Not Catholic.
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Would Vassar be an option?
What about Skidmore?
Fairfield University (although itās Jesuit).
Is Colgate too rural?
Brandeis?
University of Delaware (it does not have a large feel)
Wow. Have no idea where I picked up that bit of misinformation. Thanks for the correction.
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I do have Skidmore as a backup on my list!
Vassar and Brandeis feel too selective to be a target? Am I wrong?
Colgate likely to feel too rural.
Had definitely given thought to Delaware and sort of forgot about it! Thanks for that reminder.
Fairfield - I had eliminated for reasons I canāt remember, just like Quinnipiac. Party or Greek-centric vibes maybe? Or maybe just bc it was Catholic-affiliated. (And I get it - itās not like theyāre attending mass daily or somethingā¦but she doesnāt)
@Mjkacmom I definitely have that one on the bench in my mind, too, along with Skidmore!
Probably because it competes in an athletic league with a whole lot of Catholic colleges. 
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Definitely visit Brandeis if youāre thinking about it. Some people call it suburban. It felt kind of rural to both D19 and I, and āfeltā a lot further from Boston than it technically is. Maybe affected by the fact that it was snowing (ā¦.in April) and everything felt quite deserted (not sure if people were away or just all indoors). It fell off D19ās list immediately, but I do know people who have been there and loved it.
Brandeis was a target for D19 with similar profile to your D, but things have changed quite quickly even in the last few years so not sure (BU was also a target then and would be a reach now).
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My second child wanted a college with something around 5000 or so undergrads. We found that many of the Jesuit colleges fit this very well. Plus the Jesuits really have higher education well crafted. And their mission to give back to the communities was important to us.
We are not Catholic. My kid went to a Jesuit college. There was a religion requirement but there were 150 courses from which to choose. My kid took an ethics course, and a women in religion course that she thought were outstanding.
I understand that some folks are uncomfortable with religious affiliated colleges, but I think you might want to at least visit one to see. Fairfield would be a target for your student, I think. Maybe visit and see.
University of New Hampshire would be nice, but might be too far away from urban areas for this student.
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To be fair, I had excluded Brandeis anecdotally bc Iām aware of a great student with a 34 ACT and a 3.8 UW and intended IR major who was not admitted. But, he didnāt visit and maybe they value interest? Or who knows what the rest of his application looked like! So perhaps worth another look.
We are familiar with the Boston area, and Waltham definitely isnāt rural, so interesting that you felt those vibes! Hmmmm
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I like your inclusion of Rochester and Conn College on your list. Both are academic bargains with faculty & resources at a higher level than would be expected for their level of admissions difficulty. Iād add Gettysburg to your list.
Your choices seem to be focused on the Northeast and the Mid Atlantic. Are you locked in to this region?
You havenāt mentioned cost, so I assume that you are full pay. With a declining number of full pay international students, being a domestic full pay is an admissions advantage at need aware colleges.
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Yes, good question - definitely has to be Northeast through Mid-Atlantic.
Yes, full pay or close, but wouldnāt mind some āmeritā. Iāve been wondering how that may factor in next year with declining international student population. Plus, look what happened at Syracuse this yearā¦next year should be interesting.
Gettysburg too close to home!
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Thanks for clarifying.
I think that there is little doubt that the declining international population, which is heavily full pay, will put full pay Americans at a premium. The colleges need to find a way to maintain their revenue stream.
You want targets. Sorry. Brandeis isnāt but with financial issues, if you are full pay, itās a reasonable reach whereas Cornell or Northeastern likely arenāt. While you have grandparents to help, you can run the net price calculator to see. Or you can simply not apply for aid. Less than half there receive aid - a tell tale money works sign.
Pitt is an urban match.great rep, strong in social science - rolling admissions so an early app likely gets an early acceptance (or not). UVM another to look at. How about Binghamton ?
You say not Catholic because you have Siena on the list. So you are open to Catholic - so confused by that. Either itās (Catholic) on or not or what am I missing. This might be better for the student than Siena if you can only have one Catholic. Why ? See programs below - they have an entire school focused on diplomacy.
How about TCNJ - not too far from society and suburban-ish.
If you want more schools, Iām not sure if a target or a safety matters. You are really seeking an admission, right - and you want to find the right school as the student will be there four years day after day. And has ADHD. So hopefully you find the right fit - vs just a big name (as you noted the student isnāt realistic).
Good luck.
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More brainstorming:
Northeastern isnāt too high to have on the list especially if she is interested in their London campus to start, and as international relations that may be a good fit.
University of South Carolina is probably too far south, but has an excellent international relations department and the number one international business program. It meets other requirements-contained campus, urban. And it is a target/likely with her stats.
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Quinnipiac is not Catholic.
I was going to suggest UD. My daughter wanted midsize, but by her second visit to quinnapiac and UD, quinnapiac was too small (UD feels smaller than it is). Beautiful campus with a college town. Both cost about the same after merit. Our son with a 3.7 received some merit from UD (but not enough to compete with in state flagship).
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Her list looks fine.
My suggestions are American University and the University of Denver (even though outside of her preferred region).
P.S. The recruited athlete aspect is interesting.
The OP also stated that her student wasnāt thrilled about playing the sport in collegeā¦but would do it if it helped in admissions.
My opinionā¦this student should choose their college without any regard to the sport (except maybe as a club or intramural sport) because the student isnāt thrilled about playing in college. And there are LOTS of options.
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ā¦the University of Denver (even though outside of her preferred region)
I think Denver could be a great choice if sheās willing to hop on a planeā¦strong Intl Studies, good merit aid, good size
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My son had a similar academic profile to your daughter, did not want party schools, only difference is that he wanted something small. Ended up choosing Stonehill. Does not shy away from being Catholic, which may not fit your daughter, but scores high on campus appearance, and is self-contained in a suburban area.
Iāve visited a dozen+ Catholic schools in the northeast, and Siena seemed to be the one with the lightest religious touch. Close to Albany, which is good if she is interested in government. I recommended it to my nephew, who is visiting next week.
Iāll second the suggestion of TCNJ. It was a finalist for my son, although I think my wife and I liked it more than him.
American and Mary Washington seem like good fits, and are close to each other. If you visit South Carolina, as suggested above, you could also add on Furman.
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I think GW and American sound like the best fit. My D hated American but loved GW so I recommend you visit both. Both are big on demonstrated interest. She had a 3.7 UW and was offered 15k per year from
GW for IR. Her test score was a bit higher.