Anonymous wrote:My daughter visited Charleston/the College of Charleston and was absolutely smitten with the quad/campus charm as well as adjacent Charleston proper and the nearby beaches. I can see why - wow - so adorable! I fear though that the school is probably not a good fit/choice (kid is high stats; 4.0 unweighted in highest rigor classes/APs; 1550 SAT and wants to do STEM). Would the honors college there raise the level? Any suggestions for schools with similar charm/adjacent cute shops and restaurants? Preferably not too cold a climate?

No other school gives you all this. Stunningly beautiful historic campus and surrounding city. Beaches, amazing restaurants, fabulous shopping and great weather. Campus is literally one block from King Street, famous for its picturesque shopping and restaurant scene. Architecture is gorgeous with historic houses and buildings. The campus looks like a movie scene with its buildings dating back to the 1700s, the Cistern Yard, and brick sidewalks. Palm tress abound as do old oaks. Extremely Instagram worthy. Can't say enough. I have lived and traveled around the country and nothing compares. So much of the city is walkable and students are able to be outside and enjoy all year - no freezing temperatures and piles of snow or ice. It has 10,000 undergrad, so nice mid size, not too small or large. Everyone also loves President Andrew Hsu who started in 2018. Students from all over the country, especially the NE and Mid-Atlantic. Charleston is definitely on the rise, and as a previous poster stated, will be one to watch in the coming years and decades.

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Anonymous wrote:There is no other university that checks ALL those boxes and then also has genuine intellectual climate. Stanford comes close. But nobody is getting in the water in the Pacific Ocean. Also, you’re probably not getting an offer.

Tulane was a solid suggestion, sort of. Rice checks some of the boxes. But it’s not adjacent to an adorable city that is on the National Register of Historic Places. There’s also the beach problem

Vanderbilt has a southern look and quads with heritage magnolias. But of course it’s landlocked. And the surrounding city is not at all historic and more.

This may be the dumbest thing I've ever read on DCUM. Good job.

Ok, tell us all about swimming in the ocean in the Bay area then! How does that work while avoiding hypothermia?

Yes because the bay is the only place with access to the pacific

If you’re attending Stanford and want quick access to ocean beaches for swimming, explain where you’d find this? Because the subthread is about Stanford.

The fact that you could swim in the Pacific in Mexico is not useful if you’re a Stanford student

Have you been to the bay? People swim all the time. Seeing as the person below you mentioned a beach an hour and a half away; there's a ton of other places you can head from Stanford if you can't swim in the bay for whatever reason.

I have, which is why I know you need a wetsuit, maybe with a hoody, and deep knowledge of rip currents. Somehow I suspect this is not what OPs kid has in mind if she fell in love with Kiawah or Isle of Palms

Maybe if you’re an actual child who has a rare disease and cannot get in water. Seriously the theatrics here are insane.

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Anonymous wrote:I second the PP’s suggestions about William and Mary. My kid (and I!) liked it a lot.

Not even close. Where's the ocean near William and Mary? Not even a lake.

There are some river “beaches” along the James and Yortown, not to mention Lake Matoka on campus (weird that you’d claim no lakes whatsoever). Plus, VA Beach is about 1.5 hours away. Went quite a bit when I was at W&M. It’s not a waterfront campus but water is certainly accessible.

Virginia Beach is 1.5 hours away from Richmond, it is under an hour from Williamsburg.

Right now, at 10 PM my GPS is showing just over an hour from Williamsburg to VA Beach. When I checked the other day with more traffic (that Hampton Roads tunnel getting through Newport News/Norfolk can be rough!) it was 1.5 hours. Still not far, but I’ve never gotten there in less than an hour, and went quite a bit as a student.

Look, I grew up in Richmond, with my grandparents at in Williamsburg and my parents now live in the north end of Virginia Beach. You can check Waze all you want. It’s not normal to take 90 min on 64 to go from Camp Peary exit to Virginia Beach. I’m sorry if that happens to you. My sister actually drove it today, from Richmond to see my parents, from 64/Glenside. Right about 80 min (but she has a bit of a lead foot).