My DD wants to go to an LAC within a few hours from Boston, NYC, or Philadelphia. She’s a progressive, middle class, public school kid. We’re from a small city in the NE that is far from any major metro area, which is why she wants to be closer to one. She does not want to be anywhere rural. She wants a place where students are intellectually engaged, but more collaborative than competitive. She has a 3.9 and takes a lot of AP classes. She loved Vassar because of the open curriculum and that it felt like a community. I’d love more suggestions, especially places that aren’t as selective. She’s trying to avoid the Greek scene and a prep school vibe. Do her dream LACs exist?
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Skidmore, Smith are often mentioned with Vassar. Bard. Sarah Lawrence.
For a safety maybe consider Widener.
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This might limit you. Look into Swarthmore and Haverford, both excellent LACs somewhat close to philly but not urban at all. Both reaches of course, but LACs in general are harder to get into due to small class sizes.
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Maybe Connecticut College? Not sure if it has a “prep school vibe,” but my progressive, middle class, public school kid from NJ who wants a relatively laid back LAC is headed there. Some of the PA LACs may fit the bill too: Dickinson, Ursinus, maybe Gettysburg.
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I second Conn Coll. OP should get in probably with significant merit too. It’s on the water, if that’s of interest.
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Marist?
Also, Muhlenberg might be a good safety to look into.
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I don’t know if Marist has the intellectual vibe OP wants. Sure there are plenty of smart kids there but the students I know there are not super nerdy or into learning.
I think Bard is too rural. Union? Schools near Boston?
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Drew University
Wheaton College (MA)
Sarah Lawrence
Clark
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Union is very fratty. But Brandeis could be a good choice.
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Stonehill is another to look at.
What about Providence College?
Skidmore is worth a look.
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My son is looking for similar schools (he also loved Vassar)–for less selective options (with good chance of merit), we have liked Wheaton & Clark so far. He did feel Connecticut College had sort of a prep school vibe, but it is still on his list for now. We haven’t yet visited the PA LACs, but from my research it seems that Gettysburg & Ursinus might have a significant Greek vibe.
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For high targets, Bryn Mawr and Brandeis are worth exploring. Take a look at Wheaton (MA) and Goucher for likelies.
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Sarah Lawrence is similar to Vassar in some ways, but resides even closer to New York City. For another idea with a somewhat similar atmosphere to that of Vassar, Skidmore would be worth considering. For a LAC near Boston, look into Wheaton.
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I want to second Clark and Wheaton (MA). Wheaton feels more isolated/rural but it is easy & quick to get to Providence & Boston. Clark is more urban (in Worcester) but also an easy trip to Boston. We felt like they had some similarities, but also somewhat different vibes so you might like one, but not the other. Neither is extremely selective, but I was really impressed with the academic quality and opportunities at both. (and, FWIW, my husband hired a recent Wheaton graduate this year, and is really impressed with their academic knowledge, work ethic, & leadership skills.)
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I think Swat would be too intense. Some seem to loop Wesleyan in with Vassar - obviously not as easy admit.
I don’t see Bates on the list - within a few hours of Boston. And closer to Portland - an awesome city.
Sarah Lawrence - if not mentioned.
Not sure of your state - but there are publics (lower cost). SUNY Geneseo may be a bit farther from the big big city - but not overly far from the city.
Lafayette (maybe a bit more greek) and Dickinson might be worth a look - can’t say on the overall vibe - but less competitive both admission wise and in life than a SWAT. Same with an F&M. Muhlenberg too.
One thing you’ll find different amongst LACs is cost. Some can be $90K and you are middle class. That means they can be $90K - or some have need based aid and you may qualify so you should run a school’s net price calculator. Others can be half of that or less - based on merit. Some will be in the Northeast - but others - like a Kalamazoo (with its K open plan) will be in the midwest (but in a city) but give HUGE aid…or a Beloit in Wisconsin, in a city and not far from Milwaukee and Chicago.
Obviously her interests matter and there’s lots of schools above. But they, could potentially, be hundreds of thousands of dollars apart - if that makes sense. And that may matter to you too.
Good luck.
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Any chance she would consider an LAC in or near a major city not in the Northeast?
I understand a lot of kids from the Northeast at least originally don’t find that appealing, including because they may have few if any peers willing to consider leaving the region, at least not for a small school. But the Northeast LACs get so many applications, it can be hard finding Likelies and softer Targets that the kids are really excited about.
And there are great LACs in or near cities in other regions that are comparable in terms of academics and experiences and placement and such. But they tend to be much more predictable for admissions purposes, because they do not get nearly as many applications.
And while it can seem far, many are close to airports with pretty quick direct service to Northeast cities, so really not THAT far for practical purposes.
Just a thought. She might be simply unwilling to consider it, and that is fine. But I think kids who at least include some great options outside the Northeast can breathe easier if their Northeast list is mostly very selective.
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I think your daughter will have lots of great choices with those criteria! Colleges that used to be women-only are great for students looking to avoid the Greek system (they also don’t have football). Our family loved Skidmore, Wheaton and Connecticut College.
Wheaton has an open curriculum, and feels laid-back and friendly. Here is a trip report from S24’s visit:
Wheaton’s campus is much bigger than I was expecting! They have 400 acres for 1,700 students. We were comparing to other schools we’ve seen such as American University: 84 acres for 8,500 students, or Roger Williams: 140 acres for about 5,000 students. S24 likes the feel of the campuses with more space per person.
S24 also likes a historic feel, especially a bit colonial mixed with modern, which is Wheaton. Somehow, we hadn’t seen any photos with the pond, and it’s very picturesque. Also, contrary to our expectations when visiting the campus in June, it was not a ghost town at all because it was an orientation day for the incoming freshman. There were lots of students and OA’s all over campus, with lunch and games set up on the lawn.
It was easy to find admissions, and there were only two other students on our tour. Our tour guide is Syrian, but he grew up in Turkey. He said he loves how peaceful and open Wheaton is, as a break from the density of Ankara. He was remarkably humble for a clearly bright, accomplished and cosmopolitan person. Afterwards, S24 and I kept coming up with examples of self-deprecating things he said with good humor and a positive spin. Like how as a freshman, he was excited to get into a special design class with a brilliant professor, but then the drone he made didn’t fly, but it was okay because he is still working on it and has learned so much.
Due to gifts from a Wheaton alum who married an heir to the Mars (candy) family fortune, Wheaton has a beautiful, expanded arts and humanities building, and a light, spacious, eco-friendly, science and technology center. These buildings are surrounded by more classic-looking brick dorms, the chapel, the pretty and historic Mary Lyon Hall, etc.
Several points on the tour were especially appealing to S24:
- Computer Museum. A com sci professor started a computer museum with tech from the 1970s on up. They have hundreds of vintage video games students can play, and an IBM PC running DOS v1.1. Students are working with the professor to organize and display more donations. S24 was bummed to find it closed for the summer, but that kind of thing is right up his alley.
- Clear and easy availability of free peer tutoring.
- Wheaton Woods. This is a wooded area about a mile long and half a mile wide with several loops of trails, adjacent to campus.
After our tour, S24 wanted to eat on campus, so we wandered into Emerson dining hall. It was almost empty except for what looked like a group of administrators who had already finished eating their lunch. They welcomed us and asked if they could help us, and when we said we were wondering if there was an open dining hall, they said no, but that they had a buffet still set up in the other room and we should help ourselves! I normally wouldn’t do that, but they were so genuine and relaxed about it, so we did. It was really nice to be able to eat on campus with no hassle or charge. That gave us a nice feeling for the place and people! I think it reflects a vibe that is more like a community where things are personal and flexible, rather than an institution where people are more anonymous and rules are rules.
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