Wilkipedia says (and the Hampshire College website confirms) that the place was founded "as an experiment in alternative education." So I'm not surprised the students there were odd.
These private schools are *so* expensive -- some will hang on because there are kids who legitimately need to be at very small colleges, and some will hang on because they are prestigious, but a lot will go by the boards. I can't think of a private college down here that's in trouble, but maybe that's just a matter of time. The University of the Sciences, as you probably know, was taken over by St. Joseph's.