Plus, Tulane is walking distance (though a little further) to Magazine Street, can’t get better than that IMO (I did a masters there long time ago. Love NOLA!)
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My D, who LOVES being at W&M (small and touristy as the downtown neighborhood is…she just doesn’t love how early everything closes up) was very “meh” when she visited Denison/Granville. She felt the town was almost nothing, and felt it was in the middle of nowhere (even though she grew up in a town of only 20,000 and didn’t, at that point, like large cities. ) had been so excited for her to visit Denison, thinking it might be the perfect school for her. I can’t speak to it, as she went there with her dad, but if Williamsburg is not suitable for this student, I can’t imagine Denison/Granville would be either.
I guess the difference between my opinion and what others are saying is - I see OP as more “urban” given the Mac example - and some of these others, IMHO, are more suburban or rural - like Denison in a small town vs. Mac which she loved (big city).
That’s why I noted Charleston. Small campus, in city.
Doesn’t mean my interpretation of OPs desires are right… OP will have to decide that for themselves.
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@ali-ice - are we still a 3.8 GPA with a $30K budget?
Is Engineering still on the table?
Is there a test score?
I’m assuming if you’re looking at a Mac, then engineering is out for now?
I am not sure I would call this setting “big city.” The area appears to be primarily residential, with a well-defined small business district. The big city of Minneapolis is nearby, but Macalester itself doesn’t seem to be in a particularly urban neighborhood.
My son prefers a “city” environment and for him this setting would feel too suburban. Even Berkeley feels a bit small and suburban for him. 
But I would guess that for many students, Macalester’s smaller scale setting would feel just right.
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Yes but it’s easily accessible. Wanna see MLS soccer. Walk 20 mins. Target and more 30.
But this is one of those that’s subject to various interpretations.
But I do wonder if Occidental might be another to look at? It also meets need.
Barnard is indeed right in Morningside Heights, and most of the student housing is off campus but in the neighborhood. The area is cute and fun—albeit expensive. And nothing in NYC is exactly far away.
One thing that may or may not appeal: Barnard is gated, and with the protests and everything last year, there were a lot of times that campus was restricted to students, faculty, and staff.
My d22 and her friends really do use all of New York City. Barnard is a great place, but make sure to visit. It’s very much a fit school.
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Bates is part of the town. Schools are across the street and locals walk their dogs on campus. It’s a short walk to restaurants. The campus is also compact and lovely. Newlyweds do photo shoots there. There is active student/community interaction and the busy Harward Center facilitates these connections. Harward Center | Bates College
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I like the term “semi-urban” for Macalester’s locale, but an alternative is “streetcar suburb”.
As the name implies, that development form was popular when streetcars were expanding out cities, before the autocentric, post-WWII suburban forms completely took over. That said, in wealthier areas in the 1920s and 1930s, private automobile ownership became common enough that there were some transitional forms.
Which is in fact the history of Macalester-Groveland:
History
The neighborhood began to develop in the 1890s as streetcars were extended to the area. Other areas began filling in during the 1920s which resulted in different development patterns. The development in the 1920s and after is later than other parts of Saint Paul which resulted in buildings more oriented around automobile travel and commercial areas mostly located at streetcar corners.
A subarea of the neighborhood is called Tangletown for the twisting streets that contrast to the gridded structure of the rest of the city. In the 1880s Macalester College move[d] to what was then the suburbs of Saint Paul. Lots in Tangletown were intended to fund the endowment for Macalester College but that plan was not successful. The area developed gradually with many different architectural styles.
I actually live in a 1920s home in a streetcar suburb myself, so I am definitely a fan of the form. And I agree it is in fact distinct from fully urban forms, but also from more modern suburban forms, small town forms, or rural forms.
And I further agree Macalester is unusually compact and well-integrated into the streetcar suburban form. The campus is basically just 1.5 long blocks wide, 7 short blocks long (note the short blocks to the east are further divided by alleys where the garages are located). There are no major grade changes, no highways, no park-like green spaces or arbs . . . very cool if you are into that sort of thing.
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My Barnard alum sister will kill me for saying this but calling it a campus would be stretching things a bit. It’s a courtyard.
Might I suggest Grinnell College? It’s a lovely campus and butts up right to town.
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W&L’s main campus is compact, especially for freshmen. The freshman dorms are steps away from the main dining hall and academic buildings. Sophomore and junior housing are incrementally farther from the main part of campus but still easily walkable.
Shops and eateries are just off campus, many within eyesight and all an easy walk. The town is charming (I love visiting!) and the surrounding area is the beautiful Shenandoah Valley. It is rural so that is a big difference from Mac. My city kid loves the easy access to outdoor activities…and experiencing a different environment. But that’s something to be considered individually, as well as the travel challenges that come with a rural location.
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Not really
ETA for clarity: That was in response to calling Belmont a Christian school
Maybe we can lay down some markers. To qualify as a “campus”, it should have enough room to play frisbee and to qualify as a “town”, it should have at least three traffic lights.
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At least one city block for a campus. And in rural areas, I’d settle for Stop signs. Or at least Yield signs.
“Now be careful, Ethel – we’re a-comin’ to the four-way yield.”
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True fact: Connecticut has a “yield for pedestrians” policy even at stoplights which as a native New Yorker drives me crazy because I won’t step into a crosswalk until traffic is at a full stop. So, there’s always this little dance we go through as a car approaches and they see me standing on the corner. I often wind up waving them on.
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It depends what you mean by “integrated”. CWRU is very close to the art museum, severance hall (home of the Cleveland Orchestra), and Little Italy as mentioned above. There is a nice newer are of mixed use things just down the road. Off campus, students can live in the Coventry are which is a really fun gentrified area of Cleveland Heights.
I think this is one you need to see to appreciate.
If you have the financial resources, and would be willing to head west, I think Santa Clara University might work.
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I wasn’t sure about this so didn’t suggest Denison, but looking back, I see what the OP said her daughter wanted was to be able to “walk a few minutes and be at a pizza place off campus”. She sure could do that at Denison and she would have her choice of restaurants. Where my son lived, near the arts campus, it was just two-minute walk into the village, which is lovely and has everything a student needs for daily purposes. I thought the same thing about people who said that Bowdoin wouldn’t fit, as Bowdoin also has a nice college town right off campus. On the other hand, my son dinged Connecticut College as being too remote, not within walking distance of anything. Maybe the OP can provide us with some additional guidance.
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No on Engineering…she went to camp and didn’t see herself doing that.
3.85…waiting on test scores…will probably need to go for superscoring.
Assuming she stays with her current plan she will have 400 volunteer hours with same organization and 2 years of medical research. (She’s STEM oriented but not pre- med).
I’m putting Mac and Skidmore as hard target/easier reach
Dickinson,St Olaf, Brandeis, Union, MHC as targets
Elon, Beloit, Miami (Ohio) as likely
KU and KState as safeties
Brown is only there because she wanted to apply to one Ivy…not because she thinks she can get in but to say she tossed her hat in the ring.
Washington and Lee as reach because of the Johnson Scholarship.
I took off WPI, RPI because she isn’t set on a major 100% and if she doesn’t love Bio there aren’t a ton of other options at those locations. Plus attending those required getting really favorable financial packages while the ones above are all solidly within range based on NPC. We aren’t applying to anything that won’t be within budget based on NPC…it’s just too much of a heartbreak for everyone. Of course, not every NPC calculator is accurate but it’s the best we can do.
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I think she would dislike a rural, small town ….she likes to be busy and explore …so Mac met her needs for a cute local shops and a big city nearby.
City schools like Barnard don’t have a ‘campus’ and she liked that Mac had one. She said it gave it a sense of community.
Like a person said above…her criteria are likely to change with each place we see….but sprawling, hilly campuses in rural farm areas aren’t her first choice. haha! (I’m sorry we live in Kansas child!)