Also, although your child may be selecting out whole portions of the country- perhaps it might be your role as the parent to put at least one of the more liberal "Southern" schools on the list just to "check out" as it were -whether a small liberal arts school - or one of the big State schools (University of Texas comes to mind as a HUGE school with a VERY liberal bent in some quarters - plus, the Honors program is a very good program and gives the small feel without being in what may be a more stifling small campus.) Obviously, the choice is the child's, but if s/he is making a decision based on Southern stereotypes, then she may need to inform herself further before rejecting a geographic location entirely.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Swarthmore!!! Amazing intellectual experience--truly a world class college education. If you can get in (and don't worry about cost--if you qualify for financial aid, you will get it), I wouldn't even consider another school.

As a college prof, I would strongly urge you to consider small liberal arts colleges for undergrad, and major research universities for grad school. Swarthmore, Amherst, Williams, Wesleyan, Pomona, Reed, Carleton, Oberlin, Haverford, Bryn Mawr, Vassar, Mt. Holyoke, Smith, Wellesley, etc.

If you are worried about name recognition--the people who will be important in your DC's life will know these schools.

These are all great schools. Unfortunately many of them have admissions rates well under 20% (Amherst is under 15%, Williams is about 16%, Pomona in that range too). So they are only slightly less competitive than the Ivies in terms of admissions (actually Cornell has a higher admission rate than most of them). I am also not sure these are best kept secrets - they are all in the top 25 of the US News list of liberal arts colleges. I wish my child could go to one of these schools. But she probably needs an admission rate over 30% to have a shot. Over 40% is better.

I am constantly surprised by how few people, even in the DC area, are aware of small liberal arts colleges. IMO, small liberal arts colleges are still "secrets."

The women's colleges tend to have higher admissions rates--I would certainly check those out. (BTW, I would not go by admissions rates alone to figure out how selective a school is. You are right that the "little ivies" are very selective, but they arguably even more selective than the big ivies because while every joe schmoe applies to Harvard, the applicants to Swarthmore tend to be self-selecting.)

And to add onto a PP, Davidson, though in the "south" is an excellent, very liberal school with a northeast feeling. Worth checking out.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Davidson?

I was going to suggest this as well, until I read the OP has eliminated all southern schools from consideration.

I think I posted that my child had eliminated southern schools. The OP may have said that as well. In my case, and I assume hers as well, it is the child who is doing the eliminating.

I don't know if it's a secret, but what about Wellesley?

It is very close to Boston, has cross-registration with MIT, and there is hourly transportation (even on weekends) into the city and the T. Everone thinks oh no, all girls and so isolated, but the truth is that it is not. Nobody I know had problems meeting as many people of whatever gender that they wanted to date.

For me, Wellesley was, indeed, a life changer.

Anonymous wrote:Davidson?

I was going to suggest this as well, until I read the OP has eliminated all southern schools from consideration.

Southwestern U. in has 63% acceptance rate - and meets all the qualifications you've posted before - if you can't get in to Swarthmore (and very few can) - I would look off the East Coast - look South and West - you are more geographically desirable to round out their classes, so more opportunities to get accepted. Further, not ALL Southern schools are all about the Greek system.

I lived in the midwest for a while and had a few friends from Depauw, Kalamazoo, Kenyon and Denison. Schools that I had not heard of growing up on the East Coast.
An interesting observation about Denison, I knew of a few heads of universities who had children there.

Anonymous wrote:Swarthmore!!! Amazing intellectual experience--truly a world class college education. If you can get in (and don't worry about cost--if you qualify for financial aid, you will get it), I wouldn't even consider another school.

As a college prof, I would strongly urge you to consider small liberal arts colleges for undergrad, and major research universities for grad school. Swarthmore, Amherst, Williams, Wesleyan, Pomona, Reed, Carleton, Oberlin, Haverford, Bryn Mawr, Vassar, Mt. Holyoke, Smith, Wellesley, etc.

If you are worried about name recognition--the people who will be important in your DC's life will know these schools.

I agree that these are all very good schools. However, the tuition does worry me. I highly doubt my family will qualify for financial aid, but we are still middle class enough that 50Kplus a year would really pinch (and not because we live in a mcmansion or drive luxury cars).

Davidson?

Anonymous wrote:Swarthmore!!! Amazing intellectual experience--truly a world class college education. If you can get in (and don't worry about cost--if you qualify for financial aid, you will get it), I wouldn't even consider another school.

As a college prof, I would strongly urge you to consider small liberal arts colleges for undergrad, and major research universities for grad school. Swarthmore, Amherst, Williams, Wesleyan, Pomona, Reed, Carleton, Oberlin, Haverford, Bryn Mawr, Vassar, Mt. Holyoke, Smith, Wellesley, etc.

If you are worried about name recognition--the people who will be important in your DC's life will know these schools.

These are all great schools. Unfortunately many of them have admissions rates well under 20% (Amherst is under 15%, Williams is about 16%, Pomona in that range too). So they are only slightly less competitive than the Ivies in terms of admissions (actually Cornell has a higher admission rate than most of them). I am also not sure these are best kept secrets - they are all in the top 25 of the US News list of liberal arts colleges. I wish my child could go to one of these schools. But she probably needs an admission rate over 30% to have a shot. Over 40% is better.

Ithica

Swarthmore!!! Amazing intellectual experience--truly a world class college education. If you can get in (and don't worry about cost--if you qualify for financial aid, you will get it), I wouldn't even consider another school.

As a college prof, I would strongly urge you to consider small liberal arts colleges for undergrad, and major research universities for grad school. Swarthmore, Amherst, Williams, Wesleyan, Pomona, Reed, Carleton, Oberlin, Haverford, Bryn Mawr, Vassar, Mt. Holyoke, Smith, Wellesley, etc.

If you are worried about name recognition--the people who will be important in your DC's life will know these schools.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a really great list. Second the poster who mentioned Smith College - Northampton is a lovely college town. If you are looking at the 5 college area add Mount Holyoke to your list too. Students can take classes at any of the other colleges (Amherst, Smith, Hampshire, MHC and UMass)

.

The women's colleges seem to be an interesting option right now. The admissions rates are much higher than the equivalent co-ed schools, perhaps because fewer girls are choosing women's colleges. I assume they are still providing a great education. Unfortunately my DD goes to a girls school now and refuses to look at women's colleges (she loves her school, just wants a different experience for college).

Since I am an alum of one - I sincerely believe that women's colleges do continue to provide an excellent education. I think the demand is still there or else they would have turned co-ed. But I agree your child has to be the one to decide and like anything else it may not be for everyone. As much as I would love it if my DD when to my school I have to be realistic.

Another school to add to this list is Swarthmore.

Another poster mentioned Catholic U. I went there, made the best friends of my life, got a great education, and met TONS of different people. The music/arts program there is stunning and it is intimate enough where I can say I knew almost my whole class, and a lot more. Great school.

Sarah Lawrence College