We visited Wheaton in MA and it was super friendly and I think it is attainable with you kid’s stats. We also visited Marist, they have a special program for students with learning disabilities that my son was admitted to, we are still waiting on $ to decide (we are eligible for tuition scholarships at some places), but the support he would get makes Marist seem super attractive. I just don’t think it would be affordable at the moment for us without scholarships.
And Merrimack, we live near this school and I had never heard of it before we started our son’s college search- everyone loves this school. It’s crazy that I had never heard of it before, every day I seem to run across someone with Merrimack on a shirt or who went and they RAVE about it, I have never seen this with another school. One of my co-workers has ADHD and told me how she never would have survived at any college without the support of the office of disability services at Merrimack (not sure of the office label at Merrimack) but I would DEFINITELY look at that one. She still talks to the learning support lady she worked with there, it seems like it was a very nurturing place.
This description reminds me of another school that gets raves here: Roanoke. I have no personal experience but have heard great things on here, and their website says that business administration is the most popular major.
Along with Xavier University, another Jesuit university that might make sense to check out is John Carroll University. Very strong business college, friendly and active students, the school is in the suburbs of Cleveland and connected by the public transportation to all the downtown opportunities.
I think it would be worth checking out many of the state schools. They are full of nice, average kids. Besides Shelby’s recommendation of Illinois State, the Princeton Review link had two others, Kansas State and Washington State.
I’m not from the Midwest, but I’ve always been impressed by the friendliness of Midwesterners, and when my son visited Kansas State and Iowa State for their architecture programs, they didn’t disappoint. He ended up in California, but I think he would have been happy in either Kansas or Iowa.
There are also some in the west that I would consider friendly - Colorado State, Oregon State, and Montana State.
The state schools are a good match for your son’s stats, and they are more laid back than flagships. Their size makes it easy to find friendships, and most of them have the walkability you are looking for, too.
S23 attends Colorado State. While I think the kids are nice, they seem like kids everywhere. Because it’s such a big school it’s not quite the warm fuzzy feeling of recognizing everyone you see. We do think the administration is incredibly student and family-friendly. They talked often about being a “Ramily” and I do have to say, from the interactions on FB, the other parents are there to help you and your kid at the drop of a hat. Stranded with a dead battery? Someone is on the way. Kid needs a ride to the ER in the middle of the night? Someone will come to the rescue. There are even people who will give you their address to send packages before school starts so that they’ll be waiting for you at move-in. My son contacted his TA to tell him he might be late to a required recitation (smaller break out session) because he was getting stitched up in urgent care and his TA and professor made sure to check in on him when he didn’t make it. His roommate was stranded last weekend at a ski resort because of an avalanche blocking the road. When his mom asked about road conditions, a local family immediately told her he should stay put and offered a room so he could wait one more night before driving back. It’s pretty amazing.
Additionally, DH and I are always amazed that everyone in the entire town seems friendly. We’ve chalked it up to happiness. It’s such a great place to live that it just spills over into their everyday interactions. We never see surly or entitled behavior when dining, shopping or just hanging out in town. When someone cut us off pulling out of a side street to drive like a crazy maniac in our small town in MA today, DH for some reason remarked “You never see that in FoCo”.
Every time I go home to Texas, the friendliness impresses me. That’s the one thing that’s hard about living in Maine for me. Strangers aren’t very friendly.
I’ll chime in here to agree with @Izzy74 and @LionsTigersAndBears that Hope College in Holland, MI is a super friendly campus. My kid graduated from Hope in 2023. Business is the most popular major according to the most recent CDS. Holland is a very cute town and downtown Holland is immediately adjacent to campus and very walkable. My kid’s main complaints were the very cold winters (a shock coming from the Southwest) and not enough late night venues open (my kid is something of a night owl). Feel free to DM me if you have further interest in Hope.
This one may sound crazy…samford in Alabama…BUT the students are over the top friendly. It’s a warm student body with a nice campus in an area that is full of southern hospitality. I’m from Denver and moved here years ago. I am consistently impressed with the CHARACTER of the kids we use as babysitters/camp counselors/interns at our business. The south isn’t for everyone but Birmingham is actually pretty great. Happy to answer questions
Trinity University in San Antonio. Nice campus in a historic section of the city. Fun touristy downtown, nice weather. Small friendly campus, very diverse and from stories I have been told very open minded.
I think a friendly student will make any college a friendly place. One of my kids is very friendly. During orientation she made a dozen new friends and as she moved in in Sept I heard a lot of ‘Hi, M’ and she met a dozen more. She just kept meeting more and more kids, in the dorm and in classes.
My other kid? Not so much. Much slower at meeting (and accepting) new friends and preferred to do it over social media. She had her teammates and her sorority sisters, a couple of others from class, but it took time. She had required study tables in the library 4 nights a week and preferred to sit alone (she set up a table with her computer, tablet, and books with ‘no room’ for others) where others on her team were chatting and goofing off. That just wasn’t her style.
Rider University has a good business program
for the average student and it’s AACSB accredited. They’ve received quite a bit of $ in the last few years from Norm Brodsky - for the Norm Brodsky School of Business - for scholarships, etc.
