I think your current list is a better fit than these additions.
No love for Conn College, Kenyon, or Wooster???
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Seems like Ohio schools would be out - while a state doesn’t make a campus not LGBTQ friendly (as I’ve noted many times”, others always say it can based on laws they have to follow.
F&M used to be no merit. They reintroduced it recently so not sure if it can get to cost. Run the NPC.
Gettysburg definitely has merit potential. #1 on Niche by 43% - work hard play hard so guessing it’s a party school.
Obviously these aren’t easy to get to - not sure they fit.
Has she looked at Kalamazoo ? It is small but shows up on the need factor. Same with Allegheny -1200 not 1500 but first three thingson niche - Diverse interest, accepting, genuinely good people.
Another - Lawrence is 1400 with lots of music. The niche survey says at 58% - friendly, smart, nice, quirky.
Since you have MN schools, Gustavus Adolphus has more than 1500 and seems to fit. There is a one semester religious requirement but I think it’s similar to St Olaf. Others can chime in
No one can say but guessing you can do better than F&M and Gettysburg for these needs.
If the student really likes Willamette, are they really wanting the ‘travel” required to random cities in the NE / MW?
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I was not replying to the list you posted but rather to the OP’s question about the shorter list of Dickinson, Gettysburg, Connecticut College, Franklin & Marshall.
While these are all fine institutions, I don’t think any are better for the OP’s student than the list they have already. I don’t think any of these will provide a better fit, better academics, a lower price, or an easier travel from PDX than what they have already.
Great additional feedback about fit potential of certain schools from multiple posters, thank you. I am hearing that some of these additional schools may be on the bubble in terms of fit for my D - definitely possible, but more uncertain than the original schools we identified. That is helpful.
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At this point in the process, distance from home is not something D is expressing strong feelings about (other than not wanting to stay in Portland). I suspect she will have more clarity on that issue when she has acceptances in hand and needs to make her choice, but that is over a year away and I don’t know how she will feel then, so think the mix of near and far schools makes sense right now.
Kalamazoo sounds fabulous. She just has to draw the line somewhere on size, so it’s not going to make the cut. (Similar to Beloit and a few others.)
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My son is a rising junior at Oxy, and I think the fit there would be strong. Even with high stats, I think merit tops out at $35K, but there are very few of those. My son had similar stats to your student and was awarded Presidents Scholarship at $20K/yr. That probably wouldn’t get you to your $60K per year number, but might get you close
One other school that might get you to your desired cost and would fit your geo description is University of Denver. My daughter graduated from there last year (she had received a full ride scholarship that required she attend a Colorado school, so while she got into her “dream” school, she happily attended DU for free). DU has some substantial merit (I think you could get to your $60K number), it’s a nice campus situated relatively near downtown Denver with tons of access to outdoor activities. Colorado (especially Denver metro) is a very purple state, so generally pretty good for what you’re looking for politically. DU isn’t particularly competitive admission-wise, but still tons of strong students and some neat programs. There are tons of out-of-state students, and I was impressed by some of the outcomes of my daughter and her friends - my DD did a ton of cool internships (US Senate, Emerson Collective, etc.) and is now working in her dream job in NYC at a marketing agency with primarily progressive political clients; her classmates did Fulbrights, work at State Dept, and several are headed to medical and law school (Harvard, Northeastern, etc.). DU has a bit of a reputation of being a school full of midwestern rich kids, but my daughter enjoyed her experience and I was impressed by the programs
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I can speak to my own West Coast quirky kid’s experience as a poli sci major at Macalester – it sounds like a fantastic fit for your kid, assuming the cost tracks. Top scoring kids seem to get merit in the neighborhood of $25-28K. Mine got this with an ACT of 35. Quirky? Yes. The school recently selected a new mascot to replace “Scots” with something more…personality driven. It was a heated contest between a Highland cow with something of an 80s hairdo vs. Nessie, a stylized Loch Ness monster imagining. The cow won. One of the big traditions involves pushing a large ball. The school is all about intellectual discussions and close relationships with profs. LGBTQ+ is not only accepted, it may even be the dominant culture. Poli Sci is an extremely popular major (as are International Studies and Econ) and it’s possible to do govt. internships nearby. Mac Forensics punches well above its weight – I believe mock trial is pretty popular, but debate did well this year too, and ethics bowl won the national championship for the 2nd time in 3-4 years I think. Mac grad placement is excellent for law school and other grad programs but there is definitely not a preprofessional vibe. Airport access is very easy - I think it’s a 15 min uber ride - and there are plenty of West Coast kids. The web site might be a bit more generic, but check out the YouTube videos and Instagram posts-- they should give you a good feel of the quirkiness!
Other schools mentioned from my visits that I think would pass your “vibe check” include Brandeis, W&M, Scripps, Bryn Mawr, and Vassar…I’ve never been to Whitman, but that also seems like a school your kid might like from what I’ve heard from a former client who went there. UVM is a maybe – I think the Honors Program would work for a kid into intellectualism, but I’m not sure that is as easy to find across the full university (from what another client described).
It sounds like you are looking very thoughtfully at your options and you’ve got a great plan to find a school where your child will thrive. Good luck!
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Very colorful intel about Macalester, love it!
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With regard to Conn College, the OP wants a school which is LGBTQ+ friendly. I think you only have to be on the Conn College campus one time to know that the LGBTQ+ kids feel very comfortable being who they are. I’m surprised that anyone visiting there wouldn’t pick up on that. It does not have fraternities. Like any NESCAC school, they compete in sports, but they are not a sports centric campus culture and it is about as far from pre-professional as a campus can get. A few months ago I visited the campus on behalf of another student. I engaged a couple of young women in conversation and asked them what was the best thing about Conn College. The two of them immediately agreed that it was the warm relationships they have with their professors, volunteering that they would be staying on campus this summer to work on research with one of their professors. The campus itself is beautiful, overlooking the Thames River, and is a registered arboretum with 750 acres of cultivated gardens, natural areas, and conservation land. That plus the nearby river estuary and adjoining Long Island Sound shoreline seems like the perfect place for a bird enthusiast like her. With an enrollment of about 2000 students, these seem to be many of the features she said that she is looking for.
The thing I like best about Conn College is their advising system and what they do with their curriculum. This students has a range of interests, including Poli-Sci/Government, History, and Economics with a possible future in law school. At Conn, her advisor would work with her to integrate those interests around a common theme through an approach they call Integrative Pathways, which includes off campus experiences like a summer away or an internship as well as local involvement in the community. Both their thematic Connections program and Integrative Pathways are explained on their website. While they offer the traditional majors in all of her interest areas (Government, History, Economics), they also have less common departments from which courses can be drawn to supplement any of these majors such as Global Capitalism, Public Health, and Social Justice & Sustainability, all of which could round out a program to prepare for a future in law school or other related work.
This family is looking for a merit award which would bring the cost down under $60,000. Cost of attendance for 2025-26 is $89,660. On their website, Conn College indicates that they offer merit scholarships up to $34,000. If she can obtain one of their top scholarships, this would bring the cost to within budget. My niece’s daughter will begin at Conn College in the fall with one of these top scholarships. It was the best award they received of any of the colleges she applied to and her grades and test scores were not quite as high as this student, which leads me to believe that she would have an excellent chance at a top scholarship here. Conn College is the only one of the NESCAC LACs where a student can be supported in their studies with a merit award. A rare opportunity indeed.
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I suppose everyone will have their own takes based on experience, but if we’re talking NESCAC schools, it’s the least sporty, IMHO. I certainly wouldn’t say it’s the predominant culture. Hard for that to happen without football or baseball.
With respect to the preppy thing, I dunno. It’s hard to separate preppy from New England/Northeast, but again I don’t feel like it’s the dominant culture.
I’m really hoping OP considers it. It feels like a great fit to me.
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@IndySceptic , are you talking about Conn College?
This is fantastic information about Connecticut College. It sounds like there are many positives, and that the school is worth investigating. Then she could get a sense for herself of whether it feels too preppy or not.
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The top 5 on niche are:
Friendly - 46%
Outgoing - 17%
Preppry Rich Kids - 11%
Spoiled Rich Kids - 11%
Nerdy - 6%
I think most LACs you’re going to find wealth of some sort. One interesting thing here is they are adjacent to the US Coast Guard Academy. From one of the school’s websites:
'A long-standing agreement between the two colleges allows students to enroll and receive credit for courses completed at the other institution on a limited, single-course exchange basis.
In addition, students may use the libraries and athletic facilities at each college."
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Yessir
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One small nit, Bill. Trinity also offers Merit, but would not be a good school for OP.
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There’s no escaping the rich at any of these places. That friendly and outgoing is over 60% is noteworthy.
Wondering if there are any formerly all-Women’s schools that aren’t LGBTQ-friendly? Can’t think of one.
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The connection with the USCGA is a really interesting tidbit.
I agree that students from wealthy families will populate many of the schools we are looking at. No problem with that. We are a full-pay family after all. And preppy isn’t a perjorative either. Preppy kids can be nice and friendly too! But I see quirky and preppy on opposite ends of a spectrum, and D is and connects with quirky and down-to-earth.
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A state can absolutely make a campus not LGBQT friendly - please educate yourself on what’s going on in various states before continuing to pretend states are not passing laws that make ANY campus in the state hostile.
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