It isn’t too far and we can look at it. Definitely have a few SUNYs on our list. Thank you!
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Brandeis and SUNY New Paltz, known as one of the artsier, quirkier SUNYs in a great town, could work. Many SUNYs offer merit $ to OOS students.
You said that your C identifies as male, but they may still be able to apply to Bryn Mawr College. Of course this is a deeply personal decision for your C. From their page regarding transgender applicants (emphasis mine):
"In light of our mission and these understandings of gender, Bryn Mawr College considers as eligible to apply to the undergraduate college all individuals who have identified and continue to identify as women (including cisgender and trans women), intersex individuals who do not identify as male, individuals assigned female at birth who have not taken medical or legal steps to identify as male, and individuals assigned female at birth who do not identify within the gender binary. " Transgender Applicants
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Thank you. They shared that they would not feel comfortable at a women’s college no matter the policy and I want to respect that. They may choose to legally transition once they are over 18.
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URoch loves artsy kids, and there would be no worries about its being intellectual/rigorous enough. LQBTQ-friendly, great flexible curriculum, and a very customizable range of majors and tracks in the poli sci department. The only reason it isn’t as hard to get into as Tufts is that it’s not in Boston.
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Maybe Muhlenburg? your kid’s stats are right on track, and my nonbinary kid really felt comfortable when they visited.
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I was also going to recommend Rochester! I think it is often very appealing to the sorts of kids who also like Cornell or Tufts, and I think it gets great reviews from Campus Pride and such.
A few I think might be worth checking out in Eastern PA are Lehigh, Dickinson, and Gettysburg. And would Western PA be an option? If so I would add Pitt and Allegheny College.
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So many votes for Rochester! We will have to check it out. Thank you!
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Thank you! Rochester is getting a lot of votes so will have to check it out. We are visiting Lehigh soon, but will look at the others you’ve suggested.
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Seconding some of the others, including Skidmore, UVM, Wesleyan, Hampshire, Sarah Lawrence, and Dickinson. Adding (if they haven’t already come up - may have missed them) Bard, Conn College, Trinity (CT), Emerson, UMass Amherst, and SUNY Albany (because of its proximity to the state capitol, it offers opportunities for political internships).
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It obviously gets very personal with the small colleges. But these are colleges where a decent number of people with political/public-policy interests go, but they are also at least a little on the quirky/creative side too, and got high Campus Pride ratings too. So I would think definitely worth checking out online at least, and maybe worth putting on a visit agenda if feasible.
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I don’t think of Lehigh as especially LGBTQ friendly. Muhlenberg would be a solid safety, artsy vibe -like Wheaton MA. Academics are serious at both.
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I don’t really have an independent view on the subject, but it got a top rating from Campus Pride:
I’d see that as a starting point, not an ending point, though. Like, I’d want to actually talk to trans students if at all possible.
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We will look into Muhlenberg. We actually added Lehigh to our list because it gets 5/5 on the Campus Pride Index.
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The Campus Pride Index rates college policies and not necessarily the vibe/attitudes on campus. So it’s a useful tool, but I think it’s also good to be aware of its limitations.
I don’t know what the budget is (apart from needing financial aid, and most do when costs at schools are now $90k), but one school that would be a highly likely admit is Virginia Commonwealth. It has very strong arts programming and it’s 1.1 miles from the Virginia State Capitol, so plenty of opportunities to get involved in policy work. Sticker price is about $56k for out-of-state students and less than $33k for in-state students.
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Some more extremely likely admits for your kid to consider:
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Keene State (NH): About 2700 undergrads at this public liberal arts college
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Suffolk (MA): About 4400 undergrads and just a couple of blocks from the Massachusetts State House
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U. of Hartford (CT): About 4k undergrads and less than 4 miles from the Connecticut State Capitol
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I just want to emphasize I completely agree with this. I think such ratings can often be useful for identifying possible leads, but then you have to go way beyond that to really investigate each individual college of interest. And this is just as true for academic program ratings, placement studies, campus ratings, housing and dining ratings, and so on–all potentially useful starting points, not ending points!
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Very true!
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If your student is willing to expand the geographic range, Macalester would be a terrific choice: quirky, super LGBTQ+ friendly, outstanding poly sci and public policy. Located in a cute urban neighborhood with easy access to the state capitol for internships. Attracts lots of kids from both coasts and internationally. Can even take 1 class per semester at MCAD (Minneapolis College of Art and Design) if your student wants to continue with advanced art alongside the poly sci/public policy major.
MSP airport is a hub, so lots of direct flights, and the airport is just 10 minutes from campus. Minnesota is a reliably Blue state --hasn’t gone Red for a presidential candidate in over 50 years, not even for Reagan 
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Unfortunately, they said “nothing that requires a plane ride” so Oberlin, Macalester, and Grinnell came off our original list.
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A 3.7UW and 7APs would definitely not rule out a kid from those schools in my town, particularly Tufts. Obviously still a big reach, but if they have a compelling story, great recs including a counselor saying top rigor/top student I wouldn’t say out of realm of possibilty. Not all schools have a large % of kids with a 4.0UW.
$ is another thing…
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