Anonymous wrote:OP here - So far he has liked the size of the LACs he visited - liked that they were smaller contained campuses, you did not need a car or a bus to get around, and could easily walk to classes.
For the ones we visited they seemed like a "better" mix of students as opposed to it being a 70/30 ratio of men to women and everyone is just STEM focused. That was the first thing that jumped out at him at RIT.
As of now he things he wants to do engineering, but likes that fact that if it is not an engineering school he has options. That is something weighing on his mind since many of his older cousins pivoted once they got to college.
My DS is a very outgoing person and has been a leader, so he would like to have some emphasis on being well rounded and gain basic skills that will help him if he takes on a managerial role later.
Most of the small engineering schools fit this list and certainly will do the last thing you mention. Many have a liberal arts core, like VA Tech (where you are likely to take more liberal arts classes than an engineering student at UVA). WPI in particular of the ones we looked at has liberal arts breadth as is a big focus of their program, along with project based learning abroad that is intentionally cross-curricular (students working with professors on a wide range of things from the Panama canal extension to creating education programs in remote locations, to improving living conditions in refugee camps to creating marketing programs for NGOs, etc).
What those schools don't have are a lot of options (some, but not a lot) if he decides not to do engineering. If he really isn't sure that he can find a major among what they offer, then his instinct is right that an engineering school might not work. You can look at the schools' web sites to find out how many people graduate in each major every year. Otherwise, they would be a great fit as they are "the SLACs of the engineering world," if you will: small, undergrad-oriented with small classes taught by professors not TAs, lots of student groups to pursue a huge variety of interests, campus activity oriented, not a huge frat culture (usually). I was struck during tours at how artsy the engineering schools can be: multiple instrumental groups, film clubs, theater groups, choirs and a capella, and even a marching band and football team (they all have varsity and club sports too so lots of athletes on campus). They all seem to have great facilities for these activities.