Hampshire, I meant.

OP again. DS has recently become very interested in Reed. At some point we'll have to go visit. He has rejected U of Chicago because of the curricular requirements -- too rigid for him.

Why do you put Hamshire lower on the academic scale? From what I've read its become stronger over the years. I've read the same about Bard.

Anonymous wrote:Reed in Oregon

+1
Sounds like every person that ever attended Reed.

St. Mary's College of Maryland - my husband and I met there and later attended grad school at Harvard and Yale, respectively. Great school, great value. Students at St. Mary's tend to be self-starters and very service oriented.

There is a huge academic range in the schools listed so far. If your son really wants to be academically challenged and around kids of a similar mindset (my son fit into same category) then the schools he looked at that made sense to him and seemed to be full of people he would love to spend time with included

top tier academically and in terms of difficulty to get into: U Chicago (where he is and loving it), Swarthmore, Deep Springs program
next group in terms of difficulty of getting in and academic focus of kids: Oberlin, Wesleyan, then a bit lower Reed and Kenyon
not same academically at all: Evergreen, Hampshire,

Antioch has had huge financial problems the past decade, was closing and then bailed out by some alumni, not sure a safe bet for someone not yet in college!

I'm from Ohio and agree with some earlier posters about Kenyon and Oberlin...a lot of kids from the east coast go to both. Other choices mentioned here are great too such as Hunter, Reed and Grinnell.

Lots of fine options here, but for lefty "marching to the beat of his own drummer" culture plus rich academic challenge, I think Reed is a wonderful choice.

Catholic University

Portland State (OR)

For a boy, Deep Springs is an option, although the kids have to transfer after two years. Spectacular track record.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_Springs_College

Naropa in Boulder.

Anonymous wrote:I'd tell him to move to NYC for a gap year and work until he obtains residency. Then attend Hunter College or another CCNY campus for next to nothing as a NYC resident. If you're going to indulge him in leading his hip, romantic, non-conformist life, at least don't saddle him with too much student loan debt as he starts out. And certainly don't waste your own money on these pricey schools. Chances are, he'd be back living on your couch four years later, all tatted up with no place to go.

And you think these things won't happen if he attends Hunter? I guess I don't devalue a "hip, romantic, non-comformist" life because it brings with it hard work and intellectual drive. This is not a kid who will live on a couch. Unless he goes to a college that he hates and drops out.