Your best bet with these interests might be a state flagship rather than a small liberal arts college. Most big publics will have decent arts programs, while also being strong in areas like history and geology. With 20,000+ students, it’s easy to find your people, whether that’s jocks, arty hipsters, or nerds. Most will also be more politically balanced than LACs.

Thinking specifically about the mix of decent geology + arts, I’d look into places like Wisconsin (maybe a reach), UC Boulder, Arizona State, Indiana, Ohio State, etc. Lots of Big 10 schools would potentially fit the bill.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pomona
Rice
Claremont McKenna
Davidson

Even ED, this is a pretty reachy list.

This is off-the-charts reachy. From my kid's DC private you need almost perfect grades for Pomona or Rice. Like be the only kid in the class with a 4.0.
Claremont Mckenna and Davidson are easier but still reaches.
There are other school suggestions in this thread (by other posters) that make sense!

Mix of As and Bs, with a C, could be anywhere between a 3.2-3.8. What’s the GPA?

Anonymous wrote:-Student at a public magnet (test-in, competitive, not DC but major metro)
-Rigorous courseload, mix of As and Bs, one C
-1470 SAT
-Quirky ECs that demonstrate strong commitment to arts interests.
-Field of study likely history or geology

I think DC needs something nerdy but also a little artsy. Liberal but not ultraliberal. I think Carnegie Mellon would be a great fit in terms of vibe but DC probably doesn't have the stats to get in. Other ideas?

CMU is not an easy acceptance, but if you apply for the business program or liberal arts, the acceptance rate is much higher than for STEM or for an arts major.

Again, we are talking like 20% for business and 25% for liberal arts vs. 5% acceptances for STEM and the arts. I would imagine the ED rates for business and liberal arts are probably north of 30%. Might be worth a shot.

Anonymous wrote:Pomona
Rice
Claremont McKenna
Davidson

Even ED, this is a pretty reachy list.

My kid who sounds similar in stats is at F&M and happy.

William & Mary
Wesleyan
Vassar
Hamilton

Bucknell would be a good target.

For artsy liberal arts, check out Muhlenberg College, Drew University, Dickinson College, Skidmore College, and College of Wooster. Maybe add Elon University.

Would probably help to know current overall GPA.

Some good suggestions, but Pomona, Rice, Davidson & Carleton are probably big reaches for a kid with A/B grades and a 1470. Macalester or St. Olaf might be worth a look, same for Lewis & Clark, Colorado College. Also Bates - my kid's earth sciences classes have involved lots of field work around Maine, probably true for other Maine SLACs.

Rochester Institute of Technology
Drexel
Emerson
Skidmore
College of Wooster
Kalamazoo College

Hi OP-

I am a Pitt grad. Pitt is a great school for an eclectic courseload. It's not known for studio arts but it has them, and you can cross-register with CMU.

Here is some info on Pitt's geology department:
https://www.geology.pitt.edu/prospective-students

The history department at Pitt had a wide variety of courses when I attended, and I expect it would be a pretty large department compared to geology. I enjoyed medieval studies series guest lectures and went to a 2-day conference on medieval Spain while I was enrolled. Also took 2 art history classes in the Art History department. Even though I was an Economics major.

The Carnegie Museum of Arts is right there in Oakland between the two campuses. Also Pitt has a very nice fine arts building right across the street from it (imitation Renaissance villa). That's where a lot of the art-related classes are taught.

Non-university students/everyday artist learners take classes at Pittsburgh Center for the Arts in Shadyside. That's probably reachable by bus from Pitt.

I am not sure if there is the right nerdy vibe at Pitt in the exact majors you are researching...but honestly I never understood why CMU would appeal to a liberal arts generalist or maybe someone with a couple strong liberal arts areas of interest. To me CMU was always more suited for students with a very specific career plan, and mainly quant-oriented majors. Some artsy majors like theater and architecture also come to mind. But not history. I doubt a CMU history degree's better than a Pitt history degree if the GPA is equivalently high. Especially if it costs a lot more to acquire.

Carleton

Pomona
Rice
Claremont McKenna
Davidson

-Student at a public magnet (test-in, competitive, not DC but major metro)
-Rigorous courseload, mix of As and Bs, one C
-1470 SAT
-Quirky ECs that demonstrate strong commitment to arts interests.
-Field of study likely history or geology

I think DC needs something nerdy but also a little artsy. Liberal but not ultraliberal. I think Carnegie Mellon would be a great fit in terms of vibe but DC probably doesn't have the stats to get in. Other ideas?