Drew feels like the secret that everyone should know about. Yes, it's small. Yes, it's in New Jersey. But it's also thirty miles from Manhattan, serious about the humanities, and full of students who actually care about ideas. The Gothic architecture looks like New England prep school, but the student body is way more diverse and way less buttoned-up than that image suggests. Philosophy professors know your name. English seminars have twelve people discussing Toni Morrison like it matters (it does).
The location is the game-changer. On weekends, you're in NYC. On weekdays, you're in small classes with professors who treat you like a peer. Drew students intern at publishing houses, theaters, nonprofits, and museums just by existing thirty miles closer to everything. The campus itself is beautiful and walkable; the town of Madison is charming if sleepy. The balance between intimacy and opportunity is exactly what a lot of thoughtful students are actually looking for.
Drew takes its Methodistroots seriously—community service is woven into the culture, not just required for graduation. If you want a liberal arts education where professors know you and New York is a bus ride away, this is it.