Anonymous
Post 10/24/2025 13:42     Subject: SLAC vibes - Middlebury, Wesleyan, Vassar....
Anonymous wrote:Definitely not Vassar or Wesleyan extremely not middle of the road. For combo of sports, active dating vibe middle of road Midd, Colgate, Richmond, and Holy Cross. Would also rule out Bates.


Vassar and Wesleyan are head and shoulders above Colgate, Richmond, and HC. Middlebury I’m neutral on.
Anonymous
Post 10/24/2025 13:39     Subject: SLAC vibes - Middlebury, Wesleyan, Vassar....
Hillsdale would be top 30 in USNWR if it accepted Pell.
Anonymous
Post 10/24/2025 13:39     Subject: SLAC vibes - Middlebury, Wesleyan, Vassar....
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I have an athletic, straight son who is politically progressive and socially very tolerant (volunteers with kids who have disabilities, befriended the trans kid in his class who couldn't find a partner for a project, etc). He's considering some SLACs at which he could play his sport. We have visited F&M and Dickinson, both of which seem like decent fits vibe-wise.

What are the student bodies like at Middlebury, Wesleyan, Trinity (CT), Haverford, Occidental, and Vassar? Maybe the Maine ones as well (Colby, Bates, Bowdoin)?

I don't think a super artsy crunchy place will be the best fit for him....he is going to want to find friends who want to watch professional sports, join a fantasy football league, etc, and girls who are interested in dating men. I feel like at a smaller school you really have to make sure it's the right fit.


Oxy sounds like a great fit for what you're DS is looking for. What is his sport?



Not unless the student isan active social justice warrior.


Nope I know two moderate liberal boys there who are not politically active at all and having a great time! vocal few tend to grab headlines, but Oxy is a pretty mainstream place if you're there.


Agreed. We visited and DS has spent time with a friend who goes there. It’s definitely liberal but the idea that it’s full of social justice warriors is pretty funny. My impression when we visited was that there wasn’t a big divide between athletes and non-athletes and the vibe was friendly.
Anonymous
Post 10/24/2025 13:37     Subject: SLAC vibes - Middlebury, Wesleyan, Vassar....
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Definitely not Vassar or Wesleyan extremely not middle of the road. For combo of sports, active dating vibe middle of road Midd, Colgate, Richmond, and Holy Cross. Would also rule out Bates.


Lots of opinions from people about Wes who obviously have no connection to the school. Wes has many popular arts programs, so yes, there are many artsy students. But there are also lots of stem kids, and lax bros, and dudes who play fantasy football. Lots of different kinds of kids. Great school worth looking at.


Sure but there may be other places where he would fit in better. We have done a deep dive into LACs and they really do feel different. They attract different types of students and have different "vibes." Fit matters.

I'd take Wes and Vassar off your list and focus on the others.
Anonymous
Post 10/24/2025 13:32     Subject: SLAC vibes - Middlebury, Wesleyan, Vassar....
Anonymous wrote:Not sure about his sport, but Skidmore may be a good fit. While there is an artsy crunchy contingency, there are a range of students there. My kid who liked Dickinson also liked Skidmore.


Nope. I have a kid looking for similar and he ruled out Skidmore as too artsy/alternative after a visit. It's too bad, seems like a nice place, and great dining hall. But he didn't feel like they were his people.
Anonymous
Post 10/24/2025 13:28     Subject: Re:SLAC vibes - Middlebury, Wesleyan, Vassar....
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Colby is pretty great & has gotten some recent significant gifts & has some major plans


The new Colby science complex is breaking ground and will be completed in 2030. It will be a great resource for any kid in 8th grade today. I’d be frustrated to watch it go up while attending and never get to use it.



Same with Pomona's new global engagement center. It will not break ground until next summer and it will be under construction (if it doesn't get delayed) over the next 4 years.
Anonymous
Post 10/24/2025 13:25     Subject: SLAC vibes - Middlebury, Wesleyan, Vassar....
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I have an athletic, straight son who is politically progressive and socially very tolerant (volunteers with kids who have disabilities, befriended the trans kid in his class who couldn't find a partner for a project, etc). He's considering some SLACs at which he could play his sport. We have visited F&M and Dickinson, both of which seem like decent fits vibe-wise.

What are the student bodies like at Middlebury, Wesleyan, Trinity (CT), Haverford, Occidental, and Vassar? Maybe the Maine ones as well (Colby, Bates, Bowdoin)?

I don't think a super artsy crunchy place will be the best fit for him....he is going to want to find friends who want to watch professional sports, join a fantasy football league, etc, and girls who are interested in dating men. I feel like at a smaller school you really have to make sure it's the right fit.


Oxy sounds like a great fit for what you're DS is looking for. What is his sport?



Not unless the student isan active social justice warrior.


Nope I know two moderate liberal boys there who are not politically active at all and having a great time! vocal few tend to grab headlines, but Oxy is a pretty mainstream place if you're there.
Anonymous
Post 10/24/2025 13:18     Subject: SLAC vibes - Middlebury, Wesleyan, Vassar....
Subjective comments on Middlebury, Vassar and two Maine LACs appear in this post in the context of comments on several other popular LACs:
https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/75/1283060.page#30435482
Anonymous
Post 10/24/2025 13:16     Subject: Re:SLAC vibes - Middlebury, Wesleyan, Vassar....
Anonymous wrote:Colby is pretty great & has gotten some recent significant gifts & has some major plans


The new Colby science complex is breaking ground and will be completed in 2030. It will be a great resource for any kid in 8th grade today. I’d be frustrated to watch it go up while attending and never get to use it.

Anonymous
Post 10/24/2025 13:16     Subject: SLAC vibes - Middlebury, Wesleyan, Vassar....
Check out Colorado College, too.
Anonymous
Post 10/24/2025 12:49     Subject: Re:SLAC vibes - Middlebury, Wesleyan, Vassar....
Colby is pretty great & has gotten some recent significant gifts & has some major plans
Anonymous
Post 10/24/2025 12:40     Subject: SLAC vibes - Middlebury, Wesleyan, Vassar....
A lot of gay guys at Vassar. Could work in your favor if you're a straight guy looking for action.
Anonymous
Post 10/24/2025 11:59     Subject: SLAC vibes - Middlebury, Wesleyan, Vassar....
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Definitely not Vassar or Wesleyan extremely not middle of the road. For combo of sports, active dating vibe middle of road Midd, Colgate, Richmond, and Holy Cross. Would also rule out Bates.


Lots of opinions from people about Wes who obviously have no connection to the school. Wes has many popular arts programs, so yes, there are many artsy students. But there are also lots of stem kids, and lax bros, and dudes who play fantasy football. Lots of different kinds of kids. Great school worth looking at.


+1 have hired a couple of Wesleyan grads (STEM field) and they are great - well rounded, bright.

Agree with the suggestion of Colgate, and would add Union to the list too.
Anonymous
Post 10/24/2025 11:39     Subject: SLAC vibes - Middlebury, Wesleyan, Vassar....
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I have an athletic, straight son who is politically progressive and socially very tolerant (volunteers with kids who have disabilities, befriended the trans kid in his class who couldn't find a partner for a project, etc). He's considering some SLACs at which he could play his sport. We have visited F&M and Dickinson, both of which seem like decent fits vibe-wise.

What are the student bodies like at Middlebury, Wesleyan, Trinity (CT), Haverford, Occidental, and Vassar? Maybe the Maine ones as well (Colby, Bates, Bowdoin)?

I don't think a super artsy crunchy place will be the best fit for him....he is going to want to find friends who want to watch professional sports, join a fantasy football league, etc, and girls who are interested in dating men. I feel like at a smaller school you really have to make sure it's the right fit.


Oxy sounds like a great fit for what you're DS is looking for. What is his sport?



I hope his sport is protesting because Oxy is the wokest of the woke.
Anonymous
Post 10/24/2025 11:29     Subject: SLAC vibes - Middlebury, Wesleyan, Vassar....
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I have an athletic, straight son who is politically progressive and socially very tolerant (volunteers with kids who have disabilities, befriended the trans kid in his class who couldn't find a partner for a project, etc). He's considering some SLACs at which he could play his sport. We have visited F&M and Dickinson, both of which seem like decent fits vibe-wise.

What are the student bodies like at Middlebury, Wesleyan, Trinity (CT), Haverford, Occidental, and Vassar? Maybe the Maine ones as well (Colby, Bates, Bowdoin)?

I don't think a super artsy crunchy place will be the best fit for him....he is going to want to find friends who want to watch professional sports, join a fantasy football league, etc, and girls who are interested in dating men. I feel like at a smaller school you really have to make sure it's the right fit.


Oxy sounds like a great fit for what you're DS is looking for. What is his sport?



Not unless the student isan active social justice warrior.