Macalester

Macalester has a good location in the Twin Cities. Campus is in a residential section of St. Paul (feels not unlike NW DC) and just outside Minneapolis. Lots of culture and nature within 20-30 minutes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Swarthmore (as noted above), Haverford, Bryn Mawr, Sarah Lawrence, the Claremont colleges, Reed, Davidson, Vassar, Amherst

Amherst? Oh god no.

Middle of nowhere

Very nice college town, five college consortium, pioneer valley's activity and culture are not what I'd call middle of nowhere

Williams, yes, super isolated. Amherst, not really. And Boston is only a 2 hour drive.

Anonymous wrote:Swarthmore (as noted above), Haverford, Bryn Mawr, Sarah Lawrence, the Claremont colleges, Reed, Davidson, Vassar, Amherst

Amherst? Oh god no.

Middle of nowhere

Anonymous wrote:I also suggest one of the Claremont Colleges. I am an alum. It’s big enough with all the schools combined and is in Claremont- which is a very cute and lively village! You can always escape to other areas: beaches, desert, mountains, LA, San Diego very easily.

+1 We have a daughter at Pomona and love visiting Claremont. She's never bored of the energy with the five other colleges, and the school funds experiences/internships to the LA area. D rides a train weekly to Downtown LA for her internship.

Anonymous wrote:I would look at UChicago. Their class sizes are smaller than at many LACs and there's an exciting city just 15 minutes outside of a beautiful suburban campus. Discussions are lively among the kids inside and outside the classroom. Interesting, very intellectually engaged peer group.

OP is asking for slacs, not a uni. Don't be fooled by unis. Columbia is a uni with all the reputation; yet it's not a SLAC. Student experiences will be different. Students in Columbia, UChicago are more competitive and sometimes cutthroat in larger classes. These are some of the reasons for slacs' existence.

I would look at UChicago. Their class sizes are smaller than at many LACs and there's an exciting city just 15 minutes outside of a beautiful suburban campus. Discussions are lively among the kids inside and outside the classroom. Interesting, very intellectually engaged peer group.

I also suggest one of the Claremont Colleges. I am an alum. It’s big enough with all the schools combined and is in Claremont- which is a very cute and lively village! You can always escape to other areas: beaches, desert, mountains, LA, San Diego very easily.

Swarthmore (as noted above), Haverford, Bryn Mawr, Sarah Lawrence, the Claremont colleges, Reed, Davidson, Vassar, Amherst

Macalester

Occidental

Reed

Pomona/Claremont McKenna/Scripps/Pitzer
Wellesley
Davidson
Haverford
Vassar
Colorado College
Richmond
Barnard
Holy Cross
Occidental
Trinity
Connecticut College
Sarah Lawrence
St. John’s in Annapolis or Santa Fe
Lafayette
Reed

A lot of state schools are commuter schools so all the excitements you see when classes are in session or between classes are not what happens after hours or on weekends. Some SLACs like Vassar and Oberlin on the other hand are called "bubbles" because nearly everything is self contained where resident students entertain themselves by participating in hundreds of campus clubs and organizations. It's a trade off. Pomona is a 5C consortium, again relatively segregated from the rest of the community. Yet, with about 5000 (?) students spread out among 5Cs plus 2 grad schools, there is always plenty to do.

Swarthmore-Haverford-Bryn Mawr

Pomona-Scripps-Mudd-Claremont McKenna-Pitzer

Barnard

Wellesley

Occidental

Reed

Trinity (both college and university)

Sarah Lawrence

University of Richmond

Colorado College

There aren't many. Swarthmore?

Also, consider William and Mary, which is SLAC-like in many ways.

My DC is in a private and loves her teachers and small discussion-based classes. As we have been touring colleges, she seems to not like the SLAC’s in the middle of nowhere. She is leaning towards colleges with things to do nearby and most that I am finding are on the larger side. Her main reason for wanting less rural is she is not a partier. She wants other things to do/see on weekends but still wants an active school she doesn’t get lost in the shuffle in. Tall order and I am having some difficulties.

Also, many of the colleges we have visited were on Fall or Spring breaks so it seemed more isolated. I feel that SLAC’s would have things she loves and more time/chances to do clubs and activities she may not do at a more urban school. But for now, I would like some help on some SLAC’s that aren’t so rural.