Anonymous
Post 10/28/2025 19:30     Subject: Small to medium sized colleges in big cities for a good but not top student
Anonymous wrote:Someone mentioned it earlier, but the University of San Francisco would be a great one to look at.


+1

Striking views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay, within short walking distance of the Panhandle and Golden Gate Park (like 2 to 3 blocks). Located close to the Haight and the Sunset and Richmond districts.

And the ocean is about 2 miles away.
Anonymous
Post 10/28/2025 19:25     Subject: Small to medium sized colleges in big cities for a good but not top student
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:again - some schools are close to cities so that a student could get there easily if they wished.


Again, the day to day school of living in a city (say, GW or BU) feels nothing like the daily experience of living wherever George Mason is (annandale?) or sommerville mass. Not at all the same.


You don’t even know where GMU’s main campus is but feel qualified to bash? GMU has 40m students spread out over Fairfax, Arlington, Manassas (the high tech campus) and Songdo Korea. Shutter buses connect the American campuses
Anonymous
Post 10/28/2025 19:24     Subject: Small to medium sized colleges in big cities for a good but not top student
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:It depends how far down the list you want to go. And whether it has to be directly downtown.

Loyola Marymount and Chapman come to mind near LA

There are so many schools with access to NYC. Hofstra and Adelphi are on train lines. Could also consider places like Pace or even Hunter in Manhattan.

My kid chose a school that had train access just steps off campus to Boston-it’s not really good enough for this list, but just saying, there are schools of all kinds with access to cities.



My DS liked Hunter and got accepted there OOS, but housing is a real issue, there is very little of it, even less with the renovation of one of the few dorms, and there is no meal plan. It is called City University of New York for a reason. You can work around these issues, but it would take a special 18 year old to do it, probably someone with family in NYC.


It's definitely designed for commuters who already live there, and students who are also working full-time.
Anonymous
Post 10/28/2025 19:08     Subject: Small to medium sized colleges in big cities for a good but not top student
Temple
Providence
Emerson
Holy Cross
UT Dallas
U San Diego
A bunch of the lower UCs are in moderate sized cities
Pace University
Anonymous
Post 10/27/2025 18:14     Subject: Small to medium sized colleges in big cities for a good but not top student
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:It depends how far down the list you want to go. And whether it has to be directly downtown.

Loyola Marymount and Chapman come to mind near LA

There are so many schools with access to NYC. Hofstra and Adelphi are on train lines. Could also consider places like Pace or even Hunter in Manhattan.

My kid chose a school that had train access just steps off campus to Boston-it’s not really good enough for this list, but just saying, there are schools of all kinds with access to cities.



Chapman is not in LA, it's in Orange county. Oxy and Loyola Marymount are in LA and probably fit the bill for what OP is looking for.


That’s a silly way to look at it. That’s like saying northwestern isn’t in Chicago or Villanova isn’t in Philly.


Northwestern isn’t in Chicago. It’s in Evanston.


I know. Same with Villanova. But to most people it’s Chicago/philly. They’re both less than 15 miles from downtown.


15 miles to downtown isn’t remotely the same. If you can’t walk down the street or take a short Uber (or bus or subway) to get to cool neighborhoods, then it’s not the city.

Evanston feels closer because it’s right on the subway. Villanova is definitely further out…nobody who attends says they are in Philly and many students barely go into Philly. It’s a 45 minute ride via public transport.

Someone mentioned Drexel which is really what OP is talking about.


+1 Similar for SMU. It’s in the suburbs.
Anonymous
Post 10/27/2025 17:52     Subject: Small to medium sized colleges in big cities for a good but not top student
In the other post, someone said Rhodes (sp?)
Anonymous
Post 10/27/2025 17:51     Subject: Small to medium sized colleges in big cities for a good but not top student
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:again - some schools are close to cities so that a student could get there easily if they wished.


Again, the day to day school of living in a city (say, GW or BU) feels nothing like the daily experience of living wherever George Mason is (annandale?) or sommerville mass. Not at all the same.


I never said it was the same. It just depends if you actually want smack dab in the city or access to the city.

And cities have more active/commercial areas and more residential areas. For example - GW vs American.
Anonymous
Post 10/27/2025 17:39     Subject: Small to medium sized colleges in big cities for a good but not top student
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:again - some schools are close to cities so that a student could get there easily if they wished.


Again, the day to day school of living in a city (say, GW or BU) feels nothing like the daily experience of living wherever George Mason is (annandale?) or sommerville mass. Not at all the same.


Somerville, Massachusetts is the most densely populated community in New England.


So more people per square mile than downtown Boston?
Anonymous
Post 10/27/2025 17:28     Subject: Small to medium sized colleges in big cities for a good but not top student
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:again - some schools are close to cities so that a student could get there easily if they wished.


Again, the day to day school of living in a city (say, GW or BU) feels nothing like the daily experience of living wherever George Mason is (annandale?) or sommerville mass. Not at all the same.


Somerville, Massachusetts is the most densely populated community in New England.


Don’t be silly
Anonymous
Post 10/27/2025 17:28     Subject: Small to medium sized colleges in big cities for a good but not top student
Anonymous wrote:Someone mentioned it earlier, but the University of San Francisco would be a great one to look at.


Also a good suggestion
Anonymous
Post 10/27/2025 17:27     Subject: Small to medium sized colleges in big cities for a good but not top student
Anonymous wrote:I have a friend whose child was set to go to UArts in Philly - until it just abruptly closed. She is a dance major. Anyway, lots of other dance programs extended admissions to the displaced students. She was already fairly local, so really only considered Drexel and Temple. She wound up at Temple and has been incredibly happy there. I think you just need to be a bit street smart as well as aware of the area to avoid the more dangerous parts of town that are off campus.


Good suggestion!
Anonymous
Post 10/27/2025 17:16     Subject: Small to medium sized colleges in big cities for a good but not top student
Someone mentioned it earlier, but the University of San Francisco would be a great one to look at.
Anonymous
Post 10/27/2025 17:12     Subject: Small to medium sized colleges in big cities for a good but not top student
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:again - some schools are close to cities so that a student could get there easily if they wished.


Again, the day to day school of living in a city (say, GW or BU) feels nothing like the daily experience of living wherever George Mason is (annandale?) or sommerville mass. Not at all the same.


Somerville, Massachusetts is the most densely populated community in New England.
Anonymous
Post 10/27/2025 17:06     Subject: Small to medium sized colleges in big cities for a good but not top student
Anonymous wrote:University of Dayton-Dayton
St Thomas-St Paul
Creighton- Omaha
Marquette-Milwaukee
SLU- St Louis


Only been to Omaha once. From memory, Creighton appeared to be fairly urban campus.
Anonymous
Post 10/27/2025 11:59     Subject: Small to medium sized colleges in big cities for a good but not top student
Anonymous wrote:again - some schools are close to cities so that a student could get there easily if they wished.


Again, the day to day school of living in a city (say, GW or BU) feels nothing like the daily experience of living wherever George Mason is (annandale?) or sommerville mass. Not at all the same.