Good academic schools in the western US for a 4:35 miler

Colorado College would be an excellent fit. Great school, decent running program, amazing location.

you're pretty good if you're a girl

Most of the SCIAC schools would fit the bill. What are you looking to study and what sort of environment do you want?

What do you want to major in? Go to the best school you can with that major. Everything else is trivial.

I haven't really decided on a specific major and expect that I'll change majors at least once. I'll definitely be going into a STEM-related one though. As for environment, I don't really care about the size or demographics of the school. Cost isn't a major concern but it would be nice if tuition isn't sky high.

Definitely look at the CMS or Pomona-Pitzer in Claremont, CA. Both teams consistently dominate the west region for D3. PP won xc nationals in 2019 and has a great coach. CMS was ranked top 10 all season in 2019 but has a new coach so don't know how that will change things. Both schools are highly ranked academically with strong programs in a variety of disciplines with plenty of places to hike nearby.

There are some good suggestions already. Colorado College is smack in the middle of Colorado Springs and has an excellent reputation for academics. The Claremont Colleges in Southern California are also very, very good and the ability to cross-enroll means that you have far more options academically than you otherwise would. Consider also Reed College in Portland. Unless your family income is $500K/year or more "financial considerations" should always be a factor. Another college to look at would be Rice in Houston. Not a hotbed for rock climbing or the outdoors but it is one of the most selective colleges in the US that many students wouldn't even consider or know about. Where you are at as a runner it will be a "tipping point" consideration in terms of admissions but at smaller, selective colleges

CMS (a good choice for non stem)
Colorado school of miles (obviously only ideal if you're into engineering)
UC Santa cruz (bad academically for some majors, but excellent for others, so depends on your field. If you're into stuff having to do with the ocean, a great academic choice)

You could also find a D1 school where you wouldn't make the team that has an active club team. Make sure you verify it is actually active, it would be disappointing to get there and discover you're basically running solo and not making any friends through the club, since i assume that is why you want to keep running after high school.

I second Pomona-Pitzer... top academics, great XC.

If you don’t know what you want to major in then go to community college and knock out the gen eds. You’ll save a ton of money. Some even have running programs. A great way to get your feet wet in both figuring out your major and running beyond high school.

The only reason to go to college without knowing a major is if it’s being paid for. Otherwise college is too expensive to not know and potentially be throwing lots of money away.

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A little wisdom wrote:
If you don’t know what you want to major in then go to community college and knock out the gen eds. You’ll save a ton of money. Some even have running programs. A great way to get your feet wet in both figuring out your major and running beyond high school.

The only reason to go to college without knowing a major is if it’s being paid for. Otherwise college is too expensive to not know and potentially be throwing lots of money away.

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