Then my suggestions above probably won’t work. They are north.
So…I go back to Santa Clara and SMU.
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Thank you!
If you really want to avoid cloudy and gloomy, schools in the Northeast are probably not great choices.
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We feel fortunate we’re in a financial position to fully support her which we realize is a huge help - my mom went to U of Hawaii at Manoa and LOVED it. We are trying to talk my daughter into it but she thinks she’d get island fever lol…
Absolutely agree! I’m just a little nervous bc as I mentioned the schools she is naturally drawn to are the likes of Stanford, Brown maybe Yale - all of which are pie in the sky (for most people?) and I want to find other schools a little less exclusive that have strong academics and a vibe/student body she connects with. I think nothing replaces visiting a campus (if it’s financially viable) for getting a feel. At least for my son - it was so helpful visiting schools and talking to a handful of students to get a feel for whether these were “his people”.
Is she used to cold weather? My older s’s wife was born and raised and still lives in the bay area. She went to east coast Ivies for college and grad school. She commented recently that it was a total shock to her, when she first went to college in the NE, that it could be sunny and COLD outside. She laughingly commented that growing up in the east bay, when the sun was out, it was warm outside. She had to get used to the sunny COLD weather. I would guess that your daughter has , and uses, a light therapy lamp for her SAD, but please be mindful that in the NE, even if it is sunny out, when it is very cold out, she won’t likely be spending long periods of time out in the natural sunlight. Many of the NE colleges start classes around Labor Day and depending on whether they are on the quarter, semester trimester or 4-1-4 calendar, may end in May. And during the months of September to May, it can get darned cold in the NE from November to March (and October and April can be variable). So during much of her academic schedule in the sunny NE, she will likely be indoors the majority of the time. I love the NE, grew up there, went to college there, and then moved south for grad school and stayed here. I believe small environments in warmer climates like Agnes Scott have been mentioned as a good match school. It is worth a visit. Good luck.
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Agree, visits can make a huge difference. Good luck with your search. There are a lot of wonderful colleges out there. I’m sure your daughter will find some to love.
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Thanks so much! We do enjoy skiing (albeit warmer west coast skiing lol) so she likes cold and sunny. I think another person brought up a good point that it isn’t just sun but the number of daylight hours / circadian rhythms etc. So we’re just trying to maximize her chances as much as possible realizing that nothing is perfect of course. But I think Pacific Northwest is a hard pass for her for example.
Just wanted to comment that I am actually stunned by how wonderfully helpful and insightful everyone has been! I thought I’d maybe get a handful of replies and am just absolutely floored by how willingly people share their expertise. Thank you so much - really, really appreciate it! 
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Haven’t read the whole thread but if looking for safeties in a sunny area, how about Barrett Honors College at ASU? Or University of Arizona, with their guaranteed merit money? Or even Cal Poly SLO?
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I was just reviewing the replies again - and I forget if I thanked you for this note! Did not know about CCS and now looking into it. Very appealing thanks!
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