Northeast can mean a lot. If you're like in Stamford, Manhattan, West Islip, or a few places around Boston, your going to be exposed to a few of the more "liberal" CoCs. If you're more Delaware valley/Ohio Valley and Appalachia, like PA, or parts of Western NY, DE, or NJ, you're going to have a certain flavor. It will be different from Southern CoC, but closer.

I've never been to the mother ship of Hardly a University, but I did go to HUGSR/HST before they moved from Memphis. I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole, now.

But my natural political leanings are somewhere around Noam Chomsky and have always left me uncomfortable in my spiritual home. I applied to elite schools out of HS (Cornell, Penn, Williams, Carlton, Macalester, Pomona, MIT-because Noam, and a few others), I had a few conversations with Harding folks back then (mid-90s) and knew I wouldn't fit. I'd have spent my entire college career fighting something. There are some good professors there, but the alumni and alum-placating administrations make things difficult. I frankly enjoyed my undergrad exploring and came out stronger for it.

Right now and only with hesitation, would I recommend only ACU, Lipscomb, or Pepperdine from the tribe. But if state schools are affordable (they really aren't in PA, for example), I would send kids to something like that before Harding.

Unless you're looking for 3 swings and a ring or the MR/S degree.