I thought of Bard when I read the question, but I think if Oberlin is too left/quirky for their kid, Bard will also be too left/quirky.
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Agreed. Such an interesting place!
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Sarah Lawrence ticks most of your boxes and has a week left on application deadline.
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Sarah Lawrence, awesome as it is, is even more liberal/quirky than Oberlin! (Both in my subjective opinion as someone very familiar with both campuses and by Niche surveys). The thing about Oberlin is, its overall very left campus culture which is definitely self-selecting, is somewhat āoffsetā by the conservatory students that donāt have a particular political profile but rather come because the oboe or harpsichord faculty they want to study with are there, and they comprise something like 20% of the student body, but SL has no such equivalent.
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And such a beautiful campus!
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I donāt entirely disagreeš
Student is currently interested in Vassar (where I attended) but deadline is past. Sarah Lawrence where I have spent time doesnāt seem that much quirkier but it is subjective (translation both have oddballs like me).
Given the time constraint and other limitations I would at least suggest OP take a look.
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True, if the student is open to Vassar, SL might just work, and itās definitely more feasible as a ātargetā school admissions-wise.
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Per Niche ratings, maybe Dickinson. Wooster is another and Allegheny too (not too too far from Pittsburgh). And K as mentioned prior, which isnāt far from Chicago but is in a city all its own with W Michigan down the street. Another mentioned Connecticut which seems appropriate. And itās south but Rhodes in Memphis skews left and will have more geographic diversity.
I think one thing to note is even mid size schools (or large) may have small classes - my daughter is at a 10k school and her classes have been 5-30 Honors and non and sheās gotten to know profs to the point sheās fine to meals/coffee with several - so it can be done at even larger schools.
I think the issue with many safe, NE schools is they wonāt be geographically diverse ? Does that matter because you do have LACs in the NW.
It sounds with Rochester, Vassar, Wesleyan etc that an open curriculum might be important which is why I suggested Kalamazoo
But really thereās likely lots of names that could work for her and not just the NW or NE.
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Seconding Kenyon, and I would add St. Olaf (outside of Twin Cities) and College of Wooster into the mix. If Oberlin is too quirky for you, you might find Macalester in the same ballpark. That said, I almost wrote Oberlin off but my apolitical, Iād-rather-die-than-be-called-quirky cis/hetero/white son was charmed by it. It was his favorite of the Ohio LACs (followed by Kenyon/Denison/Wooster). Iād have also recommended looking at Brandeis but the deadline has passed.
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What about Clark? I think the deadline hasnāt passed but not sure. Most schools I would consider are not accepting applications. Good luck!
Jan 15
Re: Sarah Lawrence
Be sure to check the academic offerings, because it has a strong focus on some subjects but limited offerings in other subjects.
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My twins have a few overlaps with yours (W&M, WashU, plus Pitt [but same concerns about size]). The two schools they applied to that I didnāt see on your list that are still accepting applications are St. Olaf and Carleton, both of which have reputations of being academicky, friendly, and progressive. An hour to Minneapolis and St. Paul. Both are accepting applications until 1/15, and the application is free.
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Someone else already suggested it, but Dickinson came to mind and it has a January 15th deadline so still doable. Great academics in a liberal arts setting thatās less quirky/liberal than Oberlin, Sarah Lawrence, etc. (but still left of center). Carlisle has a cute downtown area adjoining the campus and itās about 30 mins outside Harrisburg, PA.
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Seconding Holy Cross based on what this student is looking for.
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Thirding Holy Cross, St Olaf, Rhodes. 
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If you visit Holy Cross, take a look at Clark. They tend to give good merit to strong students and have a 5th year masters program. Not only are you in Worcester, which is an up and coming city with 5 colleges, but you are only an hour away from Boston, Providence and Hartford.
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Perhaps Lawrence University. My oldest was interested in many of the schools you mentioned, and loved Lawrence. Deadline is Jan 15.
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Hi pestopesto,
We are also looking for a well-balanced student body for our D who is also at a catholic high school. Tufts, Rochester, Case and William & Mary are all at the top of our list too.
Some LACās that others have suggested: Holy Cross for sure
Davidson, St Olaf, Kenyon- also great suggestions and worth a look.
Best of luck!
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You are getting a lot of great suggestions. I will just filter a bit for Neuroscience and/or Cog Sci:
Neuro is a very popular major at Rhodes (1/15 deadline, in Memphis). I understand there is a decent amount of Greek Life there, however. I would not automatically rule them out, though, because I think they sound like a good fit otherwise:
Lafayette (1/15, in Easton, about 1.25 hour drive from both NYC and Philly), also is very popular for Neuro. Some Greek Life, maybe a little less than Rhodes though (my impression is maybe similar to Denison):
https://neuroscience.lafayette.edu/
Muhlenberg (2/1, in Allentown, about 1 hour from Philly and 1.5 from NYC) would be another excellent choice for Neuro. Again, some Greek Life, but my understanding is it is definitely down in the range where it is strictly optional in terms of social life:
Trinity College (1/17, Hartford, Boston also about 1.5-2, NYC 2) has less Greek Life still I believe:
As mentioned, Connecticut College (1/15, New London, Providence 1 hour, Boston 1.45-2) has no Greek Life at all:
Macalester (1/15, in heart of Twin Cities) also has no Greek Life:
They also have Cognitive Science as what they call a Concentration, which I will assert is sort of like a minor except inherently interdisciplinary:
Then Cog Sci as a full major is much more a niche thing at LACs. After Vassar, the other one I would definitely recommend is Carleton (1/15, Northfield, about 45 minutes from the Twin Cities), no Greek Life. Counts as a Reach but not as crazy as some Reachy LACs so maybe worth a shot:
I note Neuroscience is only a minor at Carleton, but in general they are a VERY strong sciences school, so very good for Bio and Chem and such too:
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