<p>MOTH--
For us Washingtonians and Baltimoreans, that's not isolated, that's just on the way to the beach! :)</p>
<p>mezzomom: Just wanted to congratulate you. What great news!</p>
<p>Mythmom, I'll accept the congratulations, although if you look back, you'll see that my original post was from August 2006 (somebody was using the search function to great effect :D). But even as my daughter has moved past the midway point of her sophomore year, I can't complain about either the quality of her education or the cost; we've paid less than $12K for her college education so far. Since my husband was unemployed for much of 2006 and 2007 (and is currently living and working in another state), we are very grateful for the merit aid my daughter has received.</p>
<p>Otterbein has some downsides for my daughter, which she was aware of going in. She feels the biggest drawback is that it draws predominantly from Ohio, and that regional draw was most apparent her freshman year when it seemed everyone except her was going home on weekends. Much of that rush to go "home" has passed, and this year, in particular, she feels like she is making friendships that will last. Fortunately, she went in with her eyes wide open and weathered the winter/spring quarter freshman blues. She's also made use of her interactions with administrators along the way to point out that the ongoing institutional goal of greater diversity can mean reaching out beyond Ohio, not just "face" diversity. Her comments have been sought out and heard with receptive ears, so she feels she's doing her small part to make her school even better.</p>
<p>In addition, my daughter has always been a "bloom where you are planted" type and has forged strong relationships with professors across many departments. The opportunities they are presenting to her are almost too generous; she's finding that she's going to have to pick and choose, because she won't be able to do it all. All in all, a good problem to have and one that far outweighs the regional myopia she sometimes encounters.</p>
<p>Silly me. Thanks for the gracious post. I'm glad her experience is improving.</p>
<p>Good merit money for good students (I don't have all the facts at hand, like Cur did, just tossing out more names for people to explore on their own):
Augustana College, Rock Island, IL
Elmhurst College, Elmhurst, IL
St. Ambrose University, Davenport, IA</p>