<p>The OP doesn’t mention where they are from, but wouldn’t the state flagship university be a good place to start? As Bluebayou rightly points out, WUSTL has more in common with one of them than with most LACs.</p>
<p>If you like the feel of the WashU campus you might also like Saint Louis University. It’s more urban but both have amongst the most well manicured campuses I’ve ever seen. </p>
<p>I don’t get the negative LAC comparisons. Seems like most of the top LAC’s have an atmosphere where being smart is cool. Many girls from my kid’s high school (who wanted to get out of St. Louis) landed at places like Emory, Tufts, Northwestern, Michigan, Indiana, but the ‘cool, smart ones’ also loved Carleton, Grinnell, Bowdoin, Colorado College, Smith, among others…</p>
<p>Anyway, it’s gets down to personal preferences and finances and WashU certainly is a popular and lovely school. Best wishes with your search.</p>
<p>Our flagship U is way too large–she’d like to go somewhere in the small-medium size range. Not quite sure how small she’d be willing to go though. Part of the reason Wash U felt right. It is that Goldilocks “just right” school.
Thanks for all the great suggestions–we’ll look into them.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>You’re definitely missing U Rochester. There are many who consider both because they are fairly similar. My middle son was one of them… he frequently comes across others. WUSTL has around a 15% acceptance rate. URoc has a 31% (going off memory for both, so could be a few percentage points off). Emory is also one he would have considered had they been more homeschooler friendly. Tufts is a school that did not interest him at all - just never “clicked” (nor Vandy - too Greek for him).</p>
<p>I echo stanatedj - Truman State University in Missouri is not the same calibre as WUSTL, however, it is very affordable even for OOS students, and is a well respected public university.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>It’s true that there is a fair amount of drinking and partying at many of them. That alone doesn’t make them all “party schools”. Check out the Princeton Review lists. Where do “professors get high marks”? Nearly all 20 are LACs. Where do students study the most? About half are LACs. Schools with the most accessible professors? Mostly LACs. Best classroom experience? Almost all are LACs. The top 20 “sober” schools also include several LACs (Wheaton, which is a Christian school, and 3 small women’s colleges).</p>
<p>Where do students study the least? No LACs. Where are the least accessible professors? Ditto. Top 20 “party schools”? None are LACs. </p>
<p>If you want someplace less selective than WUSTL where it’s still “cool to be smart”, LACs offer some pretty good alternatives (if you’re ok with the small size or the fact that not too many of them are in cities). Rochester and Brandeis are good suggestions, too.</p>
<p>Thanks, Creekland, for the Rochester suggestion.
I agree TK, about the LACs. That’s why we’re looking at them so closely alongside Wash U, even though they are not too similar. We’re going to visit a variety of schools over the next year–large, small, private, public–to get a better feel and understanding.</p>
<p>Tufts acceptance dropped to 18.7% this year, and all aid is need-based. Tuition/fees/room/board would cost about $60K. To learn more see [The</a> Few, the Proud, the New Jumbos | Tufts Now](<a href=“http://now.tufts.edu/articles/few-proud-new-jumbos]The”>http://now.tufts.edu/articles/few-proud-new-jumbos) and <a href=“Financial Services | AS&E Students”>Financial Services | AS&E Students;
I agree with U. Rochester and Brandeis as good options that offer merit aid.
Maybe Holy Cross?</p>
<p>If the OP thinks Rome, NY and Utica are big cities, then Wesleyan’s Middletown, CT will seem positively metropolitan with a population of 45,000!</p>
<p>^^Oops. Wrong thread and wrong OP. Not sure how that happened. :/</p>