My kids applied to Juniata, Ursinus and Muhlenberg as safeties, so ended up not attending. These were the aspects that stuck with me (because they were important to my kids)

Juniata impressed me with its welcoming and inclusive vibe and its strong science programs, particularly in a range of environmental science areas. The town is a little depressing and too much "in the middle of nowhere" according to my child.

Ursinus has a lot to offer any student who is interested in any aspect of sports (playing a varsity, club or intramural sport or majoring in PE, sports management, sport trainer, etc) The town had enough in it to satisfy my child, but I wouldn't call it a vibrant college town.

Muhlenberg has a strong theater program but is small enough that non-theater majors can also be involved. The town was okay but less attractive than Ursinus' town

Anonymous wrote:My DS really wanted to love the PA liberal arts colleges (or at least one of them). But they were either too Greek or too bland. Didn’t consider Swarthmore because too intense. Wanted to love Haverford but just liked it.

Haverford is an amazing place...zero Greek life, really interesting/smart kids (but collaborative, not cut throat), beautiful campus. But it is very small, which can be an issue for some.

My son is an athlete at F&M so is having a certain type of experience just as one would on a team at any school but I can share a few observations. When walking around campus it is clearly a student body comprised of many different types of students so seems like a place where everyone can find his/her/their niche. The campus is lovely and compact with the feel of a classic older brick building environment but inside the facilities are renovated and state of art. Classes are small--his four classes this fall as a sophomore are 10-15 students each and are not seminars. Many professors go by a first name basis and he finds them generally engaging. Because the classes are small (I think 50 is the max for any lecture course) it is easy to get to know students who may not run in the same circles and become friends via study groups particularly within your major. Very active and extensive study abroad program junior year and every summer and seems to have good outreach for internships. It is a pretty well known school in the northeast if your student is interested in working in the NYC area. Also the kids seem to love Lancaster. It is a charming city with many walkable restaurants and breweries, an interesting arts scene and a surprising quirky vibe for that area of PA. We love it!

My DS really wanted to love the PA liberal arts colleges (or at least one of them). But they were either too Greek or too bland. Didn’t consider Swarthmore because too intense. Wanted to love Haverford but just liked it.

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Anonymous wrote:Are there any SLACs in PA that have a decent minority population?

Maybe Albright, Arcadia, or Chestnut Hill

Chestnut Hill is very small and super Catholic, and OP has made clear that she hates Catholics.

Wow. OP here and I never said that at all. We are actually religious Protestants and DS prefers to go to a school that is not of the Catholic background, for that reason. It's not a good fit for him or our family. Not sure why you're so testy about it.

I was only kidding, ha ha. But now that I know your reasoning I'm not so sure! Your kid's college wouldn't be a good fit for the entire family if it were Catholic? Wow.

Lighten up, PP. It's perfectly legitimate and not at all uncommon to prefer non-Catholic colleges.

We loved Haverford (a small, tight community).

Also Juniata.

(Also thought highly of several on your list: F & M, Dickenson).

The Main Line schools: Swarthmore and Haverford.