College for anxious, smart, somewhat socially awkward kid

[Anonymous]

Muhlenberg

[Anonymous]

ED to Chicago. He could find his people there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My rising jr sounds similar. Schools on the list to look at:

W&M
Mary Washington
Dickinson
Swarthmore
Haverford
College of Wooster
Kenyon
Case Western
Rochester
Carleton
Macalester
Carnegie Mellon
Clark

This is a solid list, but it's criminal not to include Grinnell on it. Grinnell is as good as all and better than most of the schools on the list, is full of students who are exactly as OP described, and is one of the few highly selective colleges that actually is generous with merit aid.

We looked at almost all of these and our child picked Grinnell. He fits the same description as the OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not OP but any big, really big, schools that would be on the list outside of UVA (already mentioned)?

Any of them. I think the point is that big schools have a range of kids and kids of all interests and personalities.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not OP but any big, really big, schools that would be on the list outside of UVA (already mentioned)?

Any of them. I think the point is that big schools have a range of kids and kids of all interests and personalities.

+1

But there are definitely schools that have a more nurturing culture rather than a sink or swim environment.

[Anonymous]

Macalester

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Read Colleges That Change Lives.

I think a kid like this should check out Juniata (it is a sweet, non-judgemental community where students develop close relationships with faculty). The school akso tries to impart sound values, along with education.

Juniata is second rate for a really smart and high stats kid. Be serious. Stop being a CTCL marketer.

Enter idiots from Stage Left.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Juniata is an overhyped CTCL joke. Do better.

You obviously have no firsthand experience with the school. (Nor are you familiar with their track record for grad school admissions).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also, I toured Dickinson recently and while I really liked it, I actually didn't think it seemed particularly good for a socially awkward kid.

We ruled it out because several people (who went there) described it as cliquish.

[Anonymous]

Rice

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to swarthmore - he would be very supported socially there!

+1. This describes a lot of people there! I was just at reunion and met up with a young alum whom I first knew when he was a sophomore and he was very socially awkward, but he really came out of his shell by the second half of his college years and is thriving. Doesn't need to be Swarthmore, but many SLACs provide a great environment for quirky or less obviously clubbable kids.

For myself, as an awkward undergrad, I was really glad to go to a small college and become more confident in that environment. I went to much larger schools for grad school and felt well equipped to handle them socially after college.

[Anonymous]

The sounds exactly like my kid. Smart, and really approaching brilliant. Socially awkward. Thriving at Oberlin. The kids are very kind and accepting. So are the professors. I’m surprised that after two years, he has found a mentor in his major and another professor he like stopping by and talking to so much that he decided to minor. In high school, he was very anxious approaching teachers. I thought he’d never go to office hours.

I love that he is clearly being challenged, and clearly working hard, but isn’t overwhelmed, anxious or stressed. He’s grown a lot in two years. It’s just amazing to watch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Definitely Carnegie Mellon. There is a significant percentage of students on the autism spectrum (yes, I know your child is not on the spectrum), and CMU does a great job of accommodating them. There is a great deal of tolerance for social awkwardness, and students tend to be accepting of other people's differences. Definitely challenging academically.

OMG no. Not for an anxious kid. My kid went to TJ, which sent a number of kids each year. Word among the kids was that the three schools that are more stressful than TJ are MIT, Chicago and CMU. We visited when we looked at Pitt and yikes! Those were some grim looking kids.

Plus, you have to apply to a school at CMU. Not great for undecided.

[Anonymous]

Wesleyan

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Girl? If so, try Smith. Mine matches that description to a T and is loving Smith.

Also Mount Holyoke. My DD, a rising senior, sounds similar and has a lot of schools from the PPs list on her list but her favorite right now is Mt H.

Smithie mom here. You can’t go wrong with Smith or Mt. Holyoke (or ant if the Sisters). Grey schools and supportive environments.

Good luck to your daughter!