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Just about any college in the country offers the dozen or so lower-division science and math classes needed by premeds and is capable of teaching those classes. Whether a kid works for good grades, get to know some profs so they get strong recs, take part in appropriate ECs, and develops compelling essays is up to them.
Twenty years ago a college with a well-informed premed counselor could be of great help instead of relying on rumors from college friends, but these days there is plenty of info online as well as advice forums so kids who want can be equally informed no matter where they go.
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The notable buildings at Bryn Mawr and Mt. Holyoke follow a style known as “Collegiate Gothic” and were heavily influenced by English campuses. They are not Colonial.
William & Mary has buildings from the colonial period, most notably Wren Hall, though its interior was repeatedly rebuilt due to fires. Harvard has colonial buildings in Harvard Yard, including Massachusetts Hall, where the President’s Office is located. Brown has University Hall. Yale has Old Campus, which includes Connecticut Hall, though Old Campus also has later, Gothic elements. What do these schools have in common? They were all established when their states were still colonies and they are still located on the sites where they were established.
In New England, Colonial, or pre-Revolutionary architecture is an American version of an English style known as Georgian architecture. Most of the structures were built using wood or brick. There are schools with building constructed much later in the “Colonial Revival” style, too. Dartmouth Hall and Baker Library at Dartmouth are examples of Colonial Revival architecture, as is Miller Library at Colby and Wait Chapel at Wake Forest. All were built after 1900.
So, if you really want “charming old New England” someone might suggest Bennington College (though probably not for bio or chem). But if you really mean old and with lots of Gothic character, someone might suggest Berry College or Vassar.
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This is an excellent and useful summary.
I would add a caveat- MANY times the campuses with the most charming “New England” type vibe get dinged by folks on CC from out of the area for their “dumpy” dorms.
Folks from Texas are shocked that some dorms in New England don’t have air conditioned (many people in the surrounding towns don’t either). Folks from Arizona are shocked that the buildings are “so old” (that’s what happens when you move into a dorm constructed after the Civil War- it’s gonna be old, and if you’re used to nothing older than 1965 architecture, it’s going to feel “dumpy” to you. And folks from the sunbelt can’t believe that the college doesn’t shut down after a typical snow fall (i.e. four inches or less). Yes, snow can be shoveled, paths can be cleared, kids walk to class even after snow.
So for anyone reading this- be aware that there is a tradeoff. The “Colonial New England vibe” (even if it’s Gothic, Georgian, or Romanesque from an architectural perspective) is also likely going to involve older infrastructure. Most colleges have put significant money into upgrading systems (electrical, heating, everything needed to support high speed computing) and maintenance (costs a lot to keep a 150 year old building from falling down). And doing all the necessary construction and repairs for accessibility, ramps, etc. Which in many cases means NOT putting money into cosmetic upgrades (i.e. older toilets and showers).
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Bucknell is pretty. Colonial red brick.
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Yeah, well, just in case the OP has any remaining regrets that these schools are “too reachey”,I think we can lay one thing to rest: there are much better representatives than the Ivy League when it comes to “a Colonial New England Vibe”. Harvard probably has the most (four by my count) buildings actually dating back to the Colonial period. The problem as I see it, from the OP’s POV, is that once you leave The Yard, the rest of the university kind of closes in very quickly:
And Yale’s Old Campus is dominated by antique brownstone buildings erected shortly before the Civil War (much like nearby Wesleyan’s.) Connecticut Hall, its only surviving building actually dating from the Colonial period, looks a little bit out of character compared to the rest of the campus which, if truth be told, was mostly constructed during the 1920s:
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Yep. The Quad is Penn’s oldest housing area, and its Tudor Revival towers are probably the most photographed structures on campus. They are at Stage 2 of a three-stage renovation, but are known for being moldy and roach and rodent infested. Ask a Harvard freshman about the first-year dorms in the Yard…yep, rodents.
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It might be worth noting that William and Mary appears in this site among other colleges regarded by their students as having excellent science facilities:
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Gettysburg College has a beautiful, walkable campus with brick buildings and a historic feel. Abuts National Park on one side and town of Gettysburg on the other.
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