Agree. I think for Scripps and Pitzer, the attention (which normally goes to their 5C siblings) is likely far more important than where on the list they are. That kids learn of them, and see them in these “top” ranking lists is more important. Plus, my experience visiting both of those schools with my D26, was that many of the kids who choose those schools do not seem to be the rankings obsessed type. Scripps gets a lot of women who want the perks of a high quality women’s college, but still wanted a coed environment. Pitzer gets a lot of kids drawn in by its 5 core values, environmentalist and social responsibility types who care more about that than the prestige of tippy-top rankings.
Edit: Relatedly, in terms of schools one fell in love with, I totally fell in love with the Claremont Colleges on our visits. Not just one of them, the whole package. There really is something for almost everyone there. Each school’s personality and mission is so distinct, yet they function together so well as a whole community. And you get, really small schools with a mid-sized University’s resources and social pool. Plus, there are 4 gorgeous campuses (I won’t say which I find not gorgeous). It really is an incredible concept.