My son is very artsy, into punk music, LGBT, an activist, and wants to find other people that are passionate about social change and art like he is. He wants to find more schools like Wesleyan where theres lots of involvement with the arts and the students are engaged with politics and/or social justice.
He liked Conn college when we visited, strong academics and arts. But he learned the students are notoriously very preppy and immediately crossed it off his list.
His top picks are Wesleyan, Haverford, and Skidmore (though I hear Skidmore’s students are supposedly fairly apathetic when it comes to politics)
Would love to hear some suggestions about where my son might like to go
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You might look at Niche Reviews - if you go to the “about the students” section…for example, on Trinity College, the top 3 descriptions are:
- Preppy, privileged, unmotivated 43%
- Hard working and down to party 15%
- Preppy, happy, motivated 15%
So you might check each school to see what they show in description.
Dickinson shows Privileged (42%), Friendly (19%), Intelligent (10%).
Wheaton in Mass top 3 are Unique, Creative and Determined.
Union - Work and Play Hard, Passionate, Rich and Smart
I think you’ll find most of these have “rich”…
Anyway, it’s not a perfect science but maybe it will help you narrow in on some to visit that will fit more closely to the needs.
So you might go school by school - and at least use this as a guideline.
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thank you this is very helpful!
Bard, Sarah Lawrence, Hampshire, Bates, Vassar, Bennington, SUNY Purchase, maybe Clark. Ithaca and SUNY New Paltz (bigger than an LAC)
Not in the Northeast, but close: St. Mary’s Maryland, Goucher
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If you’ve not used niche, google the school name + niche.
Then search for "About the Students) - control F
The first thing is the student poll which has the three words.
You noted Connecticut College - top 3 - Friendly, Outgoing, Preppy Rich Kids (11%)…
But again, it’s just a way to investigate - but the data is only as good as who entered it.
A lot will depend on stats and financing - some schools are need aware and have 60% or more full pay - so that adds to it.
Good luck.
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Good suggestions above. Adding Bard, Wheaton (MA), and Oberlin (may be too far) to the list. As an unexpected thought, consider Fordham’s Lincoln Center campus.
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You can also take a look at Princeton review which uses student surveys…
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Consider Sarah Lawrence and, in the near Midwest, Oberlin.
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My S25 liked Wesleyan a lot as well and did not like anything that felt too preppy.
Wheaton College Massachusetts and Bard College may be worth a look if he hasn’t looked at them already.
My husband and I went to Bard ages ago and it was high on my son’s final list. I feel like it doesn’t get a lot of love on CC, but it has a very intentional, rigorous curriculum and strong arts programs. It is definitely a fit school. They have some amazing programs. https://cce.bard.edu/
One of Wheaton’s honors pathways is focused on social justice https://wheatoncollege.edu/academics/the-wheaton-curriculum/honors-program/
Clark is another non-preppy small college that may be worth looking at. We didn’t visit but know people who attended and who had visited and they said great things. Artsy kids with strong academics and interested in social justice.
I know many kids who are interested in the arts who like Bennington, but I am not personally familiar with it.
I am happy to answer any more specific questions via private message.
Best of luck!
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If he’s looking for social activism, Oberlin is a good suggestion per this list. But staying in New England, maybe add Brandeis.
And perhaps Macalester - at least per this list.
Bucknell may not be the right fit but has a social justice LLC - link below.
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Bates might represent the NESCAC most like Haverford.
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If the Northeast is flexible (extend the boundary), W&M is larger but really a public LAC. It would surely have engaged and passionate kids like your son.
Here’s the other thing - if he gets on campus and it doesn’t exist, you can create it.
My daughter started an organization at her school to help integrate Afghan refugees into society. They assisted the locally designated integration group (Lutherans). It started off slow but this year a lot of interest.
So if he’s got a passion, no matter where he is, he can get involved and do great things.
Oh, and W&L and other colleges participate in the Sheppard Program. Here’s a description. The link below shows the school’s.
“The Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty (SHECP) encourages the study of poverty as a complex social problem, by expanding and improving educational opportunities for college students in a wide range of disciplines and career trajectories. Through its programs, SHECP and its member institutions prepare students for a lifetime of professional and civic efforts to diminish poverty and enhance human capability, while also supporting connections among students, faculty, staff, and alumni engaged in the study of poverty.”
Scroll down for more schools including Bucknell. Maybe a campus won’t fit per se but something on campus will inspire nonetheless. Also, Juniata, Hamilton, and Middlebury, plus larger UVM.
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Drew in New Jersey would be another school to check out. It has lots of artsy/creative students and the school administration has a pretty social justice-y vibe, though I don’t know how much student activism there is.
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My S25 sounds similar to yours, & he loved Vassar & Clark (also Wesleyan & Haverford, but was waitlisted at both). He also liked Wheaton & Fordham. I liked Skidmore for him, but for whatever reason he didn’t feel it. Your son might consider UVM, which is a small state flagship and has several programs (honors college, liberal arts scholars) to make it feel smaller.
We also looked at Connecticut College & my son applied there. I agree that it’s not an immediately obvious fit for an artsy activist kid, but many students assured me that my S25 would find his crowd there. If your son is competitive for admission at Wesleyan & Haverford, Conn is probably a solid target school for him; they give a lot of merit aid, and there’s no application fee or required supplemental essay. It might still be a good school to keep on his list, even if it’s not his top fit school. If he’s accepted, he could do another next spring & get a more nuanced sense of the campus culture. We found that campus visits hit really differently once S25 was accepted.
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I’m echoing everyone who’ve already suggested Bard and Vassar!!
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Wes parent here and can validate that it’s a good match based on what you describe about your kid! My kid also liked Vassar and Macalester, as well as UVM, which has a similar feel despite being a larger public school.
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And I am echoing you echoing them, because Bard and Vasser were the exact two I was also planning to repeat!
I note as an aside that I think women with similar student culture preferences browsing the Northeast LAC scene do have it a little better in that some of the great women’s LACs would be on this list in my mind.
And then I also agree that if you look in the Upper Midwest, the prep factor in general goes down such that there are more colleges which are comparable to at least a Haverford or Wesleyan. Not that no one is preppy, but it isn’t maybe as big in the mix.
Which leads me to also agree that if you are a man who wants more college choices like this in the Northeast, looking at like Fordham Lincoln Center is a great idea.
And then I am not sure if this counts as Northeast enough, but Muhlenberg is another that appeals to the more artsy kids in my circles.
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My D is at Bates, and it’s definitely not preppy - so there’s one school to consider. I’m not sure I agree about Conn College – both my kids have toured it, and they didn’t get a preppy vibe. It seemed like the kind of place where lots of kinds of kids could find their people. I can echo much of what’s already been said and maybe add a couple of others: Vassar, Skidmore, Colby, Middlebury, and Bard all seem like possibilities. If you’re willing to expand your geographic zone, then Oberlin, Macalester, St. Olaf, and Carleton (though I realize we’re way beyond the NE now) might be good fits.
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Your son should place more value on his firsthand observations than secondhand opinions. Every good school is going to have a preppy population, as there is a pretty strong correlation between family wealth and academic achievement.
In my day Skidmore was left of left. Apathetic would have been a grave insult. I’d be surprised if it has changed that much.
Tons of good recommendations above. Get out and visit more schools.
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If you do decide to expand your search to the Midwest, I would note that the state of Ohio has passed some extremely regressive laws, especially around treatment of trans people. The friendliness of the school’s environment—and I agree that Oberlin, for example, is about as progressive and LGBTQ+ friendly as it gets—goes only so far when the power of the state is being wielded against people.
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