Junior daughter with 3.9 weighted, will end HS w/ 8 APs has started college list: UVM, UMass Amherst (likelies), Wesleyan, Vassar, W&M reach. Seeking LGBT friendly, warm not too competitive student body. But would enjoy attending some parties. Visiting seems to give either party city vibes with the larger schools and quiet sitting in ones room (felt that strongly at Skidmore and crossed it off) with the smaller ones. Trying to get away from a NY/LI dominant study body to meet students from all over.
What is unweighted GPA?
3.8 unweighted. Loved the vibe at UVM… felt lively with lots of students out and about. She loves quirky artsy kids but also will want to experience some regular college stuff like some parties.
Bard or Sarah Lawrence sound like they might be a good vibe fit and would work with her academic profile.
6 Likes
Tough combination - 2 out of 3, maybe ??
Rutgers - big, fun, ton of school spirit, small city, very diverse, smart kids but not Uber competitive, good for LGBT, pretty liberal student body.
American - Uber liberal like UVM/Oberlin, not a partly school but literally in DC so opportunities to have fun. Not overly competitive per se but expect to be surrounded with a lot of activism. My son was on Capitol Hill and he liked the American interns much better than GW or Gtown.
Clark - Quirky, smart, warm, liberal, with new LGBT resources, but small and not a party school, urban area, Worcester mass = cold…
2 Likes
Don’t know if you have been to Sarah Lawrence, but we toured during the school year, and the campus seemed dead. It was D24’s #1 going into the tour, and afterward she decided to fully drop it from her list.
Maybe you’ve had a different experience with it, though.
NYmom21, my daughter was looking for a warm, friendly, collaborative student body, a social scene not dominated by Greek life, school spirit, and a lively campus feel (among other things). University of Pittsburgh is what fit the bill for her.
3 Likes
Can’t disagree on Pitt. It checks a LOT of boxes. My S16 (UConn) visited his S18 brother at Pitt and said “I should’ve gone here”’.
You didn’t bring up programs but people often don’t realized the breadth of quality programs and not just in health/STEM.
Also, the honors program isn’t really anything but the Honors dorm is the best dorm we’ve ever seen (except Yale and Cornell) and the students in honors at Pitt are super smart and could go anywhere, as is often the case at large flagships or similar.
2 Likes
Thank you this is great! Appreciate it!
1 Like
Multiple times but not in the last 5 years. Would defer to more recent experience.
1 Like
Bates. Known for being friendly and non-competitive. No Greek life, and there never has been. LGBTQ friendly. Kids from almost all states and many nations. Plenty of parties, but rigorous academics and partying is mostly on the weekend.
Clark as a match or safety. If your student is a NY resident, I’d suggest Binghamton, but of course there will be plenty of NY students there. There is definitely a growing contingent of OOS students. Macalester. Oberlin. Grinnell.
13 Likes
Yeah Macalaster is a great suggestion. Our friends’ son also from LI sounds a LOT like this student and LOVES Macalaster.
5 Likes
Thank you all and super moderator! Oberlin: I think of it as music school. Curious if that dominates? Oh Ithaca was on our list as a likely. Binghamton is such a great school but we live on LI and it’s way too many kids “from home”
Arriving with matching comforters already knowing everyone. Thanks for these suggestions that we can add!
If willing to go small, washignton college in Maryland. Small school, but close knit and collaborative environment. There are usually about 2 good size parties per weekend. (Again, small school). There isn’t a vibe of people walking around a lot on weekend nights cuz the town doesn’t stay open past 10, but the kids aren’t just in their rooms by themselves— they have parties, small dorm/suite parties, film club 1-2 times a month on Friday nights. There are a lot of clubs in comparison to the size of school and the clubs hold events open to all the students every night. There are usually more activities available than the kids can do. It’s a private school, so kids come from all over. It’s attached to a super cute town—farmers market, festivals, coffee shop, record shop, etc. the kids are not cookie cutter at all…academic kids, preppy kids, artsy kids, Emo kids, agriculture kids, athletes, Greek life, etc. Academic kids have opportunities for undergrad research and internships. Professors are friendly and involved. They give good merit, don’t look at sticker price. Students live on campus at least 3 years, so creates nice community. Definitely not a city vibe though, if looking for that. Very LGBTQ friendly. Each sport hosts a pride night, the LGBTQ clubs co-host events with other clubs, and they even had a drag queen come in last year for a club event.
3 Likes
Any majors or kinds of majors that are more or less likely?
Any cost constraints?
1 Like
Fellow New Yorker, perhaps New Paltz would be a good option, especially since it’s less selective than Binghamton. If the West Coast is an option, consider Pitzer, Scripps, and Occidental. In the Midwest, I would look into Beloit as a target/likely along with Oberlin, the vast majority of the students are not in the music conservatory.
3 Likes
Great intel re:Oberlin, thanks all! D is undecided but possibly Environmental Science/Journalism with Studio Art minor. Thanks to all!
May not be lively enough, but Lewis & Clark? Connecticut College? Dickinson? Gettysburg? Washington and Lee can be very social, and I believe it’s LGBTQ friendly, but I don’t know for sure. It would be very different from, say, Bard.
1 Like
Haven’t visited in a few years but I wouldn’t think Gettysburg or W&L were exactly funky or liberal. Dickinson, a little, but not notably so.
1 Like
University of Maine? They give good merit aid. We’re in the Midwest and one of my son’s weird artsy friends is a freshman environmental science major there and is in absolute heaven. For the NY environmental science student I’d also say SUNY-ESF (a real gem and great vibe). Syracuse is right there for journalism / art courses. ESF offers lots of different enviro-flavored majors but not straight journalism or art.
1 Like
Would she be interested in Mt Holyoke?
Warren Wilson College near Asheville NC is super LGBTQ and very very laid back. Might be too laid back and non-competitive for her, but they do have some good programs for folks with an environmental bent.
1 Like