Just remembered that the recent press about Hendrix College in Arkansas highlighted dorm issues with mold & mildew. Also, the social scene revolves around drinking. A quick google search should provide more detailed information from those who have recently attended or visited the school.
Statistics is an interesting field. The study of data science is a very sought after major by employers and may match your son’s interest in math, statistics & computer data skills. (Many employers treasure those with advanced skills in Excel modeling.)
Math oriented, hard working (grinders) type students do quite well at Big 4 accounting firms. At least one Big 4 will even pay for a masters degree in Data Science & reserve a fairly high paying position at multiple locations throughout the country. The University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) is arguably the leading player in this field, although there are at least 7 other major universities which offer similiar programs.
In order to achieve LAC like intimacy at a large public university, one should enroll in the Honors College at these large schools. Separate honors dorms, special small honors classes, priority registration & special mentoring. Great job placement. And, most importantly, generous scholarships. If I recall correctly, both the University of Mississippi & the University of Alabama have very large percentages of non-resident students.
P.S. Consider Univ. of Missouri, Univ. of Mississippi Honors College, Villanova University, Baylor University, Ohio State, University of Georgia, USC, Virginia Tech & Arizona State University Honors College.
Pay for grads in Data & Analytics programs start at a minimum of $85,000 to $90,000 and command high pay increases after a year or two of work experience (roughly $120,000).