<p>One note about Shimer–back in my day, it was best known as a school that encouraged applications from students who wanted to leave high school early. I had two friends who went there after their sophomore year of high school (if I recall correctly–certainly before senior year). You might want to ask if that’s still a major part of the student body, if that matters to you. Also, the college went through some lean years when it didn’t really have a campus. You want to make sure that’s all in the past.</p>