I have no idea how I didn’t see this thread before, but a few thoughts. First off, congratulations to your son on all of his acceptances so far! It also sounds as though he had a stronger first senior semester as you’re anticipating his overall GPA will go up. All good things!
I’m going to strongly second or third Marshall (WV). It has about 8200 undergrads, a strong history of supportive services, and there is an airport (but it would require a connecting flight to Boston). Also going to second the SUNY-Cortland recommendation (5900 undergrads with a sporty student body and lots of options that might appeal to your son). There have also been some other great recommendations made, too.
Some other possibilities include:
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East Stroudsburg (PA ): About 4700 undergrads at this school between Scranton and NYC with good proximity to the Poconos.
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Kutztown (PA ): About 6400 undergrads at this school roughly between Scranton and Philly.
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Salisbury (MD): About 6300 undergrads, a cute town, and I’ve heard good things about the undergraduate experience here. Outdoorsy opportunities will lean more towards the water than the mountains here.
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SUNY Oswego: About 5700 undergrads, on Lake Ontario, with access to hiking and the finger lakes.
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Grand Valley State (MI): About 19k undergrads and 35m from the Grand Rapids airport (which has a direct flight to Boston 4 days a week). @bigelom3 is (was?) a student there and has had good experiences there (here’s 1 post and there’s another a little bit further down the page)
It was also mentioned here: Colleges with Admit Rates of 60-100%: Schools You’ve Liked and Why (NO REPLIES) - #27 by NiceUnparticularMan