Good LAC for a kid who is just plain old SWEET!

[Anonymous]

You know you're being ridiculous, OP.
If your daughter is immature and sweet-tempered, she will find her circle of friends, just as other students with different personalities will find theirs.

I know, because I was like your daughter! It took me some time to make friends, because all of us non-extraverts need a little time, but after that it was great.

So please focus on what's important:
Where your daughter wants to go (weather, vibe, distance from home) and what her academic preferences are. That will narrow down colleges for you.

[Anonymous]

OP here-how refreshing that it took this many posts until a DCUM reader felt the need to lecture me!

Putting aside the person who has appointed him/herself as the arbiter of what constitutes a valid (vs ridiculous) concern....my thanks go out to those of you who "got" my reason for asking this question and made constructive comments in response.

[Anonymous]

What are her SAT/ACT scores & her weighted & unweighted GPA? What extracurriculars is she involved in (& does she hope to continue with any of them in college)? Does she know what she wants to major in? Does she care what part of the country the college is in or prefer an urban, suburban, or rural environment?

It's hard to give truly useful suggestions based purely on the information you provided.

[Anonymous]

We can figure the factors you raise on our own (geographic location, SAT scores, etc). So yes, we will take them all into account but we don't need to crowdsource them.
I was asking about an intangible that is harder to ascertain from published sources.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, I’ve spent a good amount of time at places like Oberlin and Earlham and many of the students there are just about the opposite of what I call “nice” or a good fit for “sweet” people. Like, how can you be sweet when XYZ is going on????? If you’re not angry you’re not paying attention!!!!!!!

+1
If you're not "woke," or whatever the newest catchphrase is, then you're not interesting. I would never, ever want my kids to go to Oberlin or Middlebury, for starters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Okay, she is also a good (though not off the charts) student. But I am not so much looking for places where her academic credentials will fly. I am interested in hearing about small LAC's where a person like her will fit in well. I hope to avoid a place full of snarky, jaded kids who will look down on her for being sincere. She has yet to blossom in terms of boys, parties, etc but she is really conscientious and responsible. I feel proud of her traits...but want her to land on a campus where they will be valued rather than ridiculed.

Every single LAC cited here has snarky, communist/socialist kids who want nothing more than to dismantle capitalism and disparage the US. I'm looking at some of the ones mentioned and am going- really? Are people just willingly being obtuse about the depths of white hatred/guilt that is perpetuated at these schools? It doesn't matter how nice you are individually, you'll always be seen as part of an evil white community.

Avoid LACs. Look more into honors colleges and larger universities. At them, she'll find her group, and she could get comparable experiences. The student body at most LACs is too small to actively support certain communities.

Agreed. But I do think there are several schools mentioned here that don't have that "element."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe skip the LAC designation and just look at smaller schools. My sister was very much like you describe and was very happy at Mary Washington. Christopher Newport is also smaller and close knit. Are you religious? If so, somewhere with likeminded students may be comfortable. And maybe look south or Midwest. Northeastern LACs tend to be very intense and very political.

+100 to Mary Washington and Christopher Newport.

[Anonymous]

Even though it's not a small school, I would say JMU has one of the nicest, kindest student bodies I've ever come across. My son, a moderate introvert, had no interest in Greek life, but there are many kids who feel the same way. He met some wonderful friends, some of whom were in frats, and others who - like him - were not. He really found "his people" there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here-how refreshing that it took this many posts until a DCUM reader felt the need to lecture me!

Putting aside the person who has appointed him/herself as the arbiter of what constitutes a valid (vs ridiculous) concern....my thanks go out to those of you who "got" my reason for asking this question and made constructive comments in response.

Because I'm probably the only one who had the same experience your daughter will have, so I KNOW it's ridiculous. Don't sweat it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Okay, she is also a good (though not off the charts) student. But I am not so much looking for places where her academic credentials will fly. I am interested in hearing about small LAC's where a person like her will fit in well. I hope to avoid a place full of snarky, jaded kids who will look down on her for being sincere. She has yet to blossom in terms of boys, parties, etc but she is really conscientious and responsible. I feel proud of her traits...but want her to land on a campus where they will be valued rather than ridiculed.

Hollins University in Roanoke.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Probably anywhere she would be able to find her crowd.

But if you need to narrow it down on social life grounds, I'd start with LACs with little to no Greek culture.

+1
Mary Washington is a fabulous environment for kids not interested in Greek life. Lots of friendly kids, good education, plus a beautiful campus.

Agree with this. My DD sounds very similar to yours and these were the schools without Greek life that she really liked:

Juniata
Earlham
Goucher
St. Mary's College of Maryland
Oberlin

My daughter at Oberlin sounds a lot like yours, one of the sweetest and easiest going kids. She has found a warm and friendly community there and is so happy. They play trivia weekly, watch late night TV in the lounge together and had holiday gatherings for each of their religions including a homemade ornament exchange. We know she found the right school!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, I’ve spent a good amount of time at places like Oberlin and Earlham and many of the students there are just about the opposite of what I call “nice” or a good fit for “sweet” people. Like, how can you be sweet when XYZ is going on????? If you’re not angry you’re not paying attention!!!!!!!

+1
If you're not "woke," or whatever the newest catchphrase is, then you're not interesting. I would never, ever want my kids to go to Oberlin or Middlebury, for starters.

Totally wrong! Oberlin is chock full of sweet dorks. Never been to Middlebury but I can tell you you’re misinformed about students at Oberlin.

[Anonymous]

I was like that. Went to Gettysburg. Did fine there.

But you may be underestimating her. Thinking back, I think I would have done better at a large state school. The students there are less privileged, and less into parties and stuff. And since there are so many students, it is easier to find people like yourself.

[Anonymous]

Minnesota has a lot of SLACs with that vibe. St. Olaf has already been mentioned and is a good one. I went to Gustavus Adolphus College -- very similar to St. Olaf in profile, though St. Olaf's particular strength is in music and Gustavus is particularly strong for sciences. Both have lots of smart, earnest kids -- ones who worked hard and got good grades, but are probably not future Nobel Prize winners. Gustavus at least has good merit aid -- not sure about St. Olaf.

Carleton is in Minnesota (same town as St. Olaf) and students there a generally a notch above academically, but also more politically active, PC, "woke" etc. Tons of great discussions on that campus, but more in the spirit of ardent intellectual battles about contemporary topics and with a liberal bent. Great for many (and I would have gone but at the time they had no merit aid), but if you're looking for a comfortable place for a sweet kid, maybe not what you're looking for.

Macalester could be another good Minnesota option, though I know less about it than the others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, I’ve spent a good amount of time at places like Oberlin and Earlham and many of the students there are just about the opposite of what I call “nice” or a good fit for “sweet” people. Like, how can you be sweet when XYZ is going on????? If you’re not angry you’re not paying attention!!!!!!!

+1
If you're not "woke," or whatever the newest catchphrase is, then you're not interesting. I would never, ever want my kids to go to Oberlin or Middlebury, for starters.

Totally wrong! Oberlin is chock full of sweet dorks. Never been to Middlebury but I can tell you you’re misinformed about students at Oberlin.

I went to Oberlin, lol.