Reply to Swarthmore/Wes VS Williams/Bowdoin

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The rankings can change quite a bit over time. As I said, Vassar dropped 9 or 19 spots in one year. Do you really think the school changed that much? Reed refused to play along from the beginning and is commonly believed to be a much stronger school than the ranking would reveal.
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You've just named two outliers.  This isn't common at all.  [/quote]

I named them because I specifically suggested Vassar if the OP’s child is interested in a school like Wes and, when I came up with a list along those lines of possible schools, someone responded with a ranking list. I’m not writing the long anti-ranking posts but I do think they have to be taken with a grain of salt. The OP listed four rather different schools and I asked what they liked about them because perhaps we can help with similar schools to consider and/or visit. [/quote]

This is OP. I appreciate a lot of the responses but y’all lost me somewhere along the way :-). DC is just starting his search and he is our oldest so lots of new info for us in here.

But I can answer this question, what appeals to DC. He says: small size as is looking for close knit peer community, and ability to connect with professors (DC has always enjoyed a good relationship with teachers/coaches), friendly and welcoming student body (he is a very strong student but is laid back, and his current peer group is a mix of more intense and ones more like him - he loves doing group projects and class discussions, and I know he won’t want an environment where his more laid back attitude is in the overwhelmed minority, so maybe Swarthmore will be out fast, who knows), pretty campus/settings (“these look like what I always pictured college looking like”), access to outdoor activities like hiking and skiing, strong academics in particular in subjects like econ, history and political science. I realize these descriptors can apply to many colleges and maybe don’t apply to all the ones I listed-  we are just excitedly starting this journey! [/quote]

Hi. I asked the question. Based on that description, I would absolutely keep Williams, Bowdoin and Wesleyan on the list.

I think Hamilton, Middlebury and, if you're willing to go out West, Claremont McKenna (maybe even Pomona) fit the list.

Amherst is very strong in those curricular fields but we didn't get a friendly vibe at all (almost the opposite).

My kid attended Bowdoin and took quite a few courses in those areas and I do think Bowdoin checks off every box. The students are very friendly and the professors work closely with the students. [/quote]

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