That is so cool getting an acceptance letter that shows that they really considered the applicant. Thank you for sharing.
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It may or may not matter but note that Houghton is an evangelical Christian college with mandatory chapel attendance&Bible study.
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Yes, thats’s good to know. We are Catholic so don’t mind a religious component but mandatory chapel is not going to fly.
Stonehill, Endicott, Providence, Johnson and Wales…I know kids who would have drowned in a “dog eat dog” kind of environment who made lifelong friends, got great career support, and really loved their experiences at these colleges.
If you’re ok with religious schools, Hope College is the nicest school I’ve encountered. No mandatory chapel and actually Catholics are the largest group (we’re also Catholic). D23 developed a great relationship with her admissions counselor, the president of the college is so dynamic, and the kids were so kind. I also loved Holland, such a cute town.
Hope sent my daughter a magnet with a quote from her essay, such a thoughtful gift, I love it. D23 didn’t attend Hope in the end (she got into her reach school), but I would have been thrilled if she had.
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Ha! We didn’t know that either. We’re Catholic, too.
He honestly applied for the hat. But then they were so nice he was like wow, I really like these guys!
St. Michael’s in VT could be another great one to look at. About 20% of their students are in the business major. St. Mike’s is small (about 1200 undergrads) and nurturing/friendly, but has all of the “flagship college town” assets because of nearby UVM.
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If he’s looking for a larger college in a smaller town, I think Iowa State University is very friendly and has a really good business school. I agree with others who voted for Miami and St. Olaf.
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You are getting a great list here. I haven’t seen Ithaca College mentioned yet.
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I second this suggestion. My D24 applied to 3 CTCL schools with a 3.22 UW GPA and got accepted to all 3 with merit scholarship $.
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Add me as another recommending St. Thomas. Friendly down-to-earth students. Located in a cute and safe neighborhood in St. Paul. Can cross register at other nearby colleges: Macalester, St. Kates, Hamline, Augsburg. The Twin Cities have a lot of good business opportunities (plenty of Fortune 500 companies) and St. Thomas builds a strong network of connections. Recently went D1 with its sports, and is officially a university because it has a law school etc., but maintains an LAC feel. MSP airport is a hub so has lots of direct flights. Gives good merit. Gorgeous campus of matching limestone buildings. Quality academics, but not too reachy.
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Cornell College is a school that can be a great fit for a student with ADHD. They do one course at a time, so great for those that either hyper-focus or have trouble organizing/prioritizing when they have too many classes and deadlines at one time.
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A good friend of mine went to Cornell College. He has ADHD and he swears he would never have finished college if not for the one class at a time format. He LOVED his time at Cornell. Small, picturesque college in a small town near Cedar Rapids and Iowa City (University of Iowa)
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You’ve gotten a number of great suggestions so far. What I would also look into at various schools is who has pre-college programs…meaning how do they orient their new students students? Do they go on retreats before the semester starts? Or is there a program for incoming freshman that allows them to take a class before school starts and help them get used to the campus/resources? Any type of programming that allows students to start building relationships with their peers in a smaller setting before full-time college starts is beneficial for all students, but particularly for ones that don’t have the easiest time making friends.
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See also Colorado College for one course at a time.
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Highly recommend St. Joe’s in Philly. Not only are the students friendly, but the parent community and professors are wonderful as well. Plenty of support for students with ADHD and autism too.
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Providence College
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“As we are starting to look at schools our number one priority is friendliness of the student body.” I’ve said it before here a few times but for less academic students, Ohio University is a great school. My kid goes there, of the 30-some odd campuses that we visited over 2 years for 2 kids, it’s one of the most beautiful grounds that blend so seamlessly into the town. Everything is a 10-min walk away. Some quick bullet points:
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They have business clubs that have relationships with major corporations (outside the state), resulting in internship and jobs upon graduation.
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The 2022 gender breakdown was 39% men/61% women.
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If you have one child in Colorado and another in North Carolina, you should have some comfort with Ohio.
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Kids leave their doors open at O.U. Sometimes dorm floors go out into town as groups.
Ohio University (NOT to be confused with Ohio State) should be on your initial list. Happy to go further into my thoughts on DM.
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I don’t see a 3.0 thread yet for Parents of Class of 2026, so you might start one. This is the perfect question for that thread. You might also ask on some of the older 3.0 threads. I found them very helpful when we were looking for our D22. She had a 3.6 or 3.7 but did not want a competitive school. Here’s the 2024 3.0 thread. Parents of HS Class of 2024 3.0-3.4 GPA
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Unfortunately, Colorado College is beyond a reach with this student’s stats.
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