Women’s LACs can be generous. D got full ride merit scholarship from Agnes Scott (CTCL) in Decatur, GA. She received 20 K in merit aid from Mt. Holyoke, and 20 K merit aid and a 2.4 K stipend as a STRIDE scholar at Smith. When we visited Smith there were a lot of male students from Amherst and UMass on campus. Smith is part of the 5 college consortium. D’s stats; 3.85 (UW), ACT 33, state level leadership office holder, orchestra, class Vice President, 4 APs. She got accepted at Bryn Mawr but they did not give any merit $.
@Awesomekidsmom, how did you reconcile your S’s decision not to take the full ride scholarship? Right now D is leaning towards Smith, which offered a partial scholarship and an opportunity to do research during her first two years.
If your finances are complicated, and will fluctuate wildly…better to look for merit aid awards that do not rely on income at all.
@SoccerMomGenie, I’m not sure what the top merit awards are at Sarah Lawrence, but it might be worth checking out. 71 % girls - that could be a problem, but just thought I’d throw it out there.
I think you may have already found the best match for your criteria - Dickinson. I also agree that Muhlenberg could be a fit. Gettysburg’s academic reputation is similar to Dickinson’s, and they give merit aid, but the culture is probably not a great fit. Hobart and William Smith has merit aid too. Not sure about the culture there. Geneseo might be worth looking at if you’re in NY.
If you’re considering schools that are close to airports, Rhodes College in Memphis could be a good fit. They give very good merit aid, and they’re less than 10 miles from the airport. It’s a 3 hour flight from Memphis to Newark, NJ.
Case Western is another one close to an airport - 18 miles from airport, 1 hr, 40 minute flight from Newark, NJ. And they seem to give big merit scholarships. From their CDS:
“Merit-Based Gift - 375 (29.3%) of freshmen had no financial need and received merit aid, average amount $22,009”
@TsarinasMom - It wasn’t as hard a decision as you might expect, and there were a number of reasons. The biggest was that I really didn’t think it was a good fit for him. It would have been a great fit if he had his heart set on engineering, or one of the other areas where the school excels, but he really wasn’t sure what he wanted to do, so I felt that a less structured, liberal arts type college was better for him. The other big reason (which is what would really tip it for other people) was that we are fortunate to be able to afford whatever option he picked. He is an only child, and I ran the numbers for projected college costs when he was born and estimated (rightly so) that many of the most selective private schools would cost about a quarter of a million dollars and we started saving accordingly. I was pretty sure that we would make too much for need-based aid and had no idea that merit aid existed except in very rare cases. So, even though merit aid is quite welcome (we aren’t so wealthy that 60K+ is nothing), it really wasn’t essential, and my husband and I felt that the difference in fit between the schools was just too much. I should note that my son was really tempted to take the free ride because he knew how much cost figured into a lot of his friends’ decisions. We reassured him that the money was there and set aside for that purpose.
^Lucky kid 
@TsarinasMom my kid was not quite as lucky as the child of @awesomekid because he had to be willing to take out some loans to forgo his full ride offer for the school he really wanted, and be willing to work for pocket money as our money was going to pay most of the EFC which tapped us out for him (he is the oldest of a pack of siblings). But, he just felt that he could not pass up the opportunity for the school he really, really wanted. He has no regrets. To him, it was full ride at a school he was okay with, or grab the excellent school he really wanted and pay some.
However, our next one took a full ride and has loved the freedom it has given her as well as the opportunities as she is given at the school as one on a full ride. She likes the school and so it did not feel like a sacrifice, but a gift. She did not have a dream school, but several she was fine with and saw no reason for herself or us to spend a dime if she’d be fine (and now loves it) at the free ride.
Ultimately, they have to decide. In our home, our role is to tell them how much we as parents can contribute and try and help them find affordable matches. They have to decide after that. We help with the benefits and negatives once acceptances and packages come, and give our opinion. But, they have to decide. For many, this is their first true grown up decision that must be made. It is an exciting, but stressful time.
@WalknOnEggShells I can speak a bit to Hobart & William Smith. My D2 loved it, and probably would have chosen it first except for cost. She got $20k/year merit, but it’s got a COA in the high 60s, so our net price was much higher than any other place, including our full-price flagship state school. They gave a bit of need aid but not nearly enough to be competitve with other schools’ net prices.
It’s in a beautiful location: right on the lake in an upscale resort town. There’s a strong greek system but it doesn’t dominate. Small faculty/teacher ratio, the usual you-get-to-know-your teachers spiel. Very preppy. Tons of Vineyard Vines & Sperrys, and guys looking as if they just got off of the golf course except for perfectly coiffed hair. Not for everyone – D2 loved it and felt very comfortable, but D1 would have hated every second (she found her people at Mount Holyoke).
@Pheebers, thanks very much for the info on Hobart and William Smith. I didn’t know it was so preppy. I still have no idea what my daughter thinks about preppy schools, but it’s good to know. I didn’t realize the town was upscale either.
It does seem pretty expensive. We’ll definitely visit, but these days I’m thinking she’s going to end up at Geneseo or Binghamton.