Not small, not big, not religious, not conservative college?

Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Mid-size, secular, with less focus on Greek, not totally urban.

A good chunk of top 20 privates
CMU
Tufts
U Rochester
Case Western
U Miami
RPI
American
U Denver
Clark

Among LACs (naturally toward the smaller side), perhaps:
Wesleyan
U Richmond
Colorado College
Rhodes

If you would be open to schools that are technically religious but not proselytizing, that merely require a theology course from a historical or philosophical, perspective, checking out Jesuit schools would add a lot to the list.

Thanks for this great list!!! Some of those are urban which my DD really doesn't like because she thinks that means less of a campus community.

Most of those are not what I would consider urban. (Maybe CMU.) The rest all have a defined campus, which is what it sounds like she is seeking, with the surrounding area being more suburban in feeling, more on the edge of urban, outskirts, not actually urban. (Just for the purpose of defining urban, when I think urban, I think NYU, BU, GWU, Northeastern. And among those, Northeastern still has a defined campus, unlike the other three, though it is too large for what you are looking for.)


CMU is pretty self contained, but if you don;t have IVY stats, you aren't getting into CMU either.
Anonymous
I would add Tulane.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:I would add Tulane.


I just almost spit my drink everywhere. Tulane??? Tulane is a very greek heavy party school.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Colgate? Carleton?


Carleton is really small. Maybe St Olaf a better fit. It is religious officially but it didn't feel very religious when I was there or at least, it wasn't for me.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Emory is mid-size and suburban-feeling. Claremont Colleges are in a suburb and although each school is small, the Consortium makes it mid-size. Others to consider are Tufts, Boston College, William and Mary, and Wake Forest.


Boston College is Catholic

W&M and Wake Forest are 1/3+ Greek, even more for women.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Emory is mid-size and suburban-feeling. Claremont Colleges are in a suburb and although each school is small, the Consortium makes it mid-size. Others to consider are Tufts, Boston College, William and Mary, and Wake Forest.


Boston College is Catholic

W&M and Wake Forest are 1/3+ Greek, even more for women.


It's true that W&M has a healthy Greek system but it is a decidedly un-Greek-feeling place.
Anonymous
What range is mid-sized? Are you including graduate student count?

How far from the city? Suburban inside/near a large metro, or completely rural?

Rice University seems to fit the bill perfectly.

About 6,000 total students

It's in Houston, but has a defined campus and Houston is essentially a suburb.

No Greek Life at all - has a residential college system which students are placed into so students have the sense of social belonging without the toxic aspects of Greek Life.


Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Emory is mid-size and suburban-feeling. Claremont Colleges are in a suburb and although each school is small, the Consortium makes it mid-size. Others to consider are Tufts, Boston College, William and Mary, and Wake Forest.


Boston College is Catholic

W&M and Wake Forest are 1/3+ Greek, even more for women.


It's true that W&M has a healthy Greek system but it is a decidedly un-Greek-feeling place.


W&Ms greek system is kinda quirky and nerdy, not the typical greek life you see at other schools, more wholesome and less, well, greek
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Mid-size, secular, with less focus on Greek, not totally urban.

A good chunk of top 20 privates
CMU
Tufts
U Rochester
Case Western
U Miami
RPI
American
U Denver
Clark

Among LACs (naturally toward the smaller side), perhaps:
Wesleyan
U Richmond
Colorado College
Rhodes

If you would be open to schools that are technically religious but not proselytizing, that merely require a theology course from a historical or philosophical, perspective, checking out Jesuit schools would add a lot to the list.

Thanks for this great list!!! Some of those are urban which my DD really doesn't like because she thinks that means less of a campus community.

Most of those are not what I would consider urban. (Maybe CMU.) The rest all have a defined campus, which is what it sounds like she is seeking, with the surrounding area being more suburban in feeling, more on the edge of urban, outskirts, not actually urban. (Just for the purpose of defining urban, when I think urban, I think NYU, BU, GWU, Northeastern. And among those, Northeastern still has a defined campus, unlike the other three, though it is too large for what you are looking for.)


Disagree about CMU--it too has a pretty contained campus, and it's in a very residential part of Pittburgh.

PP. Good to know, I haven't visited. So, it can remain on the list.


DP It’s kind of interesting. Pitt felt very urban to me, but CMU did not, even though they are right next to each other.

Agree that not all campuses that are in/near cities feel “urban” like GWU. Rice, for example.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:URochester.
Honestly. You have completely described it. It’s set off to the side from Rochester (which isn’t much of a city anyway), beautiful walkable contained-feeling campus, minimal greek life (and what is there is nothing like the south), perfect size, and take a look at the flexible core curriculum.


Adding to this ... Syracuse?

Might be a little more Greek than she wants, but it's not oppressive.

Cornell if she has the stats.



No, no, no.
Not Syracuse.
Syracuse is a huge party school, big greek life, big drug scene, not at all what the OP seems to be looking for.
Cornell, eh, maybe, but it’s kind of quiet and competitive and not big on the whole sense of community thing.


Syracuse grad here. Great school! I loved it! No more “druggy” than other schools. Yes, it is a party school, and a lot of Greek life, however, many thriving non-Greeks, too.
Anonymous
Wake Forest is 12% Democrat and has been on Princeton Review’s UN-friendly for LGBTQ students list. I’d skip it.
Anonymous
Brandeis? Many schools in New England would fit the bill.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:William and Mary is a great size and is quite liberal, not urban, not greek.


W&M is liberal? A lot of what I’ve read online and heard from neighbors’ kids who go there suggests it’s a balanced mix - though conservatives are more moderate socially.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Good suggestions above, I'll add some publics to the W&M suggestion:

Christopher Newport
College of New Jersey
SUNY-Geneseo
SUNY-Binghamton
Truman State
Mary Washington
UMBC
UVM

I noticed above that someone mentioned Clark. It's true that technically Clark is a university not a LAC, but it's quite small--<3000 undergrads

I agree that looking into non-flagship publics is a good idea. Truman State, though, I had to laugh since OP mentioned looking for a school in a city. I wouldn't call Kirksville a "city," haha (and yes, I went there for undergrad. My father also grew up in that part of Missouri. Great school, great faculty, I got an education on par with anyone I've met in DC, but...not in a city. The only place I've ever gone cow-tipping, though, and the stargazing is incredible).
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Colgate? Carleton?

Carleton only has around 2,000 students. Colgate around 3k.
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