I've known several kids at Rhodes who sound like your daughter. They loved it!

Anonymous wrote:Okay, she is also a good (though not off the charts) student. But I am not so much looking for places where her academic credentials will fly. I am interested in hearing about small LAC's where a person like her will fit in well. I hope to avoid a place full of snarky, jaded kids who will look down on her for being sincere. She has yet to blossom in terms of boys, parties, etc but she is really conscientious and responsible. I feel proud of her traits...but want her to land on a campus where they will be valued rather than ridiculed.

Haverford!!

how are the students at Pomona? I've heard they are kind and laidback, so it's interesting it was never mentioned here

Anonymous wrote:Any suggestions for the Northeast? It sounds like there are a fair number of good LACs for sweet kids in the Midwest. Any suggestions for the Northeast for a kid with top stats who wants a nurturing social environment (preferably with a lot of diversity) and does not want to be in a pressure cooker?
It sounds like Mount Holyoke would be one to look at. What about Wellesley or Haverford or Amherst or Boston College or Brandeis or Tufts?

I am not sure that MHC is NOT a pressure cooker. I have heard the community is supportive, but workload intense. Can anyone WITH EXPERIENCE comment on this please?

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Anonymous wrote:American university.

Sweet Briar College.

Almost dead again. I would spend the money because you don't know if it will be around for the next five or ten years.

Willamette in Oregon.

I also knew someone of a similar description who went to Hamilton and had a great time.

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Anonymous wrote:What about the Boston area colleges? Tufts or Wellesley or BC or Brandeis?

Definitely not Tufts!

Care to elaborate on tufts?

I know two people who went there fairly recently. Both transfered to other schools primarily due to how cut throat the environment was & how many of their classmates/dorm mates seemed to just be out for themselves to the point where they were unwilling to help other students & would go out of their way to bring others down.

Good to know. Thanks for sharing.

I wouldn't draw to much from an anonymous post, especially one without firsthand knowledge. Tufts has a 96% freshman retention rate which is comparable to its peer schools. I'm a graduate and found the students to be extremely non-competitive which was in stark contrast to my experience in grad school. There is a strong emphasis at Tufts on collaboration and team skills. Go take a look for yourself and please don't put stock into some random poster with an axe to grind.

Good point but it is hard to learn about the culture through campus visits etc. it is helpful to get first hand accounts

Look at Berry College in Georgia. The school has a long history of service and attracts kids who are seeking that. The faculty seems very invested in helping students succeed, there is a lot of support built into their system.

Your DC sounds a lot like mine temperment wise and I think Berry is the best thing that could have happened to them. My DC really came into their own there.

Not only are there the usual clubs and extracurricular opportunities, but the campus work program is uniquely structured in a way that binds the school together and offers the students amazing opportunity for growth.

http://www.berry.edu/stuwork/employment/

Anonymous wrote:What do you mean by "sweet"? There are a lot of good peers you will find at any of these LACs. However, if you mean a school that doesn't emphasize looks, money, sports, alcohol, etc., I would second the PPs who said look for schools without a Greek system.

I think Quaker schools have deeply embedded values that people concerned with fairness and justice would affirm, but that doesn't mean that they are not competitive. At a school like Swarthmore, for example, the kids are academically tough and very rigorous (but not cut-throat).

Ditto on the Quaker schools. My alma mater Guilford in NC has been mentioned a couple of times. It has a lovely, laid back, inclusive vibe.

Anonymous wrote:Carleton, Davidson, Rhodes.

Carleton & Davidson are both routinely ranked among the top LAC in the country & are very hard to get into.

Rhodes isn't as highly ranked or as competitive as Carleton or Davidson but is still a very solid school that is very far from easy to get into.

All 3 are strong in STEM & seem to attract very hard working, kind students.

+1 with regard to all three.

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Anonymous wrote:What about the Boston area colleges? Tufts or Wellesley or BC or Brandeis?

Definitely not Tufts!

Care to elaborate on tufts?

I know two people who went there fairly recently. Both transfered to other schools primarily due to how cut throat the environment was & how many of their classmates/dorm mates seemed to just be out for themselves to the point where they were unwilling to help other students & would go out of their way to bring others down.

Good to know. Thanks for sharing.

I wouldn't draw to much from an anonymous post, especially one without firsthand knowledge. Tufts has a 96% freshman retention rate which is comparable to its peer schools. I'm a graduate and found the students to be extremely non-competitive which was in stark contrast to my experience in grad school. There is a strong emphasis at Tufts on collaboration and team skills. Go take a look for yourself and please don't put stock into some random poster with an axe to grind.