"OP here - told you I know nothing about any of these places! Ha! Okay so Smith is out. He is a math brain and is thinking of accounting or finance as numbers are second nature to him. He’s at an elite private right now and likes the feel of kids who are competitive and compelled to do really well in life. He loves things like Vineyard Vines and fancy dinners. That type of kid. Hence he has it in his mind that the Ivies are the right fit. But he is also a genius without breaking a sweat."

From the sounds of this, his school and his peers will be able to help him figure this out. Not that you shouldn't ask, but they will know him and where he would fit much better than random people on the interwebs.

As it gets closer to the time to apply, his school will hold meetings for parents and councilors will meet with the kids to help figure this out.

Some would say the process I am describing is the entire reason to go to an elite private.

Anonymous wrote:If he wants to head south, look at Rice.

Rice is not small

Under 2K is considered small. Rice has like 5700

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Top SLAC samplers in the order of West Coast to East Coast:

Pomona (and it's 5 school consortium, Harvey Mudd, Pitzer...)
Reed
Carleton
Grinnell
Oberlin
Kenyon
Swarthmore
Amherst
Williams

No. No. No.
Reed is west of Pomona and Williams is west of Amherst.

OMG, Kenyon is west of Oberlin as well.

Anonymous wrote:Top SLAC samplers in the order of West Coast to East Coast:

Pomona (and it's 5 school consortium, Harvey Mudd, Pitzer...)
Reed
Carleton
Grinnell
Oberlin
Kenyon
Swarthmore
Amherst
Williams

This, actually, is a good list.

Anonymous wrote:Top SLAC samplers in the order of West Coast to East Coast:

Pomona (and it's 5 school consortium, Harvey Mudd, Pitzer...)
Reed
Carleton
Grinnell
Oberlin
Kenyon
Swarthmore
Amherst
Williams

No. No. No.
Reed is west of Pomona and Williams is west of Amherst.

With what you said, the best fit seems to be the NESCAC LACs (Williams, Amherst, Bowdoin, Wesleyan, Middlebury, Colby especially). They are called the "Little Ivies" with a preppy vibe and students who lean more on the pre-professional/ambitious side (great targets for finance and such). You can also add Colgate, Davidson, and URichmond.

For a school on the West Coast, check out Claremont McKenna as well. Pomona and Mudd have been suggested (and they have some of the best math departments out there), but with how you described your son, they don't seem like the best fit. Same goes for Swarthmore, Haverford, Grinnell.

I don’t let my kid play football but no judgment. Have you thought about Hamilton, Carleton, U of C, Reed etc. Can’t help you on the football thing. There’s always intramurals.

Anonymous wrote:Smith is a women's college, so he can't apply.

What does he want to study? What draws him to an Ivy? What sort of student vibe would he like?

OP here - told you I know nothing about any of these places! Ha! Okay so Smith is out. He is a math brain and is thinking of accounting or finance as numbers are second nature to him. He’s at an elite private right now and likes the feel of kids who are competitive and compelled to do really well in life. He loves things like Vineyard Vines and fancy dinners. That type of kid. Hence he has it in his mind that the Ivies are the right fit. But he is also a genius without breaking a sweat.

Dartmouth is on the small end as well and has the draws of an Ivy League with the intimacy of a small liberal arts college. Might be worth applying ED if he likes the vibe.

Top SLAC samplers in the order of West Coast to East Coast:

Pomona (and it's 5 school consortium, Harvey Mudd, Pitzer...)
Reed
Carleton
Grinnell
Oberlin
Kenyon
Swarthmore
Amherst
Williams

If he wants to head south, look at Rice.

Harvey Mudd

Smith is a women's college, so he can't apply.

What does he want to study? What draws him to an Ivy? What sort of student vibe would he like?

Pomona, Williams, Amherst, Carleton, Grinnell

Starting to make lists of potential schools to look at for insanely smart as a whip kid currently attending elite private. Right now, he thinks he wants Ivy, but I would also like to encourage him to look at smaller, non-Ivy schools. Someone suggested places like Smith, Swarthmore, Haverford, etc. I know nothing about any of these schools as I graduated from a large California public university. Are there any other places like this that we could add to the list? DS also plays football in high school and may potentially want to continue playing (although not at a school where 6'5" 300 pound lineman are the norm).