We toured F&M a few years ago. My D
Iiked it but it didn’t rise to the top of her list (maybe top 4 though?) She didn’t end up there so I can’t attest to the difficulty, but now that she’s a college senior at another solid school I’m sure she could have handled it with flying colors. (I did wonder at the time, as she was a strong student in her high school but it wasn’t a very competitive high school and I didn’t know what she’d encounter once she went to college). Only you know your child’s academic strengths and challenges, but if you give us some idea, maybe we can make more specific suggestions.
One thing I did note was that students at F&M take four classes at a time instead of five. I assume that means each course is more intensive, which doesn’t affect rigor itself. But different individuals handle different kinds of situations well…differently. Some students may find it easier to bear down hard and focus on four big things rather than juggling five or six.
It seems the college does try to help students feel comfortable. The freshman dorms have big light-filled common room additions on them, each with a seminar room. Before freshman fall, students get to make freshman seminar choices, and dorm selection follows the seminar that the student is enrolled in so fellow classmates will be in the same dorm. Not only that, the seminar is the first class of the day. Professors go to the dorm for the seminar and students simply have to roll out of bed and come downstairs! If I’m not mistaken coffee, juice and maybe some kind of basic continental breakfast food (maybe just bagels or muffins) was available right there. The intent was for students in the dorms to find it easy to engage with one another immediately as freshmen, and get a sense of home being at college. (Anyone, feel free to correct me if I’m wrong or if things have changed. It was about five years ago that we were there!) I also remember pretty impressive food choices in the attractive cafeteria . I know that’s getting WAY off-topic but it does seem that the college tries to find ways to make students feel comfortable and welcomed.
Another good LAC with a general friendly vibe in the region to consider is Dickinson College. Susquehanna is another that is know to be supportive and a have good academics without being at all cutthroat. @MaineLonghorn could tell you all about Susquehanna, if interested.