Acceptances are in - now how do you choose where to go?

College Search & Selection
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<p>OK. DS got acceptances to a bunch of different schools - all at very different price points. I'm pretty sure he got into the honors programs at all the schools that have them (he's still waiting to hear about from a couple that haven't made honors college decisions yet). </p>

<p>He originally told us he wanted a small school, 2-3 hours from home, in a rural or suburban area. His step-dad and I made him apply to a couple of schools that don't meet this criteria (maybe we did that because we thought he was being too limiting). He's a very good student (top 5% at a very well regarded HS, all AP and Honors classes, top 2% SATs, excellent ECs, etc) - but I can't say he's hard working. We rarely saw him open a book. </p>

<p>He also hasn't been terribly interested in the college application process. He didn't want to visit many schools and which ever ones we did see he says "all looked alike."</p>

<p>the prices of the schools he's gotten into range in price from 51K (still waiting to hear about merit aid on this one) to 18K (from a school with a generous scholarship.)</p>

<p>The schools are (in no particular order):
Lehigh
Rowan
Virginia Tech
The College of New Jersey
Elizabethtown
University of Delaware
University of Maryland (anticipated acceptance, just no notice yet)</p>

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<p>Lehigh, of course</p>

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<p>Lehigh is clearly the strongest in the list.</p>

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<p>Rowan and Elizabethtown are outliers - they don’t seem to belong on the same list with the others of the schools you name. Once they’re removed, there aren’t any small, rural campuses. Lehigh may (slightly) have the highest U.S. News ranking, but VT, Delaware, TCNJ, and UMCP are all viable options depending upon what merited their inclusion since they weren’t small + rural. Unless you’re from PA, you must live in either VA, MD, DE, or NJ, so one is likely to be financially more appealing.</p>