Went to visit F&M yesterday. I liked the feel of the campus (felt more like a group of buildings connected by paths than a collection of city blocks), and I liked the fact that there was a small city (movie theater, stores, restaurants, … more than just a “main street”, but less than a bustling major city) within walking distance of campus.
Can anyone recommend schools of the same or greater academic rigor/reputation (including Ivy’s) with a similar campus setting?
I know F&M is fairly small (2200 students, undergrad only). That is NOT a necessary criterion, but i would imagine it would be tough to go too much larger and maintain the same feel for the campus.
Not a huge fan of city streets running through the main campus or the school being too spread out.
More selective would be Bates. Bates is located in the residential neighborhood of Lewiston Maine, which is known as the Lewiston/Auburn twin city area with about 60,000 people. It is about 30 miles from the excellent Portland Maine and not far at all from Freeport Maine. There is an international airport in Portland. The campus is a traditional enclosed campus with no streets going through campus. Having been to FM, the Bates campus is much nicer. The food at Bates is among the best food you will find. Also, new freshman housing will be complete for your class and its sort of a village approach. It looks very nice. There is Bates owned housing in renovated homes and one or two dorms across the street in the neighborhood but its literally across the street. Bates is especially compact. The admit rate at Bates is half that of FM.
About the same selectivity would be Lafayette in Easton, PA. Yes the home of Crayola!!! Easton is a nice college town and the campus is up on a hill. Overall, Lafayette is nicer than FM as well. Easton has a small city feel and its close to Lehigh and Muhlenberg.
Less selectice would be Muhlenberg in Allentown. Pretty campus, there is a road that separates the campus but its just a normal street and its probably just the theater buildings. Excellent food at Muhlenberg.
Although more suburban, Haverford and Bryn Mawr are near Radnor and Wayne, two upscale areas and Villanova is there as well. Haverford is more selective than FM. I am not sure about Bryn Mawr because it is all female.
I’m interested in this thread as well; F&M came up as a good match for my son.
I’m also interested in whether undergrad only is a good thing for students who aren’t into taking initiative, because I heard from my niece who went to U. Richmond that there are many more opportunities to do research and work with professors at only undergrad or mostly undergrad schools.
Sadly, my son wouldn’t want to go farther north than NYC, so Maine is out.
Hamilton, though differing from F & M in some of the aspects you described, offers hourly Jitney service to a nearby suburban area with all the amenities you are interested in.
Holy Cross would be another. I would say its more selective than FM but it is decidedly urban being on a giant hill overlooking Worcester Mass., which is the second largest city in New England behind Boston. The campus is very lovely and self contained. There are at least six other schools in Worcester. It does not feel like a large city however.
In the West, Willamette University is somewhat similar to what you described. Located across the street from the Oregon state capital, although still in a medium sized city. There’s a train station next to the campus which can take students into Portland when they tire of Salem.
Another liberal arts college which you might be interested in is Kalamazoo College. It has a very distinct campus and is within walking distance of theaters, restaurants, etc. The K plan, Kalamazoo’s academic schedule, is well regarded and it’s right next to Western Michigan University. Not only does this mean that you’ll have increased social opportunities, but it also allows for cross registration should you find limited offerings or time conflicts.
Since size isn’t a big deal and you said nothing about price, Miami University Ohio meets fits many of your criteria.