Jumping in late here with a couple of thoughts based on our winter break trips over the last couple of years.
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On both trips we massively ran out of steam by the sixth day or so and the last couple of schools we saw suffered by comparison.
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She sounds super STEM-focused and I’m glad you’re going to check out WPI. We were advised when we were looking for my STEM-focused ADHD kid that the heavy humanity core courseloads for some of the LACs on our initial list could be problematic.
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We spent a lot of time falling in love with LACs that didn’t offer engineering, only to have our son eventually decide that engineering was in fact what he wanted to study. If you’re thinking of paring down your list, that + soccer considerations (recruiting and/or walk-on potential) might be useful filters.
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As you think about the process of adapting to college and becoming more independent, consider this micro-detail: is she on meds for ADHD? if so, look into how easy it is to get and refill prescriptions. This is the kind of thing that can stymy a kid who’s playing a sport AND doing a lot of homework – remembering to request refills, figuring out how to get to the pharmacy before they close, and (in states like MA in particular and maybe others?) you really don’t have much margin for error. If no meds, disregard.
We liked a lot of the Ohio schools. Oberlin had such a great little college town, summer internship funding, and a lot of academic freedom. Wooster was cozy but felt a little comparatively provincial and I think that independent project requirement can be rough for the ADHD kids. Kenyon is lovely but feels pretty isolated unless you have a car. And it’s quite humanities-focused although the science departments we visited looked close-knit and active. Case was our favorite of the engineering schools we visited during S25’s senior year. Make sure you go on a tour of their maker space building (you have to register for it separately.) Based on what you’ve said, I’m glad you’re also checking out Union. The facult seemed VERY hands-on and excited to engage with their students.
Links to my visit reports: