@okon2122 Generally the “Most Liberal Students” section on Princeton Review will be the schools the geeky/quirky students will fit in at.
Republicans can’t be quirky??
Tufts’ mascot is Jumbo the elephant.
He must have been a Republican…
@wisteria100 They can, but it’s a lot less likely.
OP, I transferred from a two year LAC affiliated with a mid sized university to a state flagship. I was one of three people (four if you include the professor) who shared my academic interests. To me a small school was suffocating. I went to a suburban high school of over 3,000 so it was a shock to go to a tiny, rural school.
Although my first year at the large state flagship was rough, I have few regrets about transferring. Even though the percentage of intellectual students is far lower at my school than LACs like Reed or Harvey Mudd, the fact that tens of thousands of people attend mean that the gross number is far higher.
@MatzoBall, have your kid visit a range of colleges, even ones that you might not think are a good fit: you (and they can be surprised about what ‘feels’ right. The right fit can make all the difference, and it’s surprising how good the kids are at recognizing it for themselves- even when we think something else makes more sense.
Maybe just suffice to say: avoid the right coast?
My kid is looking for a similar vibe to what you want, and so shied away from the colleges that she felt were too out there, such as Bard. Not quite the same as what you have asked about, but you may well find lots of useful info in this thread.
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/1658573-where-do-the-cool-kids-go-to-college.html#latest
Continued thanks for all the great advice, everyone. I am taking it all in.