If you would like to consider Macalester on a purely spatial basis, note that it resides on 53 acres. This might represent about 1/5 to 1/10th the area of more spatially luxurious LACs. In this sense, Macalester is truly compact. Nonetheless, for comparisons to other potential choices, U.S. News offers acreage information in its listings (e.g., https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/bates-college-2036).
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Speaking of Pittsburgh, Duquesne would probably meet the definition and is much smaller with about 5k undergrads.
And to refer to size differences, Tulane is 110 acres and Loyola New Orleans is on 22 acres. So twice the geographic size for about 7400 undergrads and half the geographic size for about 3300 undergrads!
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I note Duquesne is up on a hill (or a bluff if you prefer) and the main places to go are not right next door.
But it is a really cool location anyway, with great views, and it is extremely easy to get to those places to go.
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Not sure if works but Ursinus as a safety ? Others may better know the area. Occidental ….
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We never visited Macalester, but we did visit University of Puget Sound, which I’ve heard compared to Macalester in terms of being integrated into its neighborhood. S23 felt UPS was too small for what he was looking for (he’s now happily attending a huge urban flagship) but it might be something to consider. The campus is attractive and compact, the neighborhood is pleasant and mixed residential with a short walk to cafes / restaurants / shopping.
Looking at your other posts, your D might like how WA is definitely a blue state, and Tacoma is near lots of water. The bigger city of Seattle is nearby… similar to how the bigger city of Minneapolis is accessible from Macalester.
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Sounds like it would be a safety for her and probably larger than she wants, but since you listed Miami Ohio, thought I’d give feedback. My son is a rising sophomore there and loves it. He’s made fabulous friends, gotten involved in clubs and is thriving in classes. They give nice merit aid.
How integrated the town feels depends on exactly where you live. The cute brick street town center with restaurants, shops, bars, etc is either a 1 minute or 15 minute walk from dorms. The students are required to live on campus for the first 2 years. My son’s dorm next year is 2 blocks to his fave off campus restaurant. A lot of the upper floors of buildings in town are upperclassmen apartments and many of the houses on the side streets a block off the main drag are student houses. So if being “in town” is important she could live right there junior and senior year and walk to classes. Oxford is a safe happy bubble in the middle of corn fields - but it’s large enough to support the University and its employees. There are hotels, Walmart, Kroger etc in addition to a charming and thriving town center adjacent to the school. It is just under an hour from Cincinnati and about 25 minutes to Hamilton which is a small city with all the things (Target, Lowes, Ulta, Movie Theater, etc etc) that you would expect. The campus is large b/c there are 18K students, but it is dense and walkable rather than sprawling. The only time my son used the free bus service was to go to Kroger. It has been an absolutely perfect fit for him. Happy to answer any questions about it.
Elon, Dickinson and some others you listed were on my son’s short list. We liked a lot of things about them but son decided he wanted larger for more clubs and opportunities.
In the photo you can see the farms in the distance and the tightly packed campus. The opposite direction has the town.
The cute town with restaurants and stores on the ground floor and apartments above.
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Don’t think anyone’s mentioned Denison, which is in the charming village of Granville, Ohio – the main academic buildings, student center and dorms are “on the hill” but it’s a 5 min walk down the hill into the village with restaurants, shops, farmer’s market etc. Students walk down the hill constantly to grab food etc.
Haverford and Bryn Mawr are in adjoining suburban Philadelphia towns, surrounded by lovely residential neighborhoods. Lancaster Ave is the main shopping street, running through both towns, and about a 10 min walk from each campus. If you weren’t from the area, you wouldn’t know where the town of Haverford ends and the town of Bryn Mawr begins, it all flows together.
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Belmont U is a small private school featuring a small campus that is literally across the street from Music Row; within a stone’s throw of 21st avenue south, which features a bunch of shops and restaurants; and within a couple minutes’ drive of West End/Lower Broadway, which is a major road that goes right downtown and forms one border of Vanderbilt U.
If she is competitive for the schools you mentioned, Belmont may be an admissions safety for her, or a likely at least.
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But religious
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Denison is nothing like what OP described in my opinion. It’s one of the first schools I took my daughter to. Surprisingly big and yes, there’s a town but not much of one.
Fine school but not based on what is described (IMHO).
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It disaffiliated from the Southern Baptist Convention years ago.
Yes and for the first time is allowing non Christian faculty - but I’m local - and it’s very religious the kids who go.
Just nothing for OP.
First statement on their website:
Our identity as a Christ-centered institution is at the core of who we are.
What you defined is more political in regards to tie ins with the church - their religious bent has not changed.
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The local kids I know who have gone there are not excessively religious, and didn’t go to Belmont for the religion.
There is a broad spectrum of religiosity for schools that officially have a religious affiliation: sometimes it may be nominal or compartmentalized (I think of Emory or Sewanee), sometimes it is hard-core (I think of Oral Roberts, Bob Jones, Bryan). I think that Belmont is closer to the Emory/Sewanee end of the spectrum than to the Bryan end of the spectrum.
maybe for music - but that’s it. It’s not Lipscomb (another neighbor) but it’s closer to that than Emory.
OP is certainly free to research any and all listed and decide what’s good for them of course.
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I’m always curious when someone describes Belmont as religious… not because I have any personal experience to refute that perception, but I do know two current students. My kid’s step siblings both attend and are not religious at all. And I mean AT ALL. They are both majoring in music management/business fields if that’s meaningful.
Again, I have no personal knowledge other than what my kid tells me (she visits) and what her step bro and sis tell her. They are both happy there and enjoying the access to the music scene (singer/songwriters with regular gigs).
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Eye of the beholder and all that. We visited Granville often because my kid was an athlete. Students go up and down the hill every day. The village – and it is a village – has independent, small businesses, with the only “national” businesses, apart from banks, being a CVS on the main street and a Subway on a side street. There is a grocery store past the main street, which students also walk to, not daily, but regularly. The core of campus is on the “hill,” with fine arts and performing arts “down” the hill by the village – the performing arts center sits in the heart of the village, families are strolling by and through the green space which is campus property. The athletic center and fields are on the other side of the hill. If a student had to get from the music building in the village to the athletic center in 10 minutes, it would be a challenge. I read the OP as asking for recommendations for schools which are integrated into the surrounding community and Denison students experience campus life as fully integrated with Granville. To each their own!
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It’s always been very religious - but exceptions for music (not that the school mantra doesn’t stay but some kids will come because of the program strength)…and they are now, in some schools, allowing non Christians as faculty. Imagine that - you had to be Christian to even apply.
But I digress - neither it or Vandy are "integrated’ but integrated is such a tough word and both would have access to many things.
Btw here is Belmont’ vision:
Aspirational Aim for 2030
To be widely recognized as the leading Christ-centered”
Belmont permits hiring faculty of all faiths or none (insidehighered.com)
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SMU is a beautiful campus fully integrated into the local community.
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My daughter goes to Brandeis - she and her friends go into Waltham all the time for dinner or shopping. There’s a shuttle that leaves every hour or so and just takes a few minutes. After your first year you can actually choose a dorm or apartment closer to town if that’s what you want. They also have a shuttle to Boston on the weekends, so you have easy access to a big city and a small town depending on your mood.
Did anyone mention Sarah Lawrence? The town of Bronxville is adorable. The school has have frequent shuttles to town, or you could walk there in 10-15 min.
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I don’t know about the others, but Midd is in the town, the faculty live in the town, the “business area” (such as it is) is shared. Roughly half the households in Middlebury have a family member employed at Middlebury College. Another substantial proportion work or own the shops, restaurants, and hotels/B&Bs of which faculty, students, and parents and major customers. It is about as integrated as possible, but the town itself is tiny.
Of course they’re always UConn, which has essentially swallowed Storrs.
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