So this is basically part of the pitch at Vassar.
As a bit of an aside, my S24 did not actually react all that great to that pitch as an admitted student. I don’t blame Vassar, but I think he sort of picked up on a contrast between a general vibe in higher education in the Northeast versus the Midwest. Vassar was more or less suggesting they were an exception to that vibe as part of why students should pick them, but I think his reaction was still you should not need to see yourself as an exception!
In contrast, Carleton, which he also visited as an admitted student, resonated more with him because while it is known as being an academically excellent school, it also has a friendly and cooperative vibe with lots of friendly faculty engagement, and this was sort of taken as just a given. Which I do think is related to the fact it is in Minnesota and Minnesota Nice is a real thing.
For the record, he ultimately chose WUSTL and not an LAC at all, but I do think it was a culture match for him in a similar way. He didn’t even end up applying to, say, Dartmouth, which he originally thought he would like but ended up having a kinda similar negative reaction to the perceived vibe.
I am raising all this because I do wonder if you are kinda running into a bit of a three-way conflict between your regional preference for the Northeast, an LAC with relative fame, and the vibe you are looking for. But if you do not want to relax either of the first two preferences, then Vassar again seems to be pitching itself as doing relatively well on the third.