Good list. DC graduated from Wes and absolutely loved it....very vibrant on-campus music scene with something like 250 live performances every year.

Anonymous wrote:This is a very good list of schools.

Reed is as academically rigorous as they say, especially in the final two years. They say their acceptance rate is higher than other SLACs because the first year weeds out a lot of people. Students tend toward the unconventional, even by Portland standards. A huge percentage of their students go on to terminal degrees/PhDs, so it's a very brainy, intense environment. I feel like fit is key here.

Lewis & Clark is rigorous, but you'll have more time to explore extracurriculars and get involved. Very politically active campus, lots of options for community service. Strong outdoors program. Very strong in international affairs -- lots of connections and options there. Definite known quantity when it comes to grad programs, especially politics/law/IA. Can be quite generous with merit aid. Both Reed and L&C deserve to be higher on various lists than they are. (Source: applied/accepted to both; attended Lewis & Clark and had friends at Reed.) Portland is a great place to go to college -- plenty to do, close to the ocean, mountains, and more outdoors than you'll know what to do with.

Reedie here (graduated 25 years ago, though). I think this assessment is good, as is the OP's sense that students "study all the time." I found it rigorous in a wonderful way, though I had a bit of a crisis freshman year when I realized there truly was more reading assigned than I could possibly complete in a week if I was ever to get any sleep. I worked harder at Reed than I have since I graduated. I know many, many peers who went on to earn advanced degrees. My classmates were intense and interesting and quirky and diligent. I did know a few folks who dropped out after the first or second year due to "fit." As a high school student I also visited Lewis & Clark, and decided against applying because it felt not rigorous enough for me. It is a nice campus and I think has more majors than Reed. Another PP's suggestion of looking into University of Puget Sound is a good one (I have a sibling who attended UPS and loved it).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Male or female? Male has an admission advantage at SLACs

Coming from private or public? A public school kid with that GPA will have to lower his/her sights.

A progressive kid will be just fine at Tufts - no more or less than Brown or Wes. So don't use that to make a judgment.

Vassar? (a male has a huge admissions advantage here)
Lots of progressive kids at Bard & Sarah Lawrence

Yes, Reed is more rigorous than the other school.

Music makes me think of Oberlin, Lawrence and St Olaf

Thank you for the thoughtful info. DC attends one of the Big 3 in DC. Is GPA really viewed that differently between public and private?

FYI I’m the OP and that’s my response above.

Anonymous wrote:Male or female? Male has an admission advantage at SLACs

Coming from private or public? A public school kid with that GPA will have to lower his/her sights.

A progressive kid will be just fine at Tufts - no more or less than Brown or Wes. So don't use that to make a judgment.

Vassar? (a male has a huge admissions advantage here)
Lots of progressive kids at Bard & Sarah Lawrence

Yes, Reed is more rigorous than the other school.

Music makes me think of Oberlin, Lawrence and St Olaf

Thank you for the thoughtful info. DC attends one of the Big 3 in DC. Is GPA really viewed that differently between public and private?

Your list is good. Here are some others to consider:

Vassar
Skidmore
Oberlin
Kenyon
Wooster
Kalamazoo
Knox
Beloit
Lawrence
Whitman
Puget Sound
Willamette

Some of these are in small towns that are even more isolated than Middletown but some are in pretty nice cities. Check out the YouTube videos of the towns/cities where they are located. Saratoga Springs, Tacoma, and Appleton are much more interesting that most people realize.

Male or female? Male has an admission advantage at SLACs

Coming from private or public? A public school kid with that GPA will have to lower his/her sights.

A progressive kid will be just fine at Tufts - no more or less than Brown or Wes. So don't use that to make a judgment.

Vassar? (a male has a huge admissions advantage here)
Lots of progressive kids at Bard & Sarah Lawrence

Yes, Reed is more rigorous than the other school.

Music makes me think of Oberlin, Lawrence and St Olaf

Anonymous wrote:My DC applied and got into Tufts and Wesleyan with 3.9 unweighted. Rejected from Brown. FYI. Your list is good, but your DC will need to be very happy with the schools that are less rigorous.

OP here: Where did your DC end up if you don’t mind sharing?

This is a very good list of schools.

Reed is as academically rigorous as they say, especially in the final two years. They say their acceptance rate is higher than other SLACs because the first year weeds out a lot of people. Students tend toward the unconventional, even by Portland standards. A huge percentage of their students go on to terminal degrees/PhDs, so it's a very brainy, intense environment. I feel like fit is key here.

Lewis & Clark is rigorous, but you'll have more time to explore extracurriculars and get involved. Very politically active campus, lots of options for community service. Strong outdoors program. Very strong in international affairs -- lots of connections and options there. Definite known quantity when it comes to grad programs, especially politics/law/IA. Can be quite generous with merit aid. Both Reed and L&C deserve to be higher on various lists than they are. (Source: applied/accepted to both; attended Lewis & Clark and had friends at Reed.) Portland is a great place to go to college -- plenty to do, close to the ocean, mountains, and more outdoors than you'll know what to do with.

I was also accepted at Pitzer and visited campus -- was very impressed by the school and the Claremont consortium. Obviously a completely different feel than the Pacific NW. (Didn't attend because my decision hinged on merit aid.)

I went to Wesleyan. Not much in Middletown but tons of stuff on campus. Easy to get to NY and Boston for the weekend. I did that many times.

My Ds's friend is similar and is at Wesleyan and loves it.

My DC applied and got into Tufts and Wesleyan with 3.9 unweighted. Rejected from Brown. FYI. Your list is good, but your DC will need to be very happy with the schools that are less rigorous.

I went to Tufts and lived near Reed for a while.

Tufts I would describe as liberal as all others except Reed, which is Portland level of liberal. More artsy is my impression.

Where does your kid want to live: Boston or Portland? Both great places, very different places. Where do they want to live after graduation?

In Portland, I think of Lewis and Clark as a more serious school than Reed.

Anonymous wrote:Colorado College, perhaps?

OP here: considered it but turned off by their one-class-at-a-time structure. Thinks it would be too intense to have the same class for 3 hrs a day for 3 1/2 weeks. Otherwise looks good!

Colorado College, perhaps?

Liberal/progressive student, loves music and songwriting. Likely English major. 35 ACT and ~3.6uw/3.73w GPA (increased each year with all A's 11th/12th grade so good trend). Possibly considering ED for one of the top choices and has preference for open curriculum.

Top choices in order:
Brown (will still apply but knows it is too much of a reach so not considering it a serious contender; bypassed ED to get ACT scores/grades from 1st term; ACT went up so worth the wait)
Wesleyan (1st choice after Brown; very worried that Middletown will be boring - would more access to different music venues/events)
Tufts (not quite as liberal as others)
Reed (is it as rigorous as described with students studying all the time? and is it more/less rigorous than other choices listed?)

Also considering Pitzer, Occidental, Lewis/Clark, Macalester, maybe Pitt, and a few state universities: Oregon, Vermont, and UCSB. DC loves NYU but afraid it is too large... Yeah, quite the range, but each has its own virtues that DC finds appealing.

Any insights, especially those with firsthand knowledge? Open to other recommendations. TIA.