My kid is out of the country w/o access to CC and can’t post. He’s having a hard time getting a sense of which schools to apply to that best meet these criteria:
Intellectual atmosphere (not just about over-achieving/getting ahead, but a place where students get into engaging in ideas out of interest)
Rigorous, broad liberal arts curriculum
Campus atmosphere that isn’t heavily focused on drinking/weed/partying
Meaningful student-faculty interaction would be a bonus
In order to get meaningful suggestions please provide:
– Academic statistics (GPA, course rigor, standardized tests etc.)
– Area of academic interest
– Financial limitations
– Geographic preferences (not just location but urban/suburban/rural)
–Any other things he wants or doesn’t want (ex. big time sports, Greek Life, etc.)
3.92 (unweighted), highest rigor, 35 ACT, international affairs (not sure), willing to look at any school for now in terms of cost, no geographic pref in terms of type of location–just not west coast, not into Sports or Greek Life, prefer small or medium school that focuses on undergrad education. Thanks for following up!
Oberlin, Carleton, Wesleyan, Haverford, Swarthmore, Vassar, Brandeis, …these are the schools that came to mind quickly. They range in size from Haverford (tiny) to Brandeis (not tiny but not big) and are all academic/intellectual with minor (or non-existent) Greek life. They all have different vibes and strengths, so research is needed to differentiate them beyond geography and selectivity. If your son is willing to look at larger schools with heavier grad presence, Chicago might be a good option as well.
Also Tufts, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, and Dickinson might be good candidates.
If you haven’t done so already, I’d suggest that you get your hands on some good college guide books (ex. Fiske, Princeton Review) and read up on different schools.
Have read Fiske–maybe he should get PR too for comparison. Thanks for the suggestions. He had Carleton, Swarthmore, Tufts, and Georgetown on his list (although he removed Georgetown) so the other suggestions are really helpful. Appreciate it!
Hamilton and Williams could be of interest. Many students do participate in sports at these schools, but many do not as well – in any event, these two colleges would be worth comparing and contrasting to the less athletically oriented Carleton and Swarthmore in terms of campus feel.
Vassar offers a nicely intellectual atmosphere.
Kenyon’s literary aspects will appeal to any student whose intellectual attributes lean toward the humanities.
University of Chicago, without a doubt, and Columbia and Brown. A number of elite LACs: Swarthmore, Carleton, Bowdoin, Williams. By “not into sports” I’m assuming that you mean he would prefer a campus not dominated by big time football, basketball, etc.
Dartmouth has a strong undergraduate focus and a global approach. It also has a big Greek scene, although that Greek scene is atypical. Reed is highly intellectual, but probably has more of a weed-smoking scene. I think that it would be a good idea for your S to look into some of these schools that don’t obviously meet the criteria more deeply.