<p>Harvey Mudd requires (a minimum) of 12 humanities classes, 6 of which you are required to take at Harvey Mudd. The other 6 can be taken at any of the colleges in the Claremont Consortium. Depending on your major you can take a few more humanities or even some major classes at the other campuses as well.</p>
<p>If Wellesley is on your list, why not Smith or Mount Holyoke? Smith has the better town by far, but I’ve heard anecdotally that MH is a bit stronger in the sciences.</p>
<p>I second New College of Florida. What about St. Mary’s College of Maryland?</p>
<p>Evergreen State in Washington would be in the NCF category as well. Both would be an easier admit than Reed, but I don’t know that going to a public OOS would be much of a financial advantage.</p>
<p>Lewis and Clark may also fit this category. They give some merit aid, while Reed gives none. I don’t know well they meet student financial need.</p>
<p>The cost of New College for OOS students is prohibitive ($34,169). With in-state costs at UNC under $20K per year, NCF is not an attractive option for NC residents. This is aside from the fact that science is not a strong point at NCF; in fact, it has half the science faculty that some other LACs have (like Davidson).</p>
<p>Davidson is an obvious choice. It’s exceptionally strong in the sciences and is loan-free. It gets overlooked by most CC posters because it’s in the South, so I’m not surprised it hasn’t been mentioned. :rolleyes:</p>
<p>Davidson sounds much too straight for the OP.</p>
<p>You’ve got some excellent choices on your original list. I’d suggest looking at Carleton, Pomona, and Smith, too, and don’t take Reed off your list. If FA is crucial, it is wise to cast a wider net. You would be amazed how much offers can vary using the same info.</p>
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The OP asked for schools with exceptional academic atmospheres and interesting locations. Davidson has an exceptional academic atmosphere, and the town of Davidson meets the OP’s criteria for quirkiness, coffee, and food (less so for music, but Charlotte is nearby). </p>
<p>While the student body is fairly moderate, a strong liberal would not feel at all uncomfortable. I found Davidson to be a more openly liberal place than Chicago, at least.</p>
<p>Davidson is certainly a great deal more Reed-like than State, which is on the OP’s list.</p>
<p>Perhaps you missed this:</p>
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<p>I agree that Davidson is stronger academically than the instate choices on her list, but I assumed that they are there as safeties, both academic and financial. Which is wise.</p>
<p>OP, With income in the range of $180K you will probably not qualify for much aid at Reed. It is good you are looking for alternatives. I agree with Grinnell. As a NMF you would probably be competitive for Lewis and Clark’s top merit scholarships. There are some few that are full tuition.</p>
<p>If your parents make 180 grand but can only contribute 20k a year, you will get ZERO in need-based aid from any school other than HYPS. Unless you can somehow come up with 50k/year for Reed, you should not bother applying. Same goes for Brown, Tufts, Wellesley, Carleton. UNC is a great deal both in-state and OOS if you can get in (you’d only have to take on 10k/year in loans).</p>
<p>NCF gives merit aid, including a guaranteed NMF award. Oberlin and Grinnell also give merit aid, although it tends to top out around 15k so I don’t know if it’d be enough for you. UChicago and Harvey Mudd (I think) do give a few generous merit scholarships, though VERY competitive. Smith and Holyoke also offer scholarships that might put them within reach (top out at 20k = 30k COA, and you can cover 10k/year in loans+work). Lewis & Clark is generous with merit aid.</p>
<p>do financial aid officers not take into account the fact that my parents pay two mortgages? they have completely separate finances. i will start a new thread in the financial aid area, but i am almost positive married and divorced parents’ ‘combined income’ is not used as an equivalent metric of financial ability. that seems very silly!</p>
<p>Not sure about financial aid officers taking into account paying two mortgages, but the process is even more difficult for children of divorced parents (and it’s already messy for everyone). For instance, if your residential parent is remarried, that person is also included in income estimates for FAFSA schools. If your non-custodial parent is remarried, that person is also included for income/asset purposes for CSS Profile schools. In my kids cases, their father remarried a woman with her own business and 5 houses in Florida. I don’t expect her to sell one of her houses to put my kids through school, but HPYS, which my daughter is borderline qualified for, would expect this as would, I suspect, most other CSS Profile schools. My own husband just paid off his own children’s student loans. The knowledgeable people on the financial aid postings set me straight and since then I have been concentrating on good schools with good merit aid. My daughter is not happy about this, but now that she is applying to schools, she is starting to accept reality. Definitely post for the financial experts to weigh in, but you definitely want to apply to several schools where you would feel comfortable, and hope for the best when the offers come in.</p>
<p>I thought exactly the same thing as no imagination did! A couple of boxes of reeds fromm ww and brasswind would be cheap!!</p>
<p>I don’t know whether debt is accounted for by the PROFILE, but I do know that most students with divorced parents get screwed over by need-based FA. Definitely make a thread in the FA forum, and run a good aid estimate calculator (I’m partial to Amherst’s; do not use Princeton’s, as the HYPS estimate is different from everyone else).</p>
<p>Debt is not accounted for in FAFSA or Profile. Also, income from both parents is considered. According to Reed’s Website:
Freshman and transfers should submit the Noncustodial PROFILE, if applicable. If parents are divorced or separated, only the parent (and stepparent, if remmarried) that the student lived with the most in the past 12 months should complete the PROFILE. However, Reed expects both parents to assist in financing a student’s education, therefore, the student’s noncustodial parent must complete the Noncustodial PROFILE (NCP).</p>